Relaxing

I realized this morning that I´ve been in South America for about a week. 

ONLY A WEEK!!

Wow!  But enough shocked incredulity, I just wanted to throw a quick post out here.

Yesterday was, if possible, even more relaxing than the one before.  The farthest I got from the house was the ping pong table, and the only time I lft the property was to get some sticks out of the bushes across the street to put in the oven to cook the lamb.  I had a really good time hanging out with all the kids that are staying here.  We were teaching each other words in Spanish and English, and I was teaching them any of those words that I knew in sign language (thank you Signing Time)

Kids are hilarious!  They all sort of crowded around me and were all trying to talk at the same time...it really felt weird, and I´m sure that the parents were thinking...who is this bearded stranger and why is he talking to my kids, but we had fun.  There was this one cute little 4-year-old who kept telling me stories and every time I asked her her to slow down, she would puff out her cheeks and blow an exasperated breath and say it all again word - by - word.  Every time I would try and respond she would start telling me another story because I took too long to keep up with the last one.  Thankfully some of the bigger kids (8 and 9 year olds) grabbed her and made her wait while I attempted to participate in the conversation.  But I learned a lot from them and it was fun!

Turns out I can also watch Bruce Almighty in Spanish and only enjoy it slightly less...slightly more at times.

Today is shaping up to be similarly tranquilo, but Fernando was talking about going up for a hike tomorrow or the next day.  I also insisted that I make everybody breakfast.  It was going to happen this morning, bt when I went to go make it, Fernando told me that some new friends of his were coming with some meat for lunch and he didn´t want a big breakfast until tomorrow.

It´s something I´ve actually noticed...Breakfast is not the most important meal of the day here.  Not in Buenos Aires, and not here in Villa de la Ventana.  It´s usually a cup of tea or a maté with some cookies and maybe some yogurt or cereal, but the real eating happens around 2 or 3 when we have a huge lunch.  It took al ittle getting used to, but it´s working out for me.

Oh and there´s this spectacular stuff here that I´ve never seen before and so I´m afraid I may not be able to find it back in the states.  The best way to describe it would be a mix of yogurt and milk.  It pours like milk, but it´s yogurt.  SO GOOD.  Especially if you put some cereal in it...mmmm....

I have a bit of pontification for today.

I was having a serious case of the blahs yesterday.  I had no idea why, but then I realized that it might have something to do with the fact that I like to DO things.  Accomplish things.  Feel efficacious (for those readers who are in education)  I came here looking for challenge, among other things.  I would climb mountains, brave the elements, immerse myself in a foreign language, go hungry for a bit, etc.  In a way though, I discovered that it can be a challenge for me to be so far from home and to just relax.  To enjoy what is here now, and instead of worrying about what I´m not doing, or being uncomfortable with what I AM doing, I can choose to enjoy this, and when it´s time to go do something else...go and make it happen.  It´s so easy to get pulled off into a track where I start to make myself wrong about any and everything.

But enough of that, for now there is a pool here that needs swimming in, and a foosball table (with built in semi-circular resting spots - 4, 1 for each player - in which you can rest your cigarette) that needs playing.