Weekend in Mar del Plata (take 2)

Well, I now have 23 days left in Argentina. Just typing that made my eyes well up with tears. I am writing this entry in tears. How can you not love this country?
Ryan and I went to Mardel with Camila and stayed with her family this weekend, and it made me so sad because I had to say goodbye to Camila this morning since she's staying at her house until the end of July for winter vacation. After a very tearful goodbye at the bus station, we were off. Camila said she wasn't going to cry because she was sure we would see each other again. We said "chau" and "nos vemos" instead of "adios," but as the bus pulled away, we saw her put her head down and cry.
I had a good 5 hours to think about my trip and the people I have met who are already leaving me, but before I get into that, how about my weekend?
Well, it was an interesting weekend to take a vacation because it was an election weekend. Here, 24 hours before an election you cannot buy or sell alcohol, which is probably a very good thing, knowing how crazy people can get here! It was Camila's first time voting since she just turned 18 this year. Voting here is mandatory above the age of 18 until you get past a certain age, but I forget the age at the moment. We talked about who she would vote for and she was pretty apathetic about it, which was dissapointing for me, but she told me she wanted to vote for the humanist party because "they seem like nice people." Her friends wanted to vote the same. They weren't on the list, though, so I think she just voted for another opposition party.
Family here is so culturally different in a wonderful way. We drank mate together and had "merienda" together. We talked and laughed, hugged and kissed. It was like I was a part of their family the way they treated me. Her mom sat on the bed with us as I read "Mafalda" comics and laughed because Camila was able to explain the nuances of the language, and the themes of the jokes still apply today. Her dad tickled my bare feet, dangled over the bed, and ran his fingers through Ryan's curly hair, laughing about how pretty it was. It made me miss my home, but it also made me love theirs in a similar way as my own.
It rained all weekend in Mardel, unfortunately, but we still made the best of our time there. On Saturday we watched a movie together and on Sunday we went out for drinks with her friend. We went to some places that had cocktails, like Cosmopolitans and White Russians. They were weak, but oh well. Monday we planned to go to the beach and drink mate by the water, but the rain ruined our plans, so instead we went to the bookstore and did a 300 piece puzzle together. I bought "Las venas abiertas de America Latina," which was made famous when Chavez gave it to Obama. I finished the first chapter on the bus, but decided to stop because I would better understand it with a dictionary by my side.
As the bus pulled into Buenos Aires, Ryan looked at me and said, "we're home." And truly, I felt home. I asked him whether he wanted to take the subte or grab a cab and we opted to splurge and take a cab because Ryan said he didn't want to smell the subte today. Haha. So on to Avenida 9 de julio, past the strange "artistic" photo of the passed out drunk girl, and all I could think was how incredibly much I love this city. I'm sitting on my balcony right now because a group of singing people with drums just blocked Rivadavia. It is a beautiful night...crisp, but feels just fine to me.
When I think back on all the protests that have woken me up each morning, the man that shouts on the corner of Ayacucho and Rivadavia every Saturday morning, the scrambling for monedas before I take the bus, and all the things that used to bug me about this city, I can't help but smile. I see a cop pull someone over and I wonder if he is going to bribe the person and if the person will accept. I see cars and busses almost kill people all the time. A kid about the age of 9 tried to take my wallet. And sometimes I just have no idea what you just said to me, so I just say, "si." But I love it.
Thursday is Ryan and Kate's last day here. The original crew of my old residence has officially left me. So in my last 23 days, I hope to enjoy the friendships I make while volunteering at LIFE, and hopefully make friends with my two new British housemates. This is the saddest contentness I have ever felt in my life, and I don't know how I will ever leave here.

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