Megan in Argentina

2010-08-07T08:45:00.001-07:00

It´s been a long time since I wrote here but to be honest i´ve been so busy and i´ve not really had the chance! It´s not even funny how cold it is here!! My body is not used to minus temperatures in the morning that soar to 25 degrees in the afternoon and drop again at night! Also the majority of my clothes are summer clothing so you can just imagine!! Good times!! 2 weeks ago it snowed here in Salta! It hasn´t snowed here in 10 years or more so yeah I def think i´ve brought the weather with me! It was really good to see the kids making snow men etc because it was totally a new experience for them! In the houses here, its generally warmer outside than inside because they don´t have any source of heating etc and when I went to look at my sleeping bag, of course it says, minus 2 dangerous! Just my luck I suppose!

I started working again at Uzzi College where I taught English before! It´s surprisingly good to be back again! It´s a private primary school here in Salta. I´m teaching English but the thing that I love the most is that I know the kids from before and it´s great to see how their English has improved in 2 years and how much they´ve grown up! At the moment we are preparing the school play which they have 2. One in English which is 40 minutes long and then another in Spanish about a famous argentine artist. So a lot of my work at the moment is preparing the drama and getting the children to pronounce the words correctly. In the mornings i´m putting the backgrounds of the sets together which keeps me busy!

It´s quite funny because when I walk around the city, it´s very obvious that i´m not argentine. The colour of my skin and my eyes I suppose is a huge give away. But normally I feel like one of the locals but yesterday I did a very touristy thing. I went on the city tour to hear a little history with a lady who is visiting from South Africa. It was really good but sadly I had to spend the 4 hours translating!

I´m really having a great time but of course with everything comes the tough times too! Trust me it´s not all roses here but the good times def out weigh the bad! Its hard to believe that I will be home in 4 weeks time! Next friday i´m travelling to chile for a week and to get there it will take a day!! Good times!! :D

Corrientes!!

2010-07-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

I went on a little break to another province called Corrientes which is about 13 hours on a bus from here in Salta! I went to see my friend and we had a great time! It was so nice to have a little break and to see another place! It was quite funny because they talk another type of spanish, well another dialect and I understood like every 10 words!! They speak even faster than the irish!! I didn´t think it was possible! It was lovely to see the river and to have sand between my feet! To be honest I didn´t really feel like I was in argentina, I felt like I was on holiday! Here are some photos of my time in Corrientes! It was quite sad having to leave to be honest as it was a really short visit but it was great to see my friends again!! Now my work starts again :D

Working In Pichanal

2010-07-23T15:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend a group of 34 of the church from salta headed up north to a little town called Pichanal which is quite a under developed town. we worked in the church with their youth and we had a great time!! We fixed the roof, fixed their really dodgey electricty, cleaned and painted. During the weekend we had kids clubs and I was teaching about mission and trying to encourage them that mission isn´t about travelling to another country but that you can do it in your own community! we all had a really great time although it was FREEZING!!!!! Really not funny!! I brought my sleeping bag and when I read the bottom it said from 1 degree until -6 dangerous! opps!!The weekend was great but also really challenging. Speaking in spanish 24/7 is harder than I thought. I´m loving it but its very difficult! It was amazing to see how another church functions but also quite sad to see how shy everyone was. The pastor, the main figure of the Church was so shy! no wonder people didn´t turn up to the meetings but the weekend we were able to teach them things and we learned from them. It was the first time the young people had ever went on mission in a big group and they really gained from it. I´m kinda worried about the leaders as the don´t seem very united and I know its a huge challenge for the group. I really hope they are able to forgive and learn from eachother. Please pray for this! Many thanks!

2010-07-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

Alot of my time so far has been visiting families from the church as they have wanted to cook for me etc! In this photo you can see Marie Esther in the middle and Ana Maria in the pink. They are both legends! Marie Esther believe it or not is about 85 years old missionary whole travels the country teaching children about the Gospels! So I went to her house the other day and over dinner she blurted out... "Megan I´ve been praying that you marry a man from this church" and as you can imagine, I nearly chocked on my dinner!! She has picked out a man for me and she insisted in telling me all of his qualities and good points over and over again!! AHHH HELP ME!! Then as she drove home, I must admit it was probably the most scary moment in my life!! She can hardly see over the steering wheel and insists in looking at you while she is driving and talking!!! Well thankfully i´ve survived to tell the tale but its a little joke going around the church that i´m going to marry this man!!! I can sum it up in one word! NEVER!!

Hora Feliz - Happy Hour (Kids Clubs)

2010-07-05T17:17:00.000-07:00

At the moment i´m pretty busy with getting materials ready for the weekend as we have our traditional, Happy Hour - Hora Feliz!! Now now.... I know what you´re thinking... not that type of happy hour!! However, I have no idea why they call it happy hour as it last for nearly 3 hours!!The kids clubs are amazing and the teams this year are even better!! We have 2 on Saturday in a local neighbourhood and then in the afternoon in the Church! Kids from all around the area come to it and its great craic! We play games, sing songs and learn Biblical texts. It has been great to see how all the kids have grown up since my last trip and to see how they are now bringing their little brother and sisters! It´s a real blessing that we are able to do this as the Church isn´t well off and the brothers in the church donate money to the clubs so that the children can eat and for the resources we use! Thankfully this time I´m actually able to understand the kids spanish, as man sometimes its difficult to understand them! It means we are able to have a better relation! However, when I arrived I recieved some sad news about 2 of our little ones from the kids club. Due to personal circumstances they have stopped coming and one is currently in prision. These kids have hearts of gold! It´s just such a pity that due to family circumstances things have ended up as they have! However, it´s great to see how the group has strenthened nether the less and to see how motivated the leaders are this year! Please keep these Happy Hours in your prayers!! Thanks!

The World Cup!

2010-07-05T16:58:00.000-07:00

Well, well well!!! What can I possibly say about the world cup! Before Argentina lost the atmosphere was totally amazing!! I´ve never seen people soooo passionate for football!! To be honest it was probably one of the best places in the world to watch the games because of their love for the game!! I mean they consider it a religion!!! NO JOKE!! They consider Maradona to be a god! They even have a cult church in the province of Santa Fe to worship him, yeah i´m not kinding you!! Nether the less, as you can imagine, I´m not a fan of football!! Although to be honest I loved the world cup! It was amazing until the lost..... then it was crazy!! People were literally weeping! The country literally has gone into national mourning!! So now i´m trying to keep my mouth shut about the game... when they were winning, as you walked through the neighbourhoods, you could hear every single tv was on the game! people cheering and shouting at the screens! The atmosphere in the plazas was amazing! A sea of blue and white!! Ok, I know you may be shocked to hear... I´ve joined the local girls football team in the church which is a hoot!! They´ve nicknamed me "Leggy" because i´m taller than them all and generally have NO IDEA what i´m doing with my feet! I keep thinking, on the tv they made it look so easy!!

Celebrations of General Guemes

2010-07-02T08:46:00.000-07:00

This month in Salta has been a month of pretty much celebrations and rememberance which of course means holidays! So trying to start work at this time was hard enough with the argentine attitude of "lets do it tomorrow" then of course the holidays. They celebrated the day of Guemes which was their General that died during battle and of course is seen as the provinces hero. In the photo you can see his burial place and some of the celebrations that happened in the pain plaza. The tradition Gaucho and horses symbolise they rememberance of the national hero and it was pretty cool to have seen this of course in traditional argentine style, they had traditional music to celebrate which lasted until the early hours of the morning.

My Welcome

2010-06-27T09:14:00.000-07:00

It´s been quite funny because my welcome celebrations have been the last 2 weeks because I wasn´t able to see everyone of course at once! It was lovely the first night in the Church because they had a wee presentation to say welcome! It was a surprise party which had of coursed leaked out so acting surprised was quite funny! They had the NI flag and the Argentine flag up in the Church! They made a very embarassing video of me which they played infront of everyone! In the service they sang a song in english and it was sooo bad because i´d never heard it before!!! Then, to top it off, they asked me to get up and say a few words! All I can say was I was pretty much speachless which you can imagine is quite strange for me!! It´s been really lovely to see how much the Church has developed physically and spiritually!! It´s hard to believe they have doors and windows now which is amazing!! It is looking great! It´s so strange seeing how all the little ones have grown up and how the teenagers are now adults!! Overall, great to be back!!

Tin Whistle Lessons

2010-06-25T18:13:00.001-07:00

I thought I would upload this video because it´s quite funny!! I´m sure you´d never thought you would see argentines learning to play the tin whistle! You´re in for a real treat!! Enjoy!!

The Joy Of Learning Spanish!

2010-06-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

I´ve been here for 2 weeks now and it´s quite hard to believe!! I´ve been visiting loads of different people from the church etc! It´s been really lovely seeing everyone again! I´ve started working with the church but i´ve not started with ProMujer yet!

Well as you all can probably imagine, i´ve such a headache speaking spanish all the time but I totally love it! It´s such a great opportunity and i´ve started my spanish translation course which is challenging! You all know me, I´ve a way with words!

So imagine this, I´m with friends in the main plaza in the city and I wanted to sneeze! So I wanted to say, I want to sneeze, "estornudar" and of course, Megan being Megan, I ended up shouting, I want to "desnudar" STRIP!!! ohhhh man.... you can imagine their faces!! I was soooooo embarassed! I don´t think i´ll ever live that one down!!

Arrived safe and sound!

2010-06-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

Just added the map so you can see how far it is from Buenos Aires to Salta in the north!

My journey on the bus was really good and as a part of the bus intertainment they have Bus Bingo..... so as you can imagine everyone was getting really into it and I was having a bit of a laugh with the people around me then of course, I realised I had won and had to shout "BINGO".... so automatically I was bright red then the prize was a bottle of wine which I had to kindly accept but I think my face said it all! They asked me, "do you not drink?" then from there on in, they took the pee that I was a T total Irish girl!

After a long journey, I arrived in Salta and coming down the mountain, looking over the city, I can honestly say that for the first time in my life I was totally speechless (yes this may be a shock for you all). All I can say is that it is GREAT to be back!! It´s so lovely to see everyone again and to see how things have developed!

I´ve been here for a little over 24 hours.... all I can say is that i´ve embraced the culture already because already I have blinking headlice!! No!! Not much fun but part of life here! Haha.... Another thing which will make you laugh, yesterday I went into the city center and they have changed all the bus stops in the city center! I was sooooo lost it wasn´t even funny then I eventually took my bus and ended up going in totally the wrong direction and I was lost in the middle of the mountains!! Of course when I arrived back home, all the Argentines laughed and said.... "opps I forgot to say!!"

This weekend I will be able to catch up with nearly everyone which will be lovely and they are having a surprise party for me on saturday.... which of course leaked out very quickly!!

Really having a great time so far and can´t wait to get stuck into my work!!

Keep in touch! xx

Argentina here I come!

2010-06-07T03:54:00.000-07:00

Well it's hard to believe that it's only a few hours until I leave! I've got a lovely 18 hr flight ahead of me and then my plan is to arrive in Buenos Aires and get straight to the bus station for my 24 hr bus journey up north to Salta! I think I will be putting my student napping skills to use! Right now i'm really excited but i'd be lying if I was to say that i'm not nervous! It's going to be amazing to see everyone again and to catch up with the Church! Its going to be so strange to see how much it has changed! Can't wait!!! Right, I'm off to the airport now!

Good Bye SALTA, Hello Bueno Aires!

2009-03-31T05:40:00.000-07:00

Saying goodbye is never a pleasant feeling as you can imagine. Especially to a Church, a family and friends. It was a very busy last week, fun filled with lots of dinners, parties and tears... from laughing and from saying "Chau". Well what can I say? This week was a week which I will never be able to forget! Thankfully I could spend the day with "My family", Luz and Abraham and their four children up the cable cars over looking Salta! It was a really unique day and thankfully I was able to present the children with Bibles which I had designed the cover to! The last night was brilliant thanks to the young people from the Church. We all played games in the new temple and just chilled and chatted. It was a really a very special time with them and i´ll def miss the "banter" from the group! My last morning, Helen and I headed into the plaza for the last time where we just had breakfast and then went to the terminal. There I was met with a huge group from the Church to see me off! Struggling to get onto the bus with the weight of my luggage and from the tears streaming. Abraham just made it to see the bus just as it was pulling away. Never will I forget this time. Although it may be "Chau", i´d rather see it as "See you later Salta!" and "Hello to Ireland".
Love from Argentina! Megan xx

"Traditional Irish Dress"

2009-03-21T21:43:00.000-07:00

As Naomi was packing her bag just before she left, I was lying on my bed and for some reason I thought it would be funny to dress Naomi up. She literally put on every type of clothing she had at once and I said, "Now you have to buy something in the local shop". As you can imagine the tears were tripping me from the laughter. We arrived in the shop and the 2 woman at the counters acted completly normal so we went down the back to get some juice. So as you do, we paid and the other woman burst out and said "Sorry I have to ask, is this some sort of fancy dress?" At that, I couldn´t resist and said, "in Ireland we don´t have a traditional dress so we basically put all of our clothes on at once and this would be our national dress." We didn´t think they were going to actually believe it to be honest but it seems so as people keep mentioning it within the neighbourhood. Just take a look at the photos, I think it says it all! Good times!

Coming to a close

2009-03-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone!
I hope everything is well with you all in Northern Ireland! As the last 3 weeks are quickly passing before my eyes, I find myself at the most busy time of my trip so far! Hard to believe really that i´ll soon be packing my bags for Buenos Aires as it seems like yesterday when I arrived here in Salta!

So much has happened in the last 8 months of my life here in Argentina as you´ve been reading through my updates. As Naomi prepares for her journey home this Sunday, we are preparing the Farewell parties. What we had arranged was a surprise party until the Pastor announced it infront of the whole Church, oh well, it makes it easier to prepare. Also we are having an “Irish Night” on Saturday for the women just to say their last goodbyes to Naomi. This week we will be visiting people and having dinner with them which should be really good fun. Apart from the dinning and surprise parties, we are managing to work. Don´t worry!

In my last update, you may of read about the Natural Disaster in a town called Tartagal in the province of Salta, about 4 hours away from Salta City. The town was destroyed by an unexpected mudslide due to the excess rain which Tartagal had experienced. Aid wasn´t able to reach the victims, as the only enterance to the town was the bridge which was hit. Lives where taken, everyone was evacuated from their homes and many livelyhoods where lost. Where is the light in this situation some people may ask?

This morning we packed 12 boxes of brand new shoes which a local factory had donated to the cause, which thankfully will reach the people of Tartagal on Friday evening. The donations of clothes, food and shelters that have came to the Church has been amazing. In such a horrible situation, i´m glad to be able to say that there is light once again. It was very serial being part of an “Aid Distrubition” process. It´s reassuring that when you give to charity to be able to say, I know that it arrived where it needed it most. Thank you for all your prayers about the situation in Tartagal.

Thankfully my English classes are still up and running and are going very well. This has been a really blessing throughout my time here in Salta. The progress which I have seen through my students has been totally amazing and it will be hard to say goodbye. I will still continue to teach my students for the last 3 weeks and when I am home in Ireland. Please pray for this as it will not be easy, although with some determince and some hard work on their behalf, I have faith that they will continue to learn.

I think leaving here will be a very difficult step of faith. Leaving my friends behind, a culture which I have grown to love and a Church with so much potential. Sounds like home! I have done that journey once and I know that I will have the strength to face it again. I´m really looking forward to seeing you all again and being able to share some of my 10,000 photos that i´ve managed to snap!

See you all soon,
God Bless,
Megan from Argentina

My best evening in Salta

2009-03-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

I´m sitting here at 1am writing this blog entry after probably the best night I have had here in Salta. This evening it was just like every Sunday evening where we attend the normal Church service in "El Redentor". Although the difference about tonight was that I saw friends that I hadn´t seen in quite a while and it was really brilliant just seeing them again. Marcelo and Ana were in Corduba studying english translation for a month and it was amazing to hear them come back to Church and speak confidently in english. Their english has always been a very high standard, probably better than mine, but this evening was the first time she spoke to me all in english! It may seem simple but small things like that mean alot! I dropped them home with Pite and Andres who are the most adorable elderly couple! Marcelo made me laugh as he reminded me of a little child. The conversation went as follows.

Marcelo : "I refuse to speak spanish"

Pite : " Yo no intiendo - I dont understand"

Marcelo : " You need to learn english, so i´m going to keep talking in english"

Ana : "Don´t be rude Marcelo"

Marcelo : "I am always rude, why should I start being nice?"

You can imagine me trying to drive with tears in my eyes from laughing at Marcelo refusing to speak spanish and wee Pite not understanding a thing! I think that will be one journey I will never forget! What really struck me tonight was the passion Marcelo and Ana came home with and this is so encouraging to see as he travels to Peru next week to translate Bibles into the local dialects. Please pray for him as he travels without his wife but travels with faith.

Also this evening, I got to see Raul and Maggie, a couple from my Church who I hadn´t seen in a while. Raul was learning english with me and was doing really well and I´m so proud of him how far he has come with his english! They are very special to me and I will miss them alot when I return to Ireland but I have confidence that I will see them again one day.

Tonight, it wasn´t about going out and having a great time, it was about sharing time with my friends here in Salta. These are the moments that I will treasure the most. I know that only a month to go, but so much can happen within that period of time! I plan to spend as much time as I can with the people here in Salta until I go as I can learn so much from them and hopefully visa versa. I feel sad that I have to leave, although I know that God has a plan for me and this is all his hands. I feel that I have learnt so much here in Argentina and for that I have to thank God and the people he has put me in contact with. That was my best night in Salta!

I´m going to go to bed now!

Good Night! Megan x

The Wedding Celebrations

2009-02-24T10:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I hadn´t experienced a wedding until I came here to Argentina, however Naomi and Helen tell me a wedding at home is very different! Samuel and Vanina, the son of our Pastor here in "El Redentor" got married on the 7th Feb. It was a very bizarre experience but one that I will never forget. Leading up to the ceremony we gathered a week before, we began cleaning and preparing the Temple for the wedding. The "Templo Nuevo" is a new temple which at the moment you would say was a building site. On the Night of the wedding when the ceremony it had been totally transformed. I had to seat the guests which was a laugh trying to pronounce everyones names as you can imagine but thankfully everyone, I think was seated correctly. Just before the Bride came, some short fused some light which meant we had no light... that didn´t help the grooms nerves. She looked beautiful in her dress and he looked totally terrified. Thankfully when he said "I DO" he began to smile. Samuel had written Vanina a song while he was studying in Corrientes and he sang it to her at the altar. Of course at this point, all the females are saying "Aww..." It was really special because of course, the Pastor married his son. The party after was very different from what I had imagined. We arrived at this center where it had been done up and the basketball nets had been covered. They hadn´t enough tables for the guests which was a laugh so for the first while we sat at the cake table. You cant just imagine how difficult it was trying to keep Naomi away from that! Some of the friends of the couples sang a few personal songs and then our Church band played some worship music. The first dance, well the one and only dance of the night. Everyone of course looked amazing until the girls started pushing and pulling trying to catch the flowers! Then again, the men weren´t much better. Please pray for the newly married couple as Vanina moves provinces to live with Samuel and that the Pastor can relax once again.

We went to a second wedding just a few days ago. The daughter of a friend of ours was getting married. I had never met the woman before but thankfully it was obvious who she was. The one who looked very nervous in the white dress. This service unlike the Garcia wedding wasn´t held in a Church but it was a Civil Marriage. To be honest it was over very quickly and then the photographs began. This wedding did have a first dance that continued after unlike the Garcia wedding. Please pray for Rosa, that her and her new husband would find faith one day and would have a happy life together.

Over all, we had a very good time, but very different experiences.

Enjoy the photos!

Chau, Megan xx

Prayer

2009-02-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

May God Bless You

May God bless you with discomfort
at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships.
So that you may live deep within your heart.

May God bless you with anger
at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people.
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

May God bless you with tears
to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger or war.
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them.

May God bless you with enough foolishness
to believe that you can make a difference in this world.
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done.

Please pray for my family of FAITH

2009-02-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

A wee prayer request but I´m not going to just tell you what it is...

I would like to introduce you to my Argentine Family. In the photo that I have added as an attachment you will see Abraham and Luz, husband and wife and their 4 children. Yes there are four, if you look carefully at the photo you will spot the fourth. We have Abraham Juan, the twins Gisela and Ian and wee Israel.

I met Abraham when I was working for the "Cruzaders" here in Argentina and thankfully he introduced me to his family. Abraham speaks very good english which came as a real blessing when I needed it the most when I first arrived. Now i´m teaching Luz english and thankfully she has came a long way.

Abraham is from Venazuela where he and his family moved just last year to Salta in Argentina to stay with Luz´ family in her family home. Abraham is a pastor from a local baptist church and works full time during the week to make an income for his family. Luz is a part time nurse and full time mum as you can imagine from the photo of her 4 children... all under the age of 7.

Just 2 weeks ago, her mum and dad asked them to leave the family home after many arguements and even threats to the children. Being Christian in a non christian house and living with a drug addict has brought this situation together. They have been searching for a house constantly and sadly nothing has became available. The problem here in Argentina, they do not have estate agents and hearing about a house is all about what contacts you have. Just yesterday they where told they had to leave now... so its just a matter of time. Luz and the children stayed with me today to try stay out of the house and try to protect the children from the atmosphere which they are picking up on.

What has been amazing throughout the whole situation is the amount of FAITH they have had thoughout the whole situation. Sharing with Luz today she said, "I have to have strength in the Lord for my children sake and I know that God will provide for us" and the only thing she now can do with Abraham is pray.

Please keep this family in your prayers throughout the coming weeks.
Many thanks,
Megan xx

Mudslide envelops Argentine town

2009-02-15T08:05:00.000-08:00

A massive mudslide set off by heavy downpours has swept away a railway bridge and swamped houses in the Argentine town of Tartagal. At least two people were reported missing after the river running through the town broke its banks, flooding roads and triggering landslides.
Some buildings were submerged in up to 1.5m (5ft) of mud. The heavy rains come as parts of Argentina are suffering their worst prolonged drought in decades. Torrential downpours caused the River Tartagal to overflow, with floodwaters sweeping away vehicles and inundating roads.
Local authorities said the mudslide had destroyed a railway bridge, making access to the town, which lies on the border with Bolivia, all the more difficult. The governor of Salta province, Juan Manuael Urtubey, said some 10,000 people had been affected by the mudslide and flooding.
Tartagal has been hit by floods before. In December 2005, the town was largely cut off for several weeks. The Argentine meteorological service says the heavy rain is likely to continue through Wednesday.

Please pray that aid gets to the town and to the people where it is needed. Please pray for the clean up process!

Images telling the story!

2009-02-05T13:19:00.000-08:00

My Birthday!

2009-02-05T13:07:00.000-08:00

Well, this will be a year that I will never forget! Thats for sure! A very quiet day in the house to be honest, until Helen came home from the camp that she was cooking at and surprised me. Also scared the living day lights out of me as you can imagine! Naomi and Helen bought me a very Argentine wooly hat, that I did wear for most of the day in 30 degrees heat just to feel a little more argentine with my new maté cup and sherba! Later on that evening we all went to Dannys house from Church... All very quiet until they started to sing "Happy Birthday". Next thing I am being hit my eggs, flour and maté which then was nicely matted into my hair. A very argentine tradition so here´s a tip for any of you thinking about visiting Argentina. NEVER tell an Argentine its your birthday!!

Thank you to all of you that where in contact or sent messages online for my special day! It really meant loads knowing that I was so far from home but that you were all thinking about me!

Hope enjoy the photos!

Jujuy Camps

2009-01-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

The day we came back from Bolivia we headed straight to the summer camp in Jujuy. We are all getting a bit bored of buses. The camp was in the middle of the mountains and there was about 75 people all aged 19-24 years old. You can imagine the craic was good. The day we arrived I met a deaf group of Christians so of course I was in my element. Megan trying to use her BSL signs and them teaching me their ASL signs. It was fantastic! One evening each team had to put on a drama sketch. It was a very funny night and I don´t know how but I ended up being the goth, although i´m not so sure there would of been goth in Bible times. I went with it... we all had a great night in the end and each was very different. Sadly, I had to leave the camp early as I was admitted into hospital. After a few days of tests and scans thankfully the found out why I was in so much pain and it wasn´t appenditus as they had expected. It was a real blessing that I came home from Jujuy to Salta as the hospital there were ready to operate. Out of hospital now and just resting in the house... which i´m finding very challenging being in bed all the time. Thank you for all your support and prayers! 8 weeks to go!! hard to believe!!

Chau for now, Megan

Funny Videos

2009-01-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

Bolivia

2009-01-24T13:52:00.000-08:00

To be honest we had the worst luck with transport. On the way to Bolivia someone managed to read the ticket times wrong and we missed the bus! great wee start! thankfully someone in the Church chased the bus to the next station and we got there and we found out that the bus wasn´t going there. So we headed to Pichinal and waited for 5 hrs for a bus to pick us up! After our fun arrival we arrived in Santa Cruz and the streets were flooded! We went to Cec Bolivia, a Christian camp focused all on mission! We were staying 6 hours of Santa Cruz in Monte Blanco and the journey there was a laugh! I think I prayed all the way! A dirt track in the mountains and at one point the bus ended up slided down a mud ditch as it swerved the on coming bus. We arrived and the center was beautiful, in the middle of the mountains. The time table for the week was packed! Really reminded me of Summer Madness, although you had to do everything and the food was amazing! The speakers were so interesting. I got to go to seminars on loads of different things from Islam, Hindusiam to finding your perfect partner. The worship in the evening was amazing and the different people we met were lovely. It was so nice, Gisel from our Church came with us so we had a blast with her. Wake up call was at 6.45am for gym. One morning I chased the man with the whistle... yeah Megan did jump out of her and chase him! Good times! One day we had extreme sports and it was fantastic! Everyone playing with a human sized ball, then in donuts and then human tug-a-war. After our day of killing eachother in sport we had a day of practical as in the different seminars they had prepared stuff for the local town! All 175 of us jumped in the truck which carries cattle and it was a journey I will never forget! Teaching the Argentines Irish phrases while trying to hang on for dear life! We litter picked and other groups did dramas, mimes and dances. It was the highlight of my week! In the square I taught a bunch of the boys how to Irish Dance which Naomi managed to catch on camera for all of you amusement! Really a fantastic week. I´m sure your beginning to get the idea we had bad luck with transport. Well on the way home, we had to wait at the border of Bolivia/Argentina for 8 hours, just waiting. On a 20 hour journey it makes it seem like a life time! All in all, we had a brilliant time, met loads of class people and possibly came home a little bit blumper.

The 3 kings visit the hospital

2009-01-06T10:49:00.000-08:00

On the 6th of January the religious tradition here in South America is that the 3 wise kings come into the city and distribute the presents to the children. As I have been visiting the hospital to talk to the children, we organised an official group that would dedicate time each week. Yesterday a group of us, including myself headed to the wards dressed as the 3 kings with presents. A very emotional day on both behalfs but one day that I will take to the grave with me. As we walked around the wards there was so many little babies and children under three years of age. What thing that strikes me is that the children have such hope. We came across a 14 year girl breast feeding her one year old child who had been admitted for paracites. Its crazy when you think about but she was just so thankful that she had been admitted and given birth in a hospital. The hospital isn´t in great condition by any standards but yesterday just reminded me of Robin Williams in "Patch Adams". Even though those children are suffering so much, a little bit of a joke or a fancy dress can make so much to their day. Its just something I wanted to share with you. In the photos you will see what I am talking about. Megan x

Celebrating the New Year

2009-01-02T10:40:00.001-08:00

I added this clip to give you a feel of how they do New Year here in Salta! I hope you have a laugh! I was terrified! Although literally what it was was a handmade firework display. They put a metal scrubber onto a rope and yeah, there you have it and told me to swing it over my head!

Mum if your reading this, don´t worry!! Perfectly Safe and have survived to tell the tale!

Count Down to 2009

2009-01-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

I spent new year with my favourite family from the Church here in Salta. We had a traditional BBQ and sat and chatted while watching the fireworks! Fireworks are totally huge here and incredibly dangerous and of course I was asked to set them off! I´m sure you can just imagine my face! I think I screamed so loud that the Church or maybe all of Salta heard! At 12 O´clock I brought out my Irish Tin Whistle and played the traditional "Auld Lang Syne". I had previously learnt two hours before, although it thankfully went ok. Bringing a little of our culture into theirs! At 2am all the youth met in the Church and we managed to play twister for 3 hours! pretty good going I think! It was a very enjoyable night and one that I will not forget! I hope that you all enjoyed yourselves and that this year will be a year full of happiness for you all! Miss you and happy 2009, love from Salta! xx

Christmas In Arggie!

2008-12-28T11:08:00.000-08:00

I hope you enjoy our photos from Christmas day! Different thats for sure! It was a Christmas I will never forget! Very, Very different from the traditional Christmas at home to be honest! We celebrated the main celebration on the 24th evening with a family meal. We went to Pape´s house and he had cooked chicken, salad, rice and pasta. It really reminded me of New Years Eve which was the only way I can describe it! We all had a count down to 12 oclock and then headed outside to watch the hundreds of fireworks in the sky! they have these things called Globos, basically laterns that they send up into the air. Really beautiful to see and experience! At 2.30 am we went to the Church where we met the youth to wish everyone a Happy Christmas and generally talk about what had happened in their houses for Christmas. On the 25th we headed to the a local river with our left over food and sat and sunbathed which was an experience that I didn´t think I would have on Christmas day! Normally wrapped up in your woolies compared to your bikini and sun cream! In the evening I decided to bake a chocolate cake and the 3 gringas sat down to watch Love Actually! Did I prefer Christmas in Salta? Extremely different! I love the fact here that the children aren´t focused on the present giving but I did miss the Christmas Carols and the rubbish Christmas Tv. Truely an experience I will not forget!

The Christmas Nativity

2008-12-23T05:10:00.000-08:00

After many practices we finally got in on the night! Here in Redentor we had our Christmas service last Sunday where we had our nativity. I was one of the three kings, Naomi Baltazar and Helen was Mary! Where do I start? Well I painted Naomi black for her part but she didnt realise that her costume was the wrong was around and because of the split you could see her white legs! Brilliant! Helen as Mary was meant to get onto the donkey, although that of course didn´t happen. It was more Mary trying to jump the donkey. Oh priceless! ok all jokes asides, it was really good and the set looked amazing! Totally different from home, thats for sure! No plastic doll in the crib, adults in nativity and generally very disorganised practices! We all had a fantastic night! hope you enjoy the photos!

Merry Christmas! Megan

My Baptism

2008-12-17T05:42:00.000-08:00

My Baptism

2008-12-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

Last Night I was Baptised in El Redentor church where I am working here in Argentina! It was a very special night for me and one in my journey of faith that I will never forget! There was nine of us being Baptised and they called our class the "children of the 90´s" which always made me laugh! This service was very different anyhow compared to a normal service mainly because they had the roof finished in the new church so it was the first service in the new temple. They began with songs and then began with the girls and finished with the boys. I was very nervous to be honest and forgot to hold me nose as everyone told me after although I never noticed! Also the pastor said a little thing about me but because it was so nervous I didn´t hear it. Apparently he explained what I was doing and that I would take a little bit of the Church here back to Ireland when I return. Particularly it was very special because my english student Luz recieved me out of the water after the baptism. She is a very special person here for me in Argentina and her family. Her husband is called Abraham who I met in Jujuy on my Cruzaders week but unfortunately he couldn´t come as he had to attend his own church as he is a pastor of a local Church. After the baptism we had some food and then the presentation of the certificates. A little girl called Michaela was also being baptised. She is the sister of 9 siblings and one thing we have always noticed with her is that she never smiles, her eyes look so sad. So much worries in such a young girl. Last night was the first time I have ever seen her smile and she said to me, none of my family came but at least I have you´s. It was so special to see her being baptised... she has so much potential. To be honest I don´t think I have ever smiled so much as I did last night. All in all we had such a special evening and although I have been christian for 5 years, my step in faith starts here.

Brazil

2008-12-09T17:24:00.000-08:00

Totally amazing, are the only words I can use to describe my time in Puerto Iguazu. After a near 30 hour bus journey, the excitement had worn a little to be honest. We stayed in a hostel and we got to meet so many interesting and friendly people! The first day we just took it easy to be honest beside the pool and went to see the little town which really consisted of tourist shops and that was about it. We went to the Iguazu falls which were out of this world. Really, the words and photos don´t do the place justice but all I can say is that I had the best day of my life! On the Argentinian side, you got up so close as if you could reach out and touch the water! we also went into the spead boat into the middle of the falls and got totally drenched. The quickest 13 minutes of my life but hey! We also visited the falls on the Brazil side and to be honest was a total different picture. Instead of being dead close it was a futher but just as impressive view. During the whole trip all I got called by Naomi and Helen was "David Attinburgh" because I took like 3 pictures, ok maybe 4 of wildlife. My dream has always been to see rainforest so of course I was in my element! One evening, Helen and I decided to go for a swim in the pool and of course, the lovely Naomi took all of our stuff which was a tad embarassing due to the fact the bar besdie the pool was packed! Anyhow ... we also go to see where the 3 boarders met of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay which is pretty cool to be able to say that you cans ee 3 countries at once. Thankfully, the visa renwal went according to plan and was straight forward unlike what the guide book had suggested. On the journey home was the most biazarre, the bus driver invited me to sit in the front seat with his collegues to drink mate (a tradition drink like herbal tea). For 3 hours we sat chatting away and having a laugh. At one point, imagine 1.30 ish in the morning the driver suggested I drove and the funny thing he was being deadly serious! His reasoning, there was no one on the read. Imagine Megan driving a huge coach! Brilliant. Well we def made friends and it helped break up the journey on the way home! All in all, we had a fantastic time, home a little more brown, a little more blonde and with thousands of photos! Have a look!

Photos of the kids and my students

2008-11-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

Saying Goodbye!

2008-11-27T09:30:00.000-08:00

Well this week I have had to say quiet a few goodbyes.. which is sad although I know that in reality it is only see you later! We had our last evening in the orphanage and we decided to have a movie night! yes popcorn, fizzy juice, the works! The children were so well behaved and as the leaders we were thinking, where have our kids gone? We were able to buy each child a pair of shoes to take home for summer time. The boys got a hand made pencil case and the girls got a handbag full of goodies. The relationships with the kids were really unique and I look forward to seeing them again in march when they return. Also this week, I went with Naomi and Helen to a place called mirador which is basically a Cristian ran home work club for the children in the local area to come to. As i mentioned about the kids beliving that santa chooses not to come to them, well Naomi spoke to her Church who kindly donated money. With this we were able to but the 40 children a Santa hat, a sketch pad, colouring pencils and a bracelet. It was such an special experiences seeing those childrens faces light up with such a simple little thing in ou eyes, although huge in theirs. The set up is amazing there. Located in a very poor area of the city, the children come to ask for help with homework before or after school and the center offer breakfast and a hot lunch. Yesterday was my last day in Uzzi College, the private primary school that I have been teaching at since I arrived. Although very different experience I must admit, the relationships that I have gained with those children are priceless. At the end of school each grade presented me with letters, drawings etc which are memories I will have forever. If I compare this school to the public secondary school, you can imagine it is different ends of the spectrum. Last week I said goodbye to my two classes which was very hard to be honest. MOst of the students closer to my age, we got on great. You can just imagine me, when Sandra the teacher wasnt listening, my speaking in spanish trying not to be caught. This was a good laugh and in turn they learnt some english! Not bad! I have started visiting a local childrens cancer ward in the center of the city. This is a very precious time in my week. A little girl called Jesica, to be honest she is amazing. So much hope and such a character! We just chat away, even sing which can be a laugh! God have given me so many opportunities here and although now i'm finishing schools etc I know that there will be many more to come! At the moment i'm trying to buy my tickets for Brazil which I leave for on monday! Watch this space! Will keep you updated!! Chau for now! MJ x

Reality of the work

2008-11-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

To be honest I thought I would give you a better understanding of the work and the history of some of the children. I'm sure by now everyone at home is preparing themselves for Christmas and the arrival of Santa Claus. The child here believe that Santa chooses not to visit them each year... when I heard this it breaks my heart although this is reality. Within the orphanage where I work, the back ground of the children wouldn´t be what they would be like at home. All the children have parents although the families can´t afford to keep the child at home due to living expenses. Its really difficult seeing the families visit and leave and the pain the child goes through after. What I can´t believe, now that its coming close to summer Holidays, (Dec - March) these children will be sent home. Many from abusive families etc and why I ask... the government. It makes me sick, 3 months is an awkful long time and the past few weeks we've noticed the children really unsettled. Only last week I learnt why. The other day when I entered my secondary school where I teach to find there was unsettling news going around that a pupil had smashed a window and self harmed herself. Your probably thinking this is a very morid blog entry. I just think its important to share with you´s that although everything is going so well, some things we come across when we are working is very hard and cruel. This has challenged me deeply and I think while away for what is nearly a year abroad, its important to realise that it has its highs and its lows. Please pray for what you have just read, that the situations will improve, for the safety and safe return of the children back to school. For Christmas, which is a family time of year, that those without the love of the family may have a bit of hope this year. Don´t be upset by this but just take into account that behind a mask can tell a totally different story!

Salsa Dancing

2008-11-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you can just imagine... Naomi, Helen and I trying to follow a salsa dancing class where the man doesn´t actually stop to teach you the basics. It really is a laugh to be honest but we love it! Well, the teacher, he is called Coco and constantly is looking at himself in the mirror. It really nice while i'm here in argentina to learn abit of their culture. It very different to what we know and its really enjoyable! I'll keep you updated on how my dancing feet go! MJ x

Good News!

2008-11-10T17:12:00.000-08:00

I have some really exciting news that I would like to share with you! I have decided to get baptised on the 14th of December this year in my Church. There are 8 people that are goin forward and its a really exciting time for us. We are attending the baptism class each sunday and learning more and more each time. Again, thank you for all your prayers. Megan x

Nations Night!

2008-11-04T16:31:00.000-08:00

What a night!! Our Church invited all the other churches in Salta to join us on saturday for a dinner and nations night. Of course we represented Northern Ireland. Well all had to dress up in costumes and to be honest the argentines look more scottish people which made us laugh! The day before we spent all day making irish dancing skirts and to be honest we looked a bit like pixies in them. So imagine this, a black waist coat which looked so cheap, white t-shirts and different shades of green for a skirt! For about 2 weeks I taught the girls some irish dancing and I don´t think i've laughed so much in my life. Bless them, they really did try but Naomi looked more like a farmer dancing to a barn dance than an irish dancer. Although it looked great on the night so we were over the moon although we had to do a drama thing at the start due to the music, hence the picture. Our theme was all about the conflict in Northern Ireland and how much the place has progressed over the years. Just relieved we didn´t have to sing again! The other costumes from the different churches where class, so much effort went into them. Countries including China, Mexico, Arabia, Mozambique, Brasil... the list goes on! Each country had to give a ten minute presentation etc which including belly dancing and dramas about drugs etc and of course our "gorgeous" irish dancing. The night finished abit like the olympic torch.. each country got a torch which we made and had to go up the front with it, totally beautiful!

I've added some photos! Enjoy and try not to laugh too hard!

Some Highlights

2008-10-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

Well the question really is, where do I start? I have so many...

I'm teaching english classes and being able to see the improvements of the students is really amazing to be honest! Having started with no english and having the motivation to learn is really inspiring. One of my students wants to come to Ireland to share the message of the Bible. Through these classes i've also been able to make good friends which is really class.
The young peoples meetings are pretty fun time each week, where they meet up together and share and generally have a bit of a laugh. In the Church, where most of the teenagers find it hard to leave the house without having trouble from the head of the house, so of course this is a time really special.
Also, Argentines now how to party! Don´t get the wrong idea but yes they have a day for everything. Day of the pastor, Day of the child, Day of the friend. Everything! Well so of course when it comes to birthdays, they know how to celebrate! We had 2 surprise parties this week and Helen my flat mate ended up getting her face dunked in the cake!
The orphanage is def another time in my week which I look forward to. The children just want to play games and have a good time. Being able to share with them has been amazing and hearing about their lives has been a real experience.
Oh how can I forget, Naomi, Jo and Helen. My house mates. So many funny times but also being able to be like sisters. Naomi has done so many funny things its hard to even begin to think.

Just generally having a GREAT time here in south america with SAMS. Having learnt so much and theres 5 months still left!! Thinking of you all!! MJ x

Megans Mental Move

2008-10-14T17:50:00.001-07:00

Times certainly flown by,
since I left that island of rain.
Its been nearly 4 months,
but i've still so much to gain.

The team left a long time ago,
but their presence is still felt.
The weathers quite different now,
we're all beginning to melt.

I don't miss Zara talking in her sleep,
or fearing she'll stroke my chin.
Keith and his english translations,
that really were as bad as sin.

Pape still talks about his dearest Ann,
but the Andes were her love.
Then theres the hero called Besty,
in their eyes he's soaring like a dove.

Now we come to the "Chicas",
who had a ball with Nelly.
They danced, sang and acted,
so good it could be on telly.

Now we come to the "Macho Men",
known as Santiago and Lee.
Living with good aul' Renato,
no wonder he didn't give them a key.

I keep being shipped off to Jujuy,
I'm really not sure why.
If i have to irish dance again,
I think i'm going to cry.

In Salta La Linda,
the work never ends.
In Church, Schools and clubs,
I'm making loads of friends.

I'm sounding like a true Native,
When I start to speak.
But there's nothing like good old Span-lish,
to get you through the week.

How could I forget about Naomi,
the cheeriest Gringa of them all.
She likes to drink from the bidet,
but her new husband isn't that tall.

There's a new girl called Helen,
who really loves pink.
But we'll turn her from her girly ways,
or so we'd like to think.

I've left the best to last,
the Rocker called "Cecy V".
She can't get enough of "Los Piojos",
or our Irish tea.

I hope you like my little rhyme,
it took me quite a while,
I'll bring these Argentine kisses home,
Just to make you's smile.

By Megan Johnston

Pretty quiet week

2008-10-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, its been a pretty easy week as I caught a virus that i've passed onto poor Helen. opps! Recieved some shocking news this week about a work in the orphanage. It seems that she was hitting the children, please just keep this in your thoughts. Thankfully she has lost her job and the children are safe again but of course are in shock. please just pray that this time is a time of blessing, of learning and general fun for the kids when we visit them each week. Ok i know this may sound silly, but please pray for the gringas driving here on the Argentine roads. My wee saying is, "I have confidence in me, but not in the other drivers". There generally isnt many rules but thankfully most cars are ancient so if you do get a wee bump, its like a big game of "Bumper Cars". So yeah you can just imagine. Just keep those wee points in your thoughts!! Many thanks, Megan x

Some Photos

2008-10-07T08:47:00.000-07:00

Video

2008-10-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

This video is of Juan getting baptised in the river is Misa Rumi. It was a really class experience, everyone gathered at the river bank and the pastor went in in his shorts to dig the whole. Really cool to have experienced a real water baptism since at home its quite different!

Megan in the middle of the Mountains

2008-09-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well I returned safe and sound after a 6 day conference to Misa Rumi on the Argentine/Bolivian Boarder. It was quite an experience to be honest! During the main conferences I taught 54 children in total, basically the Happy Hours that I mentioned before. Alot of Games, Songs and teachings which was really great. Although the children where soo shy as its a very traditional place so sometimes it felt like I was doing all the talking...no change there I suppose! One thing I don´t miss being back in the city is seeing your dinner being hunted and chopped up. I had to go with the culture so llama was for dinner all week, although when they said it was intestines stew I opted for the rice. Ok moving on, I experienced my first natural baptism. So about 200 loaded up in 4 dumper trucks and headed down to the river. It was a really class experience! Headed to Bolivia for a day and to be honest wasn´t very impressed. The streets were so dirty and it was sad to see the standard of living in some places. Made loads of new friends and am happy to be home again in Salta. Strange though as Cecy is away and Naomi is with her friend travelling so its nice to have the house to myself for a change. Back to work for now and waiting for Helen to arrive safely! Hope your all well, Megan xx

Chile continued...

2008-09-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a blast to be honest! interesting few days! Well thing about the place where we went to, our cash cards didnt work so we rationed ourselves to pasta every evening and banana sandwiches. We decided to go on two wee trips, the second was to the geysers which was pretty class. we had a 4am start which was interesting as there was a power cut in the town. It was minus 13 when we got there so you can just imagine me looking like a snow man with my 9 layers!! Boy was i still cold. The town was totally gorgeous and we were very lucky to find such a lovely wee hostel! The people we met were totally lovely! we met brazilians, peruvians, americans, scottish you name it! The scottish couple we met were lovely and we found out that this was their third year of travelling, totally amazing stories. Wish them all the luck and hope they return to Sunny Salta soon! One day we hired bikes and headed off into the desert! you can just imagine, totally in the middle of no where and struggling the sun. Really good though and we finally made it home in good time for a rest in the hammocks! We had such a laugh in that place, the first night Naomi managed to flood the hostels kitchen. Of course she turned the tap on that said very brightly, DONT TOUCH and I managed to fall out of a hammock. Really feel like I have left a bit of my heart in Chile to be honest. Its a place where I would love to spend more time in!

Chau!! MJ xx

Day 1 - Chile

2008-09-13T06:55:00.000-07:00

Naomi and I are in this gorgeous little town in the middle of the desert called San Pedro De Atacama! You can just picture it, white walls and 2000 people living here. Literally surrounded by nothing but its great! These 6 days are basically to renew our Visa´s and do some sight seeing. We went on this trip called Valle de la Luna, literally, valley of the moon. It was completely amazing. Literally looked like the surface of the moon, including sand dunes, valleys from limestone etc. you´ll just have to wait for the pictures! At the end of the trip you climb the big sand dune and watch the sunset. Really great day! Last night we went out with a few from the tour which was great and got to learn a little bit of portuguese! Just hiring a bike today to see abit more around the town and the old Inca ruins. should be great and have to get the old factor 50 on! Chau!!!

Chile

2008-09-11T14:19:00.000-07:00

Just arrived in Chile about 2 hours ago after a very long bus journey. We had to go through the Passport control which generally was an experience and more stamps in the old passport! Staying in this lovely wee hostel and hope to see some of the sights around this wee town in the middle of the desert! will keep you informed on how it goes! Here for about 6 days so if you can not get hold of me, thats probably why! Just heading to buy food as Naomi and I are shattered and are tummys think our throats are cut! Chau!! xx

Spanish or English?

2008-09-04T15:15:00.000-07:00

Oh it was so funny yesterday! I work in this pubilc secondary school and Sandra the lady I work with has told me to pretend I don´t speak a word of Spanish. well... Yesterday of course as teenage girls do, they where talking about me and laughing, just the normal thing about being foreign etc... Ha ha! I just couldn´t resist! I went over and whispered in her ear " I understand more than you think" in Spanish! Her face dropped, sadly didn´t have my camera! Brilliant, just couldn´t resist! I wonder how long it will take to get round the class that I speak Spanish....Opps

2008-09-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

Wow what a month its been! been really busy and its been brilliant. Really begining to get to know the people i´m working with on a more personal level. Thankfully my english classes are going so far so good and the people are making so much progress. Kind of puts me to shame when i think of myself learning spanish! Heading to Bolivia very soon which should be gr8, just hoping its a different experience to my journey to Jujuy! It was rather funny, the other day I headed to Cecilia fathers house (papé) and I let him listen to the beatles on my ipod. There he was dancing around the living room and telling me to dance (mind you he was the only one who could hear the music). Brilliant, its times like these where you wish you have a video recorder! The other evening was a laugh, silly Megan. I got on the wrong bus and ended up in the mountains although it was quite an experience! The youth sessions on a saturday evening have been brilliant and are taking a new turn which the youth are enjoying. The Hora Feliz is always a bit of a laugh, either myself of Naomi end up singing and making a fool out of ourselves. The worst thing is that there are so many names to remember and very easy to offend by either making the name feminine or masucline by adding an A instead of and O. Cecilia is away at the moment in Mendoza so Jo, Naomi and I have been trusted in the house. Jo is leaving soon which will be sad but it also means David is heading to Ireland to work in the Cathedral! what an experience and he´ll be brilliant for the Cathedral! Finally, every tuesday evening I have organised a vollyball session with the youth as there isn´t much on for them during the week. Please just pray or think about this time, that it will be a time where they can enjoy themselves, where we can talkto the youth or just even that we get the right numbers!! Many thanks! Hope your all well! thinking of you!

Megan cant keep her mouth shut!

2008-08-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

Well my poor room mate has informed me that i´ve started sleeping talking in spanish this week. An epic story as she described! although we´re even as she snores like a train! we work well together!

Boca Vs River...

2008-08-22T12:56:00.000-07:00

Football, football and more football! Very conterversial topic here in Argentina! well 2/3 of the country support either boca of river. apparently the ratio is 32% Boca, 30% River. so yeah, if someone asks you if you support football you have to be generally careful what you say! many of times ive had people "thats it your not a friend of mine anymore". so yeah you can imagine, megan standing there rather blushed in the face. Ive been warned by Cecy that I support River although i have no idea even what theyre like! Last week i was walking down the main street and seen hundreds of people standing outside a tv shop watching the match, bit strange i thought. then it dawned on me "Megan your in argentina!" But if you know me, i generally hate football so its a topic i try to stay off!

Its funny, when you meet an argentine for the first time, there is generally 3 questions you get asked as a "gringa(o)"
1. Whats your name and your american right?
2. Boca or River?
3. Do you have a bf, depending on what you say, generally the conversation ends there.
This is definetly a nationality that are very blunt and to the point. They have a general thing of calling people either "negrita(o)" or "gordita(o)" literally fatty. Thankfully so far my name is generally Ché which is fine with me.

Generally settling into the new culture has been fantastic, although the people here generally have strange eating habits. The other day i helped make the traditional food called "empanadas". well yeah, an experience and a half! they are a bit like a cornish pastie but supposed to look pretty! well it looked like a dogs dinner as my mum would of said!

Finally, thought id share a little about my church. Its called "El Redentor" and on a good day about 70 people would turn up. sunday morning normally is a cell group in different ages and in the evening is the main service. The church love to sing and clap! yes your hands are sore by the time your out! the culture here is to kiss everyone on the cheek to say hello and again when leaving. so generally this means your in church for over three hours. Going to apoligise now just incase when im home i kiss anyone forgetting! differences in culture...

Please just pray for the families within the church that have many problems. One main issue is that this is a culture where men dominate, meaning that if the man of the house hold isnt christian and the family are, generally it means the family cannot go to church. please pray for this.

Well hope you can understand a little bit more about this amazin place!! thinking of you all!
Besos, Adíos!

Noami my room mate!

2008-08-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

Naomi is the girl
with the rangy changy hair.
She’s really quite a hit
with her head free of nits.

Now concerning all the boys
She’s a huge,enormous noise.
For be they tall or small
She’s attractive to them all.

When it comes to saying ‘Hola’
Some advance a bit too close-a.
And as for speaking proper
Well…Naomi’s more a bopper.

Bopping to the Monkeys
she looks so very funky
And the wine…it’s by the bottle
My that girl - has she got throttle!

She’ll sing her way to fame
Yes, Miss Francey’ll make a name.
Hear her song about ‘My Pancake’
and you’ll know that she’s sure no fake.

She’ll sing even to a wall
On her own out in the hall.
Or jump an octave higher
Believe me, I’m no liar.

It’s all been caught on tape
by Claudio, her mate.
Still I wait for ‘The stethescope’
…One day, that is my hope.

Now, when it comes to bathroom etiquette
Well, she just don’t seem to get it.
As her flat mates hear her cries
they find ’surprise pees’ have hit her in the eyes!

She’ll always make you laugh
Coz she don’t do things by half
So take that trip to Salta
You’ll find you just can’t fault her!

Singing, Dancing and Running

2008-08-12T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well the second irish team leave today which will be strange not to have any other crazy irish people walking about the city. No more dancing but thanks to Harold they can now all barn dance! "el dia del Niño", The Day of the Child went really well, they had more than 60 children which is was a real blessing to be honest! we had such a great wee time with the children on the bouncy castle and just being able to share with them etc. Last night Naomi and I started our get fit programme. so we ended up in this really quite "vintage" gym and something really came obvious to me (while running on the treadmill mind you). You may not know this but Bueños Aires (the capital of argentina) has the highest figures of anorexia per capital. Last night just like home i suppose but i really could understand why there was such a pressure. imagine this, this old vintage gym, with some really old machines but the main thing was that they were surrounded with pumped up images of people and slogans that were demoralising. I suppose you could say we have that in our gyms, but not to this existent. No wonder there is such a pressure in a society to be figure conscience to the maximum where the image that is being protrayed is that you have to look a certain way and if not, your not worthy. finally what struck me was the fact that, most of the people in the gym where really skinny already and working so hard. I just wanted to share this with you as it made me really think.

Day of the Child- Hora feliz

2008-08-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Well i have now started to get into the swing of working during the week. The second irish team are here at the moment but we haven´t been really working with them. last night i started the one on one english classes which was brilliant! claudio and his son. was a really special time and now he has to say hello etc in english. its funny all i keep getting called now is "my english teacher". I have been working in Uzzi college with the kids doing drama and teaching english. Tomorrow I´m taking the class and teaching them about St Patrick which should be fun! We went out to see the monkeys again, they are a brilliant band! Oh my room mate Naomi is such a laugh! if any bad was going to happen of course it would have to happen to her. Last night she got into a water fight with the bidet (the wee extra thing in the bathroom beside the toilet). All i heard was scream and then she opened the door and she was drenched!!! i rolled around the floor laughing! bless her! Here in Argentina there are kids clubs called "Hora feliz" literally happy hour. probably not the type of one you may be used to. here the children meet together for like 2 hours funnily enough to play and learn about God. This happens every saturday and this saturday is also the day of the child. so of course we´re going all out with a bouncy castle and games. So my task for this week is to make puppets and write a story to go with it!! wish me luck!! i better get to it!! Ciao!! MJ xx

The First Month

2008-07-31T13:01:00.000-07:00

Wow!! Totally crazy to think that a month has passed by already!! To be honest it has been like a blink of an eyelid! So much has happened including the team coming and going and are many different adventures!! Well, while the team where here we did many of the touristy things. Oh by the way, if you didn´t know by now, i´m in a city called Salta about 22hrs north of Buenos Aires, which means quite close to the northern bolivian boarder! So while the team where here we worked in a area called solidalidad in the local church. The work was mainly interacting with some practical things for the church. We weeded this big area which if i´m to be honest was a big bit of dried earth and then planted some trees while the boys (sorry men) put up a fence for the church. During the week we played volleyball with the local children, dramas around faith issues and a puppet show. was a really fantastic time there, the people where so welcoming and made us feel at home. We returned back into Salta where Keith and Zara held "Romance Academy". This time was totally class! the young people of the church gathered and discussed issues of relationships etc which was totally new to them! This time was really precious! Ohh, how could i possibly forget! went to see a band called "the monkeys". They where a pretty good reggie band in this place called "cafe del tiempo". The team went together to the orphanage to play games etc with the children. when we arrived it was class as Cecy had organised for there to be a bouncy castle so the children where obviously so excited!! We taught some dance and songs in Uzzi College where i´m based 2 days a week teaching english to the youngest class for now. We had 3 trips into the Andes visiting places like "Cafeyate" and "Jujuy". Oh Jujuy!! such a wonderful place!! i´ll explain later! With the team we went away on a youth retreat. It was a brilliant time. We heard Keith, Rodigo and Raul share throughout the weekend. Some really challenging thoughts being provoked! we played kick the ball rounders, just because we didnt have a bat or small ball which was rather funny as when i kicked the ball my shoe went flying across the pitch! all i could do was run! ha ha! We all returned pretty shattered with the lack of sleep but there was a good turn out in church! the church services here are class! i love my church. "Iglesia el Redentor". The people are so welcoming!! they love singing and clapping and kissing. ok don´t get the wrong idea, its tradition here to kiss everyone hello and everyone goodbye otherwise you come across rude! it will be strange coming home and not kissing! beware! Overall the team had an amazing time and they worked so hard. the people of salta are asking me about them nearly every minute of the day, they really, made an impact. Thanks guys for putting 110% into it! i´m missing you´s! The night the team left was really a unique night. we all came together and shared in laughter, tears, photos etc. When the team left I was asked by the pastor to go to Jujuy for a "cruzadas" week. i was based about 45mins away from the capital in a place called Ledesma in San Martin. During this week, if i´m to be honest i found it very difficult just because the type of work. The Cruzaders basically knock on peoples door in the local neighbourhodds and spread the Gospel. We came across lots of broken families, lots of broken family and some very lost people. Please Pray for Amanda who is terminally ill with cancer. pray that her family will feel the comfort of God in their house. I give thanks for the people who came to Christ that week but i´m just really thankful that i´ve met some really amazing people out of it! A man called Abraham and his family. we are still in contact and regulary speaking english and teaching his wife. this time is really unique, that i´m learning so much in time where i´m meant to be teaching him. Yeah so as you have gathered life is quite busy here as i have 4 jobs which i´m loving! teaching english in a primary school, in a orphanage, teaching adults english and working with the pastor in Liteva book store. sorry well i´m going to leave the best to last! Naomi! My room mate and sister for nine months! she´s totally bonkers and has me in stitches 24/7! ok, sorry for the long update but it has been a month and that was a summary! Overall, i´m having a brilliant time and have settled in here like a duck to water. learning argentinian spanish which i´m finding it very odd from my spanish! The people have made me feel like family and of course i´m missing you all at home! i hope that you are all well. Keep in contact! i´d love to hear from you!! All my love, Megan