Up early Sunday A.M for a van ride to Santiago Airport. On the LAN Chile jet for a 2 Hr flight to Buenos Aires. After this trip, we’d go anywhere on LAN Chile. Clean modern aircraft, smiling helpful flight attendants and delicious meals to boot. Just like the old days.
Landed in Buenos Aires at 11:30 and Chris had arranged to have us picked which was great. The cab driver hit 130 Km/Hr on the freeway into town in light rain. He dropped us off at our home stay apartment in Barrio Barranca. Click on the location link below to see the location in Google Maps. We rang the bell and down from the 5th floor comes lilliana, our hostess.
A single women “our age” she and Chris hit it off right away. Lilliana has been hosting students from the language school since last October and we’re number 4. From what I’ve read, Liliana’s situation is similar to many middle class Argentines, they live a comfortable life but there isn’t any extra, When she goes to the store she makes a list of the necessities and makes no impulse buys. She has a 5 year old Peugeot sedan that she keeps in a secure garage in the next block. Like many Argentines, she is from Italian immigrant grandparents. She is full of life, uses her hands and eyes when she talks; laughs a lot, and lets people know what’s on her mind as do most people in Buenos Aires. Vastly different from Santiago. Here’s Lillian helping Chris with her school work.
Lillian speaks no English, but she is beginning to pick up words from her student guests. I’m writing this on 23 December and she has invited us to join her and her family for dinner tomorrow, Christmas Eve. We accepted hoping that she was really as happy about having us as she seemed. She has 2 daughters and one son, all with spouses and kids. There will be several other of her friends here, about 20 + people. As is the custom here, the party starts at 10:00 PM, dinner at midnight and they drink a toast to the baby Jesus at 2:00 A.M.
We get up at 7:00 AM, toast, cereal, yogurt and coffee and head out to catch the bus for a 20 minute ride to school. Just the two of us and 4 or 5 million BA residents going somewhere, all apparently at the same time. The buses, and there’s millions of them, are packed tight….really tight and this from someone who lived on a submarine for 2 years. You start barely inside the front door and do your best to migrate towards the rear exit as the bus travels along streets with signs that you can’t see. I carry a piece of paper with the school address on it and ask for help from others.which seems to work. Here’s Chris headed in the door once found it. No signs just numbers. I’m sure there must be some sort of sign ordinance.
The school is well organized and on the 4th.floor of one of the very old and ornate building in the old downtown. It’s one block from the main square surrounded by huge ornate European influenced government buildings. We’re at the upper age range of the students, most being in their 20, an equal mix of Germans, Swiss, Kiwis and Aussies. We’re the only folks from the U.S. at the moment..
Toured another portion of Barrio Barranca this afternoon. Waves of mostly Italian, French and British Isles immigrant families have lived in these buildings which shows in the architecture. MariBell, a volunteer at the school gave us the walking tour. Here’s MariBell at the end of the tour and the front of one of the houses.
All for now.
Ciao and Merry Christmas , Alan and Chris
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