Dulce leche y matte

At 3 a.m. I'm leading an amateur yoga and meditation class for Katie, Sebastian and Ramon in Sebastian's family's home. The original plan was to have pizza and meet up with Sebastian's and Ramon's friends at a local pub, but stricken with exhaustion from a long day of exploring the city and extensive Argentinean history lessons from Sebastian we have decided to abstain from further excitement. So, we decided to exchange relaxation techniques. I first lead the group through a modified vinyasa yoga flow and Sebastian teaches us a breathing exercise.

When Katie and I first arrived in the hostel, tired from our travels and concerned about our spanish inability, Sebastian befriended us. He is 23, studies tourism at the university and works part time in the Milhouse hostel selling travel packages. He is of medium build with short brown hair, and scruffy facial hair. Dressed in his wool sweater and black plastic rimmed glasses he looks like he could fit in on any college campus along the east coast of the U.S. He speaks almost perfect English and enjoys similar activities to Katie and me. You could say that wee are all kindred spirits who were destined to meet.

So over matte tea, which tastes like very strong green tea and is drunk out of a cup and straw, Sebastian generously offered to be our personal tour guide. He and his friend Ramon, who is stark contrast to Sebastian is tall, lanky and athletic with black curly hair and a shy demeanor, picked Katie and me up yesterday in Ramon's car.

We had a wonderful afternoon walking through a park in Palermo, an area in Buenos Aires, drinking matte tea, eating roasted peanuts, and exchanging vocabulary lessons. Then the boys drove us to a cafe in Tigre Delta where we sipped tea, cappacinos, and had our first dulce leche, which is a creamy caramel spread that you put on toasted bread with butter. The four of us watched the sun set over the river, enjoying conversation about politics, history and the current state of affairs in Argentina *Sebastian will make a wonderful professor one day. After our three hour tea time, we traveled to Sebastian's where we had pizza, met his family and ended our evening praticing yoga.

Sebastian's mother invited us to the family's barbeque and can't imagine a family I would rather spend a Sunday afternoon with in Argentina.