We´ve Arrived to Argentina

Well, after a little mis-hap in Atlanta, Georgia and an extra day there (our flight was overbooked), our group has arrived to Buenos Aires! We were welcomed warmly by some of the fellow Rotarians of Buenos Aires. They accompanied each of us to our homestays, and we settled in on Monday. We had our first Rotary Club meeting Monday evening. I met many people and was able to get through my first presentation without the assistance of Power Point. Although my Spanish (or here, it´s called ¨Castellano¨) is not the greatest, I spoke without being too nervous. The people here are very friendly and patient with me. They are more than willing to teach me, so I´m learning so much each and every day.

On Tuesday our group visited 2 or 3 different museums, as well a rose garden. Earlier that day we attended a Rotary Club meeting and had lunch there. It was an older croud of maybe 25 people. They were very friendly. Then we walked a ways to various museums. The weather was quite warm and a bit humid, but it was not unbearable. One of the tours was completely in the local language, so I was able to pick up a lot and learn more vocabulary. It was interesting too, because our guide often wanted out group to pose and replicate the stances of many of the statues we observed. One particular pose was really quite funny that involved our whole group. Maybe we can post pictures soon and explain what each pose represented. It´s one I won´t forget. Later that evening after returning home to my host family, I attended another Rotary Club meeting my with host, Luis Maria. I didn´t know until we arrived that it was an all men´s meeting. All of the men were very nice to me and welcomed me greatly. They introduced me as the ¨Flower from California¨. I thought that was nice. I felt like I really butchered my introduction that evening, but it went fine nonetheless. The men asked me many questions afterward, particulary about my work in Africa with AIDS-orphans. So it was great to get the word out.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was another filled day. In the morning I accompanied my host to his place of work. He´s the superintendent of his school district, so I was able to meet some of the school counseling staff there. It was great because I learned about how each of our educational and counseling systems differ. Here in Buenos Aires, the school counselors all remain at the main office. In that particular district, there are about 10 counselors for about 45 schools. Each counselor visits a school about twice a month. If students have particular problems (mainly social problems with misconduct), the students meet with the counselor and the parents are called in to the meeting. So here, they do not have counselors constantly present at the schools. It was a very informative meeting. Afterward, I was able to visit an elementary school and take pictures of kids playing at recess, as well as in their classrooms. They are adorable! In one of the classes (maybe 5th graders), a young boy asked me if I know who the San Antonio Spurs are. Apparently, he was a big fan, because he pulled out a poster in his binder and posed for a picture. The whole class thought that was great.

Later that day, I met with some of my other group members at the Universidad del Salvador. It´s a private Catholic college that offers a wide range of areas of study, as well as Master´s degrees. Our facilitator spoke about the various programs they have to offer, and she mentioned she studied Law at the University of Georgia. She is now a professor at the Universidad del Salvador. She told us about the World Peace Scholar program that the Rotary Club offers. It´s a master´s degree program that is offered in Buenos Aires, Japan, Australia, England, the US, and I think Venezuela. It´s a competetive scholarship, but wow does it sound interesting! I´m going to research it more and maybe give it a shot!! It sounds like it may very well apply to the work I want to do with the orphans in Africa. Additionally, I´m VERY interested in the Cultural Exchange program that the Rotary Club offers. It is an opportunity to travel to another country for 3 or 6 months, maybe even a year, and learn the language and culture. I´m going to look into applying upon my return back to the states.

Last night I was able to be home with my host family and have a nice dinner. They are wonderful!! Luis Maria speaks English very well, so he goes back and forth from Castellano to English so that I can learn. His youngest daughter, Maria Belen (24 years old), also speaks English very well, so she helps me out alot. She is also a redhead, and many say we resemble each other. She´s a real sweetheart! The oldest daughter is 38 and deaf, so I´m also learning sign language. Little did I know that sign language differs from country to country. I thought is was a universal language, but I learned it is not. The middle daughter is married (30 years old) and works as a teacher. She is married, and her husband is very nice. He reminds me of my brother-in-law a bit. They have some of the same features and make some of the same mannerisms. The mother Susana, Luis Maria´s wife, resembles my aunt Cindy very much. She is also very nice and very merry. Her temperament is a bit like my mother´s. Susana´s mother is widowed, so she lives there with the family. She is 92 years old! You would never guess it! She asks me every morning if she can wash my clothes for me. So she washes them by hand every day and makes sure I eat breakfast. She´s very sweet! I REALLY like my host family. Apparently, each of our group members change host families every Sunday. I really wouldn´t mind staying with my current one. They are really wonderful! I will miss them greatly! OH, and last night after midnight (because today is International Women´s Day), Luis Maria and his son-in-law bought each of us ladies roses. How thoughtful!! After dinner they showed me some of their home video footage of previous trips to the water to fish, and even a trip to the southern part of the country where there are glaciers. It was great! My group is supposed to visit the countryside on Saturday.

Wondering what the weather is like here? Most days are very humid and muggy. Today it´s been raining alot. Our group was supposed to go to the Botanical Garden and then to the Zoo, but because it´s raining, we´re haning out, drinking coffee, blogging, and then we may check out the mall. Tonight we have a big Rotary Club meeting, so I´m hoping to brush up a bit on my Castellano when I present.

Hope to read some comments from you guys!! I´d like to hear what questions you have. I´d like to share as much as I can about my experiences here. Take care and God bless!

Laurie Holland