Life is Good

I've been back in Mendoza for a month and a half now, and life is good. I was pretty bored when I first got back because I wasn't working, we hadn't yet started playing soccer, and I wasn't living in the hostel, so I really had not much going on. Being a person that thrives on having lots to do, it was a challenge! I even had a few "wish I were at home" bored days. But I managed to fill my schedule, re-connect with friends, and re-discover the joys of hanging out in the plaza. So life is good...even great!

Right when I came back to Mendoza I moved in with a family in the center of the city (about 5 blocks from my beloved hostel). I live with a woman in her 50's and her 16-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son. It's a nice living situation for the most part. I have my own room that overlooks the Plaza España. And we have a dog named Nico! Normally I hate dogs, but this little fluff ball is delightful. Whenever I walk in the door he comes over and runs around my legs until I give in and pet him. I'd say the living situation is in between a homestay and just renting a room. The kids are nice but we hardly interact at all...although I seem to have chatted with the daughter more in the past week than in the rest of my time there. I mostly converse with the mom, who is under a lot of stress lately and does her fair share of complaining. There also seems to be a lot of bickering among her and the kids. So sometimes I just try to stay out of the way. But they are nice people and when the atmosphere in the house is good, it's pleasant to come home to.

Probably the most exciting thing that's happened since returning to Mendoza is that I started volunteering at a nursing home! It took awhile and much effort to set up, but I finally found that fulfilling and meaingful activity I was looking for. I go every Tues - Fri to Hogar Santa Marta and basically just hang out and talk with the residents, who are all called abuelos (grandparents). Or rather, they mostly talk and I listen! It seems like nursing homes aren't quite as common here because families tend to care for their older members at home. But one friend told me that many people would gladly put the grandparents in a nursing home if they could afford it. So who knows. It is really a delight to go and chat with the abuelos. I formed bonds right away with certain residents, so now I have my routine of rotating to visit each of them. One man told me the first day that he wanted to learn English, so I made him a list of phrases which we practice each day and which he carries around in his breast pocket at all times! Very cute. Last week another resident invited me to have lunch with him at the restaurant around the corner. He uses a cane and has difficulty walking, but he is quite determined. It felt like quite a victory when we reached the restaurant after 2 blocks and 20 long minutes! For some reason I have a lot of patience with the elderly and with kids even though I don't consider myself to be an overly patient person. I'd say the nursing home isn't in as good shape as many in the U.S., and they hardly have any activities, but the residents seem to be happy for the most part. The center of the building is a huge courtyard, so they spend most of the day outside with each other. I often see the residents helping each other and wheeling one another in their wheelchairs. There also seems to be a great comraderie among the residents and employees. So it's a nice place to volunteer! I really feel blessed to get to know the abuelos and chat and laugh with them.

Joy of joys, we finally started soccer practice again (after summer break)! It's the best. Really the best. I know I say that every update...because it's true! Every time I go to practice, I feel like I'm entering another world. When I reminded the girls and my coach that I'm leaving Mendoza in the beginning of March, they started trying to convince me to stay until March 2009. I was touched. It took awhile to feel like "one of the team," and now that I do it will be sad to leave. I've become especially close with two girls on the team (Romina & Cintia) and had the pleasure of going over to Cintia's house with Romina on Friday for lunch. We spent the whole afternoon laughing and joking around. It was the best. Really the best.

Other random things I've done... More asados, more going to the intercambio linguístico. A few weeks ago I went on the "bike and wine" circuit. It sounds pretty much like what it is: you rent a bike and tour wineries! I also joined a gym and started a balance class every Tuesday. My instructor looks just like the volleyball player Gabrielle Reece and has the same perfectly toned body as well. I think someone airbrushed muscles onto her because she is so built! In other news, my friend Marcela had a baby in the beginning of February and I got to hold little Julián when he was only four days old! Yesterday I took a day trip to visit the behemoth mountain Aconcagua, the highest outside the Himalayas. The bus takes 4 hours each way and passes through Uspallata, where the movie Seven Years in Tibet was filmed. It was a pleasant time. Beautiful sky + hiking + really tall mountain = good day. I'm sure there would have been more spectacular views from the summit, but that takes a 2-3 week time commitment, not to mention amazing physical ability. The view from the bottom was nice as well!

On an unrelated note, I am getting quite tired of explaining the U.S. college education system! The usual conversation goes like this:

Argentinian: What is your degree from the university?
Me: I graduated with a degree in psychology.
A: Oh, you're a psychologist!
Me: No, I'm not a psychologist. We have a different university system.
A: Oh, so you haven't graduated yet?
Me: Yes, I graduated. But I'm not a psychologist. You don't graduate with a career like you do in Argentina. We pick something to major in, but we also study other subjects.
A: So how many years left until you become a psychologist?
Me: I don't think I want to be a psychologist! But if I did I'd have to go to graduate school. I'm thinking more about going into social work.
A: Then what is your university degree good for?
Me: Yeah, that's what I'd like to know! In some ways, just having a college degree is as important as what you studied. But no one graduates from college as a psychologist because the education system isn't set up for that.
A: Oh, I see (with confused expression on face).

Talk about being made to feel inadequate! I know people are just asking questions because they're curious, but I already felt unsure of my direction in life before coming to Argentina! I'd say this conversation occurs at least a few times a week. I think from now on I should just say yes, I am a psychologist I was hoping my time in Argentina would give me more insight into possible career paths, but I honestly don't think it has. Still, all I know is that I want to work with people. That's not too specific!

The big excitement this week in Mendoza is Vendimia! It's the annual grape harvest festival that has not much to do with grapes or wine but is a series of parades and events culminating in the main performance (which they've been preparing for since last year). We've been having pre-Vendimia events ever since I got back to Mendoza (movies in the park, music in the plazas, etc), and each county has elected their harvest queen. Every day in the newspaper there's some kind of update about the queens, whether it be an interview with one girl or something scandulous like one of them "resigning." It's big news, I tell you! One of the queens even came to visit us at the nursing home. So next weekend I'll be partying it up in the hills above the amphitheater with some girls from my soccer team, seeing what all this talk about Vendimia is really about!

I have one week left in Mendoza. One week - how did that happen?! On March 10 I fly south to El Calafate, one of the towns in Patagonia. As a sidenote, Patagonia is not one specific place but refers to the region in the bottom third of both Argentina and Chile. I will be doing lots of hiking, visiting glaciers, and heading all the way down to Tierra del Fuego, the bottom tip of Argentina (not too far from Antarctica!). After that, I'll be heading up to Buenos Aires and other places around there. I return to Mendoza for a few days in the beginning of May before flying home from Santiago on May 8. So while I will be back in Mendoza for a brief while before leaving, I'm essentially ending my time here. I feel proud that I came to a foreign country without any plans and created a life. And more than proud, I feel exceptionally grateful! It's a real privilege to travel for such an extended period of time and live abroad. So while my time here is far from over, I am sad to leave my life in Mendoza, the people I've met, and the wonderful culture of the city. But here's to the continuation of the adventure...