The Wedding

Hello all!
As promised, I'm trying to keep up with the blog and write a little something from time to time. This week I've chosen to write about my host sister's wedding.

Two weeks ago to the day, I was contemplating what I should do for the upcoming weekend. Two options were open to me; I could go on an all-expenses-paid trip to a beautiful and rugged wilderness retreat in San Rafael in the south of Mendoza province, where I would be treated to excellent food and whitewater rafting. Or, I could go to a wedding.
Well ladies and gentleman, I opted for the wedding. It was a hard decision, it really was. I spent the whole week weighing the options. On Thursday night I came home to find my whole family in the house (a rare occurrence), and had the opportunity to meet and talk to the would be bride and groom. They were all going out to dinner, and invited me along. While I was getting ready, my host mother Magda said to me, "Look Michael, I knew that the program had this trip planned for you kids, so I knew you would have to make a decision. You can go to San Rafael without feeling bad about missing the wedding. There's no obligation to attend." (That was a rough translation from Spanish... Impressed?)

So, I of course felt guilty when I told her I would probably go to San Rafael. I mean, come on! All expenses paid! But my host brother Jorge fixed that problem by spending a good 15 minutes coming in and out of my room, giving me various reasons why going to the wedding would be a better idea, while also trying to assure me that there was no pressure. After the guilt trips, and a really nice dinner at a pricey restaurant, (pricey by their standards. I think the whole meal cost less than $150 American for 12 people eating full entrees), I decided that it was necessary to go to the wedding. Magdalena and Christian were just too dang nice! And, as Jorge repeatedly pointed out, I could go whitewater rafting anywhere, but an Argentine wedding (his SISTER'S Argentine wedding), was a once in a lifetime opportunity.

My mom certainly knew what she was talking about when she told me to pack something nice for special occasions in Argentina. Although I did not bring my suit, I was prepared with a nice pair of slacks and a blue shirt, as well as black dress shoes. Jorge was nice enough to loan me a belt made of fine Argentine leather to complete the outfit, so I was set. I fit in pretty well, as far as clothing was concerned.

Jorge explained to me that though this was going to be an Argentine wedding, it was going to be a bit different from the average affair. Usually the wedding starts at 5PM or thereabouts at a church, and is followed by dinner and a party that doesn't end till the sun rises. And it is usually very Catholic. While my family is Catholic, Magdalena and Christian decided to only be wed through a civil union by a judge.

On Saturday the 14th I got up and put on my fancy attire, but then had to wait around for a while. Though my eldest host brother Pedro said to leave the house by 11, Jorge is a little more laid back about schedules, (as any good Argentine should be). So we left around 12, only to end up at his girlfriend Vicki's house, there to wait for his best friends to arrive. About a half hour later, we were on our way. I didn't mind the wait, though, as it meant that I could ride in his friend Angel's new air-conditioned SUV, instead of Jorge's clunky 1976 Fiat (the microwave, as he calls it).

The wedding took place at the family's farm. Yes, they have a farm. Another reason for thinking I'm in the right one. It's a very pretty place about 45 minutes from where I live. I don't think they have animals, but they have an awesome garden, an orchard, and I think a vineyard as well. I'll have to ask, but the wine served at the asado wasn't labeled, so it could have been the house wine. Mmm...

The whole affair was quite elaborate, with white clothed tables lining one side of the house under the shade of what appear to be sycamore trees, waiters walking around with delicious appetizers, couches and poofs in the garden shaded by large umbrellas, dozens of balloons floating in the big outdoor pool, and an open bar.

Lunch was just about to start as we arrived. I sat with some uncles and aunts, and my host dad's cousin Margo and her husband Demo from Brazil, all of whom I had met at the house throughout the week. They were all very friendly with me, especially Margo and Demo. In fact, I have an invitation to come stay with them in the capital of Brasilia anytime I want! How cool is that?

The asado was fantastic, and Demo couldn't stop talking about how much he loved the way they do their asados in Argentina. One of the pictures on here, by the way, is of the asado. It's not a very good shot, sorry about that. My camera was dying so I snapped it quickly, but it gives you an idea of the shear amount of meat at this wedding. All of that grill space is layered with cooked meat over hot coals to keep it warm, and behind it is the pit where they cooked it. Wow, was it good! They had chorizo (sausage), steak, chicken and morsilla. I don't care for that last one. It's a traditional blood sausage, but its musky odor and crumbly texture do not appeal to me in the least. Accompanying the abundant supply of red meat was a large assortment of salad and breads, with wine, water and sodas served at the table.

After lunch everyone moved to the garden for the ceremony. The lucky couple was shaded below the arc of two large converging tree branches while the rest of us suffered in the sun. It was a short service, though, about 15 minutes. The lady judge spoke for a long time about the importance of supporting one another in all possible ways throughout their lives, financially, emotionally, etc. What was interesting to note was that as she was a representative of the state she never once mentioned anything related to spirituality, or commitment to anything other than themselves; not to a religious body or anything. It was remarkable how she managed to stress that these two were being legitimately united for life, without needing to resort to the old "What God has joined let no man tear asunder" stuff. There was also no "You may now kiss the bride" but they did it anyway. It was different, I liked it. After the speech, she told them they were married, and then they signed the legal charter, or whatever you want to call it. Then the couple had their first dance (which was briefly spoiled by a fight between a couple of the house dogs), and then the parents danced, and then everyone.

Demo and me

Then the fun began! With an open bar, limitless food, a dance floor, and 150 Argentines and Chileans, you have yourself a serious party. I initially tried to avoid the dancing, and instead spent time with Jorge's friends (who, by the way, invited me to come to Santiago, Chile. I gave up one vacation for two more!). But, once they too took to the music, there was no going back, and I had to join in. I met a lot of very interesting people while dancing that night, including my predecessor Andrea, an American girl who lived with my family four years ago. She actually met her boyfriend here in Mendoza, and is now living with him here.

Everyone danced the night away, it was incredible. And there was no one (except me) who didn't know how to dance! Even people from, dare I say it, my parents' generation?! My host dad was boogying better than I ever could, and the man walks with a cane half the time. I'm sure the flow of champagne helped to loosen everyone up as well.

I stayed till the very end of the night, then took the long ride back home with Jorge and his girlfriend (but now it was cool outside and I could stand the Fiat with the windows rolled down).

All in all, it wasn't that much different from an American wedding, but I'd say they have a lot more stamina here for the after party. In the end I was really glad that I went. It was a day well spent speaking Spanish, learning how to dance a little better, and getting to see a very happy couple get married in front of adoring relatives.
Well worth the lack of whitewater rafting.

Coming soon...
La Vendimia and Buenos Aires

Las primeras semanas

Well, here I am everyone! Argentina at last!

For those of you who don't know, I had a strange couple of weeks before coming here. It appeared for a time as though I had a brain aneurysm, (which I didn't, and still don't!), so I spent two weeks going to specialists and such, two weeks which should have been spent here in la Argentina. In the end, my neurologist performed a cerebral arteriogram on me to see what was going on inside my end, and thankfully discovered nothing more than a normal (albeit somewhat over sized and intelligent-looking) brain. ¡Gracias a dios por eso! All I have to remind me of those crazy two weeks is a swiftly fading bruise on my thigh (that's where they rammed the needle into my femoral artery).

So, six days after my procedure, I was on a plane bound for Argentina! But my final destination was not to be the capital of Buenos Aires as planned. Instead, because of the loss of time, I opted for the program in Mendoza, a small provincial city in the west of the country. It would appear as those I made the right decision, though, because I really love this place. I had the opportunity to spend 7 hours in Buenos Aires for a layover, during which I took a cab ride from one airport to another for my flight to Mendoza. While Buenos Aires is indeed impressive and exotic, it was in some ways just another large city. I've had enough of living in large cities for a while, so Mendoza es casi perfecta. I will, of course, visit BA at some point (maybe even this weekend!) but Mendoza suits me very well.

I arrived here on Monday the 2nd of March in the early evening, after more than 24 hours of travel. The journey took me through 4 airports, 3 planes, and a taxi ride, but man was it worth it! My host dad, Pedro, picked me up, and after a small fiasco with my missing backpack (quickly discovered by me behind the checkin counter), we were off to the house. He took me on a quick tour of some parts of downtown before taking me home and introducing me to my new home. It's a pretty little house, and my room is located right off the patio and garden. I'll put up photos soon. Something I noticed right away that interested me was that all the houses are all different here. No two in a neighborhood are alike. I don't know why that is, but I mean to find out. They're all a sort of weird mix between Spanish and New World (can that be used in an architectural sense?) architecture. Very pretty, and they all have little courtyards/garden things.

The town itself is also very beautiful. I knew it was right at the base of the Andes, (which can be seen from just about any street corner), but what I didn't know was that it's essentially in the middle of a desert. For that reason there are tons of plants and trees lining the streets, providing shade and freshening up the environment. The streets look like Philly's streets 50 years ago before the roots of all the pretty trees started messing with people's plumbing and were ripped out. They were smart here, though, when they laid out their city. Every single street in Mendoza has, between the curb and the sidewalk, a small canal. These canals, called "Acequias" en Castellano, bring water to all the trees in the city. The public also use them to take water for their own plants, in addition to the water coming in on their lines. A similar system of canals supplies the water for irrigation in the farms and vineyards in the rest of the province.
I personally really like the acequias. I think they're very pretty, and so different than what I'm used to seeing. But a lot of people find them annoying (especially the Americans, who refer to them affectionately as 'Gringo Traps') because it's so easy to forget that they're there, and fall into them while crossing the street. Luckily, I haven't fallen victim to the deadly 18 inch drop myself, but we'll see what comes in time.

It's those little things that I noticed most at first. The acequias, the weird cars, the subtle differences in plants and animals, signs using the metric system, etc. But now, as my friend Raul mentioned to me yesterday, after these two weeks those little differences have just sort of melded into the background, and become normal.

Two weeks... wow. That's surreal. It feels as though it could have been both an eternity and a moment since my arrival. I've experienced a lot of new things, but have yet to experience any sort of culture shock. I think having gone through two weeks of hell with the brain doctors put life into perspective for me, and all of my little fears and doubts went out the window. So, coming here for me hasn't been a shock, just a little change, just an extension of my normal life. Everything's in Spanish... OK. I speak Spanish, so it's all good. Everything is in the metric system... That's fine. A Km is .64 of a mile. There you have it! I love siestas, I love staying up late and eating at 10:30PM! There's good wine, good food, and classes are just classes. What's left to shock me?! We'll see.

The family has also helped me to adjust without any trouble. I have my parents, Pedro and Magda, and a brother Jorge living here in the house with me. Laura lives here too. She's the family's nanny, governess, employee person. I don't know what to call her, but she's been here since Jorge was a baby (he's 29), so she's pretty much part of the family. Yeah, that's normal to have kids that age still living at home. They don't mooch off the parents, however. They work or go to school and are expected to contribute. In addition to Jorge I have another brother, Pedro (Jr., 31ish) who lives in Paris, a sister Agustina (24) who lives in Barcelona, and another sister Magdalena (34ish, who just got married on Saturday, which is why all my siblings were here and why I know them) who lives nearby in Mendoza. They are all very nice, and have welcomed me like a son/brother. And I know for sure that they're the right family, because they like corn on their pizza! And that's weird in Argentina too!

I'll post more shortly about my adventures since I've been here. Recounts of the Boliches, the Fiesta de la Vendimia, my host sister's wedding and St. Patty's day are all to follow. In the mean time, I just wanted to get this first post out, and officially begin my Blog.

So here it is!

BTW
"The Southern Cone" is the region of South America comprising Uruguay, Chile, Argentina, among other areas. It is not a reference to Ice Cream.
Mmm... ice cream