Happy Easter!

April 12, 2009

“You speak Spanish?! YES!!! That means we don’t have to interpret!” … Treated like a princess J … “you want me to speak on the radio?! Copado!” … “La cena (dinner) is at 10 pm” … Let’s play fútbol! … PTL (Praise the Lord ) for Sunshine every day!
Queridos Amigos~

I am finally stopping long enough to write again J
I’ve been pretty busy just getting settled, and hanging out with my wonderful new amigos! Last time I went to check email, I didn’t have much time, so I couldn’t write an update. This time I am smart, and I am typing my letter to you on my own laptop on my bunkbed, and then I will either put it on my memory card to transfer to a “compu” they call it, at the “siver” which is a place you can use the internet, though it may be slow. I could also take my laptop with me into downtown Mar Del Plata, where I’ve been told it is possible to just sit down in some plaza somewhere, use free Wi-fi, and send emails, or I could search for a café somewhere with Wi-fi. I think I will try to do that tomorrow.

It’s about 7:45pm here on Easter Sunday and a big group have gone to an evening church service. I went this morning to a church in town called “Iglesia Evangelica Bautitsta” which means Evangelical Baptist Church . It was great, I really like it! It was fairly similar to our church at home, pretty casual and very welcoming! I was so touched when we sang a song I recognized, which in English would be “Lord I give you my heart, I give you my soul, I live for you alone! Every breath that I take, every moment I’m awake, Lord have your way in me!” I loved it! The sermon was pretty brief, but I could understand probably about 80% of it, which I consider quite good! I plan to return to that church next week too, since my new friend Alicia goes there as well as the head directors of the YWAM base here- Daniel & Norma.

About this time of day I start feeling pretty hungry, but they don’t have dinner until about 9 or 10pm !!! Yeah, I know! Crazy right? Well, actually maybe not so crazy,.. considering 9 o’clock was a fairly common time for us to sit down altogether back in the day ;) Anyway, I am still accustoming myself to their schedule. In the morning, they eat crackers with marmalade or “dulce de leche” which is like a thick, creamy caramel spread Argentines eat daily! And they also have “café con leche” – coffee with milk, or “yerba mate” – a traditional tea sipped through a traditional straw and cup which is passed around to share with everyone at the table. Lunch is around 1 or 2 in the afternoon, and it is the biggest meal of the day. Often with an Italian twist of pasta or Gnocches, and/or sometimes rice, and always meat! They’re big into beef here.

It is so sweet how they treated Renae and I, and how they still are treating me as an honored guest! Sitting down at lunch and/or dinner, it was a special surprise that Renae and I were given the plates with the best pieces of meat, or one time even with meat that no one else had been given! And same yesterday, they gave me a T-bone steak while everyone else had a rice & fish casserole! Today I merely helped to clear the table and I was told to “no lavar los platos” – don’t wash the dishes. “Relajate!” they said, which means “relax!” When the school starts on Wednesday, THEN you can work J

So yeah, pretty much I’ve just been chillin’ and hangin out with Alicia, who has pretty much taken me in under her wing, and made sure I have everything I’ll need for the program. Also she helped me to go to the right stores and buy all I will need for washing my clothes. Apparently they do have a “semi-automatic” washing machine, but you have to wring out your own clothes and hang them up to dry. I don’t know how well this maching actually cleans clothes, because she also told me to buy a bar of soap to use to wash the clothes by hand,… we shall see J
The other day- yesterday I guess it was, (man the days have been so full I feel that it was at least 2 days ago!) I went with Alicia to a Christian radio station, and I actually got to talk, pray, and read scripture over the air! Isn’t that awesome?! Apparently, a good friend of YWAM has an hour to evangelize on this station each Saturday, and once a month, she invites someone from the base to come and share during that hour. So yesterday was this week was their week, and so we went and shared scripture about the 40 days after the resurrection that Jesus shared with his disciples. It was really cool to use the microphone J Later, we came home, took a “siesta” and went back into town for an “obra” or play. It was a musical depiction of the life of Jesus, performed in a theatre, and narrated by a guy who played the part of the “gaucho,” or Argentine cowboy, who was rather difficult to understand. I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Today, after church and eating lunch, I got to play “fútbol” with a group of the guys here. It was such a blast! It was so funny too, that whenever the wind or the bumpy field would direct the ball onto the nearby street, a few of them would say “en el nombre de Jesus” praying for the ball, that none of the passing cars would smash it- and no one ever did drive over it, Praise the Lord! It was fun, and I had a goal too! I learned many soccer vocab. words too!

My Spanish is doin pretty good I think, however the language down here is WAY different than that of Mexico or central America. The grammatical rules are the same, of course, but the way the terms they use are different for so many things that I am constantly hearing- oh, well, we don’t really use that word here,…. so I am constantly asking “como se dice… “ which means- how do you say,…? So yea, I am definitely dependent on these people around me, and working on learning a ton! There are two boys here that know English, so when I need to know how to say something, I often go to one of them. Sometimes I feel like a little girl all over again, because I am learning how to say so many basic terms like- tooth paste, or faucet, sink, fridge,… etc, etc.. I think all of the translating in my head makes me tired more easily,.. or maybe it’s the 70 degree weather which I am not used to,… but anyway I am very happy to be here, and looking forward to the start of the school on Wednsday! I’ve been told Mondays are the off-days around here, so I plan on sleeping in tomorrow as late as possible!!!

I have been loving the weather! It has been surprisingly warm for everyone here. They say it’s usually pretty chilly by this time in April. But it’s been hot! Today I had to put on sunscreen, and after soccer, I walked to the beach and in the water of the Atlantic ocean ! I don’t remember the last time I’ve been in the Atlantic ! It’s very refreshing! And there are a TON of surfers here! Very cool to watch.

Right now I am the only one in this bedroom, and sleep in the top of the first bunk. There will be 4 of us in here, and I believe the 3 other girls will arrive Tuesday.

Well, I’m gonna get goin, but I love you all and can’t wait to hear from each one of you!!!

Dios Te Bendiga!!!

Con todo mi amor,

Marissa xoxoxo