Week Eight: October Newsletter

Failure and Vulnerability:

Stuttering, stumbling over words, grammar mistakes, miscommunication, mispronunciation, and just flat out not knowing words have been accompanying me the last few months. When living in a foreign country and not knowing the native language there are bound to be times where you look like an idiot and other times when people think you are stupid even when you understand what they are saying. They insist on explaining the simplest of words because they think you do not understand.

I find that in general people are trying to help but there can be this sort of arrogance and degradation tied in because you do not comprehend the simplest of words making you defenseless. You seem a fool because to them it is so obvious and easy. Of course right! It’s there native tongue. Other people will not hide this feeling (especially children) and will just flat out laugh at you and make you feel like a dunce. It is an easy way for them to feel better about themselves by putting you down.

For the longest time this situation scared me, frustrated me, and made me angry. I felt this way because I had no control of the situation and I was vulnerable. I would avoid it at all costs; but now I embrace these situations and I do not let them get me down. Part of my job here, in Argentina, is to be humbled and to let it happen. I am not here to be the big woman in charge who is always right. I realize now that I cannot let little failures like this upset me. If someone feels better at my expense I will let it happen over and over again. It does not matter. It does not cost me a thing to be the butt of a joke because I will learn something and become stronger.

This is especially true here where the children I am working with has seen and experienced things that I could never imagine a child would have to deal with let alone an adult. Their lives have been filled with difficult times and situations that force them to grow up faster than they should need to. I want to help them have fun and just be kids for once. I wish for them to be able to forget the countless horrible things they might have experienced and just play. I am not saying that it is good to put others down but for these children maybe it is one of the only ways for them to feel better and for once feel in control of a situation. As I said before I do not mind being the stupid foreigner for a little while.

One advantage of culture shock and feeling like an outsider is that it causes us to think about the world that we come from. I have had time to reflect on my apparent weakness in speaking Spanish and how that difficulty applies to my life. I feel that in the United States, failure and vulnerability are not an option. These words are viewed as pathetic and they will severely prevent us from “getting ahead in the world.” Many people in our world today have become obsessed with chasing greed and power. We are so focused on the future and climbing the social and economic ladder that we sometimes forget the true purpose of life or the simplicity of being kind to others instead of stepping on them to get ahead.

I think failure and vulnerability are a necessary part of life, we cannot prevent them and we should accept them as something positive not negative. It is ok to fail. It is ok to be vulnerable. These situations can be constructive because they remind us and that we are human beings and that we are not perfect or kings of the world. The true king is Jesus Christ and only in remembering this will we know how to live life and understand what it is really all about.

Failure and vulnerability shows us that we are weak, broken, sinful, and dependent, which is something we need to acknowledge. It then becomes evident that we need the grace of God to survive in this world. Thankfully God gives his grace without any loopholes or tricks. Through God’s grace we see that all that matters in this world is love. Though we are broken vulnerable failures, God loves us no matter what we do. God first loved us by giving his only son to die on the cross for our sins and therefore, by his amazing example, we are called to live a life of love.

This month’s quote for thought:
“Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor Roosevelt

This month’s scripture quote for thought:
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:3-5

Week Eight: Santo Sacramento

So I finally took some pictures of a typical Sunday at church! Enjoy!  Hopefully you can get a better sense of what my new church is like!  Feel free to comment or ask any questions if something is not clear!

This is what the inside of the church looks like. It is pretty small and can probably only hold about 40 people at most.  It is more of a chapel I would say.

Here is one of a few piano players who play the music for the service.  Santo Sacramento does not have a choir or any other music programs. 

Here is Pastor Angel preforming the service.  The service is similar to any Lutheran service in the US.  The liturgy is word for word similar to what we use in at my home church (except it is in Spanish haha).  The only thing that is different is the music (they do not use the LBW or WOV here).  The music is from a small book that looks like someone in the congregation printed out.  I do not recognize any of the songs we have sang so far but I like them!  

Congregation worshiping (the family in the middle is my country coordinator and her family (L to R: David, Emily, Matt, and Kate).

Reading of the Gospel.

Blessing the bread for communion. 

Sharing the Peace.

Communion

Communion

Communion

After church activities with the kids.  Most of the kids do not attend church but come for the after church lunch and program for youth.  Most of the children live in a nearby poor neighborhood.  From what I hear, life is/can be difficult there.  The children that come to the church program are not any of the same children that I spend time with at MAMA during the week but come from the same type of living situation.

Some of the boys I usually play soccer with on Sunday afternoons.

Lunch enjoyed on the patio in the beautiful sunlight on a wonderful spring day!  Typically the meals consist of homemade pizza and tang juice to drink.  I usually help prepare the food the day before.  It is a all you can eat type of meal.  It might even be the only meal some of these kids get to eat for the day.  Today we got to have hamburgers!  Then at 3pm before they all leave to go home they get some kind of desert.  Today we had flan (custard-type desert). 

Some girls playing on the swings.

 

The Sunday schedule goes a little like this:

 

1. Church starts around 11am.  Typical 10-30 people attend.  The congregation has about 200 members but only a few families/people come regularly. 

 

2. During the service the children leave and have Sunday school until communion where everyone comes together and takes communion (or if they are too young get blessed).

3. After (around 12:30) church more children come and we all play (soccer, cards, board games, crafts) until lunch is ready.

4. Lunch is typically ready at 1:30.  All the kids come together and we sing a prayer and eat.

5. After lunch there are more focused activities planned for the kids.  They can choose to do whichever one they want.  They can choose from learning the guitar, learning to cross stitch, playing soccer, and sometimes arts and crafts.  So far I have been the soccer person.  

6.  At 3pm the after church program is over and the kids get their desert before they set off for home.  

This program was set up so that these kids would have a place to go on Sundays.  It helps get them off the dangerous streets that they might be living on or near.  They get something to eat and they get to (I hope) know that someone cares about them.  They also get to learn that we should respect others and treat them with kindness.  These are just a few main goals among many others that I think the members of the church that set this program up want to try and reach.  This after church program is also some what new (around a year old) so they/we are still trying to figure out what is best. 

Week Eight: City Campout Sleepover at Chruch!

This weekend we had a youth event at Church that was planned for the older children (12+). We had a sleepover at the Church and the event consisted of: playing games, learning about male and female bodies, having devotions, eating hamburgers, sanding sticks of wood to make pan de palo (bread on a stick), roasting our pan de palo over our campfire, and sleeping all together with sleeping bags and blankets in one of the Sunday school rooms.

Unfortunately, only 4 out of 17 signed up showed for the event. We had more adult volunteers than youth. Despite the poor turn out we all really had a great time. I especially enjoyed roasting our pan de palo over the campfire (la fogata). This event was the closest I have been to camping since this summer (so of course I had fun!) and it was great to get to know some of the youth better in a smaller group setting. Overall I think it was a success and both kids and adults had fun!

Playing Games


Snack Time


Devotions! Kate planned a wonderful devotion about the creation story.


Sanding our sticks for pan de palo!


Preparing the dough


Rolling out the dough


Roasting the bread


Everyone around the campfire


My finished pan de palo (we added dulce de leche inside which is basically caramel made out of milk! YUMMY)


Franco enjoying his pan de palo


Ready for bed!

The next morning we all ate breakfast together and got to help pray during the church service!

Week Seven: Visit to the Capital Federal

Today I decided to get out of the house and enjoy the nice sunny weather. I traveled into the centro and visited the Plaza de Mayo area again. Here are some pictures from the day. Hopefully you can get a sense of what the capital city is like!

La Plaza de Mayo and La Casa Rosada (Government Building). Evita among many other famous Argentinians have addressed the public from the balcony.


Other side of La Plaza de Mayo




Piramide de Mayo (Marks the date Argentina won its independence from Spain).


Close up of La Casa Rosada


Inside of the Catedral Metropolitana (located across from the Plaza de Mayo).


The Famous Obelisk.


Congreso National (Country's Parliament Building)

Not that I did not have a great time and not that the centro is ugly but I was a little saddened by what I saw throughout the day. Today I saw a little bit of the situation Argentina is going through.

I saw magnificent buildings and avenues. Buenos Aires is truely the "Paris of Latin America." But, to me, it seemed that I was viewing the bits and pieces of Argentina's former glory. I could imagine what the city must have looked like when it was at its most powerful point. It was obvious that they worked hard to make this city beautiful and impressive.

Now, everything is very dirty and sort of run down. I saw SO many homeless people sleeping and living in these beautiful plazas and squares. Trash was everywhere. Many things were chained up and there was a lot of graffiti on once stylish neoclassical pillars and walls. I think the city center reflects the difficult economic crisis the country is going through. The country is suffering from a HUGE federal debt that started in the 1980s. Other than that, the country has been through many tough times (dictatorships, disappeared people, etc.). I think Buenos Aires is a city where it is very easy to see the disparities between wealth and poverty.

Homeless people sleeping in the Plaza de Mayo

One the train ride into the city I see a variety of living situations: shacks, huge houses, and apartment buildings of all classes. In some of the other larger cities I have visited, I feel that poverty is less evident, almost hidden. It makes it easy to go about daily living. We can forget that other people are suffering while we have all we need and more.

I was expecting to go into the city and "escape" in a sense from the area I am living and the poverty that surrounds me. But instead I saw that this is something that is everywhere here. I also realized that this is not something that I should try and forget. We cannot escape it. Ever if we do not see it; it is still happening. I should be reminded that others have no food to eat and hardly a place to sleep safely. It makes me feel so thankful that I do not have to worry about how I will eat or where I will live. It also calls me to action to help those less fortunate than me. Let us not forget that others are suffering while we live comfortably and help us to help them.

Week Seven: Youth Workshop and Strawberry Bread!

Monday the 11th was a national holiday so there was no public school.  My church and a few other local churches planned a Youth (12+) Workshop for the day.  The topic was sexuality.  The idea was to educate the youth and to provide an open place for them to talk and ask questions.  

My church hosted the event and I got to be a part of it and help plan.  We started the day out with a little opening worship service.  The youth at my church planned and lead the service.  It turned out to be a beautiful day and we got to sit outside on the patio for worship.  

Singing at opening worship

Lighting the candles

After the worship service we played games and had some free time the rest of the morning until lunch was ready.  We played name games and other fun games.  I forgot how shy youth can be...there were two groups from different churches and they were really nervous to do anything in front of the each other...but with time they loosened up a little bit. 

Name Game

Human Knot Game

Playing UNO before Lunch

Mmmm Lunch...Pizza!

After lunch we had a speaker come in and talk to the youth.  After a big group meeting we broke off into little groups and discussed issues and concepts related to sexuality.  My group focused on the different topics youth are now required by law to be taught in school.  There was a long list and we discussed many of the topics on the list such as the right to say "no"/ no means no, objectification of other's bodies, what a loving relationship should consist of, and how to talk about sex with parents or other family members when they have questions.  

I think that the youth felt comfortable and it was a very open environment that they could ask anything they wanted.  I think it was a good idea to include this issue my church in their program for the youth.  It is great for them to know that this is a safe environment where they can share anything they need to.  Overall I think it was a successful day and the kids had fun!

My friend Emily was also here all day for the workshop and she stayed the night at my apartment.  We had a fun night of cooking and baking.  We made home-made hamburgers and had a yummy spinach salad.  We also decide to bake strawberry bread which turned out wonderfully!  It was the first time I used my oven because it has been hard to find baking powder/soda and other baking materials.  It has been difficult for me because (if you did not know) I LOVE to bake.  

YUMMY Strawberry Bread!

The Bakers!

Right now strawberries are in season and they are really tasty! I will have to find more things to cook/bake with them while I can. 

Week Six: A Day in La Plata

Parque in La Plata where we had our picnic.

On Monday I traveled to La Plata with Kate my coordinator.  La Plata is a near by city located south of Buenos Aires.  It took us about 2.5 hours to get there traveling by bus and train.  It was interesting to get out of the city limits.  I saw a bit of farm land on the way out and a lot of poverty consisting of shanty-town-like areas.  

My fellow volunteer, Emily, was placed there and we got to see where she is living and working and enjoy a picnic!  Emily is the closest YAGM volunteer to where I am living.  La Plata is a very pretty city with lots of interesting architecture.  It is the province's capital meaning there are lots of fancy government buildings and lots of pretty green plazas.  

This is the mural outside of the Lutheran church where Emily works.  The church she is working at is located in a University area and there is a house attached to the back of the church where students live.  Emily is staying there as well and she is working on a communication plan for the church.  She is also working with a non-profit organization in an area nearby with children. 

Andrea (Pastor of the Church), Kate, and Emily (Left to Right) in the church sanctuary

We all had a really great time and it was a fun day spent with really great people!  I hope to go back various times to visit Emily and get to see the city more. 

Week Five: One Month Gone

“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things." Henry Miller

"Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” Miriam Beard

“A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.” Moslih Eddin Saadi

Argentine Flag

Wow! I cannot believe that I have been here for a month! The time has flown by and I know this year will be over before I know it! When I first arrived I was exposed to the many charms of Buenos Aires. I was walking in the shoes of a tourist (and I still am and will be) but I have also seen things that most (if not all) tourist do not see.

I am excited to get a chance to actually see this country...and not only the tourism facade that the country might want us to see but also the way the common citizen lives and the way the marginalized community lives. So far I have only skimmed the surface of understand how this country works but it is a start.

I hope that by the end of this year I will have thoroughly explored Buenos Aires and its surrounding area. I hope to also enter into the night and day different world that exists outside of Buenos Aires. As I have been told, Buenos Aires has become its own little country sort of isolated from the rest of the country. I hope to get a chance to leave BA and see what life is like outside the country's largest and capital city.

As for now though, I am still figuring things out here in BA. It has been a major change for me going from living my whole life a rural area full of clean air and lots of green nature. I lived in New York City for one month and Seville, Spain for 3.5 months but this city is unlike any city I have seen so far. With over 15 million people it is the largest foreign city I have tried to live in. So I am getting used to city life. Plus I am living alone, unlike Spain, meaning that I have to figure out many more things on my own.

As challenging as it has been so far, I am really enjoying being in this new and interesting place. There is so much to see and experience...so much is unknown and I am excited to figure it all (well most) of it out.