A Walk in the Park

Today's weather: sunny, 79 degrees
Recent reads:
1) A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean--The cover shows a guy fly fishing and this is one thing that you absolutely can judge by its cover. Almost entirely about fishing and life but even the life stuff uses fishing analogies.
2) Holes by Louis Sachar--Another quick read. I bought it at a book store yesterday and with a couple of hours in the park and a work shift, I had it read. The book store doesn't buy back used books :(

I'm coming on my first week in Cordoba and I can't complain. I have found a basic routine to occupy my time. I wake up around 10am-noon (rough life, I know) and grab a little breakfast here at the hostel. I head out for my daily walk towards el centro. I stop by La Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus for a few minutes of meditation. I spend quite a lot of time at this church. They have services every day in the morning and at night but even throughout the day the church is usually open and always welcoming.

La Iglesia de la Compania de Jesus

I walk for an hour or so, finding streets that I haven't explored before, just enjoying the stroll. After a while of walking I usually stumble upon a plaza or park where I find a shady spot to read. Sometimes I bring my South America guidebook and I read about a new city that I hope to see soon. Other times I read a book in English, or if I have my dictionary, I try to read una revista (magazine) in Spanish. I got the magazine on Friday and I'm still working through it. It's just Cosmo and I already know what it says since every issue is exactly the same (am I right?) but I look up all the words I don't know and try to commit them to memory. I've never read so much in my life but turns out I do actually really enjoy reading for leisure--who knew? Today I spend some time at Plaza de San Martin. There are lots of street vendors and the occasional protest that make for some light entertainment. At a break in the book, I continue on my way, navigating to another tourist site on my list that I haven't seen before.

Statue of San Martin and un perrito

La Iglesia Catedral at Plaza de San Martin

At some point in the day, I stop at a cafe for a cafe con leche y una medialunes (croissant)--my favorite part of the day! Lunch for the locals is 1-3pm with siesta between 4-5pm so many stores and restaurants are closed around these times but being a big city, there's always something open in Cordoba and people out and about, day or night. Dinners are usually around 10pm and clubs get started about 1am and close at 6am.

I usually return to la iglesia once more in the late afternoon on my way back to the hostel around 8pm where I make myself dinner, mostly pasta. I have stopped at the supermarket near the hostel to pick up wine, most are about $2US--even 2 buck Chuck has gone up to $3 so you can't beat this price!

Highlights:

Turning Point Hostel: Home, sweet, home...

1) My first reception shift at the hostel was yesterday. This is a highlight not so much because I enjoyed it so but more because it's one shift down and only two more this week. My duties include: checking in/out guests, inventory, basic cleaning, but mostly just sitting at the reception desk waiting. All the guests that checked in while I was working heard me speak Spanish initially and decided to speak English to me instead. It certainly made it easier but a little insulting none-the-less.
2) Today I went to a Spanish conversation session at a school for an hour! There were 3 other girls (from Italy, Holland, and Belgium) who were very nice and we hung out together after class. They each are staying with families outside the city and take a collectivo (bus) to and from the Spanish school each day.
3) I witnessed my first rain storm on Sunday. I happened to be in a cafe when it started, with thunderstorms and all, but it wrapped up before I was even done with my cafe!

Things I haven't yet gotten used to:
1) Throwing my used toilet paper in the garbage instead of the toilet.
2) Taking out the trash (since I work here) knowing people have thrown their used toilet paper in the garbage instead of the toilet.