Necochea, Argentina. The mere utterance of these two words usually produces a glazed-over expression, as the mind frantically searches through the vestiges of 7th grade geography that remain. "Where is that?" comes the inevitable question. "Never heard of it." I know the feeling because I asked myself the very same question when I first met Daniel, my Argentine boyfriend.
After a couple of trips to Argentina, one of which included a 4-month stay, I fell in love with both the man and the country. In comparison with the cosmopolitan air of Buenos Aires, Necochea is a rather humble little city. It sits quietly on the Atlantic coast, 5 hours due south of the Argentine capital in the province of Buenos Aires. Necochea draws Argentine families during the summer months, anxious to enjoy its expansive beaches and low-key atmosphere, yet the level of activity doesn't approach the frenzy that is Mar del Plata in summertime, a city situated closer to the capital. A quiet walk along the sometimes rocky, sometimes sandy beach yields peaceful views of the water, and perhaps a seashell or two.
The beaches of Necochea certainly attract their fair share of visitors, but the real bread and butter of this region is agriculture. Once outside the city, the landscape transforms into miles and miles of land preserved for farming: soybeans, wheat, and sunflowers. The ocean of sunflowers, their heads bobbing in the breeze with faces upturned to meet the sunshine, seems endless – as vast as the nearby Atlantic itself. Daniel's family is connected to this land as well (as are all Argentines whether they realize it or not), and they own a modest tract of land from which they harvest the sunny yellow heads of the sunflowers and a golden sea of wheat. Argentina has called to me, and I feel compelled to answer.
So, over the next year or so I will begin the process of wrapping up my life here in Philadelphia in preparation to move 5,000 miles away to Necochea, another country, another hemisphere even! Let's see where life takes me.
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2 comments:
Great photo and write up on Recalada, this is a lighthouse very well know by the seafarers and the soyabean and sunoil trade, when ships are fixed on a voyage charter for loading out of Argentina the common term for where the voyage commences is "delivery Recalada", I am an ex Ships Captain and Maritime Consultant, but unfortunately never made it to Argentina hich is why its interesting to read your blog,you look a fine young couple enjoy yourselves
Take care
Captain Ken Tree
Hi Captain Ken! Thank you so much for your kind words. I appreciate the extra information about the lighthouse - very interesting. Perhaps some day you'll make it down to Argentina to see it for yourself. Thanks for stopping by!
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