I'm Home!

Well, not precisely.

However today for the very second time EVER since I've been here it's raining! And when it rains in Argentina it sure by heck rains! It already looks like an English flood it's raining that heavily. And I got rather drenched just walking to the church this morning... only a simple 10-15 minute walk. Ahh, I feel all at home now :) English weather, I love you!

So, this weekend was pretty eventful I must say.

Firstly on Friday night I realised I have an allergy to tuna, or at least Argentine tuna. I had amazingly big rashes all over, the biggest were about a forth of the size of my torso... and they were very itchy. I was slightly surprised in some respects, but in others not... I can't remember ever eating tuna before, I had it engrained into me that it was cat food... as that is what my cat eats. miraculously, the next morning I was completely fine, not even a mark!

On Saturday it was the Church's Birthday! Sooo... I have made this video for you :) It's not up to Ste Hardy's standards... but one day I'll get there!!! hehe

(Copyright POLLY! haha - music Hillsong United... in Spanish!)

I'll explain my singing with them. Basically, in one of the songs the soloist in that certain song came into the 'audience' and got people to sing a part in the song. I was sat with some people who knew I could sing so they kindly decided that they would get the woman's attention and make me sing... ! I apparently can't get away from singing wherever I go!

And the Sunday, once again we had Church in the evening! The Church is amazing! It's like Revival Church... but different! And Argentine! It's super cool. There are about 400 people, and there are even people who speak English, so can help me when my brain turns off :) They sing quite a lot of Hillsong and some Planetshakers... so I can thankfully sing along in English, when I remember the worrrrds!

Ok, I should probably go and get on with my work. Once this video has uploaded.. come on video ... dooo wap doo wap.

Amor xxx

New Names

So here in the office I've acquired a new name:

Polilla

This is Spanish means woodworm.

Why does my name always sound like so many other words with not the most complimentary meanings!? Now that is the question.

P.S An update of what I've been upto the past week inc. my trip will come soon... hang on! :)

xxx

I forgot to mention!

The first night I was at the home we went out to someone's birthday... it was amazing... they have food everywhere! (which is super tasty, no jokes at all.)

And the most amazing amazing thing was that on the way back because it was dark we were picked up by someone in the church, in a lorry/van. Sooooo cool! Like proper adventure like! Haha. In the pitch dark, all kind of crammed into the back of this van standing up with the backdoor open on the bumpyish roads... sadly I was slightly too tired to be over excited. But, wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Ok, off I go. That probably made more sense to me than to anyone else. Haha

Exploits of week one

Ok my friends! So now I've had a few days to settle in and find out more about what I will be up to this next year- and no doubt the list will grow!

For whom am I working? 'Jesus Warriors': an international network of young people working to make Jesus Christ known in their cities by using mainly the arts- hip-hop and street dance, music and multimedia. You will find out more about them when I have it completely sorted in my head! And... there will be a website in English soon! (When I have translated it!)

Where am I working? At "Iglesia de la Cruz" (Church of the Cross), which is located across the motorway/road from the home in which I am staying.

What am I doing? I am working in an office! This entails at the moment not too much until I become more accustomed to the Argentine way of life and a Spanish world! The best way to describe what I've been doing so far is official facebook managing and counting tshirts! And I am just about to continue with website translation after writing this. Again, when I know more about what I'm doing and why I'm doing it I'll tell you- it's not that I don't understand just i don't understand fully...yet. hehe

Where am I staying? In a home for girls "Convivencias" ('Shared living' literally), it's like a refuge home. There are 8 girls at the moment, from the ages between 12 and 17, and they are amazing. They are really welcoming and have included me already, and already think that I'm slightly strange... oops. I think it may be the noises... and faces; and for this I get at least a few stares at me per day. My room is basically overlooking a road and a motorway; so the first night when I hadn't discovered the beauty of earphones I didn't particularly sleep! Last night however I had the best night's sleep in ages, ahhhhh joys :)

I think that tomorrow I shall have a camera so you will begin to be able to see what I am seeing then! I can't wait to finally have batteries!

The next few days are going to be extremely exciting! I am going off to Santiago del Esteral, which is in the North of Argentina, with Jesus Warriors to do one of their many events. What this means I shall be doing I have no idea of quite yet! Apart from selling some merchandise. We have a 12 hour bus journey infront of us, but apparently it's verrrrry beautiful up around there. So ... eeeeeee!!!!

I have a feeling I've left off a lot of information here. This is partially due to the fact that occasionally I only understand half of what's going on, hehe, and partially because I know it is Spanish but my English brain hasn't accepted it completely yet.

So, the next update you have will probably be on Monday-unless I have no time to write :s ... I will MAKE time for YOU!!!! And, if all goes to plan, it will be illustrated- I feel I can convey more with pictures than words.

Ok, hasta luego mis amiguitos :) andddd, by tomorrow I shall also know my A level results!!! I'm getting slightly excited now!

Back to translation I feel... maybe after running around the Church building, I'm getting restless having been sat down for so long.

x x x x x

Bubblegum

I have good news!

The Church office in which I will be working a lot of the time smells like bubblegum; and really tasty bubblegum at that. Good stuff indeed! I wonder if this smell is anything like the fragrance of God?

The smell is so good that it's even turned the writing purple...! (For if you didn't know the colour of bubblegum-at least this smell- is obviously purple.)

:)

Welcome To Argentina!

I have arrived in Argentina!!!

Sadly my camera died on me in the first 10 minutes of my first plane, (and I still have no batteries.) So, my plan of making the most amazing video documentation of my 24 hour journey did not become a reality.

So just to fill you in:

• I didn't get stopped at any country for having 'potential swine flu' (result!)
• I made a Brazilian friend on my Switz-Brazil flight and we basically understood each other! (Portuguese is my next language to conquer, so it was good practice!)
• My scheduled flight from Brazil to Argentina had seemed to disappear. This meant I had a few hours in Sao Paolo airport- one of the most boring airports in the world- attempting to stay awake by watching the World Championships in Athletics, or to be more precise... Speed walking!!! That is one bizzare sport. if you wanted to know a Russian guy - - won.
• We flew over the Amazon river, you could even smell it from inside the plane. I can't describe HOW amazing all the landscapes are, how flat the land is (around the cities at least), and how huge South America is! It was so surreal to actually be seeing it!
• And finally I arrived!

Today and yesterday I spent with Kat and Niko and their family recovering and realising I have to speak Spanish!

Tomorrow morning I'm getting picked up by Ale and Lali-the Pastors whom I'm working for, and then I shall find out more about what I'll be doing!

Not much else has happened yet, well I'm a bit tired to take anything in, but I'm loving it here...they have amazing food!!! hehe.

I think it's sleepy time now. It's only 9.45 here but, as my laptop is telling me, it's almost 2 in 'real time'.

You will get more interesting blogs in the future, I promise!

Love y'all, Polpol

Welcome to the "Blog"

Hello wonderful world!

As I hope you can see, this is my official Argentina blog which I will be using to keep you all upto date and informed with all my escapades, and hopefully you will use it to keep in touch with me too (i.e. comment on everything! Talk to me! Let me know what's going on in your wonderful lives and on your side of the world!).

My plan is to update it pretty regularly- at least every fortnight- so keep on checking it! (I will be facebooking when I have updated it. If you do not have facebook but would like to know each time it's updated give me your email address and I will email each time I have updated.

I feel like spoiling you all throughout this year because I love you all so much, so therefore you will be provided with not just a written blog but also pictures and ... videos!!! Are you excited!? I for one am!

Ok, now you all know what is going on I shall finish typing until I have arrived at my destination (which, for those who didn't know, I arrive at on Saturday). Until then, mucho amor y besos (lots of love and kisses) y ¡chau!