Getting settled

I just finished unpacking most of my belongings. I'm now living with my host family, composed of a young couple, Verónica and Francisco, and their almost three-year-old daughter Manuela. They have a lovely house/apartment a short busride away from the international university FLACSO. Most rooms have dramatic high ceilings, which gives the house a spacious, if drafty, feel. I have a nice bedroom with a desk, lots of closet space, and a loft for the bed.

My host family is napping now after we all spent a long day with Francisco's extended family. I was feeling so confident in my Spanish, having successfully conversed with my immediate host family over several meals, but listening to fifteen or more Argentinians chatting around a dinner table was humbling, to say the least. (I literally couldn't understand anything... to say the most.) The conversation rarely turned to me, but when it did, I had to ask people to repeat even the simplest questions, like where I was from and what I was studying.

The meal we shared that afternoon was extensive. The main course was essentially a fondue with a base of sardines, some kind of dairy product and several other ingredients I couldn't identify. Into the sauce we dipped lightly steamed vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, butternut sqash, brussel sprouts, potatoes), as well as raw vegetables (carrots, leaves of cabbage, radishes, tomatoes) and cubes of ham. For dessert, we had what I can only describe as chocolate and dulce de leche flavored ice cream logs in addition to assorted sweets from an Arabic bakery, including a flaky, syrup-drenched pastry similar to baklavah.

I've barely been awake for ten hours but I'm already exhausted. In my defense, it's a cold, rainy Sunday in a new country. But I'm getting settled.