Yes, its hot

Well I'm in Phoenix. I'm homeless, but in a sweet hotel for now. What I noticed in driving through San Antonio, El Paso, Tucson, and Phoenix is that they're southwestern-y. Like they go out of their way to look stereotypical. If I was mayor of one of these cities, I think I'd want to make it look different or original. Everything is maroon or tan....to blend in with all the sand?

Anyway, my school is in the ghetto, or BARRIO, as they'd say around here. That's okay though, it can be a little corner of goodness in a poor, sandy world. Phoenix is BIG. I like the busy-ness of a big city. It'd be MUCH easier to get around if I wasn't still towing my U-haul. But I thought it would be smart to avoid choosing a place to live sight-unseen.

I like noticing the little differences between here and FL. No mulch here....every piece of landscaping has tiny pebbles instead. Yes, little shrubberies, and cactus (cacti?)......stereotypical. I moved from a city where EVERY street was numbered to Phoenix, where only the streets running North-and-South are numbered. It's weird seeing street signs for San Diego, Los Angeles, and Flagstaff.

I start work tomorrow.....new teachers introductory stuff, I'm sure. It'll be nice to put a face with a voice. I look forward to exploring more to discover where important places are around here (Best Buy, Target, etc.). I had grown to be so comfortable in Gainesville, and now I'm surrounded by the unknown. It's cool and scary and interesting all at once. I'll be too busy to be concerned with much more than my students soon, so I'll look forward to Fall Break. Yes, that's right, we have a week off in October for no particular reason. I never heard of that, but will accept it gladly. I'm just anxious to get my class and see if any of them speaks English. We'll see.

I left so quickly that I only got to really say goodbye to my family and best friend. I had been buying time, waiting on job offers, and time finally ran out. On the trip, I saw llamas, goats, and roadrunners. One city in west Texas even had a 40-ft. roadrunner overlooking the town. Creepy. What I learned on my trip is that a small Saturn shouldn't tow a full trailer, but that it won't give out on you, either. One plus about barely being able to tow a trailer is that I was NEVER in danger of getting a speeding ticket. I drove over 2,000 miles and changed in elevation from about 170 ft. to 5,000 ft. at the Continental Divide. Phoenix has an elevation of around 1,100 ft. I wonder if I'll notice.

I'll write again when I've explored more and actually have a new place to call home.