We enjoyed the celebration at our new school ... they really put on a wonderful show, the little ones from the Infants department!
Posted by Julie
Sunday, May 27, 2012
25 de Mayo
Jacob is getting to be quite a dancer ... his teacher tells me he puts the argentine kids to shame with his super rendition of the ´Chacarera´ ..... one of those traditional dances that involves a lot of foot stomping.
We enjoyed the celebration at our new school ... they really put on a wonderful show, the little ones from the Infants department!
Posted by Julie
We enjoyed the celebration at our new school ... they really put on a wonderful show, the little ones from the Infants department!
Posted by Julie
Women´s Retreat
I was accompanied by my friend Laura, a Psychology student from the ABUA Cordoba group. She was an amazing support to me, keeping me alert with mates (remember that Argentine tea you drink with a metal straw?), critiquing and correcting my talks, and keeping me company on the trip. She also did a fine job of promoting ABUA to the interested mums and grandmas!
We were well looked after by Nancy and her family in Villa Maria. The first talk took place on Thursday evening, after which we enjoyed an argentine asado prepared by her husband Claudio at midnight.
The Friday event involved giving 2 more talks and co-ordinating 3 discussion times. One particularly sticky moment with an older woman who took a liking to the microphone to vent some personal issues tested my skills ... exactly how do you wrench the microphone back from someone with love and tact without destroying the mood? Or the woman in question? Whilst respecting the culture?
I feel like the whole experience was a super challenge ... not just on me, but particularly on Martin and the kids, who hedged around me for several weeks to give me the prep time I needed. Not sure I´m built for the speaking circuit!!!
Posted by Julie
Thursday, May 24, 2012
First one sister, then the other
Last Friday night we were able to watch Julie's sister Lisa giving her talk at the Equip conference- we even saw it live!
Tonight Julie is giving the first of her talks at a womens retreat in Villa María. As she commented previously on the blog, its her first series of talks and her first in Spanish (she has given workshops and plenty of Bible studies in Spanish).
Tomorrow she is going to give two more talks. It is a series on Genesis chapters 1,2 and 3. Praying that the Lord will sustain her and give her clear expression.
At home its pasta and movie night- tomorrow is a public holiday!
Tonight Julie is giving the first of her talks at a womens retreat in Villa María. As she commented previously on the blog, its her first series of talks and her first in Spanish (she has given workshops and plenty of Bible studies in Spanish).
Tomorrow she is going to give two more talks. It is a series on Genesis chapters 1,2 and 3. Praying that the Lord will sustain her and give her clear expression.
At home its pasta and movie night- tomorrow is a public holiday!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Freaky likeness
Grandma and grandad sent through this postcard from the Renaissance exhibition in the National Gallery of Australia.
What a scary likeness to Field number 3! Even more so perhaps a few years back.
Strange to think that she had a ´double´ walking the streets of Italy in 1570!
So if anyone is looking to cast the little girl from the Redetti family in a major film .... let us know.
Posted by Julie
What a scary likeness to Field number 3! Even more so perhaps a few years back.
Strange to think that she had a ´double´ walking the streets of Italy in 1570!
So if anyone is looking to cast the little girl from the Redetti family in a major film .... let us know.
Posted by Julie
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Another new graduate
One of the girls from church sat her last exam in the Faculty of
Economic Sciences today... we waited and waited, and out she came, a
smile on her face, ready to be covered with all sorts of gunk...
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Easy tramites?
On Friday I took the whole family into the Civil registry to have our National identity documents updated with our permanent residency status (which we were granted in March).
We had an appointment for 9am and 9.30am. It should have been an easy 'tramite'.
We were told to wait in the main area for our names to be called. We waited. Nothing happened. I asked again at the front desk and was told to go and knock on a particular door. After knocking and waiting, we soon worked out that there was no-one in that room. I went back to the front desk, and was assured that they would call our name soon.
In the meantime, Jacob started feeling sick and Julie raced him to the toilets- unfortunately he didn't quite make it and vomited all over the bathroom floor.
In the end I spoke again to the woman at the front desk. They had a problem with staffing that day, and the one person there who was normally assigned for foreigners, was working for another area. It wasn't looking promising that we would be seen any time soon. So she agreed to give me another appointment... hopefully we will have more success next time. So much for an 'easy tramite'!
We had an appointment for 9am and 9.30am. It should have been an easy 'tramite'.
We were told to wait in the main area for our names to be called. We waited. Nothing happened. I asked again at the front desk and was told to go and knock on a particular door. After knocking and waiting, we soon worked out that there was no-one in that room. I went back to the front desk, and was assured that they would call our name soon.
In the meantime, Jacob started feeling sick and Julie raced him to the toilets- unfortunately he didn't quite make it and vomited all over the bathroom floor.
In the end I spoke again to the woman at the front desk. They had a problem with staffing that day, and the one person there who was normally assigned for foreigners, was working for another area. It wasn't looking promising that we would be seen any time soon. So she agreed to give me another appointment... hopefully we will have more success next time. So much for an 'easy tramite'!
The food just kept coming...
Today we had lunch with people from church. They had arranged it awhile ago and it was quite a big deal since they had invited us and two other families with children. There were 8 kids in all.
And we were spoilt. Entree with salame and cheese, humous and vegetables.
Then the main course with empanadas arabes- a pastry with meat on top, then 'niños envueltos' (which translates as 'wrapped up children'!- meat and rice wrapped up in leaves) and kipe (not sure how to spell it). It is mince meat with wheat.
Followed by ice cream and baklava, then coffee and biscuits.
Now you might notice that this doesn't sound Argentine. And most of it wasn't. The Dad, Ricardo, has Armenian background (there is quite a large Armenian community in Córdoba). He was keen to share part of his culture with us. He also shared with us some of his personal history... his father came to Argentina at the age of 14, alone, after having seen most of his family die in the Armenian genocide in 1915. He made it alone in Buenos Aires until the wife he 'sent' for arrived from Armenia. He then contracted TB and had to spend 6 years in a Sanitorium in the hills of Córdoba. He sounds like an incredible 'survivor', having suffered much and yet with a capacity to keep moving forward, taking hold of whatever opportunities he could.
It was a real treat for us to enjoy some of the things we had grown to like living in Lidcombe, like Baklava, which is not so easy to come by here in Córdoba.
Before going we were nervous. We had been invited by Andrea, the adult daughter, but we had no idea of the names of her parents, even though we had met them a number of times. But we needn't have worried too much... we soon worked out their names, and besides, they had no idea of our names.
People use names a lot less in Argentina. The Dad just used 'hermano' and 'hermana' (brother and sister) with us throughout the afternoon. He wasn't phased by not knowing our names... it didn't reflect a lack of interest- he knew who we were and was very interested in what we were doing and our cultures. He just didn't feel the need to know or use our names.
And we were spoilt. Entree with salame and cheese, humous and vegetables.
Then the main course with empanadas arabes- a pastry with meat on top, then 'niños envueltos' (which translates as 'wrapped up children'!- meat and rice wrapped up in leaves) and kipe (not sure how to spell it). It is mince meat with wheat.
Followed by ice cream and baklava, then coffee and biscuits.
Now you might notice that this doesn't sound Argentine. And most of it wasn't. The Dad, Ricardo, has Armenian background (there is quite a large Armenian community in Córdoba). He was keen to share part of his culture with us. He also shared with us some of his personal history... his father came to Argentina at the age of 14, alone, after having seen most of his family die in the Armenian genocide in 1915. He made it alone in Buenos Aires until the wife he 'sent' for arrived from Armenia. He then contracted TB and had to spend 6 years in a Sanitorium in the hills of Córdoba. He sounds like an incredible 'survivor', having suffered much and yet with a capacity to keep moving forward, taking hold of whatever opportunities he could.
It was a real treat for us to enjoy some of the things we had grown to like living in Lidcombe, like Baklava, which is not so easy to come by here in Córdoba.
Before going we were nervous. We had been invited by Andrea, the adult daughter, but we had no idea of the names of her parents, even though we had met them a number of times. But we needn't have worried too much... we soon worked out their names, and besides, they had no idea of our names.
People use names a lot less in Argentina. The Dad just used 'hermano' and 'hermana' (brother and sister) with us throughout the afternoon. He wasn't phased by not knowing our names... it didn't reflect a lack of interest- he knew who we were and was very interested in what we were doing and our cultures. He just didn't feel the need to know or use our names.
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