Late Night Partying

Papa … you’d better pack your bags. I’m getting kind of used to the late night hours these Argentineans keep. I fit right in.

First of all, we live in a very conservative, “small town America” where everyone goes to bed at 9:00, probably because all of the farmers get up with the sun. Therefore, it is very difficult to find a restaurant open after 9:00 pm. I’m lucky that my favorite coffee shop is open until 10:00, but often it’s 10:15 when I think “Oh, I wish I could go get a coffee.” Even our movie store closes at 10:00.

As I mentioned earlier, the typical YWAM dinner is served at 8:30. Carissa tells me that while on outreach they often ate at midnight or 1:00 am.

Last night, after graduation, about 25 students and staff went out for pizza at midnight. (The pizza restaurant has couches and coffee tables, so it is a very relaxing “hang out” place.) After pizza, they went out for ice cream at 2:30 am. So, they caught taxis back to the base at 4:00 in the morning. Yes, my kind of partying.

Tonight, we left church at 10:30 and walked a few blocks to a pizza shop. (I treated Carissa and 3 friends to a very yummy chicken pizza). At 11:30 we caught the trolley back to the main part of downtown. Then we realized that we didn’t all have enough coins for the bus. But, the taxis won’t take 5 people (just 4). We counted and re-counted our coins. We went to several small shops and asked if they would make change, but they wouldn’t. We had to find 2 different shops that we could buy a coke at, so that they would give us change. By this time, we had missed the midnight bus back to the base. So, we sat at the bus stop until 1:00 waiting for our bus. Seriously, over 50 buses passed us before ours came.

While sitting at the bus stop, we watched the non-stop business at the ice cream shop across the street. Not only were people buying ice cream sundaes after midnight, but they were eating them outside … in the WINTER. Remember, people, it is COLD here.

At 1:30am, we were the last ones on the bus, and suddenly I realized that all 4 young people with me were asleep (they had all partied too late last night, too). Problem … I have absolutely no idea where we are supposed to get off this bus. I woke up Carissa, only to have her give me quick directions and close her eyes again. Okay … I’d better recognize the corner that the bus driver had to wait for me while I ran down the dirt road this afternoon.
We finally made it back to the base at 2:00 am. And, I didn’t even have to walk through the dark woods by myself … the staff security guard walked me, and he even had a flash light.


Questions for you Americans that might live in a big city …

Do busses in the U.S. run all night?
Are restaurants and ice cream shops typically open after midnight?


I don’t quite know if this is “Argentinean Life” or “City Life”.