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Published: August 6th 2007
Today was one of those perfect snowy days where the snowflakes were huge and puffy. It was not very cold, and the streets looked very postcard-like. Apparently I was not the only person who felt this way, because the streets were full of people with cameras. Anyhow, I had a great morning catching snowflakes on my tongue and drinking cocoa.
I also bought my own mate y bombilla, the special cup and silver straw/sieve for drinking mate (yeah, same name can be confusing), a tea-like beverage derived from dried leaves of the plant yerba mate, which is actually a species of holly. Traditionally it was served in a hollowed out gourd, but the shelf lives on those are dubious, henceforth today the most common types of mates are either ceramic, metal, or wood. Gift shops sell gourds, but usually either (a) it is for display purposes only, (b) it is a gourd shell with a wood middle, or (c), both. Anyhow, mine is wood. I like the ceramic ones, but somehow think wood is easier to transport. I may buy another so that when I come home I can keep one at home and one at work.
Sharing mate
is a social custom here. People don’t have the same fears of germs, because a mate will be passed around with everyone drinking from the same bombilla. Funny, they don’t have any more health problems than we do. I’ve grown accustomed to it, and no longer have trepidation about sipping from somebody else’s straw.
There are several things here more relaxed than in the US. For instance, when you are introduced to somebody, it is customary to exchange a kiss on the cheek. An air-kiss is ok. I’m not sure how this works in the business world, but here at least when I met my teachers this was the introduction.
Another difference is that they don’t have those teacher-student boundaries that they have in the States. When the weather is particularly ugly, my teacher gives me a ride back home. Even in grad school that would be frowned upon, so it’s not a matter of age. I know at U of A it was a custom in the Creative Writing department that after finals, the whole class went to Froggin´Firkin´and the instructors drinks were paid for by the students, but that department prided itself on being different and
this certainly never happened during the semester.
So wow, from snow to professional boundaries. I´m having a Random Day.
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Benita
non-member comment
Random...?
Very random...yet very interesting stuff! :) This is really great info Amy. I want a mate now...