Recent Outings

I feel I need to counter my oh-so-dramatic claim yesterday that I never leave the house with a report of some of our short, but nevertheless fun, recent escapes.


#1 Gabe has started a swim class. These are not swim lessons, as in learn how to do the breath stroke, but rather, take-your-baby-to-play-in-the-water-and-gossip-with-other-moms classes. I love them. Basically the point is supposed to be to get your kid comfortable in the water, so we sing songs and then do the corresponding actions like kick, jump, splash, etc. Gabe isn't overflowing with glee, but is totally calm throughout, including when I float him on his back with nothing but my hand under his head, or when the teacher puts his face under water. An indoor pool being nothing but an echoing chamber, I sing loudly, not at all hindered by the facts that I don't know or understand the words and I can't carry a tune. We have a great time. The instructor is always doing little activities meant to stimulate development, like put colorful little floaty things in front of Gabe and catching his attention, then brushing his hand, to stimulate him to grab. She tells me I need to continue this at home to teach him, and not just hang colorful items in front of him but stay and encourage him to grab at them. Which of course I don't do. I think she's always a little disappointed that he doesn't progress more between classes.

But he is the chubbiest, youngest, pinkest, and I think cutest kid in his class.


#2 On Saturday, Mario, trying to help his poor distraught wife, took us to the river where we walked along the beach front. I had to take a picture of the dog sleeping in the shade of the "NO dogs allowed" sign because it is so emblematic of the attitude to all laws here that it made me laugh.
#3 This week is the gastronomic highlight of the year in Rosario. Colectividades - a fair in which the local associations of countries all over the world set up exhibits, have stages with folk dancing, and sell typical food. I will be honest, I don't care about the cultural displays, and once you've seen one folk dance you've seen them all. I go purely for the food. Seeing as there is a dearth in culinary variety here in Rosario, I try to get Mario to go multiple times during the 9-day duration so that I may fill my canteen, so to speak.

In Siria's stand Hassan serves me shwarma, and in the background young girls were dancing Arabic dances in age-inappropriate clothing.

The vegetable tempura from Japan was my favorite, and the pork kabobs from Austria were delicious, obviously being prepared by a native Austrian, shown below. But really, they made a small broom out of rosemary and used it to brush some kind of dressing on the kabobs as they cooked and it was amazing delicious.#4 Taking advantage of the hour before Gabe's morning nap and trying to be inspired to action be Jessica, Gabe and I trekked out to Parque Independencia this morning. It was really beautiful, and I think I managed to jog a whole 2.5 blocks.

The pathways are really nice, and the garden below is called the French Garden, and is my favorite part of the park. Too bad the park is a 25 minute walk away, so we pretty much walk there and then turn around, without spending too much time actually in the park. Maybe if I ran I'd get there faster and have more time to enjoy the park. Not likely!