Lately, I feel like I have been really busy going from one thing to the next, which is partly the reason why I haven't really written anything in a while. So I am going to try and catch up on a few things that have recently happened here. This week and the following week are vacation for the students here at the seminary. For me that means it is quieter around here and I can't get any of my meals from the comedor. Don't worry though, I haven't gone hungry yet. :) I have actually had the opportunity to try different types of food and eat out more. On Monday, a friend of mine here at the semi made me soup, rice and beef. Then, on Tuesday, I got to try some Bolivian food made by someone else here at the seminary and some authentic Argentine food from someone at church. All of which were wonderful. On Thursday night, my friend Elena and I went to Jumbo to buy some ingredients for Parmesan Chicken, because I had decided that I should cook something for her as well. Well, Jumbo is a big store...and we ended up being in there for more than an hour. The problem with that was that I was starving (more or less) at the time, so we ended up buying more than we needed. By the time everything was prepared and we sat down to a feast, it was 9 pm. Just on time for dinner here in Argentina…well, maybe a little early. ;) We had rice, chicken, guacamole, papas fritas, bread, juice, ice cream and brownies. ¡Estuvo riquísimo! Translation: Excellent! Anyone who has heard stories about my cooking skills should know that I am not as bad of a cook as my sister makes me out to be. There have only been times where I had a lapse in thinking. Oh, I don’t believe I have ever picked out a box of brownies faster—there was only one type.
I ate lunch with Zeida and Jimmy on Thursday where the food is always delicious and another day with another volunteer at the Regional Offices. Angie just graduated from Olivet this past year and is going to be volunteering here in Argentina for about 10 months. It is nice to have her here, especially since we have some things in common. For the rest of the meals (not counting breakfast), I had empanadas. Yummy, yummy, yummy.
Along with the seminary being on vacation, most of the schools in the area were on break this past week. To celebrate this and have some fun, there have been something every night for the youth and young adults. I like going even though I don't really know what is going on the whole entire time. Some of the guys in the group have started to call me Hannah. I wasn't really sure why in the beginning, but I think it has to do with a combination of the fact that someone else named Hannah came from the United States before and Hannah Montana. It is pretty funny, though. I wish I had time to write more right now, but I don't. I am going to the zoo tomorrow and I need to go to bed right now. I will try and write more soon.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Goodbye Daniel Max Walker...
Today, there was a funeral for one of my friends. It is hard to believe that he is gone...that he could actually be gone. Dan Walker was a wonderful guy and lived life to the fullest. His death came as a shock for everyone, except God, of course. And at 22 years, he wasn't supposed to die. His death, however, has brought change in my life. I have started to realize how wonderful heaven is. Dan is with Jesus. He may be dead in our worldly sense, but he has never been more alive than he is right now. It is also hard for me to imagine God's reasoning behind taking Dan. He had so much going on right now, so many plans, but they weren't meant to be. On Wednesday, when I found out he had passed away, I kept asking myself "why? I don't understand". I know I will never fully understand why God decided to take him when he did, but I know that I don't have to either. God is awesome, and he is looking out for us. There was a reason why Dan died that night, just like there is a reason why I am in Argentina right now. However, shock still resides within me. I can't believe that he is gone, but I know he is.
It will be a very hard couple of years for everyone who was close to Dan. I wish that today I could have shared in the celebration of his life and said goodbye. In times like these, community is needed and appreciated. It saddens me that I wasn't able to attend the funeral, and share the pain of losing Dan with all the other people that loved and cared for him. I wish I could have gone.
With that said, however, I do have to say that everything here in Argentina is good. The people here are wonderful and they have listened openly and shared my pain. One girl, Maely, told me that even though I could not be home with my family, I was with my family here at the seminary. That was very comforting.
I really have nothing more to say at the moment. It is late and I need to sleep. I have to leave the rest for another day and another time. I just want to leave with this: Goodbye, Dan. I hope you are having a great time in the streets of gold. You are definitely missed.
It will be a very hard couple of years for everyone who was close to Dan. I wish that today I could have shared in the celebration of his life and said goodbye. In times like these, community is needed and appreciated. It saddens me that I wasn't able to attend the funeral, and share the pain of losing Dan with all the other people that loved and cared for him. I wish I could have gone.
With that said, however, I do have to say that everything here in Argentina is good. The people here are wonderful and they have listened openly and shared my pain. One girl, Maely, told me that even though I could not be home with my family, I was with my family here at the seminary. That was very comforting.
I really have nothing more to say at the moment. It is late and I need to sleep. I have to leave the rest for another day and another time. I just want to leave with this: Goodbye, Dan. I hope you are having a great time in the streets of gold. You are definitely missed.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Under the Night's Watch
It is almost 7:00 a.m. here right now, and I just wanted to write a little about tonight. Tonight they had a gathering for jovenes (or teens/young people). I could not get anyone to go with me, but I really wanted to go. On the way over there, I was very scared/nervous that I would not know anyone and be very lost. However, I gathered enough courage to step in the door and right by it were some people from the seminary that I know. I stayed with them and one of them started introducing me to others. As the night went on, I saw more and more people that I knew or had seen before and met more. Everyone was really loving and kind. I felt a little of a barrier between me and everyone that starts with a C...Castano, or Spanish. I wasn't always sure what was going on but I would ask someone and they would explain it. There was a girl from Indiana there that I had not met yet and she hardly knows any spanish at all. She was having a very difficult being there and not really knowing anything that was happening (worst than I). She had someone with her that was telling her what was happening, which helped a little. I also met someone at the church I am attending that knows both Spanish and English. As the night grew on, we started to play games and Yael was there to tell me the purpose of the game. It is hard being with so many people that don't speak the same language, but I enjoyed the night. On the way there, I was singing to comfort myself a song that talks about how God is the only one I need when I am alone or in a crowd. It is true: he took care of me.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Argentina...
Estoy aquí en Argentina. I am sitting in my kitchen at the moment with three other people. They are chatting in Spanish about what they only know. I can only catch some words here and there, but I like listening to them and watching them break into laughter every once in a while. This experience is similar to my last four days in Argentina.
I arrived after a very long flight, a layover in Houston, Texas, and a shorter flight to Texas from Denver. When I got Argentina, I was definitely ready. I walked off the plane with no idea what to do except follow the rest of the passengers. First, I stood in line to get my passport and customs form checked. After that, I went down and waited for my luggage. During that time, I was not really sure what to think. The airport is small compared to DIA and Houston's, and it looks older as well. I probably looked like a lost puppy to everyone around me. I noticed after a while that everyone seemed to have carts, so I asked someone where they were. By the time I got the cart, the crowd around the belt had dispersed a great deal and I was able to get close. Not much later, I spotted my baggage. I have to say that those two suit cases at 48.5 lbs each are pretty heavy and awkward. Due to that fact, I ended up hitting my knee (that I had previously fallen on the week before) and making it bleed. I started toward customs; however, after feeling something on my leg, I stopped and looked at my knee and noticed that there was blood running down my leg--a very difficult situation to be in when you have no band-aids. Well, I stopped the blood this some Kleenex (thanks, mom) and continued to customs. The lady waved me through after only my backpack and one of my bags went through the x-ray. I was happy about that!
The next pressing task was to find Ricardo--the person picking me up. I stood behind the glass wall like I was supposed to and waited, and waited, and waited. I stood there for over 30 minutes and then finally decided to put my contacts in and then call someone. That was some task by itself...because, in order to do that, I had to exchange some money. Well, after all that was done, I headed toward the phones. On the way, however, I got intersected by someone. He grabbed my arm and said Katy in Spanish. Within the next few moments, I noticed a small sign that said Nazareno...something and found out that Marcelo, not Ricardo was there to pick me up. I also learned about how Argentines greet each other -- a kiss on the cheek, more or less.
My first taste of the driving in Argentina was quite interesting, but I only got really scared once or twice. I really don't understand the way they think when they drive. There are very few left turn lanes--instead on the right side of the road there are lanes for turning left. Also, if there does happen to be a left turn lane and they cannot turn (too much traffic), the driver will pull over to the right side of the road. Then, they have to wait until both sides of the road are clear. Drivers don't really follow any of the other rules either. At times, they like to drive in the middle of two lanes or sometimes they just make a lane where there is none. It is like a contest to see who can be first. At a light the other day, a car just pulled up to the car I was in and made a new lane. It wanted to get in front of us, but had no such luck.
The first day seemed like four because was so tired and I took so many naps during that time. I also met a lot of people during the day, too many to remember! My room at the seminary is very nice. I have my own apartment pretty much, which can be a little lonely at times. I have been learning more and more words every day. The problem with coming to Argentina, however, is that the Spanish they speak here is very different than the Spanish I learned. Here they pronounce certain letters differently than any other Spanish-speaking country besides Uruguay. So many times someone has said a word I know but it sounded so different that I was very confused. I believe that no one in the States will understand me when I talk Spanish because I will probably talk with a Argentine accent. Lol.
Well, I have been writing this from many days so I think it is time to post. Ciao.
I arrived after a very long flight, a layover in Houston, Texas, and a shorter flight to Texas from Denver. When I got Argentina, I was definitely ready. I walked off the plane with no idea what to do except follow the rest of the passengers. First, I stood in line to get my passport and customs form checked. After that, I went down and waited for my luggage. During that time, I was not really sure what to think. The airport is small compared to DIA and Houston's, and it looks older as well. I probably looked like a lost puppy to everyone around me. I noticed after a while that everyone seemed to have carts, so I asked someone where they were. By the time I got the cart, the crowd around the belt had dispersed a great deal and I was able to get close. Not much later, I spotted my baggage. I have to say that those two suit cases at 48.5 lbs each are pretty heavy and awkward. Due to that fact, I ended up hitting my knee (that I had previously fallen on the week before) and making it bleed. I started toward customs; however, after feeling something on my leg, I stopped and looked at my knee and noticed that there was blood running down my leg--a very difficult situation to be in when you have no band-aids. Well, I stopped the blood this some Kleenex (thanks, mom) and continued to customs. The lady waved me through after only my backpack and one of my bags went through the x-ray. I was happy about that!
The next pressing task was to find Ricardo--the person picking me up. I stood behind the glass wall like I was supposed to and waited, and waited, and waited. I stood there for over 30 minutes and then finally decided to put my contacts in and then call someone. That was some task by itself...because, in order to do that, I had to exchange some money. Well, after all that was done, I headed toward the phones. On the way, however, I got intersected by someone. He grabbed my arm and said Katy in Spanish. Within the next few moments, I noticed a small sign that said Nazareno...something and found out that Marcelo, not Ricardo was there to pick me up. I also learned about how Argentines greet each other -- a kiss on the cheek, more or less.
My first taste of the driving in Argentina was quite interesting, but I only got really scared once or twice. I really don't understand the way they think when they drive. There are very few left turn lanes--instead on the right side of the road there are lanes for turning left. Also, if there does happen to be a left turn lane and they cannot turn (too much traffic), the driver will pull over to the right side of the road. Then, they have to wait until both sides of the road are clear. Drivers don't really follow any of the other rules either. At times, they like to drive in the middle of two lanes or sometimes they just make a lane where there is none. It is like a contest to see who can be first. At a light the other day, a car just pulled up to the car I was in and made a new lane. It wanted to get in front of us, but had no such luck.
The first day seemed like four because was so tired and I took so many naps during that time. I also met a lot of people during the day, too many to remember! My room at the seminary is very nice. I have my own apartment pretty much, which can be a little lonely at times. I have been learning more and more words every day. The problem with coming to Argentina, however, is that the Spanish they speak here is very different than the Spanish I learned. Here they pronounce certain letters differently than any other Spanish-speaking country besides Uruguay. So many times someone has said a word I know but it sounded so different that I was very confused. I believe that no one in the States will understand me when I talk Spanish because I will probably talk with a Argentine accent. Lol.
Well, I have been writing this from many days so I think it is time to post. Ciao.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
One Down, Now on to the Next Place...
I have returned to Colorado for just a couple of days. The campus at Treveca Nazarene University is beautiful, but small. We worked hard and met many new people. For the most part, we helped out at missions and other centers that assist the homeless and low-income families. We also walked the streets in Nashville picking up trash. But along with the work we got to play a lot too. We visited Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana, where we were entertained by all the rides. The Opry Mills Mall and Opryland Hotel also entertained us for an evening. Both the mall and hotel are amazing and big. I especially like walking throught the gardens in the hotel. One night, we also played lazor tag with a youth group. It was fun to shoot other people and try to be sneeky; however, my tactics did not seem to be working. I started out strong and got worst as the night continued. It seemed that the sponsers were getting hurt more than anyone else. I fell and scraped up my hand, and the other sponser got a bad case of poison ivy. No one else really got hurt. My camera did get broken during the first half of the trip, though, which made me pretty sad.
That leads me to today. My dad and I went and found a cheap camera for me to take on my trip to Argentina. I have to admit that leaving tomorrow really scares me. I have been working on packing for a while now, but my mom and I still have to go get somethings. It has been a very quick turn around from one trip to another, but I am excited to go. And nervous. Well, my packing awaits. Until next time.
That leads me to today. My dad and I went and found a cheap camera for me to take on my trip to Argentina. I have to admit that leaving tomorrow really scares me. I have been working on packing for a while now, but my mom and I still have to go get somethings. It has been a very quick turn around from one trip to another, but I am excited to go. And nervous. Well, my packing awaits. Until next time.
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