Last night I went to Hernan's apartment in San Telmo for dinner. It feels like it's been so long since I've left my little enclave here in the Recoleta. Bascially I have been hanging around here, going back and forth to school, and every now and then I'll walk over to Libertad to take a walk, but that's it. When I got off the subte at Plaza de Mayo, it felt like it had been forever since I'd been there. I was delighted to see that Plaza de Mayo was hosting another loud and energetic protest, and that it was full of trees with purple blossoms - those late blooming trees that stand out like neon all around town - Plaza de Mayo was filled with them. It was a beautiful sight, but unfortunately, I hadn't brought my camera.
Hernan's apartment is cute and basic. It's a small apartment in a large tenement style bulding. There is a small living room and kitchen and a loft with his bed. I couldn't live like that, but for him it works as a rental. The place he was staying in in Palermo last year was so much nicer. I wish he'd find another apartment to rent and stop staying at his mother's so I could see him more. He's fun to hang out with in his slightly neurotic obsessive way.
I got there and rang the buzzer and there was no answer. I reached into my pocket to grab my cell to text him but I had forgotten it. I rang the buzzer again, and no answer. I started to panic, thinking that if his buzzer was not working there would be no way he'd know I was outside. Or maybe he was sleeping? I buzzed again, and again. Then, a guy came across the street and up to the door, he pulled out his key to open the door. Hernan came up right behind him. Hernan went to enter the building, leaving me standing outside. I called him, "Hernan" and like he was just waking up from sleepwalking, he saw me. He had walked right past me without noticing. I guess it is the city dweller's habit of not looking at people as you pass them. He thought I was with his neighbor and didn't look at me.
Dinner was good. He made a papellot with salmon and vegetables and some oven roasted potatoes which were really yummy. We then walked to Puerto Madero to walk alongside the canal and get ice cream.
It was hot, but as we got closer to Puerto Madero, there was a nice breeze. It was a pleasant evening to be out. It was nearly 11 p.m. and all of the restaurants were full and buzzing with activity. I really can't believe that people go out to eat that late on a weeknight! Hernan told me there would be even more people on the weekend.
The ice cream shop we went to was not directly on the canal, but set in closer to the street. It reminded me of an old diner, even though it was an ice cream shop. It had a funky, 60's feel to it, but I doubt it was that old. It felt very local. I didn't see anyone who I thought was a tourist, even though we saw lots of people with cameras clicking pictures as we walked along the canal.
It was a beautiful evening with a gigantic full moon peeking out behind the new high rise construction.
It's really nice to have someone like Hernan to hang out with. I know I've gone back and forth on my feelings about his friendship, but now I recognize that he is going through his own personal stuff and can't be there for me as much as I'd like for him to be. I wish I knew more people like him that I can just hang out with and be laid back with and do interesting things with once in a while. As much fun as it was to walk through San Telmo and Puerto Madero at night, it wouldn't be the same if I did it alone. Meeting new people has been the hardest thing for me on this trip. My classmates and conversation partners don't really seem like the kind of people I'd want to be hanging out with - we don't seem to have much in common and I'm guessing they all have lives of their own and are not interested in breaking from their routines to spend time with me. How to meet people is a question my students always ask me, and I have to say I'm coming up clueless on that one.
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