Reflection

Today I realized I had no idea what the date was. Not just the day of the month; no, I didn't even know what day of the week it was. Instead of being alarmed or upset at the total disregard I gave to matters such as date and time, I realized it was a sign of just how much I have adapted to the culture. At home, we live our lives on a strict schedule of appointments and deadlines. Here, schedules are just a rough guideline of when things can be expected to start, and nobody takes them too seriously. Somebody here once told me that the only things that start on time in Argentina are soccer games and movies, and I have yet to prove him wrong. The flexibility with which Argentines seem to live their lives is one of my favorite things about the culture - in a city of 3 million people, not a single person is in a hurry. You will never see an Argentine sprint for a departing subway or running for the bus. They'll catch the next one. It was hard at first slowing my pace down to match theirs, but once I did, I found it intoxicating. I've learned to enjoy the time I spend on public transportation, walking to school, or waiting in line. As an American, my instinct tells me I am losing time with these purposeless activities. As an Argentine, I've been able to see that it's not time wasted at all; in fact it's time very well spent, noticing things I might otherwise overlook and just generally finding some time to myself in this huge, busy city. Living at this more relaxed pace I have been able to more fully appreciate my surroundings and my abroad experience in general; I hope to keep it up once i get back to the US so I can see what I've been missing all these years.