I guess I have to say I miss Buenos Aires. It's good to be home, but I miss being in Argentina. I miss speaking Spanish and kissing people. I miss the cafes and of course the ice cream. I miss dancing tango with a very good tango dancer, even though I don't miss him saying "mas pivot". I really have mixed feelings about being at home. I love the weather here, especially in the summer. The fresh air, and the fresh produce at the farmer's market. I love my apartment and being able to cook healthy dinners or go out and eat any kind of food I want (Burmese, Mexican, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, etc....)
But the other day I stopped in a place called Bittersweet Cafe. It is a chocolateria. They have really wonderful hot chocolate and all kinds of other chocolate things. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to sit outside, but there were no cafes with outdoor seating in the part of town I was in (even though there were several coffee shops). Instead I settled for a cup of hot chocolate and was going to sit inside and look out the window.
I got my hot chocolate and went and sat on a stool in the front window. There was a girl who I think worked there talking to the guys behind the counter. She was almost shouting, she was talking so loud. I was thinking of all of the places I went to in Buenos Aires and except for the one place that was popular with the Sopranos, no one was ever shouting. There is this way of speaking that is popular with young women here that is very loud and annoying. I don't understand it.
Then, things quieted down - for just a moment. Next some loud music started playing and that was followed by the loud whirring of a machine as they made some sort of foamy chocolate drink. It was horrible. I was glad I got my hot chocolate in a to go cup, because I walked outside where I could hear myself think.
On the other hand, I took a walk yesterday through the Presidio, which is a former military base and is now a National Park with wonderful views and trails and old colonial style houses and a cemetary. From my apartment, it's about a 15 minute walk to the Presidio. I walk through a beautiful neighborhood with big palatial homes (that don't seem to have people living in them). There are flowers blooming everywhere and the air is fresh and there is hardly any traffic (or any people). Once in the Presidio, I'm surrounded by tall eucalyptus and pine tress and fresh air and amazing views of the bay.
I guess the conclusion is that there are wonderful cultural things about Argentina that I really miss - the kissing, the cafes, the way they speak Spanish, but there are wonderful environmental things about the Bay Area that I'm not quite ready to give up. If somehow I could have both, then I'd be in heaven. Until I can figure out how to do that, I guess I'm going to have to settle with being happy with the good things I have in this moment.
