First Impressions

I am now in my new home for the next 5 months, Mendoza, Argentina. With the mountains on the periphery, I can’t even say I feel very far from home. They are always there to give me that comforting feeling. Activities in the last four days have included orientation sessions, learning to get around on the bus and “trole” or trolly, scoping out gyms to fulfill my exercise desires, walking in the park with my host mom and our dog Coqui, meeting friends and family, and of course trying all the Argentinian food prepared by my family.

Now, to focus on the food - to put it lightly, it is delicious. Just as I was told by everyone upon coming here, we eat a lot of meat - beef to be specific. I’m not sure whether it is how they prepare it here or whether the cows are just plain better, but it is awesome. It is the perfect tenderness and full of flavor. Our meat is often accompanied by rice and various vegetables. One lunch we had a delicious eggplant casserole which I plan to ask them to make again in the future. Besides beef we have eaten fish and a type of paella with muscles. Both were delicious as well. I asked where their seafood comes from and they explained to me that most is from Chile, just over the Andes. Each day my host-father comes home from work to eat lunch with us, however my host-mom’s job does not permit her to do so. The pace of the day is much like Spain here. Days start later, we eat lunch around 2:30 and dinner is not until around 10 o’clock. Although my family doesn’t take an actual siesta, I have heard from other students that many do. From the perspective I have obtained living with my family, being social is an important aspect of the culture. Meals and tea with extended family is valued time and families generally seem to live nearer to each other than we do  in the US (although this is a common theme I have found in all my travels thus far). On the second day after arriving, my family had 15 family members over. We all sat at one table drinking maté and eating various pastries (although I refrained as I have been eating gluten free since I arrived). I was more than a little bit lost in conversation, however I enjoyed the idea of a casual family gathering where all ages and friends, boyfriends, girlfriends etc. were welcome. 

As I hoped, Mendoza is an active city. People are constantly running in the park near my house, going to the gym and playing various team sports. To my surprise, there is actually almost equal female participation in these activities. Although I will miss riding my bike, I am glad to have an enjoyable place to run and hopefully a gym as well. Additionally, I am excited to be able to hike and ski in the Andes when I have free time. I am already itching to get on the hill, as people continue to talk about the snowfall in the various resorts. 

This is all for now. However, I will report again soon with details on my gluten free experiences and how things progress with the beginning of classes and new explorations.