Sunday, September 29, 2013

More from Last Week's Explorations

It is quite impossible to get away from sugar here.



The wall of Mate

Like a peanut butter KitKat

Anniversario de Libertador San Martín

Friday, September 27, 2013

Five Minute Friday

I set my stopwatch for five minutes and just wrote using this weeks prompt word "true." The whole point is to write without editing yourself for five minutes and see what comes out! I got this from my friend's website who got it from another website, the original. Try the Five Minute Friday thing if you are so inclined! If you want, do it right now, it the comments section here, but be sure to visit the link to see what it's all about.
-------------------------------------------------

True.

Straight, honest, a line; necessary for life.

It's true. What is? What is true?

I'm in South America.
I have dreams.
I have problems.

But I have friends.
I have ways to accomplish those dreams.
I am where I have chosen to be.

Hmmm, three more minutes.
I like to draw. I actually really do. I don't count myself as an artist, but it's better than twiddling my thumbs.
Today I decided to depict my adventure of yesterday in a drawing. Dare I say I sometimes wish I were an artist? It's true.

But I'm not. I'm a writer, though that could be questioned as well. Sometimes words don't come to mind when they are needed. They skip work for the day and leave me to fend for myself. They work even less when I try to use my Spanish. It's true!

That's why this year is going to be hard, but worth it; tiring, but fun. I'm out of time.

This is all true.

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Day Off #1

My little corner in mi pieza.

Adventure today with my new friends



This little perro is almost more adventurous that I am, but not quite. 















Puente Negro. After we rappelled down and walked across the river.

Yeeeeaaaaahh!!!



"Blogs" and "Personal Bits and Pieces"

"Blogs"

This is my friend Becca's blog. She was the other ACA girl who's flight was also delayed on our trip here. If you would like another perspective on life here, check it out.

Read: Becca's Blog

THIS beautiful link will take you to my amazing roommate's blog. She is spending the year in Tchad (country in Africa) as a student missionary and has already had some crazy stuff happen to her. The Bere Hospital in Tchad is an incredibly difficult mission field (as you may gather from her blogs) and prayers are always appreciated. Click on this link and please, take a moment to read about her adventures already! It's only been two weeks.

Read: Shannice's Blog about Tchad

"Personal Bits and Pieces"

After reading the stories on Shannice's blog about her incredible time in Tchad, I can't help but feel a little useless here in Argentina. I was originally planning to be a student missionary as well, and completed the process before I decided to study abroad here in Argentina instead. Tonight, while planning a weekend trip to a town to relax and appreciate the culture, I caught up on Shannice's blog posts. My entire day has been one frustration after another, planning wise, and honestly, I'm happy just to stay here at the school for the long weekend. But while all the frustrating nit-picking over finding the cheapest hostels and earliest buses has been occuring, Shannice and the other two SM's are struggling to stay positive and be lights to the people in their village.

I know that we are all to live our lives in ways that represent God wherever we are, not only making us good people, but also bringing love and acceptance to others. However, because my focus while I'm here is to learn Spanish, I've been finding it a little difficult to keep in sight what my ultimate life goal really is.

In spite of this confusion, my devotionals in the morning have become quite, well, good. It's been a while since I've taken time not only for myself, but also for God, and actually enjoyed it. The little notebook I've been carrying around has really helped me not only write a little more, but also think more about what I read.

With all this in mind, I remind myself that though I'm not battling cockroaches, goats, the military, and exploding car batteries, I still have my own battles that I fight everyday. Whether they are figuring out how to pronounce new words, choosing between one table to sit at or another, whether or not to exercise, or how to react to people who I don't always get along with.

This year I've been reading through the devotional book "Jesus Calling." Today's thought, in brief, was that the problems and challenges that are big to us seem small to others and vice versa. During class today, some students were struggling with understanding a concept that appeared obvious to me. Before I got impatient with them, I realized that there are aspects of Spanish that I really struggle in, and I know are a piece of cake from their point of view. It's been a while since what I've read in the morning has carried over into my life during the day, and actually helped me with my perspective. It was a good feeling to have.

So, I will go to sleep tonight, without knowing where I am going, but knowing that for today, I am here. This may seem like a large problem to others, but it is a small problem to me, and I am content with that. Though my water is so full of sodium that I feel like an elephant, I am content because I actually have water. Even though getting ready for bed takes twice as long and is twice as inconvenient, I am content. Because I am still alive, and still have a purpose. It's just a little more difficult to keep track of.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

A couple of photos for y'all

Enter my abode!



 A little house.

Sidewalk along the front of the campus.

 Street view



The little cyber cafe where I skype you alllllllll for 4 pesos an hour.






That name though . . .

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Origins of this blog and other things

For those of you who have only recently begun reading my blog, refer back to the original post as to why this blog is named "The Veggie Loco Moco."


Last night I listened to music for the first time since arriving here. I'd almost forgotten about it because I've been so busy being busy. I'm not really humming anything in particular right now, but it has been nice to catch myself making up a tune once in a while again. That is the signal of me feeling a little more comfortable in a world that I can barely understand.

I've finally caught the lack-of-sleep, jet-lag, different-climate but that has been going around lately. I thought I would escape from it unscathed, but it has attacked with full force and won. Even though my roommate thought I was crying the other night as I attempted to stifle the waterfalls from my nariz, I have conquered, and the cold is leaving.Yesterday, I invested in a little mug and some mint tea at the supermarket next to our campus. I've already put it to use multiple times and it has already paid for its 22 peso self. It really is the simple things in life that we treasure.

Another "simple" thing that I treasure so much I decided to construct from scratch. A day planner. I came to Argentina without one, intending to purchase one here so I could practice my Spanish. But alas, upon going to the closest thing to a stationary store here, I only found January-December calendars for 2014. So, a blank notebook and some markers later, I now have myself a planner. I'm actually quite proud of it. I counted all the lines so it would be evenly spaced, kept my colors consistent, and all the lines are straight. I definitely needed a little bit of a craft outlet anyway, and this has proven to be quite the stress-reliever. I've only made it up until November, so it will be an ongoing project.

Sitting in class yesterday I realized how many little things about being here in Argentina would be really useful for new students to know, just as a heads up. So, I've started carrying around a little notebook with me. It's becoming a journal of sorts, where I write down whatever I want throughout the day; whether it is random lyrics to a song or new words or advice or quotes. At the end of the year, I can compile all the bits that apply to new students, and voilà, Elena's Handbook for the ACA Student-Argentina version.

Also, I got my free Spanish bible today! It's purple, hardcover, and in Spanish. Aka, it's beautiful and I love it and it was free.

I know you want pictures, they are coming! Eventually.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Fue . . .

This was a pretty great Sabbath.

I read my Bible.

I made new friends.


I walked across a suspended railroad track bridge.




I sang with other ACA students for an afternoon music program. (This picture is actually from vespers last night, but I wanted you to see the church. )


I went to a friend's house and drank lots of tea, and we all ate spaghetti out of the same bowl.



I forgot to put my SD card back in my camera yesterday, so all these photos are from my phone. The quality of these blog photos has seriously gone down, but I have come to terms with the fact that life isn't perfect.

Enjoy it anyway!


Friday, September 20, 2013

Feliz Sabado!

To start off with, I'd like to alert you to the fact that I haven't switched my keyboard to Spanish letters yet, and I also haven't memorized the key strokes to type accents on my letters. So I'm sorry if "feliz sabado" is missing an accent mark. That's just how it is for now.

Today we had only one meeting in the morning. We went over which classes we were put into and got our horarios (schedules) for this quarter. I'll be taking 17 credits which, I know sounds like a lot. BUT I'll probably end up dropping one, making it only 15 credits. See? Not that bad at all!

After the meeting we grabbed lunch and then went to get some ice cream. Finally I went to the famous Grido's, and it did not disappoint. It was cool and deliciously creamy, perfect for the heat of the day. Other than that, it tasted just like ice cream.

On that note, I feel a responsibility to tell the world that the food here is not that bad at all. I can too easily see myself gaining weight. You think I'm kidding? I'm not. Granted this is only the first week and I haven't had to deal with the same food over and over. Still, what I have had so far I have found pretty flavorful and filling. Actually, I think I may have gained some weight already, but let's keep that on the down low. We'll just chalk it up to travelling stress and jet lag adjustments.

Vespers was good. I got the gist of what the man was saying. The church itself is beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous. Their videography for the service was perfect, and color balance and transition effects and organization were all impressive. There must have been a couple hundred students in there for the service, called "Break," giving quite a good turnout for a university that serves 2,500-3,000 students.

Church is at 9:30 tomorrow morning, followed by Sabbath school at 11. Side note: thank goodness I like military time and have been using it for many years on my watch and phone. That is how they tell time here. Now to truly learn the metric system . . .

This is enough, my bed is calling me.


I discovered that not only is "Ariel" a male name in Spanish, it is also a detergent.

I did not purchase one of these buttons. However, I did purchase a smiley face one. The prices are pesos by the way, not USD dollars. I got my money exchanged for about nine pesos to one dollar, so you can see those buttons are super duper cheap.

Buenas noches.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Catch-up Time: Days 1 and some of 2

(Disclaimer: This post was taken from emails and facebook messages I wrote to people yesterday, plus a little extra added on my own. Sorry if you are one of the people who read it before. Everyone else, enjoy. )

1. So far so good! I've been talking to people in broken Spanish and making friends other than ACA kids. It takes SO MUCH concentration to speak and communicate in Spanish. I really don't know that much, so I'll get part of a sentence, or words, but can't always put together what people are saying. Then, I struggle with putting my own sentence together. I can't WAIT for classes to start because I'll be learning how to better structure my sentences and vocab. I'm dying to get to learning.

2. Each evening I've been digging through my dictionary and going over words I heard during the day and remembered to write down. Slowly but surely I WILL expand my vocabulary. Also, my dear Rikita left one of her Spanish books behind, so I've been studying that too. I think it's going to be really helpful. Fun fact, I have the same roommates as my friend Rikita had when she was here last year!

3. I didn't miss any tests. I didn't miss much of anything actually. Just a tour of the town, which some ACA kids gave Becca and me (the other girl who was late).

4. I'm living in one of three girls' dorms (I think). I have two roommates who I really like! They are both super duper sweet and helpful. One of them is also an RA, so that's a plus.

5. Yesterday I was exploring with my friend Lauren, the girl who I met at Union from Oakwood, and we met this sweet lady, Nadia, at one of the little stores in town. She can speak some English, and we told her we would come back and visit. She works in the morning. So now I've got a couple on non ACA friends.

6. Also, stuff here is really low quality, but cute too. I'm glad I'm on a budget. So far I am controlling myself really well, though I desperately, DESPERATELY wish I'd bought boots before I came. Why on earth was it 50 degrees yesterday!!?? My everyday shoes from camp now have a hole in them, so when those fall apart, I'll only have my running shoes left (besides sandels) . . . which are bright green. Struggle.

7. I have to take my own toilet paper with me to the bathroom and then bring it back with me to the room. I can't flush the toilet paper, it goes in a trash can beside the toilet.

8. Today I got my results back for the Spanish placement test that all ACA students had to take. There were three levels: Intermediate, Advanced 1, and Advanced 2. Today we got our scores and placements back and I'm in Advanced 1! This is exciting. Either I know more than I think I do, or I'm really good at faking it. Either way, I will be learning a lot in the next year.

So, there's a brief summary of yesterday and today.

I'm not homesick or anything at all (sorry mom and dad). I just kind of feel suspended in place. It's weird.

Yo, I live in South America. What in the world?!

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

I Have Arrived!

I wanted to write a nice, long, detailed blog post about how I finally made it to the UAP tonight. But, time is ticking and I'm exhausted. So, I'll just give you a few words I learned today and a quick summary.

  • carpincho: capybara
  • almohada: pillow
  • vale: coupon or voucher
  • the word "pieza" is used instead of "cuarto" in Argentina for the palabra (word) "room"


What I saw and wished I could have photographed:
  • Pink flamingos on the Paraná Delta
  • A horse wearing blinders pulling a cart with a man straight out of National Geographic. On the street. With the cars.
  • Flat, Nebraska-like land. I hardly feel like I've left!
  • Lots and lots of garbage everywhere. 
  • Ditto for perros (dogs). Everywhere.
Upon landing in Buenos Aires I made my way to the immigration line and found another girl who had also encountered the same problem as me. We found our bags together after and made our way to the bus that had been arranged for us by the ACA people. It was a six hour ride to the city of Rosario, third largest city in the country, then a two hour drive with the director of the ACA program to the UAP. Though we were exhausted and feeling a bit sick, and almost completely at a loss for what people were saying, the kindness of this place kept us positive. 

Though my Spanish has deteriorated greatly since my last year in high school, I was able to form a sentence here and there and understand a little of what was going on. It gives me hope that maybe, just maybe when I take my placement test tomorrow, I can get into Advanced 1 instead of Intermediate. We'll see. Right now though, it is time for bed. Buenas noches!


Monday, September 16, 2013

Mine

First things first. No, I did not make my connecting flight in Houston. They finally found another plane for us to take to get to Houston at around 10:30 pm last night. To make up for the rough time, they put us all in hotels for the night, and gave us meal vouchers for the airport. They re-booked me for my connecting flight tonight, leaving me with a full day and not much to do. So, after enjoying an surprisingly yummy continental breakfast, I'm now studying Spanish in my room and watching Star Trek TOS re-runs on TV.

I'd like to point out that thanks to what my momma has taught me, I packed my carry-on prepared for exactly this moment. The only thing I neglected to pack were my running shoes and swim suit, two things which I desperately wish I had now. But that's alright. I've got my stuffed dog Ginger who has literally been around the world with me before, so we're good.




Now to update you on what's going on this year. I am headed to Argentina to study abroad for the year in a full immersion program. The goal is to learn Spanish! I will be taking all of my classes in Spanish at a University there and will be going on side trips to Peru, Iguazu Falls, and Rio de Janeiro, among others. Am I excited? You better believe it! Sure, it was a little anti-climatic not making my first flight and now being a day late to school. But still, I've had some wonderful experiences already.

For example, while sitting in the airport in Omaha, waiting to see if my flight would make it or not, a man gave me his meal voucher to get some dinner. That thing was worth seven bucks and it got me a whole personal pan pizza! I haven't had to pay a single thing for food this whole time, and boy has that been a relief. It leaves me more money for Argentina! 

I hope to keep my blog updated this year and hopefully better than this past year. Keep checking back if you are so inclined. 

Sunday, September 15, 2013

That Great Adventure

I haven't even left the United States yet and it seems I'm already having an adventure.

I boarded my flight ready nap to this afternoon and without ceremony, immediately went to sleep. Staying up until 4:30 in the morning was not the wisest choice when I needed to be up at eight, and my body was telling me that through ten pound weights invisibly attached to my eyelids. I woke up half an hour later to find we were not well on our way to Texas, but still calmly parked on the tarmac in Omaha, Nebraska. Mechanical difficulties forced us to wait another half an hour on the plane, and then finally, to disembark to wait some more for the mechanic from Houston to fly up and fix the plane.

This is where I am now. Still waiting on that mechanic and praying that he can get the plane fixed in time for me to make my connecting flight to Buenos Aires. Praise God that I originally had a four hour layover in Houston upon arrival, so as of now, I might possibly still make it to Buenos Aires on time! We'll see.

Good advice from a good friend reminded me to just chill and take what comes:

"God is THE number one travel agent." -Vernee

Oh, did I not tell you I'm going to Argentina for a year? More on that later.