Beware of the word "Nothing!"

Almost immediately after I arrived in Santiago del Estero my fellow missionaries Jay and Jan Cook being such fine missionaries quickly introduced me to a national young lady to whom they thought I would have a lot in common and could help me with getting familiarized with the culture ( I also think they were ready to have their normal family life back, hahaha) Well, my first Tuesday in Santiago the Cook's introduced me to Maria. Maria is one of Jan's language partners and goes to their house every Monday to practice Spanish with Jan. So, this particular week she needed to do it on Tueday and I went along. Well, while we were in the truck ( yep, the truck I still can't drive yet) Maria and I began to talk in the back seat about our interests and our lives. One of the first things out of her mouth was, I am a missionary and most recently I lived 3 years in Bolivia. I couldn't believe it, God sent me an Argentine version of me to be my first friend. We continued to talk and make plans because I new I needed to go the dentist and I had no idea of where a good dentist was in this city I had been there one week. So, we made plans for Friday to go to the dentist. Well, on Wednesday I get a text message from her asking me what I was doing before I thought, I answered nothing because it was seista time was I was working on my computer or something. She asked me if I wanted to go to her house, I said sure and so she said she would come and get me after she got off work at 8:30-9:00. So, I knew I had time to take a bath etc. Well, my buzzer rings about 30 minutes later, I had just gotten out of the bath ( you can imagine how I was) and it was her, she had changed the plans. Her mom thought it was better I spend time with her family then in my apartment alone. So, she took me to her house while she worked from 5:30-8:30. It was my first formal time having yerba mate:

The infusion called mate is prepared by steeping dry leaves (and twigs) of yerba mate in hot water, rather than in boiling water like black tea. Drinking mate with friends from a shared hollow gourd (also called a mate or guampa in Spanish) with a metal straw (a bombilla in Spanish) is a common social practice in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, southern Chile, eastern Bolivia and Southern Region, Brazil and has been cultivated in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

The flavor of brewed yerba mate is strongly vegetal, herbal, and grassy, reminiscent of some varieties of green tea. Many consider the flavor to be very agreeable, but it is generally bitter if steeped in boiling water, so it is made using hot but not boiling water In Argentina this is commonly drunk with breakfast or as part of merienda (roughly, afternoon tea), often with a selection of facturas (sweet pastries). It is also made by heating yerba in water and straining it as it cools.In Paraguay and the Litoral Argentino, yerba mate is also drunk as a cold beverage. Usually drunk out of a cow's horn in the countryside, tereré, as it is known in the Guaraní language, is served with cold or iced water. Medicinal herbs, known as "yuyos", are mixed in a mortar and pestle and added to the water for taste or medicinal reasons. Tereré consumed in Paraguay may also be made as an infusion of yerba mate with grapefruit or lemon juice. Needless to say I have had my feel of mate during the last week, because the tradition in most homes is to pass the mate around taking turns and it is normally very hot! However, is a great way to open up doors in a family, to sit around and drink mate and talk. It has helped me to ge to know the family better and them me. Also, last week I was able to accompany Maria to the jovenes group that she attends. Jovenes in latin american normally starts at the age of 18 and goes until you get married, into your 30's. One of the first things that one has to understand is the schedule in Argentina, it is a culture that seems to never sleep at night, especially in Santiago del Estero. The youth meeting started at 9:00 and I got home at close to 1:00 am. However, that is not tolling on their bodies because they go to work by 7 in the morning and then have a 5 hour siesta from 1:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon. It is something I am getting used to but sometimes your doctors appointments or schools won't let out till 6:00 or 7:00 at the earliest. Until My Next Event~