better late than never....maybe?

Truth: I never blog. Seriously. I was gone for 3 months and posted once. Sad, sad. But I did make an effort.....I found this saved in my files--an attempt to blog after one month in Argentina. I just never copy/pasted it due to slow internet and impatient (internet: school's....impatience: mine). I don't want this wisdom to go to waste, so I copied it below....sorry it's 3 months late :)

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(originally written 10/13/08)
After spending a month in Argentina, living at Palabra de Vida, I feel like I have much wisdom to share with the world. For example:

**If you take a squeegee with a long handle, add a thick-ish towel to the end, and stick it in water with cleaner, it becomes an Argentina mop. Rinse towel and reuse as needed. Gigantic holes in the towel are not of concern. After you dump dirty mop water down the sink, the ridiculous amount of dirt you have accumulated will start to clog your sink. In this case, you get the plunger and plunge the sink drain. This will solve all problems.

** If there are 4 toilets in a bathroom and you go in to clean that bathroom, odds are good 2 out of 4 will not be functioning properly. Good luck finding someone to help you fix them.

** Every weekend on campus you will be served pizza one night, usually Saturday night. You will be served 2 pieces of cheese pizza, sliced hardboiled eggs, sliced ham, and a salad. You can tell the difference in the Americans and non-Americans because Americans put the eggs and ham on our salad…everyone else puts the ham and eggs on top of their pizza and looks at US like we are crazy

** You don’t need to know Spanish to play with dogs and kids….they will have fun regardless of your ability to speak their language.

** If you speak Spanglish on campus, you will be understood for the most part. However, you will also speak Spanglish when you call home and talk to friends. This will confuse your friends back home ridiculously because they have no clue what you are saying. (ex: I have to take un examen manana. Que pasa? They are only supposed to be cada lunes.)

** I once felt that the iPod could never be passed as my favorite electronic invention eve. This has changed. I am a huge Skype supporter—it just doesn’t get much better. What did I do before Skype??? Oh yeah, lived in America! Ha ha


And there’s so much more….but in all seriousness, I have learned so much in my time here. I’m actually not even sure where to start. Maybe next time, I’ll update more often and not have to think back on six weeks worth of info to write about.

Overall, we are busy all the time. We take bible classes and Spanish classes 4-5 days a week. Mondays are the “off” day here and that was weird to get used to because most people dread Mondays…not here! We love them! We have Spanish tests each week and Bible tests once or twice a week. So far, we have studied the Christian life, Ephesians, and Biblical principles. We have teachers come in from the US every few weeks to teach us in English. Sometimes a professor from here (Spanish speaking) does our classes and we have a translator.

There are several hundred students here that attend the Bible Institute….4 years worth of Bible classes. Some just go a year, some go all 4. It’s a neat program and there are students here from 30+ countries….all Spanish speaking countries, and Brasil, Romania, Italy, France, Canada, all over!

We are all involved in a group for work and a group for sports. I work with the cleaning group (fun times…also where I learned most of my wisdom listed above!) and I am on the basketball group (yeah!) We have times to clean the dishes and clean our rooms and lots of things that seem random sometimes….but really this is like a little community that runs itself. The students cook, clean, work in the farm, etc to keep things going…there is no hired help to do those things.

I am enjoying working on my Spanish. There are days when I get back to the room and am so exhausted from attempting to understand so much, but it’s worth it. I am here to learn the language and learn more about the Lord and I am so blessed to have the chance to do both at the same time…I don’t want to take it for granted!

Thank you so much for your emails and encouragement—they mean so much! I do enjoy the people I am going through this program with, but it’s just not the same as all of you that I have known for months or years! You have been there from the beginning and supported me and been part of the reason I am here now. I am so grateful for the influence you have had on my life. I’m still amazed to look back and see the chain of events that occurred to get me here…it’s truly amazing. Keep in touch!! (and I’ll try to update more often!)

when in Argentina....

I am here! And have been here for awhile! Internet access: limited and slow. Alison: not so patient. It does not make for a good combination. :)

I am enjoying my time here, going through Orientation at Word of Life. This is an amazing place to meet people from all over the world!! I have roommates from Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Panama, and Romania...when else could I ever say such a thing?! This is amazing. My class has about 38 people (I think). We are from all over the US and even have a guy from Canada and a guy from Bermuda--I'm loving the diversity. Of course, I am the only one from Louisiana. Story of my life!!!

We have been learning the rules and things here, getting used to campus life and to the town of Monte. It's a small, slow-paced town with lots of character. It seems pretty fun. We live a dorm/college-campus type lifestyle....with more roommates! But we eat in a cafeteria and have community bathrooms and that type thing. These are the questions everyone keeps asking me, so I feel the need to answer them for the whole world :)

We started our Bible classes today and will start our Spanish classes on Thursday. We get lots of practice with our roommates and in the cafeteria, etc. This week we will be given work assignments (like kitchen duty or gardening or cleaning or something) and that will be another opportunity to meet people. We also get sports assignments...I signed up for basketball--I hope I get it :)

I am so blessed to be here and hear testimonies from all over the world about how God has changed lives through this program. It's amazing. My group is here (PBB) and also classes of Spanish bible groups here too...with people from 34 different countries!!! Amazing! I love that!!

I will update as I can...I'm definitely not a professional blogger and uploading pics quickly will be a learning process, but I will try! Thanks for your emails and prayers...I'm blessed with a great group of supporters and love you all!

Isn't she lovely?

Here she is, in all her glory: Big Pink. She and I have been traveling the world together for the past few years. We met at a Belk's in Tennessee, where I picked her up along with some of her relatives (Little Pinky & Bag Pink) and we have been inseparable ever since. She is not her original clean shade, for she has picked up quite a few scuffs, scrapes, and dirt marks along the way. She has endured being abusively thrown around by members of airport security in multiple countries and continents. I would also like to think she has picked up a few languages along the way and is now a multi-lingual bag.

But no matter what she has been through, she continues to go with me. It doesn't matter which country is listed as the final destination of my e-ticket or how long I decide to stay--she will be there! I could not think of anyone more deserving of a dedication on my blog, so it is named in her honor. :)

Big Pink and I are about to begin an adventure to Argentina, a new country for both of us. Have no fear, we will be together (safety in numbers!) and we will keep you posted!