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After a nice sleep-in this morning I went for a walk to the park near Heli's to kill some time whilst I waited for Heli to finish her work. Today is a public holiday in Argentina and Heli and I have organized to go for a walk to the new port and the riverside, get some lunch and drink Mate in the park. The sun was out once again and as nobody was working there were lads of people, families and friends picnicking in the park. The area we walked through was an incredibly wealthy part of the city and quite a contrast to some of the other places I have visited. We found a nice place to sit in the park and spent the afternoon chatting, people watching, drinking Mate and enjoying the sunshine. Heli is one of the most easy-going people I have ever met and I feel already it will be hard to say goodbye to her when I leave. On the walk home we walked through Puerto Madraro and whilst I was walking I spotted a small bundle of cash - picking it up I realized I had found 250 pesos (about $30) and no I did not stop and ask as there were 100s of people about. What a wonderful gift for me and Heli explained it was a gift for my kindness as tonight I am cooking for all of Heli's family. We stopped at the supermarket and I brought all the things to make Tortilla and Hummus. When we got back to the house Heli had to get back to work so I started preparing and cooking. I really wanted to do a good job tonight as her family has been so kind to me I want to express my gratitude through my cooking - I made 2 different tortillas, one with cheese and breadcrumbs and the other with Indian curry, mince and lots of vegetables. The hummus I had been preparing for a few days and simply had to blend it and add spices. After about 4 hours I was done cooking and could relax for an hour before we were due at Heli's Mums house just down the road. We arrived and like my first time here I was met with huge smiles and hugs. Heli's grandmother was wonderful and was able to understand my bad Spanish and even some of my English - she reminded me a lot of my grandma and although not the same - it made me feel once more close to my family again. Heli's Mum and Sergio had once again outdone themselfs and prepared extra food and salads - exactly as would have my parents and we started the evening with another exquisite bottle of red wine. We chatted, laughed, joked and for the first time in Argentina I could actually not only understand the conversation but participate in it. It felt like home, it felt like my family and I thanked my stars for another blessing - these people in my life. The food was a great success and they all complimented me and Heli's grandma now insisted that she would cook for me - so there it is looks like I am staying another week or so. For dessert Sergio had brought these very fancy coloured Marangs stuffed with fruit chocolates - normally I would say no but as they had brought specifically for this night - I indulged and wow what a treat. We chatted late into the night before saying goodbye and being handed a goody bag of the nights leftovers including Brazilian chocolates, Marangs, tortilla and salad. With a smile ear to ear we walked back to Heli's and then sat up chatting again until 2am.
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