Journal Entry #18

I am here in Córdoba now, situated in my new house where I will reside for the next 6 months or so of my life. I am living in a rather large argentine house with quite a few people. The alma de casa (house maker) is Elda Noriega. With her live her daughter, Analina, her son, Rafael, another girl named Susana, and another person that I have not yet met. My room is great; very large with a bed, armoire, little desk, and a book shelf to name a few of the items. And for Argentina, man is it spacious. Hell, it is pretty spacious for anywhere! The room is a little cold at night, as there is no heater, so I went out and bought a hat to wear at night a little while ago. Now I am set!

Well, in my last entry, I mentioned that I had a few miserable days in Buenos Aires. This of course indicates a doctor’s visit, would you expect anything less? As usual, I had to see a doctor while traveling, but it was not that serious. Just a little case of food poisoning, no big deal. Yup, I spent the night in the bathroom, hanging out by the toilet, and in the morning, when we were supposed to fly to Córdoba, I had a doctor pay me a visit at the hotel. I never knew it, but apparently, large hotels can have a doctor come to you. I was a lot more expensive than if I had gone to see the doctor, but as long as I was with my mom, and she is paying the bills, why not?Anyways, it was nothing serious, and after a few pills and a couple days worth of rest, I am all better.

I flew in to Córdoba last night without any problems, and have had a good day. I ate breakfast with Elda and Susana, and got to know them a little bit. Elda has two of her children living with her, and a couple of others nearby. Susana is from La Pampa, a province just south of here. She works in a bookstore for businesses.

Afterwards, went to use the internet at the “shopping” (Argentine word for mall) and came back for lunch. Ate chicken, squash, and carrots, and then I was off again. First I walked down to SET Idiomas, the school in which I studied during the month of January, when I came to Córdoba for winter term through Eckerd. After seeing a couple of the teachers and Matias, and meeting some of the new students, I went to go see Zulema and Nino, the family with whom I lived in January. I wish that I could have lived with them again, but now they will have students that are coming soon. Oh well, the new family seems very nice. It was great to see Zulema and Nino. It seems nothing has changed, they are looking good. Zulema is a great lady with a great sense of humor, we used to laugh a lot when Marc and I were living there. And Nino, large and mafioso, still sleeps all day and stays up all night watching television! And I still cannot understand anything that he says! While I was there I met Vincent, a student that just finished up a semester at the Universidad Catolica. From San Jose, California, he seemed like a nice guy, but is leaving soon so I will not get to know him. We all sat around and drank matè, which is a long-standing argentine tradition.

Came back to the shack tonight after picking up some laundry that I had dropped off earlier right around the corner. For 10 pesos, or just over 3 bucks, they wash, dry, iron, and fold your clothes for you, and if you drop it off early enough, it is ready later on that day. What a great deal! Then I did some shopping at the “shopping”, and came back for dinner. I ate with everyone. Analina is studying to become a doctor, and Rafael is an electrician. Elda’s children all talk way to fast, with a very light voice (almost as if they were talking under their breath), and with a very strange accent, so it is hard for me to understand them. I think they are a little strange too, but all very nice. I am sure they think that I am very strange too!!
That about sums it up, so I will say good night for now.