As you may remember if you read this post, I met a young woman my age named Yaneth (pronounced much like Janet, in English, with an 'h' sound at the end) in the plaza in front of my house last Monday. Yaneth invited me to join her at a basketball practice for a club team on which she plays here in Resistencia. Certainly not one to pass up an invitation for anything, much less an invite to play some basketball, I went with her last Tuesday to Club Sarmiento to check it out. What an awesome fit! While our post-practice 5-on-5 play is often more crazy/relaxed/borderline out-of-control than the most laid back open gyms I had at Denison, I have had a ton of fun with these ladies and look forward to spending more time with them, both on and off the court to learn more about their lives. They have been especially welcoming and I definitely feel like I have learned much from them already. Below is a photo of the Club Sarmiento main court/arena; it appears to be an extremely well kept facility. Although I have yet to actually play on this court (not sure how much priority the women ever get in scheduling of the facility...):
This next photo is just outside the indoor court/arena. There are two full length basketball courts (one that has nets on the rims) and an area primarily used for field hockey practices. Beyond the courts seen here are some tennis courts, and to the right, behind the arena building is a small building of locker rooms and a large pool.
Wanting to play with this club team, one of my obligations became obtaining a physical, including the EKG and ergometrics test (i.e. attach electrodes all over my test and complete an approximately 5 minute treadmill run of increasing speed and incline to monitor my heart in action). My health facility saga began yesterday afternoon as I was directed to a facility called Sanatorio Cordis; arriving there mid-afternoon, I was told that without an appointment, I would have to return the next morning at 8 am to be seen for the health tests that I needed. I rose with the sun this morning and headed back to the facility-- I should preface the day's events with the reflection that after living here for just one month, I have already become very accustomed to patiently waiting for indefinite amounts of time...or, at the least waiting, if not always patiently, through these extended periods (including but not limited to the post office, asados, anyplace that I actually arrive on time, basketball practice, and waiting for rides from others).
I took a number at 8 am and was scheduled to return at 9 am when the day's health screenings would begin. With an hour to kill, I headed to a nearby cafe to enjoy a cup of coffee, juice and a couple medialunas (typical Argentina breakfast). I returned at 9 am and waited a while before being seen to complete the EKG. Waited some more. Then I was seen by the doctor who was both extremely nice and attentive to the fact that he shouldn't speak 100 miles an hour while using more complex medical terminology with my developing language skills. :) Visited reception again, was directed to another waiting room. Waited some more (seeing the pattern?) and eventually entered a final room to complete the ergometrics test. The tech administering the test was probably the third person to ask me if I was sure I would be ok doing the test in the jeans that I was wearing...with some persistence I convinced him that, yes, I would be fine in my jeans and tennis shoes. I'm happy to report that I was cleared on both tests! The tech who administered my ergometrics test said, after looking at its results, that I appeared to be a deportista de verdad (a true athlete), despite the fact that I have certainly exercised much less than I would like since my arrival. Hour of conclusion at the medical facility: 12 Noon. Yep, a grand total of 4 hours.
In other work news, classes have gone well this week! A large assembly of all the program's students on Monday allowed me to meet a variety of people. Plus, I was introduced to the group at large and also had the chance to talk a little bit about myself and how I hope to be able to help in the program this year. Obviously with a couple hundred students in the program, I have not met everyone but already I've had some great conversations with people and have felt welcomed (not unlike any other time I have encountered new faces and environments here). Yesterday I attended both a history and a linguistics course and plan to meet with my referente tomorrow to develop a schedule for classes in which we expect I might be most helpful as an assistant. Life is good and God is good. Much love to you all.
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