5 Beautiful Things in La Plata

I guess I haven't really written much about what La Plata is like as a city. Now that I have been here for 2 months, I am basically an expert*. La Plata is laid out on a grid, with diagonals connecting parques and plazas. The streets are all numbers, so it is hard to get lost, although the diagonals can make it confusing. There is a lot of green space. You are never more than 7 blocks from a park or plaza. There is a large university here, so you will usually find groups of students in the plazas, drinking mate and hanging out or studying. The following pictures are places and things I think are beautiful in my host community.

My hogar:

This is my street. My house is is the one with rounded doors. I live on a diagonal so it is usually pretty busy, but I took this picture on a Sunday morning, so there weren't many people out and about. There is a dietica just a few doors down where they sell healthy foods. It's kind of like a specialty food store. They are about as common as supermarkets.

Street art: 

Murals are everywhere in La Plata. One of the colleges here has a mural art major. I don't understand the meaning behind most of them. I like to think that is because I am from another culture and not because I don't know a lot about interpreting art.

This mural honestly just makes me laugh a little. Also, the phrase "Mutate Argentina" is the same in English and Spanish. It's pronounced differently, but it means the same thing.

A lot of street art and graffiti has a social message. I think that is something I have grown to love about Argentina, and really a lot of Latin America. Graffiti is such a negative thing in the US. I like the idea of graffiti being used for social change. 

 Springtime:

This is a street that intersects with my diagonal. Again, it usually is busier, this was taken on a Sunday morning. The leaves are new and the weather is getting warmer. The cobblestone streets are pretty, but also difficult for my slightly clumsy feet to maneuver with grace.

 The kitchen:

I have grown to think of this gas stove as beautiful because it means food is on its way to my belly. Pictured above is my breakfast: toast and water for coffee.

 Fresh fruit:

I get two strawberry seasons in one year! Life is good.

BONUS PHOTO FROM LAST NIGHT!

There was a free folklore festival last weekend. Chechu, Alexis and I went for the last band, Chaqueño Palavecino. 

*I am definitely not an expert.