Villa Belgrano este fin de semana!

I went to another birthday party on Wednesday for Delphina, the nieta/granddaughter of Graciela. The food was fantastic as always and there were tons of people. Also, I got to skip class because five of us were stuck waiting in the immigration office for almost 5 hours waiting for our official visas. There is always a never ending line here and if you ever have to go here make sure you get in line before the doors open. For the past few days Graciela has been having some construction done on the cracks on the walls in the house. 3 guys are working here and she cooks them food and treats them like her own children- it is so funny to watch.

Tonight we are going to the cine/movies to see La isla siniestra-- Shutter Island. The translations of movie titles are chistosos because they never translate exactly. For example, Alice in Wonderland is "Alicia en el país de las maravillas". As for the weekend, I'm going with some friends to Villa Belgrano. It is this pueblo ubica about an hour outside of Córdoba with the exact atmósfera of Germany. There are many activities to do here: tour a chocolate factory, brew you own beer, horseback riding, biking, trekking, museums, etc. Google some pictures to get a better idea, but I have heard that Belgrano is a must see if you come to Córdoba, especially if you like chocolate!

I thought I'd list a few typical things about la vida córdobes:

-yogurt and milk are sold in bags here

-medialunas, criollos, and facturas are always served for breakfast with coffee/tea/maté

-deodorant is almost always sold in aerosol cans

-it is almost impossible to ask for separate checks at a restaurant

-americans always pay with cien peso billetes/one hundred peso bills because it is all you

get from the atm-- this makes store dueños/owners mad and they always ask you for "algo

más chico?"

-bootleg copies of all the latest movies and movies that aren't even out yet are sold on

large blankets spread out in las calles - 10 pesos-- about $3 (US)

-if you live in a house you have a HUGE asado/grill in the jardín/backyard

-when it rains it's impossible to get a taxi

- water con gas is always served unless you ask for regular water- which you should because fizzy water tastes disgusting

-american music is popular here, especially Red Hot Chili Peppers, u2, y coldplay

-there are stray dogs everywhere in the streets

-tissues don't exist here!