Madrid is very familiar!

It feels like coming home! Arriving in Madrid and I feel as though I know this place! The architecture, the busy streets, the clothing the people are wearing, all feel very familiar. I even know where to look on the sides of the buildings at the corners about 10 feet up from the street to find the street sign to be able to identify the streets and know where I am! Madrid feels exactly like Buenos Aires! The sound of Spanish fills the air and mi Espanol es vuelve!

Walking the streets yesterday with Dianne had the same feel as walking the streets in Buenos Aires. Except, cleaner! No dog poop on the sidewalks! We have seen fewer dogs being walked than in Argentina, although one group did bring a HUGE Harlequin Great Dane (beautiful dog) into the restaurant last night as they sat at a corner table and had their drinks and tapas. The dog was amazingly well behaved and after it settled down in the corner you barely knew it was there.

It really should not have surprised me that Madrid would feel so much like Buenos Aires. After all, BA was founded and settled and created by people from Spain! It is that old colonial attitude still lurking in my brain that whatever we have in the New World (the Americas) is truly new and unique, forgetting that our ancestors arrived from Europe (most of them) and it was their culture which they brought with them. The connections are clearly here in Spain to see and it is one of those reasons I like to travel: to be reminded of our connections with the people of the past and our relationships at a DNA level with people all over the world.

I am posting a few pictures to illustrate what Madrid feels and looks like. In a future post I will add a link to more pictures. Buen dia!

Back in Miami!

All it took was a five and one-half hour airplane ride and my South American adventure was over! Yesterday Dianne and I had a rather uneventful flight from Lima, Peru to Miami and it feels like I have awakened from a marvelous dream. It was great to be greeted at the airport by my daughter, step-daughter and her husband, and my newest granddaughter. I have really missed family and it was a nice surprise to walk out of the International Arrivals restricted area to see them in the lobby and not have to wait for them curbside. It has been a full 24 hours with family as we had dinner with them last night and went back to their house for lunch today to visit with another long time friend who is almost like family.

But it feels strange to be back in my home in Miami. In fact, the initial feelings are that it doesn't feel like "home." It is the same house. My "stuff" is still here. My family lives here. But there was a "strangeness" to walking in last night. It is an early confirmation of what I was anticipating in South America that there will be a time of adjustment for me upon return. We are usually so caught up in the day to day "everydayness" of our lives that 8, 12, 16 weeks fly by and don't seem so long in the course of a year. Yet, in truth they are a significant passage of time. Twelves weeks is what I spent out of the United States, living in South America. It is a fourth of a year. Sixteen weeks is what I spent away from work on Sabbatical. That is a third of a year. A lot happens in those amounts of time. For me, a lot happened here at home that I missed. And a lot happened to me, that others, except through my blog, have not experienced with me. How all of this will mesh together to allow me to re-engage with my former life here in Miami will be a most interesting process. Probably as interesting, if not more so, as the Sabbatical experience itself.

For now, I plan to take my re-entry nice and slow. I do not plan to think too much about work or what I need to be doing when I return to work very much this next week. I plan to spend time performing some maintenance chores around the house. My wife and daughter did a great job taking care of the house in my absence, but some things, like taking down hurricane shutters put up as a precaution, they really cannot do. I also want to play at least one round of golf, it has been four months since I have swung my golf clubs. I plan to brush up on my Spanish lessons. Even though the last two weeks were spent in Peru, a Spanish-speaking country, most of our time was in tourist areas, where most of the service people we dealt with spoke some, if not a lot, of English and tended to assume we knew no Spanish. So, it was almost like being back in Miami two weeks early: in an environment where there was Spanish being spoken around us, but an environment where it was not necessary for us to know Spanish to function. In that regards, I am very glad I chose Argentina and not Peru for my Spanish language classes. I know I was surrounded by Spanish speakers and most of the 8 weeks I was in Argentina, it was necessary for me to know Spanish to function. It was truly an immersion experience that helped me learn the language. Based on my recent experience in Peru, I am not sure I would have found the same type of immersion experience there.

I also want to spend some significant time this week reflecting on my entire Sabbatical. I know this will be an on-going process, but I want to begin that process this week before work responsibilities begin to impinge on my time and attention. During the past 4 months I have done some reflecting on what I was experiencing, what I was learning, what it might mean for me moving forward. But now that I am nearing the end of the Sabbatical, I want to revisit those reflections, deepen them, and refine them. I want to begin to seriously contemplate what all this might mean for me moving into the future.

Initial Thoughts on Machu Picchu

What to say about Machu Picchu?!? It will probably be months, if not years, before I can fully put into words even half of what I experienced in my two days wandering this amazing mountain-top city. While it is not as high as people think (listed at 7,800 feet above sea level, whereas Cusco is 11,000 feet) it is still impressively located atop a mountain, with the sides falling steeply to the valley floor some 1,800 feet below. You can also climb several surrounding peaks, or up the Inca Trail to the Gate of the Sun (which Dianne and I did our second day here) which is another 1,000 feet above Machu Picchu for even more breathtaking views. (Actually, the climb itself also takes away your breath!)

Our first day in the ruins started out very cool, cloudy, and misty. While the clouds were not at city level, but above the closest peaks, they were still covering some of the surrounding peaks and deepened and darkened all the colors of the stone and vegetation. We hired an impromptu guide at the gate, Felix, who was very kind, fairly knowledgeable, and basically did what we hoped in taking us around in an orderly fashion to all the important spots in the city in about two-and-a-half hours. After that we had the entire afternoon to explore on our own. By that time the clouds had become the white, puffy cumulus clouds of summer afternoons with lots of sunshine and it actually became hot up on the mountain top. Unfortunately I was fighting a sinus infection wanting to turn into bronchitis, running a fever, and generally feeling lousy, so our exploring was somewhat limited. We did revisit some of the sites Felix showed us and took pictures and we did make the climb to the Watchman's Hut to take the classic postcard photo of Machu Picchu with Wayna Picchu rising up behind it along with some close-up photos of llamas grazing on the terraces. (We also played footsie with a llama as we were climbing down the 150 step stairway from the Hut to the exit level and the llama was climbing up and walked right past us.) We did head down to our wonderfully comfortable Eco-lodge, Rupa Wasi, in town a bit earlier than we might have if I wasn't sick, so I could take some medicines for my symptoms and take a short nap before dinner.

We awoke after a good, long night's sleep to raindrops on our roof and low clouds wrapping around the mountains. It did not look like it would be a good day to visit Machu Picchu, but I awoke feeling better than the day before and we had already paid for our tickets to enter the ruins, so after breakfast we boarded the bus for the 20-minute, winding bus ride to the top. By the time we reached the entrance the clouds had lifted and blue sky was beginning to show. So, we embarked on the 1,000 foot climb to Intipunku (The Gate of the Sun) which is the pass the main Inca Trail crosses and where travelers would get their first view of the city stretched out below. We took the climb slow and easy with several stops along the way to take in the view. There were also some interesting sights we encountered along the way - evidence that people are still worshiping in the ancient Inca fashion.

We came upon one spot where a huge rock jutted out over the trail with stonework below it that gave the appearance there had once been some sort of structure here, possibly a shrine. There were numerous small piles of stones, 3, 4 or 5 stones high, on top of the various walls all around this rock (which one could say bore a resemblance to a frog). Even more intriguing was the small group of women and a child, in a small shaded opening next to this area who were clearly praying facing the mountain (standing there with arms raised in quiet posture). A little further along the trail there was another group of stone structures which could have been some sort of outpost on the trail, or again, a shrine. Next to these structures was another large rock, this one laying on the ground, but clearly polished and shaped on top in one of the traditional Incan designs. Again, there were small piles of stones on this rock and in various other places around the area. But in addition, on one of the shelves of this rock were clear offerings left for Pachamama (Mother Earth), hard candy pieces and coca leaves. It is fascinating, and even a little heart-warming, to realize that despite all the Spanish conquerors and their Catholic priests did to try to wipe out the indigenous religion of the people, it still survives in some form.

While it is hard to describe, it is clearly evident when visiting, that Machu Picchu has a strong spiritual dimension to it. While the archaeologists have many, many competing theories about what purpose the city played, why it was built here, what are the meanings of the different structures, it is clear that the area held great spiritual meaning for the Inca people. It is clear that it was again, an area with a good water supply and a location that could be easily defended and would be difficult to attack. The fact that it survived in such good shape for so many centuries beyond the Spanish invaders is a testimony to the building skills of those who constructed it, and to its highly difficult to reach location. It is truly one of the wonders of the world.

(I have posted pictures with my previous two posts from Peru, so if you read them earlier, revisit them to see a few pictures. I have not had a chance to create Kodak Gallery Albums yet, so there are no links to more pictures, but they will be added in the next few days. Dianne and I are wearing down from all the climbing and walking, so we are going to be slowing down the "tourist type" activity the rest of this week and taking a more leisurely pace. I should be able to finally organize the Peru pictures and share more with you in a few days. So, keep checking back.)

Here, finally, are some links to Kodak Gallery Albums where you can see more of the amazing photos from Machu Picchu. This link will take you to pictures from Day 1 in Machu Picchu: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.bh2fuudi&x=0&y=-b3i3xa&localeid=en_US

From the "magical" Ollantaytambo

Sitting at a balcony window overlooking the Plaza de Armas (the main plaza) of Ollantaytambo with a huge mountain overlooking the town from the other side filling most of the window, I bring you another post from Peru! Dianne and I have truly been transported into another world, and it even feels, another time. This little town is at the juncture of two river, three valleys, would be extremely hard to approach in secret, and fairly easy to defend. It is completely sensible that this place has been settled by human beings for tens of thousands of years and still today. The mountains surround the town, almost embracing it in their arms, providing a true sense of divine protection.

We spent the morning climbing up and down more than 200 stone steps to visit the palace/fortress/religious sanctuary of Ollantaytambo. There is evidence of at least three different construction techniques, indicating most likely at least two other civilizations or cultures pre-dating the Incas in constructing this place. There are also marvelous examples of Inca construction, with the uncompleted Temple of the Sun and Temple of the Moon. We had a wonderfully informative impromptu history and archaeological lesson from Eugenio, one of the docents, or guards, at the ruins. The knowledge of the stars, the movement of the sun and moon, of geometry, algebra and other sciences involved in the construction is amazing. And so much of what they knew appears to have been lost! How sad for the rest of us.

After the morning climb and tour we had a disappointing lunch before visiting the local market with the people selling their handmade jewelry, woven crafts, etc. Much of the work is beautiful. Dianne purchased a few souvenirs and I practiced my Spanish. We then hung out in the main plaza waiting for the electricity to return so we could visit the Internet cafe and check email and I could post to the blog. Again, I am really sorry there are not pictures, but promise by late Sunday or early Monday there will be some added. So keep checking back for them.

Last night we had a truly gourmet dinner at the little Bed & Breakfast where we are staying. Dianne had a chicken dish that had a sauce which included the muña herb of which I wrote yesterday (the one that also is good for headaches!) I had an Alpaca Tenderloin in an elderberry sauce. It was pretty good (though not as good as Argentine beef, of course!) The meal was delicious and we plan to eat there again tonight.

The Bed & Breakfast is, literally, right on the train platform so when we leave at 7:00 a.m. for Machu Picchu tomorrow we do not have far to walk! Again, we have no idea what our Internet access will be in Aquas Calientes. Supposedly the town is very small and very primitive, although we did make hotel reservations on-line. But if there is no post until Sunday night or Monday, you will know it had been a difficult thing to do in that town. (Either that, or we were too physically tired after visiting Machu Picchu!)

Here are two Kodak Gallery Album links. The first takes you to pictures of the town of Ollantaytambo and the little Bed & Breakfast where we stayed: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.2avaio92&x=0&y=3ehek9&localeid=en_US

The second takes you to pictures of the ruins at Ollantaytambo: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.7i5a09ra&x=0&y=2ytn8q&localeid=en_US

Still Waiting for Dianne

The way life has been going recently, this is no surprise. It is 11:15 a.m. in Buenos Aires and I am still waiting for Dianne's arrival. For some reason, she was not told why, her flight from Miami was delayed 13 hours. That meant she spent last night in the airport Marriott in Miami (courtesy of Lan Argentina, with dinner and breakfast on them) and her flight is scheduled to arrive in Buenos Aires now at 8:25 p.m. local time. Complicating her life beyond that event yesterday was the fact that there were terrible thunderstorms in Miami on Sunday night, one of which knocked out the power at our home for several hours. It also messed up the Internet connection and the telephone lines, (even after the power resumed) all of which complicated her efforts to prepare to leave. But I just spoke with her 15 minutes ago and she was sitting on the plane which appeared to be on-time for departure. So it will only be 9 more hours!

In spite of this glitch, life is returning to normal and my outlook is definitely improving. This morning I was finally able to pick-up the locks to the closets in my apartment from the locksmith with the new keys. I had been very bothered about this because I did not return in time on Saturday to get them and he had closed. He remained closed not only Sunday (which was expected) but also all day Monday (which had me very nervous). On top of the anxiety it added to the fact that every time I had to go out since Friday's trauma I could not secure my computer and other valuable inside the apartment. Nothing happened (actually there is pretty good security on the apartment building itself), but after Friday, my paranoia is definitely on level orange if not red. (I think that is the order for the Homeland Security alerts?) The locksmith was also able to open the lock on my suitcase so I could put a new lock on it (the keys to that lock were also in the backpack) and again have access to my passport! So, the suitcase is now accessible again and the locks are back on the closets. I learned you can use a steak knife as a flat-blade screwdriver. (All sorts of things I am learning on this sabbatical!)

I am listening to the two Tango CDs I purchased this weekend as I write these words, so my attitude toward Buenos Aires is growing more positive as life slowly returns to normal. I was able to reschedule the taxi driver late last night when I found out about the change in Dianne's arrival, which was quite an accomplishment. He speaks almost no English. Plus I had lost his telephone number in the robbery. But I found it on my Skype history. I was able to find a late night locutorio (public telephone shop) to call him. He answered his cell phone so I did not have to leave a message. I was able to communicate what happened and renegotiate when he would pick me up to go to the airport, all in Spanish! (I did write it out before I called, but still...) So I am feeling more capable, more positive about things, than I have for several days.

I also want to say "Thank you" to all those who reached out to me during this difficult time with kind words of support and encouragement. Some did so through my blog, and some through direct emails and some on my Facebook page. All of your comments were strengthening to me and it was good to know I was truly not alone in this situation and, even though distant from me, I was still surrounded by a community of love, support, and concern. God is good and God does provide, almost always in ways we do not expect, but always God demonstrates we are not alone. Thank you all.

My last day of language classes!!!

Today I accomplished one goal of my sabbatical! I completed my six weeks of Spanish language classes. Yo apprendi mucho y yo comprendo mas espanol que antes mi clases. Es necesito yo practicare mi espanol cada dia, para que mi mejorar. (I have learned much and I comprehend more Spanish than before my classes. It is necessary I practice my Spanish each day, so that I improve.) I plan to do that especially these next two weeks while I await Dianne's arrival in Buenos Aires. I return there tomorrow (actually, I get on the bus at 2 p.m. and arrive in Buenos Aires at 9:30 a.m. Sunday). I have rented an apartment for a month and will spend two weeks alone as a Porteno, practicing my Spanish, enjoying the city, and just spending time reflecting and being. It will nice to have absolutely no requirements on me or my time, not even the simple one of class. I do need to practice my Spanish, continue my exercises, but that is not a have-to, that is a desire on my part. I do want to explore more of the city, but again, it is not a have-to, but a desire on my part. I did some of that my first three weeks, and I will do more when Dianne arrives, but these two weeks, pure and simple freedom for me!

I celebrated the end of my classes. Not that I am happy they are over. In fact, there is a sadness in me. Especially at the completion of these final two weeks. I strongly connected with my last teacher, Ani Kantar. I am not sure why, but she was an excellent teacher. Perhaps, it was because my skills had improved to the point where we spent much more time conversing and I got to share more and learned more about her than I did with the other teachers. I appreciate all my teachers, for each one helped me and gave me good instruction, but Ani and Ale (my second teacher in Buenos Aires) were special and hold a special place in my heart. I will always be grateful for the skill they helped me gain in learning to communicate in Spanish.

So, my celebration included: a bife y chorizo plato at Rock Chicken (the Argentine "fast food" place I pictured in the last post on food.) This was a beefsteak and pork sausage with a lettuce, onion and carrot salad and a glass of red wine (house). Then I had a celebratory drink at the Pilgrim Bar (again, pictured in the last post, through the Kodak Gallery link of pictures of Bariloche town.) I taught the bartender how to make a Rusty Nail! They had the ingredients, but had never heard of it. I taught him my recipe, which is stronger than most bars in the States, so any future requests will get a very strong Rusty Nail. It is very interesting here, when you want ice with a drink, most places provide you the ice in a mini-ice bucket! Very cute! And you add what you want. That is the explanation for the picture above! After the drink I walked across the street to the best helado joint (ice cream) in town (according to the guide books), Jauja. Since there are strong Italian influences in Argentina, most of the ice cream is like gelato, and this place is definitely that way. I had Chocolate Profundo and Praline. Excellente!! I have topped all that off with a cafe grande at Tante Frida's while I work on my computer. All their coffee, unless it is specifically labeled "Cafe Americano" is like espresso, even more than cafe cubano, and it excellent! Even a large size, is just more of the same! I love that caffeine!!!

Anyway, I am in a great mood having reached a conclusion and feeling like I have truly achieved something. Bariloche has been a great stop on my adventure. Each stop has been wonderful. Buenos Aires was a great beginning. Cordoba was wonderful for helping me learn the history. And Bariloche is gorgeous, very peaceful and tranquil, and was truly the cherry on top of the marvelous treat that has been Argentina.

I would really like to come back and spend more time in Bariloche. Of course, I would want to come back to my 6th floor apartment looking out on the lake!!! But where ever I stayed, this place would be a wonderful place to spend some time in the summer, trekking in the mountains, visiting the glaciers on Mt. Tronodor, enjoying the Lake. In fact, I would love to return and spend more time in Argentina, period. Those of you who have read from the beginning may remember my first impressions of Buenos Aries and Argentina were not positive. But I can truly say that after six weeks of living here, in three different locations, with four different families, I have come to love this country and the people. Learning the language has definitely helped, but also, spending a healthy amount of time, six weeks, has been important. You cannot truly get to know a place intimately in a two week vacation. It takes time. It takes the experience of living in a place long enough to begin to feel like a resident, to truly gain an appreciation for a location and its people. Unfortunately, most of us do not have the luxury of that sort of time when we are able to travel and visit a place. I am very thankful for the gift of this sort of time through this Sabbatical.

Signs my Spanish is improving

The primary reason for taking my Sabbatical in Argentina was to learn the Spanish language. (It was not the primary reason for my Sabbatical. Rather, 28 years in ministry without such a break and the importance of time for renewal for my spirit, mind, and body were the primary reasons. They are the reasons any and every pastor should be taking regular sabbatical breaks during their careers.) But I could have accomplished those goals in many different ways, in many different places, with a different Sabbatical. But a secondary, important reason for this time away from the regular duties of the pastorate was to have time to immerse myself in a Spanish-speaking culture to develop the ability to communicate in Spanish.

This past weekend I had several experiences that confirm for me that I am developing that ability. First, on Friday afternoon I had walked to town after school to withdraw some money from the bank. On my way back up the hill to the house where I was staying, a group of chicas (young girls) stopped me and asked me, in Spanish, where Calle Mitre was located. I actually understood them, and I was able to tell them where it was, in Spanish. Now I realize this was not a complicated task, but it all happened so naturally, without any great struggle on my part, which is the real indicator for me of my growing ability with the language.

On Saturday, I rode the bus up the lake to Porto Panuelo and took the boat excursion on the lake that visits Isla Victoria and the Bosque Arrayanes. On the boat I met a very nice young couple from Chicago, Tom and Jennifer, who live in the River West neighborhood and were vacationing in Argentina with almost no Spanish skills at all. I was quite impressed with their adventurous spirit. I also met a very nice young family from Tigre, which is a distant suburb of Buenos Aires. (Their two daughters are pictured above trying to feed the sea gulls crackers on the boat.) I spoke with them quite a bit, all in Spanish. They overheard me telling someone I had been in Cordoba, and the wife/mother was originally from Cordoba. They also heard that I was from Florida, and they are planning to take their daughters, about 6 and 9 years old and extremely cute and precocious, to Orlando next year. I also carried on a conversation with one of the guides about the Bosque Arrayanes, all in Spanish.

Then on Sunday I had what turned into quite an adventure. It was a beautiful day again, so after relocating to my new home I set out for Colonia Suiza. This is a little hamlet in the mountains where Swiss immigrants settled over 100 years ago. There is supposed to be a city bus, line #10 run from downtown to this little town, but I never saw one of those buses this entire day. Rather than wait around in downtown for one, I started walking west on the lakeside road, figuring I could flag one down when it came along. I walked about 5 kilometers and then stopped at a bus-stop to wait for a bus. I waited about an hour and finally decided to take the next #20 bus to Cerro Campanerio, from where I figured I could walk to Colonia Suiza. I did. It turned out to be 6-7 kilometers, up and down some pretty steep hills, over some very muddy roads. I finally found the town and enjoyed a delicious late lunch of Goulash con Spetzle followed by Mousse de Chocolate con Café chico. Fue muy rico! (It was very delicious!) I then inquired with the owner of the restaurant where the bus stop was located and she directed me, but said it would be two hours before one came. So, she flagged down her parents who were just leaving to drive back to town and they gave me a ride into Centro Civico. The entire 27 kilometers we conversed in Spanish! We discussed life in Argentina, in the United States, about the church, about politics, all in Spanish. It was the greatest kindness shown to me so far in Argentina and it was a real sign I am growing in my ability with the Spanish language.

In addition, I am communicating much more freely with my hostess and with service people around town (waiters & waitresses, those who work in the little markets, the bus drivers and taxi drivers.) Compared to my almost total inability to use the language 5 weeks ago, I am truly amazed at the progress I have made.

My Walk to School in Bariloche

When the weather is nice, as it has been the past three days, I can walk back and forth to school. Today was the first day I actually walked to the school, but I have walked home from school each of the past three days. It is 3 kilometers from the house where I am staying to the school, which is about 2 miles. On the way to school it is a nice easy walk, since most of it is on a downhill grade. The walk back is a bit more strenuous, not real steep, but definitely most of it going uphill enough that I notice it. All in all, it good exercise, the sort I would rather do than work out in some gymnasium. The reason I did not walk to school the first two days was I went to the city center first for lunch and that is a bit more strenuous. It is only a kilometer from the house, but all down hill (which is not bad going into town, but coming back, it is a killer and to add that to the walk to school seemed a bit much, so I took the bus.) Riding the bus in early afternoon with people going back to work after their long lunch and with teens going home from school is a bit like riding the subway in Buenos Aires at rush hour: packed in like sardines! So it is actually more enjoyable to walk. Especially when the sun is shining in a bright blue sky with no colds, little wind, and the gorgeous views I have posted above and in the Kodak Gallery link below.

Also pictured above are the school, and the people with whom I am studying. The tall woman in the center is Antonia Morris, the other student this week, from Australia, who is on her "gap" year (a practice in English commonwealth countries evidently where most students after finishing secondary school take a year off before heading off to university.) The woman on her right is her teacher, Carina Falappa, and the woman on her left is my teacher, Ani Kanter. Both teachers are very good, very patient, and very gentle as they assist us in our learning and our practice.

One reason I walked to school today is that I had identified an Italian Restaurant near the school that seemed to have very good prices and I went there to eat lunch today instead of in the city center. The prices were much better, although I ended paying as much, because I went for a special, Ravioli de ciervo con salsa de tomate. This is venison stuffed ravioli, a specialty of the region, as we are in the mountains and deer are plentiful. It was good, although stuffed in the pasta, covered in tomato sauce, there wasn't much of a distinctive taste to the meat. But it was good and I enjoyed lunch very much. Another evidence of the quaintness of the town was the horse tied up outside the restaurant, which is on a rather busy main road and not really out in the sticks at all. It was the owner of the restaurant's horse, and evidently he rode in to work from somewhere. I wanted to ask him had he used the horse to go shoot the deer in the mountains, but that was way beyond my Spanish ability to converse. I was able to ask him what the animal was called, which he explained it was a caballo (a male horse) not a yegua (a female horse) and I was able to ask if it was his.

My Spanish is improving daily. I am becoming much more adept (still far from expert) at using past tense verbs and I am actually beginning to comprehend the use of adjectives, adverbs, and pronouns for direct and indirect objects. I still struggle to create sentences, but I did tell a small chapter of a story which the teacher began and asked me to finish. And I am becoming more adept at understanding conversations to which I listen. I find I do best at reading. Probably because I can take more time, I am able to recognize the words and verb tenses easier by sight than by ear. I would not say I am able to translate very expertly, but I certainly can pick up the primary sense of what I am reading. I took a tourist newspaper to lunch with me today to look over while I waited for my food order and I actually surprised myself in my ability to read it and comprehend what I was reading. I must say, I truly believe I am learning this language and will be able, with practice, to communicate with others and understand others in Spanish. I am amazed!

Enjoy the pictures of my walk to school by following this link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=6d2p4u6.50t05coq&x=0&y=-frqww&localeid=en_US

The Snow Has Stopped & Bariloche es muy lindo!

I have been in Bariloche for two and a half days and I am starting to get my feet under me. As I told you, I was greeted by a heavy snow storm which did not stop dropping snow until Monday afternoon. Plus, Monday, even though it was still snowing, it was also warm enough that it was starting to melt, so the streets were filled with slush. To cross them was an adventure, because at all the curbs there was ankle deep slush, which was extremely cold, and athletic shoes were not really adequate footwear for such an occasion. Therefore, for the first two days I had extremely cold feet during my several excursions. These included going into town twice and to the school once, although it turned out I did not need to go to the school, since it had been suspended due to the horrible weather on Monday. Seems they lost their electricity, so they had not light or heat. They tried to reach me by telephone, but for a variety of reasons could not and I showed up anyway. Oh well, the adventures of a Miamian in the cold of a Patagonian winter! I didn’t consider it a lost afternoon, as I located the school, took the bus back home and figured out how that worked, and became better acquainted with my surroundings.

Tuesday the snow had stopped and it did not rain, as forecast, so it was a beautiful day. There were heavy clouds off and on, but in between moments of bright sun. When the sun was out I got a real sense of the beauty of this place and now better understand why every Argentinean raves about Bariloche! It is on a beautiful, large mountain lake with mountains rising out of the water all around it. The larger ones on this side, so I don’t see them as well, but from the school I could see Mount Otto, which is a small mountain really, but has an observation building with, I believe, a restaurant which evidently provides spectacular views of the surrounding locale.

With the snow stopped and it warming up slightly, the roads have begun to clear and it is easier, and somewhat drier, to walk. So, I walked home from the school Tuesday afternoon, a distance of about 2 kilometers, or a little more than a mile. It took me about 40 minutes and was good exercise. I want to keep up my walking, which I have been doing a lot of the past four weeks, so I can really surprise Dianne when she arrives in September with my new, trim physique. (Well, at least trimmer than I was when I left for sabbatical in July. If I can keep walking, I may just reach my ideal weight, which I have not seen for many, many years. Between eating more simply, which they tend to do here, and all the walking which I am doing, compared to at home, I am definitely losing weight and improving my health. My doctor will be very happy.)

The Spanish is definitely coming along. In my first class with my new teacher, Anna, we spent the entire three hours in conversation and I think I did pretty well. She is very patient in allowing me time to search for the words and the conjugations. She corrects my grammar gently and affirms me when I actually use the correct tense of a verb, which I am actually starting to understand, remember, and use. I did some work Monday and Tuesday morning on perfect and imperfect past tense verbs and I am starting to remember them. I really believe I have enough foundation now to move on and what I primarily need is more practice – much more practice, which I will continue to get for the next two months as I live here in South America. And, I know, all my Spanish-speaking amigos y amigas in Miami plan to keep me in practice when I return.

I am sorry I have no pictures to provide with this post, but the weather has been too lousy to risk taking the camera out and about. It is supposed to be nice the rest of the week, so first chance I get I will walk around town shooting some pictures to give you a taste of this beautiful, idyllic, mountain village.

The places I stayed and worked

Now that I am in Cordoba, I want to try to catch you up on some things from Buenos Aires. Tomorrow or the next day I will share with you more of my impressions of Cordoba. The pictures I have posted are of the places I lived and worked in Buenos Aires. As you can tell, they are not real exciting, but they do, at the end of my time in those places (lo siento, sorry) let you know where I went home to every night, where I went to learn Espanol (although I have been corrected by my hostess and her amiga in Cordoba that I am learning Castellano, not Espanol, lo siento, again. They seem very big on their historical connection with Castelon, or is it Castillo, in Spain, from which the language originated here in Cordoba. This was the original location of education, culture, and the monied elite in Argentina long before Buenos Aires became a center of government and the country.) But I digress to Cordoba, let me get back to the past three weeks in Buenos Aires. The first picture is of Senora Vivi Restelli, my hostess for my three weeks in Buenos Aires at the language school. The apartment of Senora Restelli is in the second photo. It was on a busy avenue, Avenida Cordoba about 10 blocks from the school, on another busy street Calle Callao, just around the corner from one of the primary avenues, Avenida Corrientes, which in this area is the heart of the theater district. (It is the Buenos Aires equivalent to Broadway.) Her apartment is the balcony immediately above the door to the street. (I posted pictures of the inside of her apartment in an earlier post the beginning of August. ) [So you get a true feel for my life here, I do not have Internet access for my laptop, no WI-FI in the home where I am staying, so I am writing this while sitting outside at a cafe where I have internet access, but no power access, and so I am doing this while eating. I am enjoying a marvelous steak Milanese Neapolitan with mashed calbasas squash and I just got my sleeve in the squash while typing! Such is the life of a traveling pastor on sabbatical! By the way, you did catch that I am sitting outside. It is a glorious 70+ degrees out today. Feels like Miami!!!]

Anyway this post has become far longer than I intended. There is also a picture of the building the school is in (at least the one I attended, it is supposed to move to a new location the first of September). The school is located behind the third set of windows above the Libreria Santa Fe. Finally, there is a picture of the building which houses the dance studio where I took Tango lessons, again, not real exciting, but it is located on the fourth floor up from the ground. It turned out to be a wonderful stay and experience, my first three weeks in Buenos Aires. Senora Restelli is a fascinating woman who reads a lot, thinks deeply, has some off-beat ideas, but was a marvelous hostess. It was a pleasure and joy to stay with her and I got a very good idea what many, many Buenos Aires residents are like.

The Things that Make Buenos Aires Home-y

After the three day weekend, I went back to school and language classes. But most important, I went back to my regular lunch place! Phillip and I found the Cafe/Bar La Nuevo Martone at the end of week one, after trying several other places and having so-so lunches. We fell in love with this place from the moment we walked in and sat down at the counter. The prices looked good, the food turned out to be very, very good, and the waiters very helpful, friendly, and hospitable. We were at home. Even though we struggled with the language, and for the first two days had to basically point at some other patron's plate or a sandwich or quiche-like tart in a display case to indicate what we wanted to eat it was okay. The first few days they smiled at us benignly, the patrons sitting at the counter around us worked hard to hide their smiles, but it was all very warm and cozy feeling. We went back there every day during the week after class the second week, and even took other students with us: Eve one day, and Rhys the last two days. Each day we went we were growing more able to order in Spanish, growing more capable of understanding what was on the menu, ordering with more confidence we knew what would be brought to us by the wait staff. Today, I went back alone and both waiters came up and greeted me: "Hola! Que tal! Como estas? Muy bien!" I ordered from the menu in Spanish, even asking for a half bottle of red wine (un vino tinto media) and knew what was coming and sure enough what came was what I was expecting: ravioli with meat sauce (but the meat is chunks of beef!, not ground up hamburger or sausage.) The pictures above are of the two waiters. The one behind the counter is our usual waiter, named Marcello. I have wondered whether I should go and try some other places for lunch to get more variety and a wider taste of the cooking, but I have decided that for the rest of this week what I need is a place that is comfortable, where I know I am going to get a good meal at a good price. I have been trying other places on the weekends, and I am going to Cordoba and Bariloche for the next three weeks and when I return to Buenos Aires I will be living in Palermo, which is too far to go to La Nuevo Martone each day for lunch. So, I have decided this will continue to be my place for this week, and then on Friday I will say ciao! Adios! and be on my way. (Although I know I will return probably at least once when I get back, and definitely will need to take Dianne to visit the "gang" and enjoy lunch there one day when she arrives.)

I have made it through two weeks of Spanish class

Today I completed my second week of Spanish language classes. My fellow student, Phillip Lolonis received his Certificate of Completion for 40 classes (basically 40 hours) of Spanish Language. After we had our final lunch together at our favorite local Bar/Cafe, La Nueva Martone (which was one of our best finds in Buenos Aires so far) he got on a bus for Bariloche, where he will scout out the terrain for me prior to my arrival there in two weeks. Actually, he is taking two weeks of lessons there so he can enjoy the skiing (at which he is quite experienced) and look for more good Argentinian wines. Above is a group picture of some of the students who were in school here these past two weeks, most of whom are leaving after today for other adventures or to return home. Therefore, I will have a private class next week, sort of a one-on-one tutoring session for my lessons. I am actually excited about that, as I think with the foundation laid this week I will make some excellent progress in that sort of setting for a change.

After two weeks of language classes and 15 days in total in Buenos Aires, I have become much more comfortable here and have a better understanding of my initial difficulties. I have traveled all over the United States; to France, Switzerland, and England when I was 18 years old; to Italy in 2004 and Israel in 2006, and I have never really experienced culture shock. I have always considered myself a very open person, accepting of different people and cultures, and excited to experience different places. I still consider that to be true. But I must admit that my first days in Buenos Aires I was reeling from culture shock. I don't fully understand why. Perhaps the weather played a part: it was gray and cloudy, cold and dreary my first three days. Perhaps being here alone: I have traveled alone in the U.S., but I have never traveled overseas alone, always in a group or with my wife. Perhaps it was landing in a big city which is experiencing very tough economic times and encountering a people for whom life is very tough right now. I don't really know, but I do know that by beginning to gain a grasp on the language; by meeting people, both those who speak English from the States, England, and other countries; and by meeting and getting to know local Argentineans, all that helps to make me feel at home and not such a stranger in a strange land. It does help me learn again, (a lesson I already understood, but which I now understand in a new way, at a deeper level of my being) the importance of hospitality to the stranger. A warm welcome makes all the difference in the world to someone who is a stranger in a strange land!

Yo comprendo Espanol mas y mas cada dia.

Spanish classes this week are going GREAT!!! We have a new teacher (they rotate your teacher every week to give you broader exposure to different ideas.) Se llama es Maria Alejandra (Ale)Yaconis. (Her name is Maria Alejandra [Ale] Yaconis.) Heritage is Greek and Italian. She has worked at helping us build our vocabulary, systematize our understanding of Spanish verbs, and worked with us in simple oral exercises to build our skill in conversation. I still have a long way to go, but her approach, along with the extra work I have been intentional about doing this week, has moved me along tremendously. I am beginning to be able to communicate in simple fashion around town. I am much more able to understand what I am hearing from people (especially when I can get them to despacio [go slowly] and repite [repeat].) I am also beginning to be able to read the headlines and understand the news headlines on TV. I still have a long way to go in understanding what the reporters are saying about the stories, but I was able to understand the story about the disappearance of tres emprasarios (three managers) who were in their thirties who disappeared over the weekend and the update today after they found their bodies yesterday and that they had clearly been murdered, in execution style. I am no expert, but I am beginning to feel like I will actually learn this language. (I still struggle to read what Antonia is writing in the comments, but I am even getting there, little by little. I go back and reread them each day and each day I understand a little more what she has written.) All of it is helpful. I think this weekend I will be able to post some more observations and reflections about life in Buenos Aires. But for now, I must study!

Classes Have Begun!

I am a bit behind in posting because Spanish language classes began on Monday, three days ago, and I have been very busy, between 4 hours of class each morning, afternoon activities, and homework! The classes began with us diving right in the deep end! La profesora es muy rapido! I am not sure that is proper construction, but for you English only speakers, my professor, a woman named Ana Lema, began in Spanish and continues almost exclusively in Spanish. It is a true immersion teaching technique. The class is small, myself and one other student, Philip, from San Francisco. Out teacher is very nice, very good, but she expects a lot! When we slow her down and ask questions properly in Espanol, she slows down and takes time with us. But then she is ready to move on to the next concept and away we go!

The second day I forgot my student books! Muy stupido! I left in a hurry and assumed they were in my backpack, but they weren't. So I had to borrow a book, take notes in my journal, and later transcribe them to my student notepad! The classes are very taxing. My brain definitely feels on overload by the time we finish. We have 4 hours of lessons, with about a 30 minute break, and the time seems to fly by. As I said, we move from one concept to another quickly. We have been conjugating verbs galore and I have learned that there are mucho, mucho irregular verbs in Spanish. There are a few rules to help with them, but to know which ones the rules apply to, you basically have to memorize them. As Ana says, that is why it is so difficult for Spanish speakers to speak properly, even those who learn from very young. And I always thought English was a tough language because of all the exceptions to the rules. Doesn't seem that way to me right now!

On a positive note, though, I noticed today that I am actually beginning to understand the teacher. So I have a feeling that my brain is actually beginning to shift. I have hope that by the end of my six weeks of lessons I will actually have some ability to speak and understand Spanish. But right now, it still feels a long way to go. Yesterday she asked us to compose some dialogues, similar to some examples, but not exactly, not copied, and I was stunned! We have been doing some verbs, but until today, very few nouns, so I was at a real loss. But I worked at it and came up with something. I do think the approach will work, but it is mind-blowing and mind-numbing at the same time.

A Beginning

The blog is up and running! As my profile indicates, I am a United Church of Christ pastor serving a local church in Miami, Florida. I have begun this blog as part of my sabbatical experience from July 1 - October 31, 2008. Having been blessed with a Lilly Foundation Grant for Pastoral Renewal, I will be spending the bulk of my sabbatical in South America with the express of purpose of learning to speak and understand Spanish. My hope is that I will return to Miami, where I have lived and worked for 14 years, better equipped to communicate with and serve a wider variety of people. In my years here I have learned very little Spanish, primarily because I did not need to in order to function. But it has become increasingly clear that if I am to better serve people and if I truly want to extend extravagant hospitality and welcome to people of Spanish heritage and descent, then I need to learn the language and some of the cultures which inform who they are and from where they have come. I will be sharing more thoughts about the importance of language, culture, rest, renewal, re-creation, travel, and on many more topics in the coming months.