Well, I did it. I made friends. And not just other lost Americans wandering the streets of Buenos Aires (though I do have a few of those as well), but real, live Argentines. It´s amazing how quickly time passes, and how un-homesick you can be, when your days are spent enjoying the company of others, building a life in a new city, feeling like you belong.
The other weekend I went out to Sunday brunch with a group of friends from my yoga studio. We spent hours lingering over delicious food at one of my favorite cafes, strolled through the streets afterwards with our arms hung loosely around each other, grabbed coffee and dessert, window-shopped our way past trendy little boutiques.
The past few Sunday afternoons I´ve gone with my host brother, Ia, and his friends to sit in parks, drink mate, listen to live music, people-watch, kick a soccer ball around, and watch the sun set over the city.
Last week I was invited to Friday-afternoon tea with the female teachers I work with. We met in one of their dining rooms around a huge table filled with pastries and snacks, talked about men and relationships, complained about the students at the school, and drank so much coffee I had the Caffeine Shakes.
This past Saturday my yoga friends invited me to watch a fútbol match at one of their houses. I sat between an Argentine and a Brazilian while the team of the latter beat that of the former, learning a lot of new Spanish curse words, drinking good wine, and eating delicious pizza afterwards at a local spot that had a line out the door when we left at 1am.
Yesterday I met a couple of friends for lunch. The other day a different friend and I grabbed a late breakfast. This weekend I have a barbeque and a farewell party to attend. Next Thursday I have dinner plans.
I have a newfound happiness and contentment with my life here, and I owe a lot of that to all of the fantastic people I´ve met... they´ve welcomed me into their lives, they put up with my slow Spanish and constant vocabulary questions, and they give me a safe haven in this big, noisy, chaotic city.
It feels pretty darn good.
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Are your friends devastated by last night's miserable defeat to Paraguay? If not then you still don’t have any Argentine friends.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, there were many devastated souls. I can guarantee that they are true Argentines.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I´ve told and retold the story about how my fútbol team at work wears Argentina jerseys, and how I´m known as Messi. Everyone loves it. So thanks for that. :)