ama de casa

la boca, buenos aires

rumor has it that nora, our host in la boca, is 64 years old. she has a couple (few?) grown children, at least three tow-headed grandchildren in their terrible 2´s, and continues to support herself as a full-time artist. she also just bid me adios to go out tango dancing for the night.

while home-stays can be iffy propositions, i could not be more pleased with the arrangment we have. in nora´s three-storey home, we gringos occupy consecutive small bedrooms with windows facing the street on the second floor. our space is slightly separated from the rest of the house by beaded curtains and contains two bathrooms with one hot water shower. this floor is the main floor of the house with a spacious living room, small salon, dining table, and a kitchen in back we all share this space, including our provision of refrigerator and pantry shelving and freedom to move about however we please. the first floor serves as an entrance and for storage and the stairs to nora´s space on the third floor possess an aura of mystery, the passageway to forbidden territory.

we all operate according to the golden rule and without obligation. through tacit agreement, we clean our dishes and throw away all our trash just as we can put our feet up on the coffee table and come home in the wee hours of the morning. we greet each other and say goodbye to one another, but there is never the feeling that conversation must be forced. while respectful distances have been maintained, she has also invited us tomorrow to walk about ten feet from our bedrooms to join her family for almuerzo.

it is nice to know that the coming weeks will be comfortable and respectful at a minimum. if invited to more almuerzos, or even to a night of tango dancing with her, i know it will be because she values our, or even, my company and not because of any hostess-tour guide compulsions. until then, i´ll just go on keeping the plates clean and let my bare feet go wherever they please (except the third floor, of course).


post script. have taken a lot of pictures and a handful of videos, but have yet to find a friendly computer to upload. will look forward to providing visuals when the opportunity presents itself.