First Days in Argentina
So here are some of the nitty, gritty details of my first few days in Argentina. I boarded the plane on Monday afternoon in Indy after some tough goodbyes to friends and family in Indiana—thank goodness for email and Skype and the faithfulness of these individuals to keep up steady communication with me while I venture around Latin America. Stocked up with candy (thanks Ian) and a good book (thanks Mom and Dad) and an interesting seatmate (thanks ornithologist lady from Montana, sorry I don’t remember your name), the flight passed fairly quickly. Unfortunately I got very little sleep (thanks long legs and restless mind), and so arrived in Buenos Aires the next morning feeling pretty groggy.
Steve and Wilma Bailey, who are the Latin American regional directors of my mission agency, picked me up at the airport. Buenos Aires is a huge city, but seems to be very well organized. It looks completely different from the Latin American countries I’ve lived in over the past few years—much more modern and European looking. The landscape is pretty flat and green. Although I didn’t have a chance to see much of the city, there should be opportunities in the future. I spent most of the day at the Bailey’s house in Buenos Aires, taking a nap and then visiting with the La Plata ministry team who came over in the afternoon to meet me. We then headed to the central bus station in the evening, and I boarded a bus to Corrientes. It was the cushiest bus that I’ve ever seen in my life: we were actually served dinner and breakfast, and the seats reclined to a fully horizontal position. Despite this fact, I still had a hard time falling asleep, and so spent a second restless night. The highlight of the trip was talking with the man next to me, who was a doctor from the city of Formosa who had been doing medical research in Buenos Aires. He was very interesting, spoke clearly in Spanish, and told me a lot about the culture and spiritual atmosphere of Argentina and Corrientes in particular. He was a committed Catholic, be we seemed to actually be in agreement on most major theological points.
I arrived in Corrientes 13 hours after leaving B.A, so about 9:00 A.M. The landscape here looks a lot like central Florida: pretty flat and dry with similar vegetation, marshes, and citrus trees. Corrientes is the capital of the province, but still a fairly small city of 450,000. the student population is nearly 80,000 thanks to the number of universities here. Everything feels pretty tranquilo—laid back and easy going. It is very warm right now—in the 90s during the daytime—so businesses are open in the mornings, closed for the early afternoon siesta time, and then open again in the evening. Kevin High, one of the ministry team members here, picked me up at the bus station. He showed me around the city just a bit, and we had a short chance to talk before he dropped me off at Alice’s apartment.
Alice is another member of the ministry team here—the oldest member of the team at about 60 years old and also the only single woman. I will be living with her until the team finds a good Correntine family for me to live with. (This is my first preference for purposes of learning the language and culture.) Alice has a cute two-bedroom apartment, and I think it’s going to work really well to live with her for a few weeks. It’s also nice to have something with whom I can speak English right now. I napped in the morning, and then in the afternoon we went downtown and walked along the river. This river walk is probably the prettiest part of the city, and extends quite a long way. From here there is also easy access to some of the more historical parts of the city, so we saw a few of the plazas and churches and then stopped at a café. In the evening, the Argentine couple, Christine and Gugey, and their kids came over for ice cream. I really enjoyed getting to meet them, and although they don’t speak English, they spoke Spanish clearly and slowly enough for me to understand well. True to Argentine tradition, Alice and I ate a late dinner of empanadas at about 10:00 after they left.
I spent all of Thursday at a Young Life camp (Vida Joven) with Kevin and Holly High. The Highs were in charge of the food for these 130 adolescents and adult workers, so I helped out a bit with this but also hung around with the kids. It’s pretty challenging to start up conversations with teenaged strangers in Spanish—but I tried my best and ending up having some interesting discussion. It was certainly good language practice; although my brain had about had all it could take by the time that we left at 9:00 PM.
Yesterday morning I went with Alice to visit her neighbor Alejandra for an English lesson and Bible study. This was really enjoyable for me, and I’m excited to be able to help out a bit and maybe start some teaching of my own with contacts that I make. In the afternoon we visited the supermarket and then visited Alice’s friend Iris and her kids. Iris is a new believer that is part of the church here, and Alice has been meeting with her frequently for discipleship. Conversation with them was enjoyable, and I also drank a lot of mate, which is a cultural drink here always shared when with friends. Seems like a pretty cool tradition; although, you certainly can’t be too germ phobic because everyone drinks from the same metal straw or “bombilla.” I particularly liked talking with Iris’s 18 year old daughter Maria, and I might begin tutoring her in English because she has a test that she needs to pass in February.
Today has been a pretty relaxed day so far, although I did take a long walk around the town to get my bearings. They (members of the ministry team) don’t want me to walk around by myself very much, but to me if feels perfectly safe during the middle of the day. I want to be smart and sensitive to the ministry team’s concerns but I also don’t want to lose any of the independence that I’ve grown into and have taken for granted over the last few years of life and travel. (Prayer request!) Anyway, we’re having a team meeting here at 4:30 with our Argentine leader and afterward will probably experience a little of the musical festival in our neighborhood. That brings me up to the present moment. We have a short-term team coming from the US tomorrow; they will be here for 10 days, and so that will probably keep me somewhat busy with work and translating. Please pray for my continued transition to life here, making new friends, and finding my place among the many opportunities for teaching and language learning, and relationship building.
Steve and Wilma Bailey, who are the Latin American regional directors of my mission agency, picked me up at the airport. Buenos Aires is a huge city, but seems to be very well organized. It looks completely different from the Latin American countries I’ve lived in over the past few years—much more modern and European looking. The landscape is pretty flat and green. Although I didn’t have a chance to see much of the city, there should be opportunities in the future. I spent most of the day at the Bailey’s house in Buenos Aires, taking a nap and then visiting with the La Plata ministry team who came over in the afternoon to meet me. We then headed to the central bus station in the evening, and I boarded a bus to Corrientes. It was the cushiest bus that I’ve ever seen in my life: we were actually served dinner and breakfast, and the seats reclined to a fully horizontal position. Despite this fact, I still had a hard time falling asleep, and so spent a second restless night. The highlight of the trip was talking with the man next to me, who was a doctor from the city of Formosa who had been doing medical research in Buenos Aires. He was very interesting, spoke clearly in Spanish, and told me a lot about the culture and spiritual atmosphere of Argentina and Corrientes in particular. He was a committed Catholic, be we seemed to actually be in agreement on most major theological points.
I arrived in Corrientes 13 hours after leaving B.A, so about 9:00 A.M. The landscape here looks a lot like central Florida: pretty flat and dry with similar vegetation, marshes, and citrus trees. Corrientes is the capital of the province, but still a fairly small city of 450,000. the student population is nearly 80,000 thanks to the number of universities here. Everything feels pretty tranquilo—laid back and easy going. It is very warm right now—in the 90s during the daytime—so businesses are open in the mornings, closed for the early afternoon siesta time, and then open again in the evening. Kevin High, one of the ministry team members here, picked me up at the bus station. He showed me around the city just a bit, and we had a short chance to talk before he dropped me off at Alice’s apartment.
Alice is another member of the ministry team here—the oldest member of the team at about 60 years old and also the only single woman. I will be living with her until the team finds a good Correntine family for me to live with. (This is my first preference for purposes of learning the language and culture.) Alice has a cute two-bedroom apartment, and I think it’s going to work really well to live with her for a few weeks. It’s also nice to have something with whom I can speak English right now. I napped in the morning, and then in the afternoon we went downtown and walked along the river. This river walk is probably the prettiest part of the city, and extends quite a long way. From here there is also easy access to some of the more historical parts of the city, so we saw a few of the plazas and churches and then stopped at a café. In the evening, the Argentine couple, Christine and Gugey, and their kids came over for ice cream. I really enjoyed getting to meet them, and although they don’t speak English, they spoke Spanish clearly and slowly enough for me to understand well. True to Argentine tradition, Alice and I ate a late dinner of empanadas at about 10:00 after they left.
I spent all of Thursday at a Young Life camp (Vida Joven) with Kevin and Holly High. The Highs were in charge of the food for these 130 adolescents and adult workers, so I helped out a bit with this but also hung around with the kids. It’s pretty challenging to start up conversations with teenaged strangers in Spanish—but I tried my best and ending up having some interesting discussion. It was certainly good language practice; although my brain had about had all it could take by the time that we left at 9:00 PM.
Yesterday morning I went with Alice to visit her neighbor Alejandra for an English lesson and Bible study. This was really enjoyable for me, and I’m excited to be able to help out a bit and maybe start some teaching of my own with contacts that I make. In the afternoon we visited the supermarket and then visited Alice’s friend Iris and her kids. Iris is a new believer that is part of the church here, and Alice has been meeting with her frequently for discipleship. Conversation with them was enjoyable, and I also drank a lot of mate, which is a cultural drink here always shared when with friends. Seems like a pretty cool tradition; although, you certainly can’t be too germ phobic because everyone drinks from the same metal straw or “bombilla.” I particularly liked talking with Iris’s 18 year old daughter Maria, and I might begin tutoring her in English because she has a test that she needs to pass in February.
Today has been a pretty relaxed day so far, although I did take a long walk around the town to get my bearings. They (members of the ministry team) don’t want me to walk around by myself very much, but to me if feels perfectly safe during the middle of the day. I want to be smart and sensitive to the ministry team’s concerns but I also don’t want to lose any of the independence that I’ve grown into and have taken for granted over the last few years of life and travel. (Prayer request!) Anyway, we’re having a team meeting here at 4:30 with our Argentine leader and afterward will probably experience a little of the musical festival in our neighborhood. That brings me up to the present moment. We have a short-term team coming from the US tomorrow; they will be here for 10 days, and so that will probably keep me somewhat busy with work and translating. Please pray for my continued transition to life here, making new friends, and finding my place among the many opportunities for teaching and language learning, and relationship building.
Plaza in Corrientes
La Costanera por el rio
horse and cart
children on playground 
Comments
Thanks for the update. It’s amazing to read what Our Father is doing in your life. Laura dear, your faith, patience and perseverance….gives me more and more hope and determination not to quit on our Father as I wait on Him for victory for all my future plans. Psalms 18:2,The Lord is our rock, and our fortress, and our deliverer; our strength, in whom we will trust; our buckler, and the horn of our salvation, and our high tower. Trust in God…..even when there seems to be no way. He will open doors for you Sister. I love you much and you are daily in my prayers.
-Scott
Praying for you... especially in regard to your requests... to know which opportunities to pursue, to discern how to best reach & disciple folks in the community, for your move in with family, and decision making re: relocation & job. Let Him lead!
Scott