I finally met my family in Rosario! They are all so wonderful. I was so happy to meet them. It’s definitely the biggest highlight on this adventure so far. I took a 4 hour bus ride to Rosario and stayed with Sofia. Luckily, Sofi speaks perfect English and I was able to communicate with my other 2 cousins, Sandra and Cintia. Even though we come from such different places, I noticed similarities right away.
Cintia - A hippie and free spirited. She’s very funny and natural. She has strong beliefs and stands up for them. She’s a social worker, and very passionate about her career. She is adorable with her boyfriend Martin. And you can see the love between them.
Sandra - She is tall like me. She definitely looks like a Croata. She’s sporty yet very girly at the same time. She believes in positive thinking and envisioning what we want for the future (exactly what I believe in). I went into her room, and she had a vision board (just like in “The Secret”). Sandra has a Hamsa key chain, I have a Hamsa necklace : ) Hamsa brings good luck and wards off evil.
Sofia – I was able to spend a lot of time with Sofi, and she is absolutely amazing. I can’t believe she is only 19 years old. She’s so mature, intelligent, independent, and logical. She is studying in Rosario. And I know the future only holds the best for her. And she is the reason I am able to meet and communicate with my family here in Argentina. Thanks Sofi! It means the world to me.
Friday night, Sofi and I went to Sandra and Cintia’s for dinner. Cintia’s boyfriend joined us as well. Martin is very nice. We had delicious empanadas and pizza. They brought out a wipe off board and we wrote out the Family tree. Sofia, Sandra, and Cintia’s grandma (Iva) is my grandma’s (Anica) sister. So, these girls are my second cousins. And our fathers are first cousins.
On Saturday, Sofi’s aunt took us on a tour of Rosario. It’s a small city, and very calm. It was nice to get away from Buenos Aires for the weekend. The Parana River is very peaceful. It was nice to be close to water. Saturday night went out for Mexican food with Sofi, and then headed to a bar with a few of her friends.
Sunday morning we had to be up for Tia’s Birthday. It was the first time I was meeting my Tio and Tia. Sofi and I headed to the restaurant to meet up with them. I was nervous since I wasn’t sure how we were going to communicate. However, I was surprisingly shocked, my Tio speaks perfect Croata!! It was so comfortable, and so natural. I felt like I was home with family. My Tio could be my father’s brother, they look so similar. We had a wonderful lunch with the girls. After lunch, we went back to Cintia and Sandra’s for cake (Tia’s Birthday) and Mate. The tradition of Mate is wonderful. There is a Mate cup with Mate yerba. It is filled up with hot water, and you take turns drinking it. It’s bitter, but I like bitter. Afterward, all of us girls went out to a street artesian market. My primas bought me a ring and Mate cup with a leaf on it. It is adorable. I’m going to start drinking Mate on a regular basis. It’s an energy booster without the downfall (like in coffee). My Tia is sweet, and we were able to communicate with my little Castellano and hand gestures of course. Her and my Tio look very happy.
After being out all day, we came back to the apartment and ordered 1 kg of ice cream. And we ate it all! It was delicious! We hung out and listened to Latina music, it was hilarious. Lots of laughing and great conversations. Before I knew it, the time was midnight and it was time to say goodbye. The weekend flew by so fast and I was sad to say goodbye. But, I know I will be seeing all of them very soon.
I never imagined it would be this great meeting my family. They are great people. Baba Iva and Baba Anica are looking down at us smiling : )
No comments:
Post a Comment