After 4 days of my family spoiling us with empanadas, asado (bbq), veggies, pasta, and air-conditioning, we are already getting quite accustomed to the high-life here in this quaint, jungle-town of Puerto Iguazu. The greenery is a stark contrast to the concrete of any large city (like Buenos Aires), and we are happy to be enjoying the more relaxed lifestyle of small town life. Our days so far have been filled with laughing with my gregarious family members and asado like you never knew possible. Being a vegetarian in Argentina is akin to being from outerspace (common questions I have received from family: 1.) Well, you eat chicken though, right? 2.) No?!? Then you must eat fish, no? 3.) No cow, no fish, no chicken! Then why did you come to Argentina?). Despite my foreign eating habits, I have been very well accommodated.
Jason has been well-received by my family as well, despite being referred to as "El Concho" (the pig) for his messy eating habits and tendency to sweat more than the average individual (or average five individuals put together.) Our Spanish learning curve has experienced a rapid incline with the help of my family and the town's willingness to "repite mas despascio. " Not to say there have not been numerous opportunities for us to be completely lost in conversation, some more humorous than others. (If you have the fortune to make it here one day, please do not say "Me gusta la penne", as Jason did to my cousin's 10-year-old's daughter and 8-year-old-son, lest you are looking for some naked male entertainment. As we learned after much laughter, penne is both the name of the popular cut of pasta as well as a very private part of the male anatomy.)
Here are some pics of some of the things we have been up to in Puerto Iguazu so far:
Jason enjoing the asado on our 1st night with Jose and Diego. These huge parillas (or grills) are typical in each home here in Argentina.
Hito Argentina (or Three Frontiers), 2.5 blocks from my aunt's house, is an amazing point where 2 rivers (Rios Parana and Rio Iguazu) meet and divide the 3 countries: Argentina (where we are standing), Paraguay (far left), and Brazil (center, to the right of the river in the photo.) Each country has a small obelisk on their waterfront. You can see Argentina's here.
My cousins, Lisa and Erika, and their husbands took us here to Lago Uru-guaye, a nice watery respite from the heat. The shore has many quinchos (little huts made of straw and wood) to catch some shade and barbeque under.
