My baby step into the blogging world

Ok, I have avoided blogs for years now and I'm not exactly sure why.  I think it may be because I've always seen them as public diaries which is an oxymoron for me. Or, it's because I am an absolute moron on a computer and so I never know how to start one (thankfully, my boyfriend set this one up for me in about 1 minute).  Regardless of my "reasoning", I am no longer able to resist the temptation.  So here goes...my first blog (I'm nervous!):

Why Chabelita in Chile? 

Chabelita is the Chilean equivalent of Izzy, my most commonly used nickname in the United States (there's also Iz, Izzer, Isa, Wizard, Jingle Bell, Taco Bell, and my favorite from my oldest friend Phil: Izzysmell).  Basically, anything that has a bel or an iz in it, I'll answer to.  I had never heard Chabelita before I came to Chile, but I love it.  Nicknames are wonderful in that certain people never use them and others meet you and 10 seconds later they start throwing out the craziest nicknames right and left (snl making the copies, anyone?).  I love both types of people.  I have an ongoing bit with one of my friends because she will not call me anything other than Isabel by principle so I use every occasion to try to get a nickname out of her.  Almost 5 years and counting and nothing!

In Chile is where I live.  Since June of 2007, my life has been full of all things Chilean.  As much as I'd like to think it's not true, my story is not unique in any sense.  I studied abroad here for 6 months, fell in love with a Chilean and my life has become more and more Chilean ever since.  After returning to the states to graduate from college, I have been back to Chile twice and am now here for who knows how long.  I live with the love of my life in an amazing and cheap apartment with our adorable puppy, Olive.  I work as an English teacher (again, nothing new here) and also teach private lessons to two very interesting Chilean students.  This is my (and my boyfriend's) first time living alone with no financial support (oh, how I took college for granted) so it's wonderful and terrifying at the same time (Chilean salaries suck!).  Luckily, we both have an endless amount of emotional support from both sides of the equator (I'll stop saying we soon, I swear!).

Why blog now when I've been so obnoxiously and pointlessly against it?

I have 3 reasons:

1.  I'm fickle and a total hypocrite. Or, at least I am concerning this, but hopefully not in general!

2.  Some of my friends keep blogs while they're living abroad to keep their friends and family updated without sending out mass emails and I think that's a great idea.

3.  There is a very active community of gringa bloggers in Chile and I have become obsessed with their blogs and want to stop semi-stalking them and actually post my comments ;) I hope that came off as flattering and not creepy, hah!

There you have it, my first baby blog post.  My next one will most likely be part of a group blog on Chilean women because, as anyone close to me knows, I find this an interesting, perplexing and in some situations, frustrating topic.