Oh the Humidity!

So here goes my first post from sunny Scottsdale. I got here almost two weeks ago and have since spent a crapload of money on getting settled in. I'm living in a nice 1 bedroom apartment opposite a big public park with lots of tennis and sand volleyball (a little too dry and landlocked to be using the word "beach") courts. I bought a new red Toyota Yaris, even after my mom told me I looked "cute" in it, and have purchased a bed, a dining room table and chairs, and a futon with an incredibly comfortable mattress (hint: come visit). I'm teaching 6th grade English in a charter school about 5 miles down the road and I had my first meeting and tour of the new school. My classroom is sadly windowless, but I'm sure I'll survive. Teacher training starts on Wednesday, with school starting two weeks on Monday. I'm pretty much wavering from quietly confident to terrified.

Oh so before I forget, the title of the post refers to the 50% humidity going down in the 852 (Scottsdale) at the moment. Apparently it's "monsoon" season, but it's all relative and should probably just be called "kinda humid with some occasional rain, both of which seem crazy to us all because we live in the high Sonoran desert" season.

Highs and lows of moving here include:
-Not knowing anyone except for some distant cousins
-Arriving while the Diamondbacks are on a 7 game winning streak and finding it easy to follow them (on radio - no tv yet)
-Fairly cheap rent and cost of living
-Breaking my ceiling fan (crucial to perceived room temperature) while moving an apparently indestructible IKEA lamp
-Driving around the desert listening to Meatloaf
-People being nice to me after telling them I just moved here and I'm a teacher

Before moving to the Phoenix area I spent June in London going to other people's graduation parties (not nearly as fun as going to your own) and the first half of July in Hong Kong and Bali hanging out with my dad and half sisters.

-Jamie