We're Going to Camp!

When we go to camp in the US, we have about two transportation options: get into the church van and go, or get into a car and go. In Argentina, the options were very different. As we prepared to go to ABUA camp with about 20 college students from Buenos Aires, Eugenia worked hard to find the most economical option. We could go in a train or a bus, but as the camp was in the middle of nowhere, it would have been an added expense to get from the bus or train station to our remote destination. With that in mind, we decided to that the best option was to hire a van and driver that would take us directly to the campground.

3:30 pm  On Friday, we were given instructions to meet in the plaza not far from my house, and to be punctual. We all arrived with backpacks, suitcases, sleeping bags, and miscellaneous boxes of books and costumes in tow. I might add that this was the same week in which Buenos Aires had experienced unprecedented rainfall and serious flooding. The sky was still overcast with terrible humidity and threatening clouds.

5:30 pm We had moved under a bus stop because soft rain was coming down. Eugenia had made several phone calls and arrived at the conclusion that our van wasn't going to show up. She had quickly checked the bus schedules and availability at the downtown bus station and we piled our biggest luggage into one taxi while the rest of us went to the subway to the bus terminal.

6:30 pm  We bought our bus passages and set up camp.

8:00 pm  Four hours after our projected departure we were on a bus and leaving Buenos Aires.

11:00 pm  Due to it being a long weekend and recent rainfall, we were in unusually heavy traffic and our bus was not moving.

2:00 am  We arrived to the bus station in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe. We had to buy tickets for a second bus and we had about 30 minutes to wait in the bus station.

4:30 am  Someone leaned over the seat in front of me and whispered, "Chicas! We've passed the bus stop. We need to get off and go back!" We quickly and groggily gathered our things and piled off of the bus to cross the street and take a bus two stops backward.

5:00 am  Poor Christian had to wake up and drive to the bus stop to pick us up with all of our things. We were 13 people with numerous bags and boxes, and he had to make four trips back and forth from the bus stop to camp. By 6:30 am we were finally all in our beds.


The time between Buenos Aires and Oliveros, according to google maps, would be about 4 hours in a car. For us it was a much longer affair, but we had a lot of time for chatting, late night singing and shenanigans, and getting to know each other better.

Why my Life is [Not] Like Yours

Living in Buenos Aires isn't quite like living in Georgia. For starters, I live in a megacity that's more than twice as big as the A-town. Here's a quick glance at how life in BA compares to life back home.

Ways my life is different from yours:
1. I don't have a dishwasher; I wash all dishes by hand.
2. I use the metric system. A good day is 20°, I buy my milk in liters, all my food in kilos, and I measure speed in km per hour.
3. I don't have a car. I go everywhere walking, or in a bus, subway or train. I walk an average of 30 blocks (2 or 3 miles) a day.
4. I don't have unlimited texting, but I use What's App.
5. My church building is not as pretty as yours. We rent a one room building without air conditioning and we have to bring everything (instruments, speakers, signs) with us each week.
6. I don't shop at just one place. I buy meat, vegetables, bread, cereal, paper, and cup cake papers all in distinct stores.
7. I don't speak English.
8. I don't add sales tax to the price I see.
9. I eat dinner at 9 or 10, and I have merienda.
10. I rarely eat out, but if I do, I don't know the name of my waiter, and I only see him 2 times.

And, Ways my life is like yours:
1. I eat pasta, hamburgers, pizza, and sandwiches.
2. I drink tap water, or filtered tap water.
3. I drink coffee.
4. I go to Starbucks and McDonalds regularly, because that's where we hang out.
5. We're always on the look-out for free wi-fi.

Independant in La Plata

I had the chance to travel to La Plata, a small city outside of Buenos Aires.  I assume that the rule of thumb in any smaller city is that you can get to any point in the city within 15 minutes walking, so I agreed to meet up with a friend for lunch break.  The issue is that La Plata, a city "smaller than Buenos Aires," has a population of nearly 800,000, and is not the little town I was expecting.  It turns out that my friend was across the city, and that I needed to take a bus or two.
In Buenos Aires, I have a guide book that references 200 different bus lines and 33 pages of maps.  In La Plata I had no map and no bus guide.  Those situations are always a little thrilling becuase I knew I would be relying 100% on advice from strangers.  And so I started out walking, asking for directions to a plaza.  It's always hard to know which bus stop you need, and once in the plaza, it turned out I was at the incorrect stop.  By the time I got on the bus, my hour and a half lunch break was not seeming long enough.  A kind lady next to me helped me to figure out where to get off, (a very important step) but when I got off of the bus, I still hadn't arrived.  I was in a neighborhood of dirt roads, with much more of a small town feel.  Of course, I had to ask for directions one more time, but I finally reached my destination: lunch in a university cafeteria- always a good bargain!
Setting out in La Plata alone- and successfully arriving to the other side, was a great feeling of independence, all while fully depending on directions from kind strangers.

Estás entusiasmado por la llegada de la Navidad?

Estás entusiasmado por la llegada de la Navidad?

Una breve mirada a las razones por las que realmente deberías estar entusiasmado en la Navidad…

Siempre hay confusión en cuanto al verdadero significado de las fiestas.  Vamos  a Intentar arreglar eso.  

En Navidad, celebramos el nacimiento de Jesús - Dios en la carne!

“Y el Verbo se hizo carne, y habitó entre nosotros vimos su gloria…” Como ser humanos, tenemos que ver para creer, nos encantan las cosas tangibles, y poner la cara con el nombre. Jesús vino a nosotros personalmente, en la carne.  Esto es Emmanuel - Dios esta con nosotros.  “Por cuanto los hijos participan de carne y sangre El igualmente participó también de lo mismo, para anular mediante la muerte el poder de aquel que tenía el poder de la muerte… y librar a los que por el temor a la muerte, estaban sujetos a la esclavitud durante toda la vida.”

En Navidad celebramos el nacimiento de Jesús- Quien nació para cumplir lo que nosotros por siglos no pudimos lograr.  

Él cumplió la ley de Dios; es algo que nosotros no pudimos cumplir, ni hubiéramos cumplido. Jesús murió para que su vida perfecta podría ser aplicada a nuestras vidas.  “Por la obediencia de uno los muchos serán constituidos justos.”  Esto es Jehová Shalom - El Señor es nuestra paz.

En Navidad celebramos el nacimiento de Jesús- Quien vino humildemente.

Porque estaría dispuesto el Dios del Universo venir como un bebe convivido con humanos imperfectos? Porque ofrecería ser hombre, andando con una gente que lo odiaba? Porque entregaría humildemente su lugar como el Rey del Universo? “Se despojó a sí mismo tomando forma de siervo, haciéndose semejante a los hombres. Y hallándose en forma de hombre se humilló a sí mismo, haciéndose obediente hasta la muerte, y muerte de cruz.”

Este es el milagro de la Navidad.

The Best Thing about Buenos Aires

If you are like me, you may have had some preconceived notions about Buenos Aires. We have heard Buenos Aires called the "Paris of the South," accompanied by the idea that the people are stuck-up and less friendly than your standard Spanish-speaking person.  This attitude is amplified in Uruguay, where I spent the last four months of 2012.  My fears came to a height as I read Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier.  She listed all of South America as a"warm culture" with the exception of urban Argentina.
One plausible explanation for this stereotype is the fact that most Uruguayans and Americans have only met the Argentines who travel- the sort of people with plenty of money who may tend to be more snobish.
However, after six months of living in Buenos Aires, I am glad to report that these rumors are false. Here are 3 things to know about the people in Buenos Aires.

1) They want to help you.  If you look lost, someone will show up who can explain to you exactly where you are on the map.  If you can't find a Spanish word, or if you speak with any sort of English accent, someone studying English will step up.  And, if you compliment a dish, the cook will gladly rattle off the recipe in vague proportions.

2)  The majority of them are immigrants, children, or grandchildren of immigrants.  Think New York City.  No one is actually from here.

3)  They communicate indirectly.  In Buenos Aires, it is important to realize that an accepted invitation does not equal attendance, and enthusiasm does not always translate into action, but people will always be friendly.

The best thing about Buenos Aires is......
the transportation system
the media lunas
the exchange rate
tango
the people.

The people are the fundamental component of any city.  Here they are diverse.  They have stories. They come from all over the world.  So come to Buenos Aires.  Come and listen.  Sit down with a cafe con leche and a media luna and hear someone's story. There are 4 million versions.