Mendoza Musings

One last update before I hit the road! Although I'll be back in Mendoza for a few days in May before heading home, I've said a fair amount of goodbyes this week. I bid farewell to my elderly friends at the nursing home, who kept asking when I would be coming back. I also said goodbye to my soccer team, which was sad. Very sad. After our game yesterday they gave me a sendoff by tossing me into a pool...and then presenting me with an Argentina soccer jersey! It was totally unexpected, and I was very touched. I did my best to express what a privilege and pleasure it was playing with them, which I think they know.  At night I went with Cintia and company to the main act of Vendimia (which comes after the parade), an enormous pretty spectacle. We got there too late to secure a good spot in the hills (which is where all the people who didn't get tickets to the amphitheater go!), and we watched from so high up that we were near where they set off the fireworks! Even though the dancers and harvest queens looked like ants, it was still a good time. And a teary-eyed emotional goodbye to Cintia.

Before leaving tomorrow morning, I wanted to pull together my observations about life in Mendoza. So here's a non-exhaustive list in no particular order of different aspects of society here. Much of it is also reflective of Argentina on the whole. Enjoy!

- very community/group oriented, public space utilized
- much socializing in the plazas, chatting on the street, always greeting each other
- lots of mate drinking!
- get-togethers often last the whole day
- take your time in restaurants, "slow" service
- have distinct colleges (facultades) within the university, graduate with a career, public university is free but you have to take an exam to get in
- always get 2 flavors of ice cream!
- English music everywhere
- food & drink: bife de lomo, asado, alfajores, fernet, mate, dulce de leche, milanesa, empanadas, medilunas, malbec
- fútbol fanatics
- many stray dogs
- rarely see marches or protests
- kiss on cheek to greet each other including guys that are friends, guys show more affection toward each other than in the States
- siesta from 1-5pm, all stores close
- often cut in line or don't wait their turn if there isn't a definite line
- eat dinner around 10 or 11pm
- party animals, go out until sunrise
- happy atmosphere, good-natured, fairly laid-back people
- nicknames for friends often based on physical characteristics: flaca (skinny), pelado (baldie), etc.
- great use of names to get a person's attention or when speaking to someone: amigo (friend), linda (pretty), negro (dark), cielo (heaven), che, etc.
- use of the Spanish vos, many regionalisms
- more interdependent
- almost always split food when going out to eat
- many smokers
- kiosks on every street selling snacks, fruit & vegetable kiosks
- stores/vendors rarely have change
- families stay out late, still in the park/plaza/playground at midnight
- distinct male hairstyle (kind of like a half 1/2 mullet), guys & girls get hairwraps in the plaza
- not many overweight people
- street/plaza performers
- many pregnant women
- workplace less formal, much chatting between employees
- inflation, unstable prices
- distinct mannerisms (it's hard to describe a gesture, but there's the "what are you doing/what are you talking about?" hand with fingers pressed together, the "I don't know" brush of the chin, the "no" tsk-tsk finger wagging, etc.)
- no recycling but people go through the garbage each night to collect "recycling" to get $
- no section to browse books at the library b/c they're behind a counter
- lots of litter bugs
- sidewalk café culture
- big soda drinkers from toddlers onward
- sometimes refer to kids as papi or mami
- huge emphasis on family and extended family, generally live at home until they get married


So there you have it, my insights into Mendoza. It's a great city with a wonderful culture!