So Ive had some of you write and ask what a typical day is like in my Buenos Aires life. So for those of you who are curious, here you go. I wake up around 7 45 to take a shower and then I eat breakfast with my family around 8 before leaving to catch the public bus, which is called a colectivo. I need to allow about thirty minutes for breakfast because quick meals do not exist here.
I leave my house through the little gate that opens onto the street and then walk four blocks to the main road where I catch the bus. After waving down the correct bus, I get on, tell the driver my destination pay for my ticket, and then either sit if there is room or stand in the aisle. My ride is about an hour long, but it seems to pass quickly as I am either reading for my courses or watching the people. After getting off of the colectivo, I walk about 15 blocks to the building where we hold classes. Our class lasts from 10 to 12, with a twenty minute break in the middle. It is a really relaxed classs, which is nice, since many of us cannot exactly control when we arrive. We usually talk about our families, read the newspaper, and discuss part of Argentinas history.
After class, we break up into groups to explore the city. Each of us are assigned the same partner for the entire time. I will either just go with her or one or two other pairs. The purpose in this is to keep our groups small. The places we go vary depending on the day. Sometimes we go to a museum, the park, a governmental building, cafes, shopping, or the public monuments. In these different locations we talk with some fo the Argentines to learn more about the location and their opinions about what happens in these locations. It is common that during the afternoon outings we will encounter a protest of between 20 and 40 people. The Argentines always seem to be protesting something. Before returning to our homes, we will stop for coffee and pasteries. The pasteries here are incredible and a wonderful way to wind down our afternoons.
I usually take the train back to my house. It is similar to any of the commuter trains, except that it is only one story. The train is always jammed with people because I am returning with all of the days work commuters. The people stand in many different lines waiting for the train to arrive. There is approximately one line per train door. The lines are always really long. When the train arrives, as many people as possible cram into the cars so that it becomes difficult to move and incredibly hot. This is when I am glad that I am not closterfobic. While on the train, which is about a thirty minute ride, I will do more reading or people watch. The venders are incredibly amusing to watch. They walk through the train cars selling anything from nail clippers, to muscial instruments, to food. Also it is common to see beggars in the trains who stop in each car to play a musical instrument in hopes of receiving pay.
When the train gets to my stop in San Isidro, I get off with a bunch of other people, and then walk about 15 blocks back to my house. It is a nice walk through residential neighborhoods where the house change from being in the upper middle class with garages and multiple stories to being in the lower middle class. Dogs are always prowling the streets and barking at one another. I also see people returning from work and stopping in the meat shop to buy the nights food. In this one block I have to be a little careful because there is always the same german shephard lying in the middle of the side walk. He has not tried to do anything to me, but he makes me nervous, so I give him plenty of room.
At my house for the night, I spend time talking with my parents about anything. Usually we get onto some politically controversial subject where I have to defend my opinion. We eat dinner anytime between 8 and 10 30 depending on the night. Also after dinner, later in the night, we drink coffee or mate. For those of you who dont know mate is a kind of tea that is very popular here and people drink it from the same cup that is passed around the circle. It is a great tradition and becoming one of my favorite parts of the day. To finish off the day I do some of my homework and play with my little brother. Usually we all go to bed around midnight or a little after. I am always the first to go to bed.
So there you go. I hope you are all doing well. I miss you all.
2 comments:
I LOVE YOU! And I miss you, but it sounds like you are having an incredible experience. I am so proud that you can be so independent in a completely different culture (I know, I know, you're a big kid, you've done this before... but still). And I know that in addition to that you are being an incredible encouragement to all who encounter you. God has blessed you with all of this, and I pray that you can clearly see His love enveloping you each day. It is so great to read your posts (I just did a power-read, I had to make up since I was at the beach this last week). And I just realized that I'm probably tanner than all of you. Pretty sweet, since it is probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me. I hope you aren't too cold though. I can't wait to hear more, and especially to cuddle with you at school on our couch in our apartment and hear all about it for hours and hours!
Hi Sheryl,
I really enjoyed reading about your day. You gave us all a real sense of what you're experiencing. That 15 block walk sounds quite interesting! Perhaps some pepper spray will calm your nerves around the German Shepherd. Never hurts to have some left-over pastry ready to throw for him to fetch, either! You're all in our thoughts every hour of the day! God bless, Mrs. J
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