It’s hot. No really. It’s hot. Maybe 10 years living along the ocean in Southern California has erased my memories of summers in the U.S. Midwest and East Coast, but since my arrival to Córdoba, Argentina this week I can concentrate on little else but the heat.
Calle 27 de abril - Córdoba
Although summer in this historic city is always warm, we have an added challenge this year. Cordoba is suffering from an energy shortage due to a faulty transformer. Electricity is turned off for a few hours per day intermittently across the city. Check out fellow North American traveler and blogger Raya’s summary of the energy situation here (along with interesting tales of her travel) for proof I am not making this nor the heat up.
I am also struggling with a seriously limited vocabulary while trying to meet other volunteers and project coordinators. When the only thing I can say without too much effort is “¿Qué postres tiene?” (What desserts do you have?), I realize I need to make a leap into thinking and being in a new environment QUICKLY.
So fellow travelers and volunteers, I know you have been there before.¡Digame! What is your advice for beating the heat (with the usual electricity and wardrobe limitations)? And while you’re at it, please share a funny story about language challenges. I could use a laugh.
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Nothing like hearing from friends who have great experiences to share! Thanks to everyone for writing. I love to hear from you. And such good advice to get out and talk! Slowly, more words are understood and more words come out.
We enjoyed a much cooler week in Cordoba but back to the awful humidity today. Thank goodness for siestas!
Como anda Mia? I lived in Cordoba for a few months, interesting city. Dulce de leche and that bread! Hope you get to enjoy many asados while there. My suggestion for language – chupa Mate with the locals. Talk, talk, talk! Make mistakes and laugh. You have to be social to learn the language. What you can find there you can’t find in a book – the people.
Chau!
Oh and as for learning the language, just get out there and keep listening to others talk and keep talking regardless how you say it. And my favorite way of learning the language….. watching tv
Well, not familiar with Cordoba but I am certainly familiar with heat, humidity and no electricity in the summer. We did the siesta during the hot times even though in the beginning it might be hard to sleep. After awhile the body gets used to it and you sleep like a baby. I know you like sleep
Hola Mia.
Your description of Cordoba reminds me of my hometown. My suggestion for you to deal with the heat is to face it. Cuz everytime I came visit my family, I usually spent like 2 days to get used to the heat again. Also, remember to drink a lot of water. Sorry that’s all I got.
BTW, I’m gald to hear from you again. It’s been a while.
Hi! Mia,
I was so suprised that you are struggling to learn the language in C’ordoba. So, I’m struggling with English as well.
I hope that your situation will be fine day by day. I like you when you talk to us so nicely and politely. We miss you a lot. We will look forward to seeing you soon at MiraCosta. Good Luck!
Yasuko.
Great ideas! I find myself looking for shade everywhere where I go. And ice cream is a great treat here and costs less than a dollar for 2 yummy scoops. My favorite? Dulce con Leche wy Chocolate El Calafate.
Keep the ideas coming!
I feel your pain, having lived through summers abroad under similar circumstances (did have electricity, no air con). How about picking up a fan and leaving it behind as a gift when you move on? And I guess you could siesta albeit uncomfortably. I used to live on the top floor of an apartment with no air conditioning and summers got up to high 90sF with humidity so bad you could sometimes see your breath and it wasn’t due to condensation either. Keeping windows open didn’t seem to make a difference except maybe psychologically. So at the hottest time of the day, I would leave my apartment and spend an hour across the street in a little convenience store that WAS air conditioned and that sold popsicles and icecream. I’d hang out inside and peruse the magazines eat my popsicle until it was time to head back to the apartment. I got to know the staff at the store, and they sympathized with me, but didn’t give me any discounts on the popsicles.
The language challenge can be just as excruciating. Nothing like learning to swim by being thrown into the deep end, huh? Any possibility of finding a language exchange partner, especially a fun one? Flashcards & rote repetition of vocab? I’m afraid I don’t have any funny stories about language acquisition, although I do recall the time my Korean buddy taught me to say “I am a woman” when I asked him to teach me to say “I am a cool/nice guy” so that I could impress the ladies.
I’m feeling your pain, your blog keeps it real and invites the larger community to share constructive advice, so in the midst of misery, thank YOU for blogging and may your situation begin improving day by day, one day at a time. Hang in there!
Yep, that brutal heat, gotta love it! It’s so important to stay hydrated: eat tons of fruit and drink several liters of water a day and your body will be much better at naturally cooling itself down. Also, when walking down the street walk down the shady side! It may seem obvious, but a lot of times I forget. Suerte!
When we took a trip to Cordoba, we stayed at this fantastic pousada outside of the city. It was run by an adorable German couple. When it came time to pay for our stay, I told the man that I needed to “pagarte.” Although it didn’t come out of my mouth sounding that way. It sounded like “pegarte,” meaning “to hit.” So for about five minutes, I was trying to tell him I needed to pay him, while he thought I was saying I needed to hit him. And he jokingly assumed the boxing stance the entire time.