Ridiculously Happy

...exceedingly happy...overflowing excitement...take your pick. That's how I feel.

The drudgery of moving...yet again...has quickly been overshadowed by the ridiculous happiness of getting a glimpse of the new neighborhood I'm moving into.

I went over to take the first load of my stuff to the place I'll be living in for the summer. I hate moving...I mean it is seriously a pain in the butt. And I'm only ONE person! And it's dreary and rainy today and I think I'm getting sick, and I have to move...NOT a good first half of my day. But I arrived at my friend's apartment and her mother (who teaches at the same school she does) met me to give me the key and debrief me on apartment stuff.

After the apartment "tour," she oriented me a little bit to the neighborhood. We looked out the window and she told me where the shops are to buy stuff and the vegetable market she goes to...and as I looked out the window, I saw this SEA of local stuff- food stands, a HUGE market, shops, everything. So after she left, I went to take a quick peek.

The market is AMAZING. It's got everything you could want for your apartment- bedding, electric cords, dishes, clothing...plus it's got food- fruits, veggies, meat, spices, everything. And outside it was food vendors, more little shops, more stuff.

I'm SO excited to be in this neighborhood and I'm already sad that I'll only be in this apartment for about 2 months. But I'm already thinking that this will be the first place I'll look at for renting after my friend comes back.

Even the neighborhood I'm living in is awesome- it's big, has lots of people, kids...even a swimming pool (although no one was in it...not sure who's eligible to use it yet).

AND a couple of my students live near my neighborhood. As much as I've loved being spoiled in a super-cushy posh apartment, I can't even say how excited I am to be in a more "normal" neighborhood and so much closer to some of my students, who I love like crazy.

So...I will be doing lots of exploring of my new area in the coming days and weeks.