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There is this knowing kind of glimmer in their eyes. A deep swirl of a dark past washed over with light-hearted laughing eyes. It’s so powerful, it stings. It has literally stopped me in my tracks. Initially, it was something I couldn't quite work out, I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The more time I have spent here, amongst the porteños - the fiercely proud port locals - the more I have begun to understand. Those eyes. That look. It’s not just brooding, or an attempt at intimidation, as I had first thought. It’s something much more powerful than that. It’s a glistening of wisdom, a flash of strength, and of determination. Mostly, it's this unwavering sense of true resilience. Knowing that their willpower and their strong-spirited selves have got them through the hardest of times, and it will get them through them again. It’s this endearing kind of pirate attitude they take on without even knowing it. All the hardships, they take it in their stride and laugh along the way. It's something that pushes past their tenacious attitude, their unambiguous approach, and their humility. It's a hint at the great strength and resilience they have had to call upon, time after time, in order to survive the many challenges and upheavals this divine port city has been forced to face. Earthquakes, forest fires, tsunamis, harsh economic downturns, droughts, political protests, strikes and now, a real revolution. My beloved porteños fight back stronger every time. And in it’s in their eyes where their spirit shines through the brightest. Nothing short of astounding. It has been an incredible cultural discovery to make and one I hold dear. It’s the difference between just passing through as a traveller, and actually stopping and spending time here amongst the beautiful madness of it all. Getting a real feel for the glory of the place and its people. It has changed something in me, profoundly. It has brought ultimate respect and understanding for the people here, for the porteños. And it has absolutely consolidated my connection to my beloved adopted home city. Upon initially arriving, they used to glance over me with that shrug of ‘ah, just another random foreigner lost in our city’. One day, that changed. I don’t know when or how exactly, but I know it was the day that I no longer felt like just a random foreigner, and I no longer acted like just a random foreigner either. I had adopted their pirate attitude, their fearless ‘porteño’ port spirit. When that little something switched in me, and once they could see that flicker of understanding in my eyes, they seemed to show a new kind of respect for me. Things shifted. I was no longer just a foreigner, an outsider, a random, living amongst them. I had started to become accepted as one of them. Well, as much as I ever could be, I guess. An adopted ‘media porteña’, as we now say. I always felt a strong sense of connection to this unique port city and its people, from the first moment I firmly planted my weary backpacking boots on its grimy, pebble stone streets. This captivating connection has only ever grown stronger. I have no doubt there are many ‘media porteña’ adventures to be had awaiting me in the years to come. My love for this city and its people will hold a very special place in my heart forever. My adopted home. Where I truly choose to call home and where I wander the streets, laughing light-heartedly with the porteños, every day growing more of that sparkling resilience in my eyes. Just like the resilience in the eyes of the porteños.