Yesterday I realized there is a lemon tree in my backyard! I want to make fresh lemonade soon. The sun shines all day here, I even got a little burned walking around all day yesterday.
I plan to walk to school a lot here, it will take me less than an hour, but depending on the time that I'll have classes, I might need to take the bus. I feel pretty safe walking, but I've been told to definitely look behind you frequently, and don't wear earbuds because people will mug you for your ipod. I'm keeping my purse in front of me at all times, and when I return at night, trying to unlock the door quickly. There is a private guard on my corner of the street during the night, which makes me feel safer.
There is wifi in a lot of places here. I've gotten it in most of the restaurants, malls, cafes, bars and office buildings I've been to. It's nice because at the moment, wifi is the only form of communication available to us students since we haven't gotten phones yet. It's a little intimidating not having a working phone, because I don't know how to call a taxi when needed, or let my host family know that I'll be later getting home. I know people lived without cell phones for a long time, but I'm so used to having one that I feel vulnerable without it.
I went to the mall today, and it was just like the malls at home. The mall was located a few miles outside of the city of Mendoza, so we had to take the bus. Luckily it was a very direct route and we did it successfully. There was a huge line outside of McDonalds at the mall, because it's pretty popular here. I will try it eventually and see if it's different than the McDonalds at home.
In the centro, there were many people drinking coffee and tea around 6 and having a snack, and we went into a big plaza where there were little vendors selling jewelry and leather and wood items. There are also people who sell coffee from their bikes, but I don't intend on trying that.A lot of people go to the parks around this time to drink mate with their friends.
One thing I've noticed here is that there are a lot of really pretty sights that are obstructed by construction, huge tarps, or electric wires. It's really a shame because there could be a great view of the mountains if there wasn't so much obstructing the view.
My host mom has warned me of all the places to stay away from. I live in the south west corner of Mendoza right next to the big San Martin park. There is an island in the middle of the empty man made lake, and I'm not supposed to go to the island unless I'm with at least 5 other people because apparently a lot of kids go there to do drugs and and are up to no good, so I need to avoid this place. Also, apart from the park, I'm not supposed to go any more west of the city because it gets dangerous.
One comment about the lake...I wrote earlier that it hasn't had water for twenty years... But I guess the real story is that it used to have water for twenty something years and was recently drained and cleaned, and when it was drained, they found a bunch of trash in it, like old carousal ponies. And it is supposed to be refilled soon. This is a good example of how I miss a lot of details when speaking in Spanish. I understand the concepts, but sometimes get confused about details and specifics.
On the streets here, there are metal baskets that stick up from the ground in front of people's houses that look like frisbee golf goals, where people put their trash when they take it out of the house. The basket is elevated off the ground by a pole.
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| This is mi casa. I have a gate and alarm system for security |
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| This is the house next to me with the trash basket sitting out front (it's kind of hard to see, but it is the pole by the tree) |
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