Querida Argentina

Argentina,

With you I rediscovered the laughter that makes your belly ache and flows freely like the conversations enjoyed night after night over dinner.

I found joy in the appreciation of natural wonders; the sky peppered with new constellations or mountains glazed with snow like an unevenly iced ginger cake.

With you I lost myself in the captivating flames of a burning log fire, the sounds of crackling tinder and the warm glow of smoldering embers.

I found a shared destination (at last!) in the start of a road trip and the anticipation of many more to come.

With you I saw photogenic beauty at the end of every street; cars, street signs, graffiti and the statues towering over us, they were all unknowingly waiting to be captured.

I found Evita’s grave lost among hundreds of forgotten tombs, these marble mirrors revealed our smiling reflections on the decedent houses for the dead.

With you I watched countless sunrises and many more suns setting, each arriving too soon, each leaving too early.

I found that days could idly slip away sipping one coffee after another, there was always a few more lines waiting to be read, a few more words waiting to be shared.

With you I trained my tongue to recognise the subtle differences in taste between the Malbec and the Merlot, I became accustomed to the smell of stained oak, the coolness of cellars and the sound of wine swishing around the glass like a torrent of water searching for an impossible escape.

I found enormous steaks, homemade pastas, and baked empanadas on every menu; my fingers taken from one forbidden fruit to another, constantly sticky from the delicious pastries I had handled before shamelessly devouring them – for this was a holiday was it not?

With you I spent meal after meal in good company in suitably atmospheric surroundings, blind to the stares, pointing fingers and inquisitive looks just beyond the safety of our table.

I found the remnants of croissants lurking at the bottom of coffee cups, as if they were masking the coffee grounds beneath from revealing the future I may not wish to know.

With you Argentina I remembered how to dance- the thrill of loosing myself in the twists and turns of a partner’s embrace, guided from one move into the next I gladly relinquished responsibility for my own actions.

I found the energy needed to stay up into the early hours of the morning woken from a six-month hibernation; I lost all sense of time and in doing so found freedom.

With you I sought sanctuary under the protective arm of a loved one, I remembered the warmth that emanates from another body when being held close.

I found somebody lying next to me in the mornings; two eyes instantly fixed on mine, sleepy but alert as we started the day together, rising and falling in unison.

With you I allowed my mind to skip to the future; lives built together, journeys taken and families joined, I found cause for celebration.

With you Argentina I found a story still unfolding, with you I found my heart.