La Ciudad

Setting foot on foreign soil is always unnerving, and after living as a country bumpkin for four years, so is arriving in a huge metropolis where green space, trees and even dirt is hard to find.

At first, the pollution in the air, the laneless chaotic freeway and frequent broken down cars allowed a feeling of regret to slide into my exhausted mind.

Joanna fell asleep during the hour long ride from the airport to our hostel in the center of the Palermo barrio on the Northwest side of the city. The solid 24 hours of air travel from Baltimore was weighing on both of us, but after our driver reached back and locked our doors as we ground into traffic on the freeway my heavy eyelids would not close.

When our arbitrarily picked hostel turned out to be booked up, we walked a few blocks to another, where despite heavy construction underway on the building, a clean room was available.

Shedding a heavy oversized bag that contains your life and makes you feel like a giant lumbering target in an unknown land is, literally, a weight off your shoulders. With our things in a safe place, we began to explore the barrio of Palermo in an attempt to stay awake, battle jet lag and get on a local schedule.

Walking through the tree lined streets past clothing shops, cafés and restaurants, each step seemed to boost confidence. The porteños - or people of this port city - are friendly, happy and comfortable.

After wandering aimlessly, mouths agape and eyes bleary with fatigue, we stumbled on a small park. The adjacent cross streets housed four lively cafés. A fountain flowed as the centerpiece of the park and people sat talking, reading or drinking maté around its edges.

We sat down among them and leaned against each other. People walked passed with dogs, children or alone. They all seemed in their own worlds, enjoying the warm spring air and last rays of evening sun. Sporadic pink blossoms sprouted from the otherwise bare branches of the trees.

Time became irrelevant, minutes could have been hours, or hours minutes, people came and went and we remained unnoticed, similar, just another couple enjoying the pleasant evening.

The life of the city transformed from a vast expanse of concrete into a vibrant flow of life, diversity and personality.

With every passing minute the life of the city becomes more familiar and more comfortable. It ceases to be a vast grimy machine.

It becomes beautiful, intricate and exciting. And for now, it is home.

AC

PHOTO
Alex looks out over the Palermo barrio of Buenos Aires from the sun deck of The Palermo House.
Photo by JMH.