The Days

I have been in Argentina for about a week now. When I was looking for flights, it was a few hundred dollars cheaper to fly to Santiago, Chile then to Cordoba or Buenos Aires. I looked at a map and calculated the distance to be about 300 miles from Santiago to Cordoba. I figured the trip would be about 6 to 10 hours by bus. Whoops!!! It was a 17 hour trip. We needed to cross the Andes which were gorgeous, steep, and snow covered. Then we stopped at customs for about 1.5 hours. Live and learn. No worries though because the buses are wonderfully comfortable.

I received a warm welcome at the Alonsos, with whom I stayed the last time I was here. It was six A.M., a few hours before they would be going to work so we shared some coffee, biscuits, and conversation.

I spent the following five days running around the city like a crazy person putting together a schedule of activities to make the most of my time in Cordoba. After 5 hectic days I now have a virtual curriculum of things to do. I am taking three art classes (painting, carbon, drawing), Spanish, salsa, and cooking. I have also found a gym with a rock climbing wall and yoga classes. I am set to go. Please try to imagine the hysteria of organizing this schedule. Each time I happened upon an institution that provided one of the classes a horribly broken conversation would ensue that either ended up with directions to another location that may offer similar services or a concession of the norm so that I may take the already existing class. At the art school and culinary institute the programs started a few months ago, intrigued by this hapless foreigner they offered to suspend the regular entrance requirements and allow me join their programs for the few months that I am here. The people are welcoming and have been very accommodating.

What will truly blow your mind is the cost of the activities. Art classes work out to be no more than $3.00/class, cooking is $20/class, salsa group classes are about $1.50/class, and the kicker is the private salsa classes with Edguardo are about $3.50/class. Edguardo is the instructor of the group classes at a salon I happened upon during my wanderings and I asked if I could take private classes. He said sure and that they would be 10 pesos an hour and held in his peluqueria (barber shop). Twice a week I go to the peluqueria for private instruction. He brings his girlfriend so that I have someone to practice with. Unbelievable.

Even though this is a self determined schedule, the week is still tiring and the weekends are welcomed. I am heading into week two of Mike’s home-grown university schedule.