Blending in as Argentines

Feather duster seller, Buenos Aires, Argentina

I had to ditch my capris and my son’s shorts that shouted TOURIST, especially coming from Montserrat and having my legs pocked red with mosquito bites. It’s still winter here, and an Argentine woman gave me the once over with her eyes, so I thought it was time, and that way we’d blend in more.

The kids and I went shopping in Buenos Aires. Clothes are cheap in here, and I got two pairs of jeans for $40 from one of the finer stores here. However, cheap they are, as a stud fell off. But the next day I returned it and the sales girl fixed it on the spot. But then the second pair of pants developed a hole in the pocket!

Now with jeans, a heavy sweater wrap and hat, I look Argentine.  I must, as people on the street are asking ME for directions. However, if anybody asks I say we are from Canada, as there is a lot of anti-American sentiment here so I speak to the kids in Spanish as much as possible on the street.

Young man working in el campo, General Rodriguez, Argentina.

The kids are slowly ditching their American clothes for Argentine ones. Everything is made local. Industria Argentina. Nothing is imported. America could learn about bringing back jobs and manufacturing by making clothes in the US, rather than having Chinese slaves make them and export them to us. I prefer buying stuff at the market, such as at the incredible event of the San Telmo fair on Sundays. It’s hard, though, to find kids clothes. We shall see.

It rained all day yesterday. My daughter and I went out in search of clothes for her. She’s quite a little designer, having always made her own Halloween costumes from scratch from used clothing stores, and was always redesigning her Barbie’s clothes since age 3. So she has specifics in the length, look. I told her we will have to learn how to sew for her precice needs. Sewing is something I learned in Girl Scouts in the 5^th grade. It’s a great skill to sew, and quite creative. Many people here sew their own clothes and sell them in the shop windows! Americans would do well to learn these simple skills again. It’s amazing how few Americans know how to cook, sew, garden, build or fix anything. It brings so much satisfaction, and you are not just mindlessly consuming and getting and spending. I’m hoping to have us both take knitting lessons! It would be good for my daughter, as it’s said that for ADD kids, knitting while hearing a lecture helps them remember.

For the rain, and we bought a few paraguas, umbrellas. We ventured into the subway to get to the mall. Learning to be frugal and spend 1.2 pesos each way rather than a taxi cab, and also to use public transportation for the environment. I was excited to see an ad on the subway car for philosophy classes in the city. I’d love to take one. I was also excited that I have slowly been finding healthy food shops that have whole grains, granola or more vegetables, rather than the ubiquitous sweets, white bread, cheese and meat. I also found a gluten-free bakery!

Last night we went to the super market and bought fruits and some sandwhich stuff. There are entire shelving sections filled with different varieties of mate. Also, dulce de leche, a sweet, condensed like milk substance that is so delicious! It’s called cajeta in Mexico. A whole shelf of that, but I couldn’t find any peanut butter! I also bought some red wine, and tell my kids I’m a tantrist and don’t deny myself anything, at least in moderation. I also said that somebody has to balance out duality, since there are so many yogis focusing on the “good” or perceived good and denying everything else that is also Shiva, only to trap themselves in duality, which creates a rather explosive “shadow.”

We bought some colorful reusable grocery bags. Most people here use the plastic bags constantly.  I haven’t seen anybody use anything otherwise. Maybe we will make an impact if others see us using them. They seem a little surprised if I tell them I don’t need a bag and shove it into an existing bag.

The grocery store was a great opportunity for Spanish lessons. The kids are picking it up, and I’m getting accustomed to the unique Argentine accent, in which the ll is always pronounced JJJJJJuh and there is a different word for just about everything here. Even yoga is JJJJuh-oga. I’m very fluent in Spanish, but I can barely understand the waiter or bus driver. Heavy sigh.  But my kid’s little brains are little esponjas, sponges, so that makes me feel good.

Every weekday morning the kids do reading and some writing. I teach them to edit and correct their spelling and punctuation, improve the story with more detail. We upload it to travelpod.com and add photographs. My daughter is really improving. My son is very self-motivated to learn, and has been teaching himself Portuguese for some time now. He looks up amazing facts online too, always learning new stuff. It’s amazing. I read with my daughter about yerba mate today. Quite a healthy drink, even if it’s considered a stimulant by some. Will have to investigate it further.

Last night I read to the kids history and also told them personal stories. I told them the stories of their birth. They absolutely loved it, and there is such a priceless, warm feeling that connects us all with those stories and their telling. I also told them fairy tales. My daughter likes the dark fairy tales, such as The Juniper Tree and Bluebeard. The other day at a coffee shop she asked, “How did Daddy die?” I told her that her father’s business failed and he killed himself. That he was sad and that he used a permanent solution to a temporary problem. He gave up hope.  I figure that hearing these stories helps her process death and the darkness. That’s why I never leave out death in stories, no matter how young the child. Because death happens, and as my daughter was 2 when her father died, there are other kids with the same issues. And I tell them to never give up hope, and that in these fairy tales, you will notice, there is a guide. A way out. We know the ending, and it satisfies us and helps us through.

My son asked, “Do you think The Truman Show could be real?” That Jim Carrey movie is one of our favorites, and in my opinion his best. I said, “Yes. It’s like yoga,” reminding him of the Krishna painting at the yoga farm. How we can get “off the stage” or pierce what this “maya” illusion world is. And find a greater reality. However, I added that we can still be on stage, not have to get out of it necessarily. We can be in the world, but not attached to it or of the world. That way we are enlightened and can do good works. And with yoga, we can let go of fear, let go of worry and attachment, and be powerful in the world, centered in yoga.

I have powerful moments of that realization. Not so much recently, having a lot of stress dealing with the kids, staying organized, trying to get settled, worrying about being robbed or something in Buenos Aires. I’m not able to practice asana, but chanting the maha mritunjaya silently to myself most days keeps me strong. But eventually it comes again. The trick is being grounded and settled in yoga in all the circumstances. I will keep working on that. Realizing the present moment is powerful. My Krishna sister once told me that people only pray to God when they are in trouble. So as Krishnas, they always pray for trouble! Strangely, that can be true. Difficulty puts your smack in the middle of the present moment, smack in the middle of prayer to god, chanting, breathing, dealing. It makes you strong, courageous and fearless. And I am so grateful.

Every opportunity is one to wake up. So we live.