Today my host father had a day off from work, so I accompanied him to the market. It’s not very big, but there is plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, cheeses, meats, breads and pastries, honey, jam, etc. There are also stalls that sell clothing, furniture, and even mattresses. Yes, mattresses. Don’t ask. Among other items, Ralf bought 2 cucumbers, one head of lettuce, and 8 normal-sized tomatoes from a local farmer for 4.50€--which is about $6! Not bad at all.
Photo: The bull-fighting arena at the end of my street
After we returned from the market, Ralf was planning to take the dog for a walk in the woods nearby. As I was anxious to find a nice place to go running, I joined him on the walk. It’s really beautiful and plenty big to go for a nice, long run. It was also a good break because we spoke English the whole time, which allowed me to find out more about Ralf and also about the area. One thing I learned is that although there is a lot of farmland surrounding Tyrosse, there are not many farms with animals. There are a few, but mostly it’s corn and some farms of (weirdly enough) kiwis!
At lunchtime, I headed over to the school and discovered that Pablo, the assistant from Argentina had arrived! Today was his first day at the school, so he was a little lost (just like I was). Bruno asked me to take him down to the bank so he could open an account and get a phone. I spent an hour helping him get everything figured out. He seems really nice, but I didn’t really get to talk with him too much because most of the time we were at the bank. His accent makes it a little bit hard for me to understand. The funniest part about the bank experience was when the lady who was setting up the account (who also set up mine and is really, really nice) was entering his personal information into the computer. She was reading off his passport and she asked if he was born in Soltero. Pablo had to explain that “Soltero” means “Single”…as in, not married. It was pretty hilarious.
This afternoon I relaxed for a while, then I went grocery shopping with Catherine. I want to go back by myself because there were so many interesting things to look at, but I didn’t want to hold her up. We had a fun time trying to find buttermilk…no one had heard of it! They were so confused when we tried to explain—apparently it doesn’t exist here. We’re on the hunt for a substitute so I can make pancakes for the family.
This evening we had apératifs with the new neighbors from across the street. They are a young couple with a 3-yr old son (who is adorable and very well behaved). It was very challenging for me to try to pay attention to two conversations simultaneously! They were interesting conversations, though, ranging from pregnancy to rice cakes. But, after 2 1/2 hours, I had a headache and my brain was starting to shut off. When they went home at 10pm, I was so ready to slip up to my room and enjoy the silence.
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