We have made it to our third and final continent on the World Race!! I so often have to stop to take that in – and the realization of how much has happened in the last 7 1/2 months and how quickly I know the next 3 1/2 will pass. And also knowing that the Lord has so much good that is happening and that is yet to come! Amen
Our first stop in South America is Argentina, and it has been such a unique experience, complete with greeting everyone with a kiss on the cheek, drinking matte, being close to the same time zone as home, and driving on the right side of the road again, woo!
So, remember when I said that we were in the middle of nowhere last month in Swaziland? Well, I think God laughed at that and said “you have no idea what ‘in the middle of nowhere is'” and brought me to Cascada, Argentina! A place that only about 2% of the population of Argentina knows about.
For the past two weeks, we have been living in an old school-turned-home with a family of 18 (I think? It’s hard to keep track) in the middle of hundreds of acres of fields. I’m not exaggerating. You literally can’t see the end of the fields in any direction you turn. They go on and on and on. It’s quite incredible, really. If I remember correctly, I believe we were told there was a total of four families who live in Cascada – so you could say we don’t have many neighbors.
After taking a 30-40 minute drive down dirt roads, you’ll arrive in the quaint little town of Pasman which holds a school, a church, and a restaurant, and then another 30ish minute drive will get you to the town of Coronel Suarez which is the “biggest” town in the area and is really cute and has wifi! There is no public transportation, so we typically stay at home unless there are people going into town. Though last month was kind of tough feeling ‘trapped’ where we were, I have really enjoyed and cherished the time and space I have here and being able to be a part of this family’s life. It’s been neat.
A few things to note about Argentina so far, first: it has been super cold most of the time. We walk around bundled up the whole day and still sometimes can’t get warm – except for the days when the sun is out and we sit soaking it in. As far as packing, I was not prepared for this weather considering the size of my pack, but thankfully the family is so kind and has clothed us in sweatshirts, jackets, scarves, etc. to make sure we are warm. I’m very thankful. Something I’ve loved about the cold is that we are getting to have fall! The trees leaves are yellow and orange and falling to the ground, I have often felt like I was at Thanksgiving with my family in Delaware based on the weather. It feels very home-y and I’ve loved it, and felt very nostalgic.
Second thing to note: about 99% of conversations are Spanish. There is little to no English spoken here, which has certainly been a challenge and very different from the other countries we’ve been in – crazy as that may seem. However, I was excited to jump back into Spanish after not having studied in a few years, so it has been a good challenge (conjugations are still annoying). With that though, I have been so surprised at how much I can understand, how difficult it is to speak, and how much Chinese just come out of my mouth without even thinking about it. It doesn’t make sense, I know. But it’s a real thing. I have loved getting to practice Spanish so much and be surrounded by it day in and day out and learn how to communicate with my limited knowledge.
Third thing: the times that this culture functions on are very different that that of the United States, so we’ve had to adjust to that lifestyle. It is more of a stay-up-late and sleep-in type of culture. The first day, we had breakfast around 9:30 that was pretty light, but a pretty normal time. Then 12, 12:30 rolled around and there had been no word about lunch, and we were quite hungry. Lunch ended up being served at 2pm, which we’ve learned is the norm for lunch. Then we had ‘snack time’ around 6pm which is usually some kind of little appetizer – fruit bread or fried dough or bread and dulce de leche, and then dinner is usually around 8:30-9pm. And for a while we would feel half asleep at that time. Even when we were able to spend some time in town, the restaurants wouldn’t even open until around 8pm. It has been so interesting for us to figure out, but we’ve gotten into the swing of things and our bodies have more or less adjusted.
I absolutely love the people and the culture here. The people are friendly, generous, and welcoming, every gathering feels like a family reunion, the food is great, the country is beautiful, and the life is good.
(pictures to come soon!!)
Gracias, Dios, por vos regalos buenos y fidelidad <3
All to Him I owe
