Here's What Cordoba City Looks Like in 2021

A lot can happen in a year, especially if you've been living in isolation because of the pandemic. The last time, we were in Nuevocentro Shopping (which is a mall) in Cordoba City, Argentina, was around February 2020. Then the quarantine hit a month later, and the malls were shutdown for a couple of months. But even after they had reopened, we decided to stay away from indoor areas with large crowds. Then the number of cases in Cordoba City started to drop in late 2020, and although they've started rising again, we felt it was safe enough to head to Nuevocentro Shopping. And we had some specific reasons for going, too!

Some of the difficult items we knew we could find at this mall are:

• Malta - My hubby loves this
• Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa
• Act II Butter Lovers Popcorn
• Old El Paso Taco Shells and Old El Paso related products
• Dilled Pickles

But importing international products has been tough on businesses like Mundo Gourmet and Almacen de Mario, which sell international foods. So we were worried that we were in for a major disappointment. Still, I decided to make the best of it and filmed some clips of what Cordoba City looks like in 2021. You can check out the video below. 

I also took a few photos along the way. 

I was actually quite surprised by how empty the city was and that the people that we did see were wearing masks. It recently came to our attention that some locals believe that the pandemic is over, and a lot of them have stopped wearing masks or are using them as chin masks. As infuriating as that is, let's get back to the subject at hand, which was our mission to find these international products and replenish our depleted stock.

Once we arrived at Nuevocentro Shopping, a security guard took our temperature and sprayed our hands with alcohol. Then, as we started window shopping, we noticed that the floors had pink and blue arrows to indicate which direction shoppers had to go. This was done to reduce the number of people congregating in the same area. Unfortunately, there were some people that defied such basic instructions. I don't know why some people here have such a tough time following rules, especially when they've been implemented to save lives.

We also found these alcohol dispensers throughout the mall. They have sensors so all one has to do is wave their hands under the dispenser and it will squirt out a generous dose of alcohol gel. And yes! We used it like crazy as we headed to our first pit stop in our search mission.

Now this is what the international food section at Falabella used to look like before the pandemic.

And this is what the section looked like when we visited Falabella in 2021. You might not be able to see it in my better half's face, but he was very disappointed and so was I. Then we headed to Disco, which is a supermarket located inside the mall. They often have a section dedicated to international foods, but unfortunately, it was a bust, too. So, we drowned out our disappointment at Burger King.

Burger King practiced social distancing rules by marking the seats with red tape. This allowed people to sit a booth apart to reduce the risk of spreading anything. 

Our next stop was to the mall's Hoyt's Theater. Yes! It was closed, but we were certainly not surprised. From what I understand, there aren't a whole lot of movies being released. We watched "Wonder Woman 1984" on VOD and it sucked. The only good thing about the film was Lynda Carter's cameo. 

And with the exception of "Monster Hunter" starring Milla Jovovich, my list of movies to watch is virtually empty. I'm not sure when the theaters are set to reopen in Argentina, but for now it seems that one of our favorite pastimes will have to wait.

One place I was pleasantly surprised to see still open was the Starbucks in the mall.

We didn't actually sit and order anything this time, but it's nice to know that it will (hopefully) still be around the next time we come to Nuevocentro Shopping.

Sheraton in Cordoba City 2020

One place we won't be coming back to however is the Sheraton Hotel that's right next to the mall. It's hard to believe that we celebrated the arrival of 2020 at the hotel a year ago. Sadly, the hotel has been shut down.

But in spite of a couple of disappointments here and there, we still enjoyed our day out on the town. Hopefully, we'll get to go out more frequently as soon as they start administering the vaccine to everyone. Right now, they're only giving them to health workers, and the elderly are reportedly next in line. I still have no idea when they'll get to the rest of the population, so for now, remaining cautious is the smartest way to stay alive.

F U 2020! Hello 2021!

We did it! We all made it to 2021 and I'm sure you're as relieved about it as I am. I'll admit that when we watched the ball drop in Times Square via livestream, I lost it. I don't know why. Maybe the stress of everything I've endured finally caught up with me. I'm not sure. But I had a moment where I couldn't stop crying. Then it passed and I hugged the hubs tightly before I took a sip of champagne.

But whoever said that things wind down on the final day of the year is lying because we had a lot of prep work which began on Wednesday, December 30th.  As you can see from the photo below, we ordered pizza... lots of it from Chicago American Bar! The reason we didn't order it on the 31st was that the restaurant wasn't going to be open on the 31st and we wanted things simple. Side note: My hubby said there was no way in hell he was going to turn on the oven in this summer heat. But you'll see later that I forced him because I needed my desserts (j/k It was a mutual decision).

But these aren't your average size pizza slices. Let's just say, Becky, this isn't a diet house, okay? We ordered 8 in total and when I got home, we put them together on the table to create one full circle. 

Then, on the 31st, we made BBQ pulled chicken sliders, which were delicious. But I have to say that finding barbecue sauce during the last week of 2020 was a nightmare. I must have gone to 10 stores before I found one that sold the damn sauce. But don't even get me started on what happened next. When I got home, I showed my husband the barbecue sauce and he had the nerve to say, "That brand?" I had to hold myself back because you know... it's the end of the year and I had to be nice.

We also made pull apart garlic balls with marinara sauce, which are shown in the photo below. Even a nun would have these balls in her mouth. That's how good they were. But we couldn't say goodbye to 2020 without some tasty desserts.

So, we made a brownie cake with a message that reflects pretty much how everyone feels about 2020. We also made green appletini jello and added a couple of festive sprinkles. And the square shaped dessert is coconut pudding that you would literally fight over.

I don't know what the new year's going to bring but at least there are a few vaccines that have or are about to become available. Who knows if life is going to return to normal in 2021? But we're hoping that it will. The best part is that we left the old year behind together and we entered the new one together as well.