Meat Me Already

I show up at the airport after 14 hours of planes. I trade too much money stupidly at the airport for the worst exchange rate. Whoops. Luckily I eventually find a man holding up a sign 'Universidad del Salvador' to pick me up from the airport. After meeting up with some other American International Students, I learned how little I knew about my trip and how many emails I didn't get.

These whole 4 days I have thought I was staying at the Residencia Alfa 2000 (dorms). After getting dropped off at an apartment with Kathryn (my roommate from Illinois) I learn I am living with a host mom (Virginia). She's really sweet and funny. She knows a bit of English and likes slowly saying "Oh my god" when something is really dramatic. Love it. We live in Barrio Norte which is part of Recoleta. It is right next to the part of the city that specializes in stores that sell dentist chairs and utensils...Funny.

Another girl (Courtney) is living with my host mom and has been here for 5 months and leaves in a week and a half, she said we got one of the best and most relaxed host mom's out there. Courtney and her friend (Chloei) gave us lots of advice and tips for the city and traveling. We got empanadas for lunch...I stayed vegetarian...they were nice...more Italian tasting than I expected.

Courtney and Chloei gave us a lesson in matte (an herbal drink that is like a bonding/sharing ritual in Argentina) and biscochitos (little cookies). There is a 'server' who drinks the first and strongest matte. The server adds more water to the herbs and passes it to the first person. The server refills the gourd using the same herbs each time passing it around the circle for a long afternoon time of sharing the same conversation and matte through the bombilla (straw). I am not a huge fan of the taste yet. It is very bitter. Kinda tastes like what would happen if you chewed on tea leaves. Very strong.



When I had first arrived and was getting to know my house mom, I told her I was vegetarian and was going to slowly ease into the meat of the culture. As she was preparing dinner she joked that 'Now that I am in Argentina, there's no vegetarian" ... she wasn't joking. 2 whopping pieces of meat and potatoes for dinner with some salad, bread and wine (Malbec - the type Argentina is known for). As the plates are slowly clearing over conversation I managed to down 1/2 a piece of my chunk of cow. The texture will be the hardest thing to get used to again. Everyone is pretty much done eating and my host mom starts to clear a few plates. She returns from the kitchen with a huge tomato on a little plate saying that I didn't eat enough. She said that if you don't have meat with a meal here it is not considered a meal but she understands that I have to ease into it. She is sweet.


There are a few things to get used to: Meat, Matte, City sounds and lots of honking, Milk and yogurt from bags, Dentist chair stores, Argentina time schedule (Breakfast 8-10, Lunch 1-3, Snack 5-6, Dinner 9-11, Hang out 12-6)


Love.