Day 11-Cambio de Casas

Today I slept in late and then got my things ready to go. Mercedes was going to take me to Rodrigo's family's house where I would spend the rest of my trip. Rodrigo is one of the teachers who participated in the "intercambio" or exchange program last year, where he visited Frisco for about a month.

After getting my things packed up, Mercedes and I had a little bit of extra time, so we went to have coffee at the snack bar at her golf club. We sat and talked over coffee and croissants. It was a nice little breakfast, and I was happy to have some more time to hang out with her before we would say "goodbye".

After breakfast, she took me to Rodrigo's house, where I met his mother, father brothers and some of his friends. They were all so nice, and I knew right away that I was going to enjoy my stay in their home. I could tell that this experience would be different from my time spent with Mercedes, and I was excited to see another side of the "Porteno" life.

Even though I was looking forward to starting the second part of my adventure with new friends, it was sad to say goodbye to Mercedes. She had been such a wonderful hostess, and we had gotten along really well. Mercedes is a beautiful person, and I am lucky to have spent time with her and to have stayed in her home.

We said our goodbyes and Mercedes left. Andrea, Rodrigo's mother, and I visited for a while and then she showed me to my room. I was able to set my things down and get on Facebook for a quick minute (hurray for wi-fi here!). Just a little later, Andrea came up to my room to get me and tell me that we were going to walk down the street to Rodrigo's grandmother's house for lunch. The whole family went walking just a few blocks to the house, where we were greeted by other family members.

Andrea and the others explained to me that we would be having a typical meal of "locro" which is kind of like meat and vegetable stew. I went into the house and saw a large table set for lunch. After greeting everyone, we sat at the table, and Rodrigo's grandmother and aunts began to serve drinks and empanadas to start off the meal. Next they brought out bowls of "locro", and we continued eating and talking and getting to know each other. Of course, everything was delicious, and it was special to take part in a family dinner.

After lunch, we walked back to Rodrigo's house and got ready to go out for a while. Andrea and her husband Jose and their youngest son Gonzalo took me to the "Matadero Market". This is the place I visited last weekend with Mercedes and Claudia. The sun was shining, and even though it was a little bit cool, it was really a nice day. I was glad to come back here, because again, there was so much to see. Vendors had set up their stalls, and they were selling all kinds of things. I saw the traditional gauchos and artesanian crafts as well as food and even people taking tango lessons in the square (see video below).

We stayed for a while, and then headed back to the house. I spent some time on the computer, and then around 8:00 pm Rodrigo and his friend Julieta took me to eat at an Italian restaurant in "Recoleta". I had empanadas (again!) and cheese ravioli and a crepe with dulce de leche for dessert...Que rico! I enjoyed spending time with them, and it was interesting to share my perspective with Rodrigo concerning the exchange program as well as to hear his. We spoke in English most of the time, which was a nice little break for me, because I was exhausted from using only Spanish to communicate, and so now it was nice to talk and not have to think so much!

After a delicious dinner, we headed back to the house where I was able to relax a little bit and then go to bed somewhat "early". It was a nice day, and I enjoyed getting to know Rodrigo and his family!