Empanadas and Chori all day

Gotta love that choripan...

I generally wake up the same way everyday: screaming children. Just outside my window lies a "escuela primera" (elementary school), where the joyus, rawkus, sounds of the playground waft through my window, whether it´s closed or open. After my groggy ritualistic morning pee, I step out into the hectic battlefield that is known as my home. At any moment in time, one of my seven host brothers and sisters can race by in order to grab a quick bite before they´re off to school or work. My lovely housekeeper, Cookie, always has a classic Argentine breakfast laid out for me: tostados con mantequilla (toast with butter), cafe con leche, and fruta. After I slowly enjoy my wonderful meal, I hope in my tiny little shower, which takes super long to heat up. Since we´re so many in the house, I always keep it quick. As I leave the apartment, I hop in the fantastical, old, manual elevator and pop down to the ground floor, where, like all building in Buenos Aires, you must use a key to get out.

That´s when the fun begins. I live about a 20 minute walk from school (it´s literally a right turn out my door and straight), but I thankfully brought my skateboard here, and it only takes about 5-10 minutes. There is no better way to really wake up. As soon as I start pushing, the adrenaline kicks in. For starters, there are NO bike lanes here. I just stick to the side of the road and make my presence known to the traffic. As taxis and colectivos (buses) zoom past, I just keep my steady pace, pushing right along. The ground is smooth and flat, so I can just glide along nicely. And, since there´s so much traffic, I can often beat the buses to school (or at least keep up with them for awhile). It is definitely one of my favorite parts of the day.

Then there´s almuerzo (lunch). God I love lunch. I usually stay on a cycle between a few different things, but empanadas and choripan are my favorite. Empanadas, for those who don´t know, are like the hot pocket´s better, nicer, and more attractive cousin. Either filled with meat, cheese, or vegetables (or a combination of all three) they usually go for around 2-3 pesos a pop (approximately 50-75 cents US). SO GOOD. Choripan, which is chorizo sausage and pan (bread) is a sausage sandwich. Usually topped with chimichurri, a delicious oil sauce, a choripan will usually run you about 5 pesos (1.25 US). Straight ridiculous exchange rate. I love eating here, and I love living here.