La Navidad

The birth of Christ, snow and cold weather, Christmas trees, stockings, and Christmas lights are all things that come to mind when I think about Christmas.  This year things were a little bit different.  Instead of snow we had hot weather and instead of normal Christmas trees some people had little ones, but not even everyone had these and stockings were none existent.  On top of that, we ate Christmas Eve dinner around 10:30 at night, outside, and at midnight we shared a toast and watched fireworks go off.  It was pretty cool to see and an experience of a lifetime!! 

While we were in Rosario we also came up with our own rendition of a common Christmas song and I figured I should share it:

“I’m dreaming of a hot Navidad.  Just like the ones I’ve never known.  Where the trees are palm trees, and people stare at us, because they know we’re not from here. :)” 

Aside from all of the seemingly ‘odd’ traditions, being able to experience Christmas in another culture has been amazing.  One of the things that I have felt truly blessed about us being here, is that the family is Christian, and thus, Christmas is still about Jesus.  Another thing that was cool was that there was no major gift giving events that took away from the true meaning of Christmas.

Christmas Eve Dinner

Nico and Laura

Dani and Laura

The morning of Christmas Caitlin woke up with a HUGE grin on her face and was lit up like I had never seen before.  She was so excited because Santa had come for Marie and I.  It was a splendid surprise and we were blessed with mini stockings filled with nail polish, fuzzy socks and candy. :) 

Because of the hot weather, we couldn’t dress in our normal bundled up holiday attire, but each of us threw on some Christmas socks so that we still felt “in the spirit.” :)

That morning we got up for church and then afterwards we headed over to Monica’s sister’s house that lives about 10 blocks away.  It was a lot of fun because their house has a pool and ping-pong table, so we were able to hang out in our swimsuits, play some games and enjoy each others company.  We ate almost the exact same meal that we had had the night before, again only consisting of cold foods, which was different for us, and then we were also able to experience some traditional Christmas sweets such as pan dulce, chocolate-ish bars with peanuts in them and peanuts covered in toffee, chocolate or candy.  On Christmas day, I was also blessed with meeting another relative of the Riedel’s.  Hopefully you can follow, but he is the father of Monica (the women we are staying with- Fred’s cousin), which makes him the brother to Kyle’s Grandma (Fred’s mom), and he is probably one of the sweetest old men you will ever meet.  He was so intrigued with how I knew the family and I thoroughly enjoyed just being able to meet him.  It blows my mind that God can so intricately weave things together like He has and I really love the opportunities that I have been given to be able to spend with some of Kyle’s relatives here in Argentina.

On another note, I think I can speak for Caitlin and Marie when I say this, it didn’t really feel like Christmas.   I think partly because we were hanging out in our swimsuits in the hot weather, but the majority being because we didn’t get to spend this time with our families.  Luckily we had each other and we all know that this will be something that we get to look back on later in life and simply remember the memories that we have with each other.  We were each other’s family this year and I feel so blessed in being able to share this experience with these two friends of mine.  They mean a lot in my life and I couldn’t have imagined it being any other way.

Estamos en las manos de Dios. :)

Trips Around B.A.

Throughout our time that we have been in Buenos Aires, we have been very fortunate to visit many parts of the city.  We have gone to La Boca, San Telmo, Puerto Madero, El Obelisco, Plaza de Mayo, Recoleta, and Ciudad Jardin. Here are some photos and side comments:

Plaza de Mayo (including the Cathedral):

Recoleta:

The main attraction that we saw in this part of the city was the Recoleta Cemetery.  I had been here last year with my school, but it still amazed me at how many other grave sights I was able to see that I had never noticed last year. 

The cemetery is a very interesting place in the sense that you are completely creeped out at the same time that you are mesmerized by the pure beauty and complexity.  It’s rather hard to explain in words, but you should go visit it if you have the chance. 

Ciudad Jardin:

We were blessed to spend the day with Laura, Edy and Julieta in this city.  We went out to lunch with them and then went to a coffee shop and it was a great chance to spend time with them.  Laura reminds me a lot of my sister, Stephanie, so I really enjoy talking with her. :)

The last place in the city that we are waiting to visit is Palermo, which we will hopefully get the chance to see during one of our last days in the city. And here are a couple other photos from the city that I took one day when we were out and about:

Estamos en las manos de Dios. :)

Trip to Rosario

Last year when I was living in Argentina I lived in Rosario with Sandra, a single mother, and her daughter Sofia.  This year, God gave me the opportunity to visit them again and I was extremely blessed to be able to stay in their house with Caitlin and Marie.  On the first day that we got there Sandra gave me news that was extremely blessing to me- She informed me that she had been baptized the week before I came to visit.  I was incredibly shocked because Sandra and I had only talked about God a few times and she had told me that she was Catholic, but there was no sign of it.  I had continued to go to church as I lived in Argentina and now it makes me wonder about all the things God was doing without even being aware of it.  Seeing Sandra saved just reminded me of how big God really is and how great His power will always be. :) On this same note, we were even blessed with joining Sandra for church on Sunday evening, for the Christmas program, where we got to see Sofia sing and dance in front of everyone! Praise God!!

 Sofia is the one in yellow. 

Here is a list of some of the things that we got to see and experience while we were there:

1)   Going to “La Florida” – The artificial beach on the North side of town

2)   Walking ALL over the city and seeing the street fair

3)   Watching the “Dancing Water” show

4)   Sitting in the park playing cards

5)   Dancing at a boliche (dance club) – Which didn’t actually start until about 3 in the morning

6)   Going to the Flag Monument really late at night

7)   Eating ice cream… everyday :)

8) Visiting the school that I attended

9) Throwing coins into a fountain

10) Seeing my "cousin" and other friends of mine

"Rosario, the best city to live in."

Estamos en las manos de Dios. :)

Argentina - Round 2

This is an account of the first couple days that we were in Argentina.  I didn't have internet and then we took off to Rosario so I am posting it a bit late, but I will account for the last couple days soon. :)

God's Blessings

Domingo, December 11, 2011

            I feel like I am dreaming.  My mind is still having a hard time wrapping around the fact that God has blessed me so much by allowing me to return to Argentina with two of my best friends.  This time I am not here to study, and I am no alone.  Marie Watkins, who has been a friend of mine since 3^rd grade, and Caitlin Geiman, who was my roommate my freshman year of college, both came with me and we are here to see the country and visit my friends and “family” that I made last year. 

            It amazes me that God would bless me with relationships that were able to withstand the last year and still be strong enough to just jump on a plane and come live with them once again.  We are staying with relatives of the Riedel’s (Fred’s cousin’s family to be exact) the majority of the time and they are the sweetest people you will ever meet!  It is Monica, who is widowed and now dating Eduardo, Laura, the oldest who is married to Edy with a 2-month-old baby named Julieta, and the twins, Nico and Dani, who are both married to women named Laura. J They make a very welcoming and loving family and I don’t think any of us girls could have asked for anything better.  For some part of the trip we will head to Rosario, which is where I was living when I was studying here, and then we will possibly take a few trips to other parts of the country as well.

 The Family (Minus Eduardo and Julieta)

 Our Backyard

           Our Bedroom

            After an extremely long day of traveling- beginning at 3:30 am in Portland and ending at 8:00 am in Buenos Aires the next morning- we went through immigrations and customs for about and hour or an hour and a half after that.  Then as we walked out of the security section we were looking for someone holding up my name but there were tons of people and I had no idea what I was looking for exactly.  Finally I see this guy holding up a sign that says “Kimberly” in pink highlighter outlined in black.  I was uncertain if he was actually looking for me so I asked him if he had the last name and all he told me was that he was going to Villa Bosch, which is where I knew we needed to go. Haha I can’t lie and say that it was a completely comfortable trip because none of us knew anything about where we were going, but I had to appear to have complete confidence because I didn’t want to scare Caitlin or Marie. J Regardless, I knew that we had to have faith in God and I just continued to pray. 

            When we finally arrived at Monica’s house, Dani, Laura and Monica met us with a warm welcome. Later, we went to Dani and Laura’s house to tell our families that we made it here safely and Nico and Laura met us there. It was so great to see them all because it has been so long and I love them all so much, but it is hard to envision not seeing them again for an even longer period of time.  To me, they feel like family!

            We all took a nap after this, as we were feeling rather jetlagged, and then when we woke up we went to church with the family.  Afterwards we had empanadas at Monica’s house with the entire family.  Fue buenisimo!

Estamos en las manos de Dios :) 

The Heart of the City

Martes, December 13, 2011

            Yesterday was a fairly relaxed day.  Marie and I slept in extremely late, for me anyway, and then we went to buy bus tickets to go to Rosario for this upcoming weekend.  I am a little bummer because we are going to be missing the Christmas party at church, but it will be very nice to see me friends and “family” in Rosario.  However, I am a bit nervous because when we are staying with Monica, all of her children speak a little bit of English, but in Sandra’s house, no one does.  Then again, I have to remember that I was able to communicate and live with her for three months last year so things can’t be that bad.  Also, I am a bit nervous because when I spoke with her on Facebook I had asked her if we could stay with her and she said yes, but then I began to wonder if she really understood what I was asking.  I guess we will find out when we get there and then find a hostel or stay with Matias’ family if we need.  I’m not really worried about it, but if the other girls knew they might worry a bit.  I think since I have been here before everything feels so normal to me, but to them, everything is new and they aren’t accustom to this way of life.  After buying our tickets we did a little bit of grocery shopping, played some volleyball and cards and then went out for pizza and ice cream. We had a very fun day!

            In all honesty, I feel extremely blessed that I was able to return to Argentina so soon! Especially that too of my best friends were able to accompany me. They have no idea how much they mean to me and how much I enjoy sharing with them all the places that I have been, and also experiencing new places with them by my side.  Today we went on quite the adventure!  I had only been in Buenos Aires with my school or with the family here in Villa Bosch, but today it was just us three.  First we had to walk to Laura’s(Nico) work to get a map and then we went on the train to the end of the line, then we got on the red subway, switched to the blue subway and then took bus 53 to La Boca.  I had been to this part of town before but it was fun to see it again and, of course, take more pictures.  We saw a lot of Tango here and this is where we stopped to eat lunch.  Then we walked to San Telmo, visited a park and a plaza, and then continued on to Puerto Madero.  On the way to Puerto Madero we ran into a small summer storm.  It first started out with light sprinkles, then turned in to heavy wind where we could barely see in front of us because we were getting small pieces of dirt in our eyes, and then there were HUGE droplets of water that were coming down sideways.  Of course we made the most of it and continued on our journey.  We walked up the marina of Puerto Madero and then heading back in to downtown to see one last thing before we took the subway back home.

            When we went back in to the city it was really busy and we didn’t feel like such foreigners because now there were many people that had lighter hair of blue eyes.  It was nice to not stand out like we have become so accustomed to in Villa Bosch, where it appears that no one has ever seen a blonde girl. Ha Our final destination was the Obelisco and 9 de Julio Avenue.  From what I have been told, this street is the widest street in the world.  It has 8 lanes going each way and at the same time, it plays the role of a round a bout.  The Obelisco is the tower in the middle of the street and is very well known.  Right underneath this intersection was our subway stop so we got on and headed back to our train station.  From there we made it safely home. :)

            After resting and hanging out at home for a little bit, we went to Biana’s house (Monica’s niece who is 11) to say Happy Birthday and allow Nico and Laura to give her a gift.  Then we returned back home and ate with Monica.  Normally it is common to stay up with the rest of the family and talk late, but tonight no one was around but Monica.  It kind of surprised me, but we actually stayed up just as late as we normally would talking to her.  It was so great to hear her story and learn about her life and the Argentine customs.  I also enjoyed being able to speak with her in Spanish and translate whenever Marie or Caitlin needed help. (I love Spanish, if you didn’t know J) I really do hope that I can come back someday or that I will have the possibility to live in a Spanish speaking country for some part of my life.

            Today was a very fun day!

Estamos en las manos de Dios :) 

Two Week Synopsis

Well I feel like a lot has happened since I moved in to my apartment.  It has taken a bit of adjustment trying to figure out living with people you’ve never met before and fending for yourself when it comes to dinner, but I have really enjoyed it.  On days when I don’t work I normally hang out by the pool either working on homework, meeting the neighbors or reading. :)  Also, on Wednesdays I have started attending a community group (bible study) that is run through a church down here called Reality LA.  It was a friend of mine from high school that invited me to go the first time because it was held at her house.  It just so happened that my roommates wanted to go to that church the following Sunday so I had a lot of fun going together with them.  It has been such a blessing to have Natalie down here (The one who invited me to bible study).  It’s crazy to me to think that we had gone to middle school and high school together and yet we were never super good friends and here we are, God bringing us together, in order to build a stronger connection.  It makes me sad to think that I won’t be down here for a long time just so that I could continue building that relationship.

Another friend of mine that I know from high school, Matt, is down here as well.  He has been an incredible blessing and he was even the one who helped me find roommates to live with while I’m down here.  It has been fun to meet up with him every once in a while to have dinner or go out to coffee.  I definitely know that God brings people into your life for a reason! It’s just hard to imagine leaving them in a month or two.

For the 4^th of July I was able to head out to Monrovia to spend some time with family.  What a blessing that was!  One of my roommates, Tiana, came as well and we all went to the Rose Bowl for their firework show.  The main difference to me this year was that you are allowed to have huge fireworks, but you can’t do any personal fireworks, which is opposite of what I have grown up with.  Nevertheless, it was a great show and I really enjoyed being with family!  

That following Friday, Tiana, her mom and I all went to the Burbank 100^th year celebration.  (If you didn’t read previously, I live in Burbank now)  It was so much fun and there were a ton of fireworks as well.  Because Burbank is a fairly large film city they did their firework show choreographed to music from different shows or movies.   They were either from Warner Bros., Universal or others.  On the note that Burbank is a big film city, I went grocery shopping the other day right by my house and I saw Tom Virtue.  I know the name might not sound familiar, but this is what he looks like:

He played on Star Trek: Voyager, Even Stevens, and guest starred in many other TV shows, along with being in many movies. If you ask me.. He’s pretty famous :)

The rest of the time that I am down here is normally spent working.  I enjoy work and, like I said before, I have learned a lot already.  This weekend is what the media and public are calling “carmageddon.” Kiewit is closing down the I-405 for a 10-mile strip in order to demolition a bridge.  Traffic is already bad down here so I can understand why people are not looking forward to it.  Lucky for me though, because I got Friday off and now I have to travel to work on Saturday. (I hope you can read the sarcasm in the “lucky me” comment.)

This is the bridge being demoed.

To make my time down here even more worthwhile, I decided to make a list of things I should do while I’m down here, including: see the famous stars on the side walk, sit in the audience of a TV show and see the Hollywood sign.  Nothing to extravagant, but it should be fun.

On a completely different note, I would like to say, I love my Grandma Laura.  It is extremely hard to know that I was down here in LA, unable to go see my grandma before she passed away last night.  I praise God that I was able to see her only a month ago at her birthday party, but it wont be the same next time I go to Eagle Point.  I wish there would have been more time…

Well, I don’t want to end on a down note.  I’m excited to watch the demolition of the Mulholland Bridge tomorrow and I wish my cousin, Kevin, and Liana the best of luck as they start their future together this Sunday.  I so badly wish I could be there. Congratulations!!

All my love!

Estoy en las manos de Dios. :)