It has been a while since the last blog post because of our trip back to Australia. We had a great trip back- for reason of winds the trip from Australia to Argentina is two hours shorter than that from Argentina to Australia.
It's nice to be home. We arrived home on Wednesday morning after an overnight bus trip from Buenos Aires. Charlotte and I had met Julie, the other kids and her parents in Buenos Aires. We had a few days there and then a fantastic trip to Iguazu Falls, in the north of Argentina (deserves its own post!). We flew back to BA and then took the bus from there.
It was great to visit Australia for my brothers wedding. The wedding was a real blessing and a testimony to the way God can change lives.
But it's interesting that arriving back in Córdoba felt like coming home- not arriving in Sydney. I felt like a visitor and tourist in Sydney. I guess that was particularly highlighted because most of the family stayed here in Argentina. Wherever they are is where home is-not the physical place.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Oh, and roundabouts...
And people in Australia seem to know how roundabouts work. In Argentina it is a mess- people will actually stop in the middle of a roundabout to give way to the vehicles coming in- or maybe they don't have a choice because the vehicles entering don't give way to anyone. It ends up defeating the purpose of having a roundabout.
It's also amazing to see how many new cars there are on the road here - very few rusted old bombs going around.
It's also amazing to see how many new cars there are on the road here - very few rusted old bombs going around.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Impressions of a sunburnt country
I have been back in Australia for a week. Here are a few impressions:
* the place seems so clean and orderly.
* traffic is very orderly, that is, there are lanes and people and stay in them. And, people let you change lanes when you need to!
* prices haven't changed much from when we left two years ago (we have 20% inflation in Argentina). Mind you, it seems like some companies reduce the size of the packet rather than put the price up. The Cadbury chocolate blocks definitely seem smaller.
*it is really weird not to kiss people when you meet them- what is all this handshaking, even with women? Women always kiss to greet and say goodbye in Argentina. The men, a kiss for someone known, and a handshake for someone just met or in more formal circumstances.
* Yum Cha is fantastic
* the place seems so clean and orderly.
* traffic is very orderly, that is, there are lanes and people and stay in them. And, people let you change lanes when you need to!
* prices haven't changed much from when we left two years ago (we have 20% inflation in Argentina). Mind you, it seems like some companies reduce the size of the packet rather than put the price up. The Cadbury chocolate blocks definitely seem smaller.
*it is really weird not to kiss people when you meet them- what is all this handshaking, even with women? Women always kiss to greet and say goodbye in Argentina. The men, a kiss for someone known, and a handshake for someone just met or in more formal circumstances.
* Yum Cha is fantastic
Thursday, February 4, 2010
back in Oz
Yes, Charlotte and I are in Australia! Our flight was long, but Charlotte only had one bad coughing spurt.
We had an amazing approach into Sydney- flew right along the coast, up the northern beaches, then turned at about Pittwater and had a view over Epping, Gladesville, Five Dock etc before landing. Wow. What a city- it really is a spectacular city.
Yesterday I did some shopping and errands in Castle Hill. Blown away by how efficient I could be- tried on suits for the wedding, opened a bank account, bought a camera, got new batteries for my watch, and got tempted into buying a few things in the shops. All in an afternoon. How efficient.
Today I took Charlotte to check out the local Vinnies. We don't have second hand clothing stores in Argentina- generally the clothes aren't good enough quality to last that long. Also went to Franklins and bought the lollies that the other kids had requested- lollies we can't get in Argentina- marshmallows, wizz fizz, redskins, fantales, and of course Cadbury chocolate for Julie (we can actually get Cadbury chocolate there, but it is much more expensive and not the same).
One surprise was to see that the prices weren't much different to when we left- that's weird for us. In Argentina we have had inflation of around 20% each year.
We had an amazing approach into Sydney- flew right along the coast, up the northern beaches, then turned at about Pittwater and had a view over Epping, Gladesville, Five Dock etc before landing. Wow. What a city- it really is a spectacular city.
Yesterday I did some shopping and errands in Castle Hill. Blown away by how efficient I could be- tried on suits for the wedding, opened a bank account, bought a camera, got new batteries for my watch, and got tempted into buying a few things in the shops. All in an afternoon. How efficient.
Today I took Charlotte to check out the local Vinnies. We don't have second hand clothing stores in Argentina- generally the clothes aren't good enough quality to last that long. Also went to Franklins and bought the lollies that the other kids had requested- lollies we can't get in Argentina- marshmallows, wizz fizz, redskins, fantales, and of course Cadbury chocolate for Julie (we can actually get Cadbury chocolate there, but it is much more expensive and not the same).
One surprise was to see that the prices weren't much different to when we left- that's weird for us. In Argentina we have had inflation of around 20% each year.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Safely back in Oz
Martin and Charlotte are finally back in Oz, after a LONG trip (something like 30 hours door to door).
Flying direct with Qantas next time sounds more appealing!
Flying direct with Qantas next time sounds more appealing!
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