Hugs and Kisses

As another Friday night approached, a few of us roadies decided to go to Chabad for Shabbat dinner. Yet again, the meal didn’t end till 1:30AM, and the enormous amounts of food, Emuna vino tinto (wine), and hard-alcohol made the meal that much more enjoyable.

A friend told us of a great family to eat at for Saturday lunch, so we got in contact with them and arranged to eat there. Apparently it’s customary for girls not to go to synagogue on Saturday morning in Bs Ar, so we decided to walk to temple when it was over to meet the family. (That would never fly in the US because synagogue, especially on Saturday, is quite the social scene; it’s pretty much mandatory to go to temple.) We were kindly introduced to the Chemea family, and they greeted us with open arms and kisses (legit…I’m not exaggerating). We walked back to their apartment and sat around the living room talking (mostly in English, but I snuck in some Castellano), and eventually we made our way to the table to enjoy a fantastic cena (meal).

Unfortunately, since I probably will not be living here permanently, there is one thing I will bring back to the US---todos los besos y abrazos (all the kisses and hugs). In the States, everyone is in tune with their “personal space.” I don’t even get what personal space is anyways but that’s a whole different story. I can’t stand when you meet someone in the States and either a simple handshake or head-nod is sufficient…come on, seriously, are you really going to do that? It’s so cold. You’re not going to get to know someone by doing that…when you get to know someone, you want to make them feel comfortable and like you. People from the US are so into making things awkward (g-d knows why, but they do) and let me tell you something---the handshake and head-nod is plain old awkward---it just doesn’t cut it.  I love the Latin culture and everything about it. I love how everyone greets each other with hugs and kisses. And the best part is: guys do it too! But seriously, I love how there is no such thing as being awkward here…if you’re potentially being awkward it’s probably because you’re talking to a person from the US. Think about it: when you give someone a hug you are essentially breaking the boundaries of personal space---you’re allowing that person in your life and automatically establishing a bond with them…a type of bond that handshakes and head nods don’t tolerate.

I mentioned the whole hugs and kisses saga because when Shoni and I went to the Chemea family, their beautiful daughters greeted us with hugs and kisses. This lunch really affected both Shoni and I…after the father said Kiddush, the mother and father went around the table giving kisses to their 5 daughters. There was so much respect between the parents, daughters, and even to us. We honestly felt at home and really connected with them. After a beautiful and delicious meal, the Chemea daughters, Shonjon, and I went on a walk to the Parque de las Rosas (the Rose Park)---Numero uno (#1)----this is the most beautiful park I’ve ever been to. It’s like Central Park gone wild with breathtaking lakes, paddle boats, bridges, and exquisite roses from around the world. Every imaginable rose was planted in the park, and they were the type you could only find at Chaucer and Willobees (haha Sarah, you better enjoy that reference).

Saturday night was yet another incredible night and you can only imagine what I did...

Yeah that’s right, I went to Las Bombas…I actually found out it’s called La Bomba Tiempo…THE DRUM SHOW! We started off the night at a house party---not to be mean but Heights parties are a thousand times better than the house party I went to Saturday night…that's the one good thing YU taught its students! Mazol Tov! Anyways, after the party we went to the drum show and stayed there really late. I’m not going to bore you with how amazing the drum show was because I previously did that but just saying, I had another great experience!