Cordoba Update

Hola amigos,

Still in Cordoba, I'll be here for a while yet. Job search is going slow, but let's be real, that's just my own laziness. Hopefully something comes up soon = hopefully I force myself to actually do some job searching soon.

So what have I been up to if I haven't been working? Not much of note, really. Just hanging out, drinking mate, chatting, etc. Last Friday I went around taking pictures with some friends, and we wound up wandering into the Museo de la Memoria - Museum of Memory. It used to be a clandestine detention center, which is really quite shocking to think about since it's literally right next to one of the city's biggest plazas. Here are some photos taken there:

Some of the cells, as you can see, not a lot of room

Leaving the museum is a strange feeling, after seeing what kind of place it was, seeing the faces and names of people imprisoned there...it's weird to just walk right back out into the plaza, where the sun is shining and people are going about their business. Nowadays it's just a museum, but it still retains a somber aura, and going back out into the sun and normal life is almost...offensive. The noise and light of the outside is kind of a shock. Imagine what that would have been like after spending days, weeks, months, years instead of just 30 minutes.

Anyways, after that, I went home and got ready to go see the symphonic orchestra of Cordoba's end of season show with Juli. We both dozed off a couple times, but it was a very good concert. The last two pieces were my favorites, one by Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-lobos and the other by a Cuban composer whose name now escapes me. The theater was beautiful, it's right downtown next to the shopping mall Patio Olmos. Teatro del Libertador San Martin. 

We called it an early night after that because we had to get up early to catch a bus to Villa Dolores, a city in the Sierras where a large part of Juli's family lives. We spent Christmas there with her cousins. It's a beautiful place, right there in the mountains. Most days it was pretty hot. The day before Christmas eve we went to the river, to a place called Baño de los Dioses:

On Christmas eve, in 100 degree weather, we had to go to the centro to buy things for dinner and gifts. Apparently people leave things til the last minute here. Lack of snow and cold makes things easier I suppose. A dip in the pool was necessary, as was a nap. Then we got to work on the fruit salad, finished, I skyped with the fam, and we ate. A LOT. Pizza a la matambre and lots of different kinds of salads. Then dessert. Then all of a sudden the weather changed and a strong wind storm blew through and cooled things off. We kept moving the tables back and forth between the yard and the quincho, and finally had to settle on staying in the quincho. The wind was crazy. 

And then, Christmas day came and went, we had another big meal with another part of the family out in the campo. And now I'm back in Cordoba and I need to buckle down and find something to do with my days.

Hasta luego.

Back in Cordoba

Been back in Cordoba for just over a week now. I'm not really sure what to write about since it's not all new and exotic...but I'll give a brief update.

- I live with my friend Juli and her 11 year old son and dog in a small apartment.
- My friends Belén and her sisters live literally around the corner.
- My little "sisters" from my previous house are now 6 and 10...so big!
- Buses are still old and janky and somewhat unreliable...and I wouldn't have it any other way.
- Inflation is pretty bad...the dollar still goes pretty far, but I don't have very many of those left.
- I don't know where I'll be for Christmas
- Speaking of, it's weird to see Santa decorations in 90 degree weather.
- People in Cordoba talk a lot, about anything and everything. I admire that and wish I knew how to do that as well.
- I need a job.

Last Day in Curitiba

My days in Brasil have come to an end...for now. And what excellent days they were! Let's see, I left off mentioning that I would be going to a samba on thursday night. I did, and it was a great time! One of those unexpected kinds of fun. Crazy story - I ran into the guy I met in Perú a couple years ago again. Completely unplanned. This time, though, we actually got to talk, and he and his friends stuck around and hung out with us all night. I was thankful that I can communicate in portuguese now, that makes it a lot easier to make friends. Cerveja & conversation flowing,I got to talk to a friend of his about forró, a regional brazilian genre of music. This dude really knew his stuff about forró, so I have a lot of names of artists and historical info to look up.
The rest of the weekend was pretty tranqui, did a lot of going out and eating with Luana and her friends, lots of practice for my portugués. Took pictures, watched brazilian soap operas.
Then on Sunday, I went back to the artesanal fair to walk around and pick up a few gifts. It's really an ideal way to spend a Sunday morning. Later that night, Ana Paula and I had dinner at the house, pasta and vino, and then we went out. We went to a forró show, where I discovered that I really like forró and want to learn the dance. It took place in an old social club and it was clear that the people who go are serious enthusiasts. It was one of those places where men & women partner up and dance together to one song, then usually change partners. Sometimes without even saying a word to each other through out the entire song - the point is to just dance. I liked that...of course I would have liked it more if I could figure out the dance! Someday...
Ah and guess who showed up again? The Perú guy, yep. Curitiba's a big city, but apparently not that big. Weird, but I like that.
So now it's monday and I'm getting ready to head to the airport to take off for Córdoba. Spent the morning in the jardim botánico and discovered a whole new area I hadn't seen yet, with a bunch of local plants. Some of them smelled like my first guitar, interesting. And now I'm going to have some tea with the girls and say my goodbyes. Até logo Brasil, I'll be back someday.