The Simple Things

I have to begin this post by proclaiming that today has been a fantastic day! After all of the homework last night today’s classes seemed to go well; I was able to understand the new professor a little better, and my homework load is significantly less. After class Caroline and I changed, left our bags in the program office, and went for about an hour run in Sarmiento Park (the big park right next to campus). Despite the fact that everyone from here looks at me like I’m completely crazy when I wear my running shorts and t-shirt outside, the weather today was beautiful! We found a running trail that circled a big, beautiful pond in the park and ran a few laps around it. It was nice having someone with me, and I really enjoyed talking while we ran. After, we returned to the office to retrieve our things and started heading home. Before we went on our run some of the other students had been talking about wanting to go to the zoo, but since I had already planned on doing the run I had decided that I’d just have to miss out on the zoo. However, the other students had gone to get lunch and we ran into them on the edge of campus. I joined back in with the group and we all walked to the part of Sarmiento where the zoo is. For those of you who I am close to, you know that I have wanted to go to the zoo since last summer when I didn’t get to go in Germany; therefore, you can only imagine how excited I was! The entrance cost was only fifteen pesos (so only about 4 dollars), and we (at least I) had a blast! The place seemed nearly deserted, but to be located nearly in the middle of town it was huge and had all of the animals I could’ve wanted to see. We were there for a few hours and it was nice to hang out with the other students instead of just going home; additionally, two of the speaking partners were there with us and it was fun to get to hang out and talk with them. We got to see hipopotamoses, cebras, un camello, monos, leones, tigres, jaguars, un elefante…the outing turned into somewhat of an animal vocabulary lesson! After a while we decided that our zoo longing had been fully satisfied and we all set off for home. Just when I thought that my day couldn’t get much better, I passed by the store near my house where I’ve been wanting to go and it was open! To explain this excitement, you must know that I’ve been on a mission for the last few days to find a travel mug for my coffee in the morning. To those of you back home I know this sounds like an extremely simple task, but you must know that in Córdoba this is no easy feat! I have little time for breakfast in the morning, and having become accustomed to enjoying my daily morning cup of coffee I have been suffering from daily caffeine deprivation since I started my classes. Yet once I started my search for a mug to take with me I was surprised to discover that I couldn’t find them anywhere. Back home it seems like everywhere you turn different stores are trying to sell them; however, they seem to be a scarce commodity in Argentina. I don’t know for sure, but I’m assuming this phenomenon is related to the fact that the culture here is more laid-back and less on-the-go than back home. After two or three days of looking, I finally saw one in the window of a store on the same street that I live on and I was so excited! But my excitement was short-lived when I realized that the store was closed, as it has been on all three days that I have passed it since. Not expecting much, I walked by once again on my way home today and it was open! I rushed home to get more pesos and immediately returned to make my purchase. Forty pesos (or a few cents over ten dollars) later I left the shop feeling as if I had just purchased a new Coach purse or designer jeans. A trip to the zoo and a coffee travel mug…it’s amazing how we can experience such happiness when we allow ourselves to fully appreciate the simple things in life.