A is for Argentina
I went on an 18 month mission to Argentina for my church. I've been back for seven years and I still think about my experiences there almost daily. I have certainly been changed by that experience. I loved giving cheek kisses as greetings. I was almost a vegetarian before I left and came back a full-fledged meat eater. I'm not proud of this (I keep trying to get back to my vegetarian ways, but once you've had a nice cut of fresh meat, raised on the Pampa, it's hard to go back), but vegetarian is almost a curse word in Argentina. The Argentines I met were very confused by the concept of not eating meat. On a more serious note, I can never look at what I have and not truly be grateful for having such abundance, opportunities for education and economic stability. I lived in Argentina in the years just before its economy collapsed - these were difficult times for them and I learned just how much I took for granted as a US citizen. I am thankful for the experiences I had here that touched me and made me a more thoughtful person. I am still in love with the warmth of the Argentine people. And I hope I never forget what I learned there.
p.s. I DID try to scan some of my actual pics from Argentina and add them to this post. See them below. This little project is going to be a good time for me to learn how to use the scanner and not forget the next day (Ryan has showed me multiple times).
I was going to scan individual pictures, but realized most of my photos from Argentina had been scrap booked during my very brief-lived scrap booking days. So, I just scanned entire pages - you should be able to click on each page to see a larger version.
This was the most beautiful city - Balcarce. It was known for its lovely hills and its potatoes. It was home to a Simplot plant - sort of funny because I am again living in a town with a Simplot plant.
Christmas in the Southern Hemisphere. I am sweating and we are outside having a nighttime picnic. This was actually great - I never missed Christmas much because it felt more like the 4th of July.
Some of the wonderful, friendly folks I was privileged to know.
The skyline of a city in La Pampa, called General Pico. I lived in this unfinished cement house, pictured in the bottom right corner.
3 comments:
What a great post! I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures. It sounds like a rewarding experience.
i am so glad you are joining in!!! argentina is one of the countries i have always wanted to visit!
Sounds like a great experience. I think everyone should try living in another country for a while, even if it's not a challenged one. You can learn a lot by experiencing a little change.
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