I know I already wrote about Candelaria, the tiny pueblito from whence my boyfriend comes,
but there’s more to be said. For this round of Contemplations On My Boyfriend’s
Hometown, I’m going to compare Candelaria, Argentina to Greenwich, Ohio (the
village where my mother and the family were raised).
It deserves this extra post because when I went there, I was
intrigued by how similar the place felt
to the hometown of my mother, aunts and uncle. The more I got to know the city,
the more weird similarities I found. And
then when I started researching deeper, the similarities multiplied like single-celled
organisms and this blog post was born (or perhaps spawned spontaneously).
Population
Background: Candelaria’s population according to Jorge is around 3,000
people. Greenwich’s population estimate for 2012 was around 1,500. City-Data.com
calls Greenwich “100% rural”. Interestingly, City-Data.com has nothing to say
about Candelaria.
CANDELARIA!
GREENWICH!
Realtime Family
Background: All of Jorge’s family was raised on the outskirts of Candelaria (not even seen in the map). Jorge is the youngest child and was the first child to be born to electricity in the house in 1986. Three out of
his five siblings continue to live and raise families in 'downtown' Candelaria (two left for the
capital city). Of the four children my grandparents raised in Greenwich, all left
to pursue families and careers in other cities and states. All of them were born to electricity in the household throughout the 60's and 70's.
Other Facts: Candelaria (in the state of Ayacucho) was
founded in 1870; Greenwich’s first settler arrived in 1817 but it was formally
incorporated in 1879.
Now let’s get to the
good stuff…
Valley Beach vs. El Muro: Looking for a fun summertime spot
to while away the blistering Ohio/Argentinian peak weather? Valley Beach sits
about 15 minutes outside Greenwich in a city called Norwalk, Ohio; and about a
15 minute drive outside of Candelaria sits El Muro (in English, “the wall”) in
Quines, Argentina. Both are dedicated to daytime grilling, summer passage of
moments and cooling off in bodies of water. Valley Beach features grills
scattered along the landscape, while El Muro has one dedicated asado center which looks more like a
mausoleum. Valley Beach is flanked by deciduous forests, and has cement pools
with an exciting array of diving boards, slides and ancient ropes for swinging
into said bodies of water.
Valley Beach: Whoo Hoo, Childhood!
El Muro, however, is flanked by the unimpressed and
unmoving face of the Sierra (Andes
mountains); bathing options include natural rivers and inlets that end in a
waterfall that apparently everyone knows not to go over (lifeguard
usage is unknown). Editor’s Note: El
Muro would be expressly forbidden if it were in America.
Totally fine and permissible unsupervised waterfall area
at El Muro in Quines, AR.
Another view of El Muro -- truly a spectacular daytime hangout.
Mausoleum-style asado area not featured here.
The Green Witch vs. La Heladeria: Need a spot to cool off, sit
down and eat some damn ice cream? Both countries got this one. The Green Witch
in Greenwich kills two birds with one stone, allowing patrons to both buy ice
cream AND wash all those sweaty summer undergarments at the attached
Laundromat.
Best dang Oreo Flurries in the land.
Not so sure about that peach shake, though.
Or whether it doubles as laundry detergent.
In Candelaria, the local Heladeria offers no such multi-tasking
efficiency, and their tasty treats have nothing on the Green Witch’s exciting
array of both hot and cold consumables (note: does not include the laundry
detergent next door). La Heladeria only offers about 10 flavors of ice cream.
Both establishments are run by the daughter of someone your grandparents are
close to, and both maintain that weary air of one regretful owner trapped in a
small, dark room amongst the whirring machines in the peak of summer.
Well, it's better than nothing, I guess.
In true first-world problem style, it looks like you'll have to
wash your sweat-encrusted unmentionables outside of the establishment.
Soy Vs. Soja:
Candelaria’s list of growables (and whatnot) includes: berries, watermelon,
wheat, soy, corn and potato. The town also has a startling amount of sheep, cows,
horses, goats, and chickens. Jorge’s
family alone deals with the majority of these items. Most of the people
operating these farms and businesses are recently immigrated Italians or
purebred Argentinians (which means, of course, partially Italian, and prone to
excessive gesturing and consumption of Fernet).
Farmland in Candelaria, Argentina.
In Greenwich, the production is mostly the
same—soy, wheat, corn, hogs, chicken, and dairy operations. The majority of the
farms fall outside of the village limits, and are run by one of two camps: the
Mennonites, or the Children of People Your Grandparents Taught.
The sprawling farmlands of Ohio.
Siesta Vs. The Food Coma: Americans don’t participate in the
siesta (basically translates to “socially acceptable adult nap time”) on a
cultural level but for a couple times a year: July 4th, Thanksgiving
and Christmas. Shannon, what the hell are
you talking about, you might be asking. I’ve
never taken a siesta in my life. But you have, my dear American friends! The
American Food Coma is the closest approximation we have to the siesta. And I
point out July 4th, Thanksgiving and Christmas as the most definable
moments of when you overeat yourself into a coma and then crash on grandma’s
couch for a couple hours afterward. And in Greenwich this occurs without fail,
especially for July 4th celebrations and that ridiculous amount of
GMZ Deviled Eggs/Potato Salad/Anything Fried from the Downtown Festival.
The Siesta in Latin America falls between 3 to 5pm (give or
take), and occurs after lunch—right when
you were getting sleepy anyway. This works out in Candelaria because that
time of the day is also the hottest – and we’re talking a heat where even if
you wanted to do something, you couldn’t. Air conditioning is not utilized. Add
onto that the ridiculous amount of rural, home-cooked Argentinian food, plus
red wine (BECAUSE IT’S ARGENTINA), and, well…you’re looking at waking up in the
early evening with a thick layer of sweat and a desperate need for a shower.
America Smalltown vs. Argentina Smalltown: Both towns in
question feature population’s small enough to allow easy face recognition for
anyone that passes by, along with at least one juicy bit of common knowledge
family history. Whenever I call to the local floral shop to order surprise
flowers for my grandparents for a variety of occasions, I only need to say the
first fifth of the address before they exclaim, “Oh, you must be the
granddaughter of…!” And while the residents of Candelaria might remember me for
awhile due to the fact that I am gringa and have dreadlocks, I heard plenty of similar exclamations amongst
locals while I was there: “Oh, you’re the second cousin of…!” And as in much of
smalltown America, in Candelaria as well the weather is the first topic of
conversation – always.
Another big difference?
Greenwich and Candelaria hit summer at opposite times of the
year.
January 14th: high/low in Candelaria: 96F/67F,
winds N, sunrise 6:31AM, sunset 8:32PM.
January 14th: high/low in Greenwich: 42F/24F,
winds SSW, sunrise 7:53AM, sunset 5:26PM.
Sources:
and REAL LIFE, MAN.
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