When we left we were so sad and not quite ready to come back (but definitely ready for my bed and my washer and dryer) My sadness was compounded when i realized after unpacking, and double checking everywhere... that I had lost my camera. I am a little bummed and PO'd abouthtis. it made it all the way to our last connecting flight to Grand Junction and then dissappeared. Not having pics doesn't' mean the memories are gone but it is a lot harder to relive them tha tis for sure. I am still holding onto a little hope that it may turn up somehow. We had some great shots!!!! And we just gave away our old camera. Luckily everyone that was there can send us some of the highlights. So many of the pics are thanks to the fam in Argentina.
Then to compound my loserness (I am literally a loser- I lose everything!) I realize I also lost my phone somewhere. Good news I get a new phone but I don't have any of my numbers.
Anyways back to the trip we spent the first 10 days in General Pico (fede's home town) preparing for his sister Eva's Wedding. I loved helping them pick out all the decor and flowers, design the cake, all of it. We had quite the international gathering. Eva's fiance from Peru, Guille's girlfriend form Mexico and us from the US. It was so HOT we were dying. I never thought i'd hear mexicans whining about the heat but they did. (I know not everywhere in mexico is hot but it still seemed funny to me)
They still cherish the siesta schedule downthere. so we stay home most of the day or go to exercise, eat a huge lunch and then hang out "tomando mates" until it cools down around 5 or 6 then everyone goes to the center. i swea rthe whole town comes alive it is awesome. Then we eat again around 9 or 10 and stay up til 1 or 2. Its kind of fun since i am defintialy more of a night person than a morning person. Fede's mom's food was so good that even dante was eating it up!
dantes primos Franco and marcia posing with the rental car
We met Eva's friends from the Gym and they took her out for a Despedida one night before the wedding . Pizza and then Sorrentos ice cream with the girls. Here I learned a valuable lesson about safety. Fede dropped my off to meet everyone in the center. he drives off and i look around. its 10 pm ( yes that's when we go out to eat down there) and there are a few people int he center but not a lot. I can't see anyone i recognize. I start to think.. what do i do if no one shows up? (not unheard of btw) Then i realize he gave me money but i don't know a single phone number to call or his address to take a taxi. I walk up and down the block with the restaurant and its starting to close. Finally I see a girl i sort of recognize and they ask me if i am there for the despedida. ( i didn't know that word until they said it and i had to guess what it meant) whew that was a relief. The girls were so much fun and we had a blast. Katy from Mexico and I sat there and told them about the wonderfulness of hot air clothes dryers.
The wedding was great. From the first day we really liked Cris Eva's fiance. He is a doctor in Peru so they will be moving back there. He is a great addition to the family. He is really polite and mellow and goes with the flow but seems to have a groundedness that helps balance the more high strung personalities of my beloved Argentine family.
Eva and Cris asked fede and I to coordinate the wedding, be the witnesses for the civil ceremony, l and give the toasts. We felt so honored.
Outside the magistrado for the civil ceremony.
after the ceremony we went back to the house and had a delicious Almuerzo de Lechon.
Lechon is a whole roasted pig. The fun part is that the pig was in the fridge for 2 days before. Dante kept opening the fridge and laughing at the funny pig and asking if he was sleeping and asking about his owies. He even kissed him. It was both cute and disgusting.
That night the reception started at 9 pm. I ran over and finished setting up what we hadn't finished the night before and barely had time to get myself dressed and ready. but it was worth it because it all came out great. Guille, fede, Katy , and Rosa all helped me to decorate luckily the night before and they did a great job.
A few little glitches in the program- Dante was supposed to throw rose petals as they entered the reception, but he wanted to pick them up instead which caused a little hold up getting up the stairs. it was very funny. He was so hyper it was getting out of control and he spun lieke a little tornado until he finally passed out in my arms.
They had a fun DJ who sang cheesy songs it was a blast. Fede was adorably proud and happy and we gave our toasts too soon before the brought out the "cidre".
something they do a little different is the "mesa dulce". its a bunch of deserts served at the same time as the cake.
we danced until 2 am and then went back home. It was so much fun.
The next day we packed up and headed to Buenos Aires for the sealing. We had to rent a taxi to take us all there since 9 of us couldn't fit in our little rental car plus 9 suitcases. We still had to send some of the bags with fede's father on the bus and it was crowded in those little cars. We had to stop for gas and to drink mate every so often in the sweltering heat. about half way through we had a huge detour due to protesteros blocking the main highway. I couln't get a clear story about what was going on but it was a regular occurance when we were down there. something about farm workers.
We stay at the temple hostel, girls in one room and boys in the other, with 3 bunk beds in each room. Dante was so hyper he was up and down the bunk beds all night until who knows what time. I finally fell asleep while he was still trying out all the beds. In the morning we all got ready for the sealing. I was incharge of helping eva get ready and get her stuff to the brides room but unfortunately I realized whe we got to the desk I forgot my recommend. (loser right??) So they had to call my branch president but they didn't have his number since they had just changed our presidency so I had to try and remember his number off the top of my head. I couldn't beleive I forgot mine after spending the whole day before we left getting fede's interviews and such together (luckily the branch pres had warned me the sunday before we left that fede's rec had expired the week before)
Anyways the sealing was great. very sweet. I couln't stop tearing up. I don't know if I was more proud of eva, happy for them or sentimental about my own marriage. I think I appreciate my marriage more now after 7 years then I did way back when. Of course my husband is a much better man after i've been working on him for 7 yrs. haha. Kidding. sort of. I also got to go to my first session in spanish which was awesome.
anyways it was really a great time and i felt like an integral part of the family no longer just a visitor. I love that! I am the in-law now. they ask me for advice and ask my opinion now. As the youngest thats a big change for me.
After the temple we headed to Mar del Plata. Guille found a place for us in Santa Clara del Mar 2 blocks from the beach. It was awesome. we all fit confortable in the house, could cook out own meals and walked to the beach almost every morning. it was so relaxing! then we'd go into the city and go shopping in the evening. We spent one day visiting a nearby beach town called Vilal gessel. It was awesome. Kind of hippyish. very cool.
There was the typical stoned surferdude explaing the break to us and where its safe to swim or body board just like you could see in cali. "che, respeta las olas" respect the waves man, respect the waves.... Only he ranted in Spanish instead of English.
Guille brought his dog to the house and dante learned his only spanish "basta memo! basta" . I guess he learned a few other things but not much. although he did teach fede's family to say "Stinky poopoo".We even say a sign that said TANTEPUPPU- which is how dante would say his name to his abuela- "dante poopoo"We all laughed so hard.
Sadly it ended way too quickly. and we were on our way home before we knew it. Luckily the ride home was much better then the flight there. only one connection with a 2 hr layover.Oh and the typical 2 hr delay leaving Buenos Aires due to poor planning. (the attendants were a tad annoyed you could tell) Dante saw Bolt 2 times on the flight and only got upset or impatient when they would interupt his movie for an announcement. "make the lady be quiet mama!" I could harly shush him since we all felt the same way! On every flight we see a famous argentine. We've seen soda stereo , a soccer palyer from spain, and on this flight we saw the whole band "Los fabulous Cadilacs". I guess they were performing in LA. It is so crazy how you just know they someone is famous even though they look like everyone else. I sat down to ask fede if he recognized them and he was so excited but he could't remeber thier names just the band. They are classic Argentine Rock. and I love it! The bald guy in the middle of the pic sat 2 rows in front of us with his whole family. Cute kids ( you thought dante's hair was long you should have seen these boys) all dressed in black even the 3 yr old little girl.
Check out these videos to learn more. THIS is argentine culture.
alfajores, yerba mate, alpargatas, factureas, empanadas, milanesas, skinny pants and Soda stereo and Los abulosas cadillacs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvX_d_LrhlE&feature=channel
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