Greetings again from Mendoza!
Today is the eve of spring and also a nationwide holiday for students. I absolutely love Argentine holidays. The best thing about them is that they occur at least once a month. And as opposed to American holidays where most people are still working, going to school, etc., an Argentine holiday actually means a day off. No wonder the quality of life is much higher here, huh?
Holidays here (my favorite being Friend Day in July) is one thing I definitely missed about Argentina. Now that I have been back for over three (!!) weeks, I have had the chance to enjoy the small things about the city, country, and culture that I missed without even realizing it. Of course when I left last time, I desperately missed the people: host family, boyfriend, friends… I also immediately missed the night life and in general the ability to stay up late and take siestas during the day. There are other things, though, that I missed that I didn’t realize until now that I’ve been back.
The first example is the media tarde. I guess I would explain that by calling it “tea time”. It’s tea, coffee, mate, milk, or soda if it’s hot out accompanied most commonly by pastries of some sort. The media tarde (or “tomando la leche”) happens after the siesta, usually anytime between about 5 to 7pm (but when does actual time matter here, anyway?). Since dinners are served late, it’s the perfect mid-day event to boost your energy and wake you up after your siesta. It’s also a great excuse to meet up with a friend and spend the afternoon together.
Secondly (which is similar to the first example) is the culture of going to cafes. This is the best when it’s warm out, so you can sit outside of a café with a friend, coworker, classmate, family member, etc., etc. and sip on a café con leche (my favorite) while enjoying conversation or people watching. The best thing about this is that everyone is doing it. If you are sitting at a table, you are surrounded by people who are likewise enjoying a drink and the company of a loved one. If you are just walking by the café, you can watch the Argentines take a break in their day to sit and chat, which is almost just as fun as being there yourself. Coffee to go is extremely rare (hopefully it stays that way despite the fact the Starbucks is attempting to take over Buenos Aires); the culture of sitting and enjoying the coffee and the company is highly valued. I have been able to enjoy many a café with some of my favorite Mendocinos these last few weeks, and I always leave feeling extremely energized and refreshed.
The last example of things I missed is the crazy things Argentines say. Most of the idioms used would be considered dirty or inappropriate when translated to the English language, but here they fill the conversations of just about everybody. For example, if someone is bugging you, being demanding or in any way annoying, feel free to say they are making your balls swell or call them a “ball sweller”. If you don’t give a shit about something you can say “me chupa un huevo”. In order to keep the blog PG I won’t go on anymore, but it is refreshing to hear people speak their minds (of course with a wide variety of hand motions to go along, just in case the words didn’t get the point across) whenever and however they want to.
On a more update-ey note things in Mendoza are still going very well. Besides enjoying all the things listed above and the company of some amazing (and I mean AMAZING) Argentines that I’ve been reconnecting with, I have kept busy planning for our hostel (update soon), taking care of Karla who has broken her leg (pictures soon… be ready for a good laugh/cry moment), networking for jobs (stay tuned, it’s getting close!) and getting paperwork done to get legal residence. I also have been experimenting with cooking/drink-making and am extremely encouraged after making a successful batch of empanadas de pollo and some tasty (yet fatal) margaritas for some friends. Enjoying life here has definitely not been a problem for me. Not being employed has let me get back in the swing of Argentiness, and I am enjoying it while I can. Oh yes, and I drove yesterday (and lived to tell about it)!
In addition to what’s above, this coming week I am going to take some wine classes, volunteer at the Food Bank, and get our yard ready for springtime and our hostel. Yippee!
Maybe next time I will make a list of things I did NOT miss about Argentina…. That would be entertaining to say the least (especially if you want to hear about near-death situations in public busses, waiting in line for just about… everything, and getting ardently followed by stray dogs). Until then, I’ll stay on my cloud nine!
Besos to all!
