So much to be proud of.

I'm just going to go ahead and talk about it, because I know how excited my family and friends were that I was going to be here in Argentina for the world cup.  The atmosphere here was amazing.  I was in 'el centro' (which is basically the equivalent of what Times Square is to New York City) yesterday for a while up until about an hour before the game started.  It was packed.  People from every part of Cordoba came to set up their watching space in the middle of the city.  The game was broadcasted live on a huge screen that was positioned against one of the tallest buildings.  Their hate song about Brazil was playing loudly, people were cheering, smells of empanadas and carne permeated through the streets, hundreds of police congregated to prepare themselves, and Messi jerseys were sold on every street corner.  It was world cup time and these people were serious. 

With it being only my second day in the city I decided to return to my house to watch the game with mi familia.  They had their friend over and we sat and drank mate and cafe while we cheered and screamed and maybe even cried a bit (when Germany scored).  I can't even put into words how unbelievably wonderful it was to be here and be amongst the immense passion and love these people have for their team. It was an unforgettable experience, but the best part of it is happening now.  The best part is that even though Argentina lost, the pride that they have for their team and more importantly their country seems to have only grown in the past twenty-four hours.  Numerous Cordobeses have said that they are very proud of their team and are proud to be from Argentina.  One would think it might take a while for the sting to wear off in order for them to be able to say that, but here in Argentina, the insenity of the love for their nation is unbreakable and that is simply amazing.

Here are some pictures I took in 'el centro' before the game.

On a different note, today I went to the university where I will be taking classes.  It was a miracle that I arrived, even though I arrived late.  Wonderful way to meet professors.  'El colectivo' which is the system of public transportation is, to quote the director of my program, 'un misterio y un problema' (a mystery and and problem).  This is due to the fact that there is a set schedule for 'el colectivo' but in reality it runs on its own schedule.  If the schedule says it will come at 8:50am, it might.  Or it might come at 9:00 or 9:05 or 9:10 or 9:15 or it might just come and drive right past you because it doesn't feel like stopping.  No one here completely understands 'el colectivo' and I have had multiple people tell me that they often get lost, miss their bus, or arrive late.  With all that said, of course my colectivo came late this morning which in turn means I arrived late to take my placement exam.  Thank goodness they had not begun yet because other students were also not there yet due to problems with the unpredictable colectivo.

Anyways, I took the written and oral placement exams and then went to 'el comedor' for lunch with the other students.  It has been really good getting to know them and I love that we use Spanish all the time.  We text in Spanish, we call in Spanish, we talk in Spanish...I'm beginning to think about everything in Spanish and struggle with English.  It's great. 

After lunch, a big group of us walked into 'el centro' because we all needed to buy things like cell phones, colectivo cards, notebooks, ect.  We did all of that and then went to a cafe to tomar cerveza (if you don't know what that is, just look it up...sorry mom).  It was fun to be in 'el centro' during the day because there were so many people and little vendors everywhere.  I love the life of this city and how vibrant it seems all the time.

Soon we all went back to our houses because we were tired and it was hot.  Winter here equals anywhere from 50-60 degrees and on a super cold day maybe 40 degrees.  For some that is summer.  For us United Statesians, it's pretty much spring time, like jeans and a light jacket.  For mi mama and mi abuela, it's time for scarves, winter coats and boots.  Therefore, when I walked downstairs this morning with just a sweater on, they made me put on more clothes and a scarf so that I wouldn't be cold.  When all the other students and I were talking, I learned that all of their host families made them do the same.  So there we were, a bunch of United Statesians sweating like crazy in 60 degree weather wearing our winter attire.  That's going to take some getting used to.

Anyways, when I arrived back home, I sat and had mate with mi abuela and we talked and watched NCIS (en espanol of course).  I am really beginning to appreciate that time everyday.  Typically at around 5 or 6pm we sit and have tea or cafe, and talk and talk and talk.  It's such a great, intentional, therapeutic way to wind down towards the end of the day.  And then, just like every other family in Argentina, we ate dinner around 9pm.