So, like I've said before.. time here in Argentina is very fluid. Nobody makes plans to make plans, and nothing is valued more than time with family and friends. You are not looked as as 'lazy' because you want to sit outside and chat with your friends in the afternoon, while drinking mate. We are always together, and people will just drop by to say hello, or call you 10 min. ahead of time to play frisbee in the park. Unlike the U.S. where you need to make plans two weeks in advance.
This was our Sunday morning yesterday. Mari and I woke up around 9:30am and decided to drink mate outside on the patio. It's not 'technically' a patio, since it's still part of the house itself. I can't think of the word in English, but it's walled in, without a roof.
Anyway, we took turns laying in the hammock, ate facturas (which is usually what people eat while drinking mate) and talked. Since it was such a beautiful morning, Heiner (our roommate from Germany) and Fernando joined us outside for our breakfast/chat/Sunday morning relaxation time. It was really nice not to feel rushed. Usually in the states, I feel overly rushed on Sundays. Get to church, today is your only day to catch up on cleaning, you have work tomorrow very early, what to make for dinner, we need to go to the grocery store etc. etc. I think all four of us were out there for two hours, I spent most of my time laying in the hammock and trying not to fall asleep :) Right behind the hammock is a window with metal bars. Fernando tied a red rope (or belt.. whatever it was) to one of the bars on the window. It's long enough to grab onto and tug slightly so you can swing yourself in the hammock. I thought it was a brilliant idea! I think you can actually see it in two pictures.. on the bottom right of the window.
I took a shower shortly after, and watched bits and pieces of an Argenina soccer game on t.v. One of the weirdest experiences was flipping through the channels and seeing the Simpsons in Spanish. I couldn't stop laughing.
