Marinetta (one of my roommates) asked me if I wanted to go with her to a friends apartment in Nueva Cordoba. The four of us drank tea, at alfajores and drank 'submarinos.' Submarinos are the Argentine version of hot chocolate. They don't really have hot cocoa powder like we do at home, so they heat milk over a burner on the oven and before it boils they put it into your cup. You get a large piece of chocolate on the side, and you submerge the chocolate piece into your cup of steaming milk. It's really tastey! We then bought items to make hommeade pizza, which included tomates, onions, and bell peppers. We made a few pizzas, one consisting of tomatoes eggs and hard boiled egg! Yum!
The Internet is down again, so I’m writing this on a Word Document for now.
I’m in my room listening to David Gray. This music is doing a good job at relaxing me. I went for a long walk this afternoon amidst the rain and freezing wind. My feet slipped on the sidewalk with every step, since they were drenched with water. I was wearing sneakers, and it was still difficult to hold my balance. I wanted to give you an idea of what it’s like to be in the city.
I left the house with two letters to send back home. I had to travel by taxi to get to the ‘Correo Oficina’ on the corner of Colón y General Paz. While you sit in back of the taxi, you see the colorful world of Cordoba flash past you. You see taxis zoom past in yellows and greens, traffic paying no attention to speed or the white lines on the road, you see palm trees, sidewalks half finished and people waiting in line for the bus. You see buildings as old as time, kiosks selling gum and cospels, women holding their babies, motorcycles with little white boxes attached to the back filled with empanadas, and buildings so tall they reach the sky. The buses are dangerous, and it’s difficult to cross the street. Outside the university neighborhood, you see quiet neighborhoods in contact with nature. While you are in the city, you are there to consume or to buy. You see swarms of student from all around the world walking with backpacks and headphones. You can be whoever you want to be in the city, since nobody knows you. You see people struggling to make it to the end of the month, and people asking prices before they buy. You see people in rags begging for money while holding a child in their arms, and you see men as rich as dreams. When I got out of the taxi, I found the post office, and saw a truck with speakers in the back. They were playing something regarding the political system, and justice. You smell fresh pastries wherever you go, since there’s a bakery every few blocks. There are countless magazine stands, and venders selling fruits and vegetables.
Variety of fresh facturas at the bakery.
I continued walking, even though my fingers were numb from the cold. Walking alone has a refreshing peace about it. Today seemed quiet, since I left the house around 1:00. Small shops here close for a few hours during the day, and re open around 5pm or so. I saw a water fountain, and a man that almost got run over by a taxi. I saw a young boy no more than 10 years old smoking a cigarette and a family riding in a cart that was pulled by an old horse. They were riding in the street, along with traffic. I wanted to rescue that horse, I almost cried when I saw it. I won’t even describe the condition it was in.
Now I am home, and I’m about to make some hot lemon tea. I miss home today; I miss the cleanliness of the streets and the safety of the roads. I want pancakes, or my mom’s fresh chocolate cake. I’m going to wait for the internet to turn back on, and perhaps go to ‘La casa cultural’ tonight.
