Coming to you from the cold tile floor of the front door entrance to her little Argentine home; the spring rain splashes its droplets onto my blank pages and flashes of lightening illuminate my words as the smell of spring flowers and rain is brought up from the southern Pampa winds. For the most part the sound is drowned out by the city traffic as the compact Argentine cars splash through the puddles beginning to form. I can slightly hear my family cheer in the background as the Argentine soccer team scores against Peru. I reminisce on the sweet taste of dulce de leche left over in my mouth from the cake I baked freshly today for my host mother’s birthday. I have begun to forget my life back home; like entering a tunnel the light becomes more and more obscure and distant. This little country in South America has opened its arms to me and I have worked hard to embrace everything it has to offer. Each morning I’m reminded of how lucky I am to be given this opportunity as I watch the sunrise over Cordoba’s skyline from my hilltop barrio. The old man in the blue windbreaker greats me with buenos dias and a little smile. I look forward to his little greeting each morning; he is always persistent but never says more just smiles. I wonder where he could be going each morning at seven. In the morning the city is quiet, boards and bars cover the windows of the homes and store fronts and each home is securely guarded by a gate. They say it is for security but at the same time I don’t think the city is as dangerous as the Argentine people make it out to be. I think this fear has just been instilled into the minds and has formed now what is a part of their culture. For me it provokes a mystery, you never know what may be lying behind those bars; I’m usually surprised to see what Argentina hides behind it tough exterior. Argentina is full of little mysteries even with a year I don’t think I will be able to unravel them all. The rain is starting to lighten up as the night begins to pass. Tomorrow I will be greeted by fresh clean street ways as I walk to greet the sunrise at my little corner bus stop.
