sábado, 11 de septiembre de 2010

2 months have flown by!


hola! update time has come! there are a couple ways that i recap the weeks in my mind 1) by the weather, there have been lots of unexpected tormentas here!! aka rain storms, and since i am just living to see the sun- i remember and treasure the sunny days. 2) by the food. seriously the food here is just delicious! so many restaurants, but maybe that just comes with living in the city. The argentines loooove to sit outside on restaurant patios, soak up the sun, and enjoy their lunch with a copa de vino. -people here love food and love chatting with friends. and i mean i'm down with doing both! and good news- i finally stumbled on the cafe that is the Sally Loos of Buenos Aires! Its called Santos Sabores (Holy Flavors) and the tourquoise interior, bright energy and cozy surroundings all make me feel at home!
Its crazy how the days are flying by faster and faster, December feels like it is coming soon! Well it was soo exciting at the University's international party, the arrival of two people from SLO whose arrival i have been anticipating, Ken and Quinn! Gosh it has been so awesome hanging with them here- and they are soaking up the Spanish big time. Ken wants to tango every chance he gets and Quinn is soaking up the spanish vocab liek a sponge. I feel so spoiled that two of my great friends could join me here. And its great exploring the city with fresh new eyes. The first night the were here, we went to a milonga(after all august is the World Tango Month)- which is what they call a place where people dance tango and took a class and then just danced the night away. Seriously old young, tango, rock and roll they dance it all. I mean it was no Thursday night line dancing at the Grad, but it was really fun. There is definitely an art to learning tango. The key being- its all about feeling the dance, feeling the music and knowing your partner. Haha so when old men are trying to teach it to you, sometimes they dance a little too close and using the excuse "you have to feel the music" isn't a good enough excuse. But it is fun. -This is a side note, but tango really is the dance of Argentina. In order to be a real argentine you have to have some concept of how to dance it, even my futbol coach can dance it! They dance it on the streets, and in the gazebo at the park! Ah and tango music is so antique and beautiful. Ive told this story many times but it just coins living in Buenos Aires for me. As i was walking home from the bus stop one night i heard some faint tango music playing in the park and ventured to find "milonga" in the gazebo! People who love to dance join together, blast the tango music and dance all night friday saturday and sunday. It is just magical. Maybe what really got me was that as i approached the gazebo i asked these two guys what was going on. One had lived in the US and spoke english very well. They told me people dance during the weekend, gave me the card of their tango instructor-who is apparently the best- and asked me if i wanted to dance! How could i turn down a private lesson! So i was dancing the tango at night in a gazebo in the park in Buenos Aires with an argentine. I mean and he was a nice, young, good looking guy that told me to close my eyes and feel the music.-Good instructor right? haha anyways, living life in Buenos Aires.
Also, last week we went to see España play Argentina in fútbol! Yes- the world champs playing argentina, in argentina! Honestly it was such an experience. Just a friendly match, but these Argentines live for futbol. Everyone had their Messi jersey's, wrapped in the Argentine flag, the dad and son next to me even had their binos and radio to listen and watch the game. Before the game started, blue and white confetti shot into the air after the Argentine national anthem and as the confetti blurred our vision, and swirled around us, Ken Quinn and I thought we were living in a dream! Man it was awesome. Getting to see such talented teams witht he combo of all the Argentine fans spirit- it was great. And the score Argetine 4-1?!? Spain- world champs? i don't know.... haha Argetina probably had more to prove than Spain did- i regards to redeeming themselves in the eyes of their countrymen.
Ive been playing futbol too! And its been a blast. Its the University of Belgrano's girls team. Its dominated by international students, aside for the one or two girls that represent the Argentines onour team. But all the girls are great and our coach Mauro- man he is just becomign one of my favorite people. Hes a young guy with a wife and 4 year old son. He is a joker which is even funnier in his blend of English and Spaish. Sometimes we get intense about the games and Mauro is always there to encourage us when we get too hard on ourselves with " Well...i am very proud of you girls....you work very hard this game.." But today he was officially solidifed as one of my favorites. After our game- some of us girls decided to get back on the train and follow it a little further to a precious town called San Isidro for lunch. Instead of taking the train, Mauro piled 6 of us girls in his little 2 door car and took us to his old stompinggrounds in San Isidro for lunch by the river! It is soo beautiful out by this river and it was a beachy feel to it. -Today all the sailboats and windsurfers were out, and all those fit Argentines were running and rollerblading along the river. -Mauro took us to one of his favorite restaurants to get some asado (BBQ) and we sat on the terrace of this rustic beachy place called Molino's and soaked up some sun and watched the people windsurfing on the river. Gosh it was just perfect, me Quinn my friend Daniella and two other great girls from Seattle. Then we jsut kept exploring got some ice cream of course and slowly made our way home. Its these days of exploring and good company that take me by surprise and are my favorite.
Other highlights- the Bible study i've been going to has been really great! The girls are just fantastic and hearing their hearts and engaging in real conversations every week reminds me of how great Jesus is and why he is worth our everything. --Silvia offered our apartment to host the girls this past wednesday and it was so precious! Silvia got out her china- and prepared these great snacks -totally above and beyond and everybody loved it! She is really hospitable, and i feel liek we are bonding more and more as time goes on which is great.
Man hitting the two month mark just about, i've been thinking about my time here reacessing. It has been awesome. But last night i was reading over my journal from the spring quarter (which i brought with me because i'm a reflecter and i like to look back and remember) and i was reading all the journal entries i had written about my thoughts in preparing for comign to Argentina. I had no idea what to expect but all i knew was that i was going to hodl on to Jesus and follow where he lead. -When you know that you are incapable and nervous and going into a new situation- it is imperative to run to the Lord and rely on him. I definitely experienced that especially the first month or so of being here. But as i have figured out more of my routine here and found friends and made my self more comfortable i have slowly drifted from that desparate dependence on jesus to finding my thoughts consumed in- what am i going to do today- what about next week- what about in the month break i have to travel after school gets out?? And i need to go to this museum and visit this town and meet these people and do all these things i had envisioned for being here. In the midst of all of those things taking over my thought space among other things, over the past week i have found myself saying- wait what am i doing here? what is the "experience" i am striving for? Annd its so easy to see and hear what cool things everyone else is up to and wish i as doing that or - oh i better start traveling etc etc. Or at least its easy fro me to think that. But the past couple days- some emails between friends, being in my Bible and especially a late night convo and McDonalds with Quinn, man i do need to reacess what my mindset is being here. it is too easy to get sucked into the traveling, the money, wanting to by things, wanting to eat all the food here just all these things that i find my self looking to satisfy me, physically or spiritually i guess you could say. Ways to find my identity in what i am doing and if its busy and fun or what all these new people think of me. I have found myself consumed by all these thoughts other than the one thing that sets my heart at complete and total rest-Jesus. Reading over my journal last night reminded me of how this spring i saw the Lord move and i desired nothing more than to see him, to beclose to him and listen to his voice. -And i was overjoyed. --that was fulfilling the desires of my heart. And now here i am reacessing- waht is it that really makes my heart content. And where ever i am- whatever experience i think i "ought" to be having what ever experience i am having, if Jesus isn't my greatest thought every day- whatever i am doing will be so much less than satisfactory. After tasting a life lived in such close step with the Lord- nothing is as good. Haha its funny how i always seem to blog when i reach the brink of realization of when things have been hard and i get refocused again. Probably because when i m in the midst of confusing thoughts or hard thoughts i don't feel like writing about it. But regardless, i feel like i had to be reminded of who my first love is, what truly satisfies and that is the reason i live and am here! Hebrews 12 (11 and 12) have been my go tos lately.

"Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off the sin that so easily entangles us and let us run with perserverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith, who before the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." Heb. 12:1-2

I have loved skyping with and reconnecting with people at home! And am thinking about all the kids who are going/have gone back to school. Gosh love love you all! And to my family-i anticipate everydya when i get to show you guys around this city! love you!