The Little Things

This will be a short one as I am in the midst of finals week right now, but I do have to update on three funny things that happened today!

1.       I was having lunch with some friends at a restaurant that we call “the red place”. I’m not exactly sure what it is actually called but they have some killer empanadas. Anyway after lunch we walked by the pet store next door and my friend Elizabeth (Beeza) suggested we check for puppies in the window. My friend Erika pointed out the only pet in the window and said, “All they have is a guinea pig in there…” I looked down at the ball of fur and immediately knew that it was NO guinea pig! I rushed inside and look who I found…

I started to tear up, missing Hootie and Margeaux!

ahhhh, I want to take you home!!

Is that not the cutest Shih Tzu puppy you have EVER seen? The Links are suckers for Shih Tzu’s and I think Mom and Dad are maybe actually thinking about letting me bring him/her home. They could’ve been joking but they asked me to find our gender and price tomorrow! DEFINITELY paying that puppy another visit!

2.       At the Hogar de Los Niños today the boys were begging Brian, another American volunteer from my program to teach them curse words. He kept saying “no, no, nooo” and finally agreed to give them the dirt and teach them a few palabras malas. They asked how to say “puta” (the b word) in English and without hesitation Brian responded “nice lady”. Then they asked him how to say “I want to have sex with you” (but in more vulgar terms that need not be repeated). Brian responded again without even the slightest smirk, “bake cookies”.  Now I would like for you to imagine the teenage boys that I work with asking me to drop the beat with my limited beat boxing skills and proceeding to rap “Nice woman, bake cookies. NICE WOMAN, BAKE COOKIES!” over and over again thinking they were dropping some intense cuss words. I could not contain myself. It was one of the high lights of my trip so far without a doubt. 

Photo cred: Pedro, photographer extraordinaire, age 11. We're working on how to use the zoom!

3. I found the extreme couponers of Buenos Aires in Burger King today! Check out that stash of coupons! Thought Mom, Mary Grey, and Ms. Linda would appreciate this!

Ok, back to other forms of procrastination,

Love, love, loveee,

Katy   

Más del Hogar de Los Niños

Last week at the Hogar de los Niños it was confirmed for me that the majority of the boys who live there are not exactly orphans. They have parents who either cannot take care of them or decided to put them in this home for boys for some reason or another. I discovered this last Tuesday afternoon when one of the boys I tutor had a visit from his mother. Last Monday was a national holiday in Argentina, Dia de la bandera (Day of the flag) and they were having a celebration at the Hogar on Tuesday. Pedro, pictured below, was so excited because his mom surprised him with a visit for the celebration. After about 45 minutes she had to leave and Pedro just couldn’t handle it. He kept hugging her and pulling on her, pleading her to stay. When she left, he stood at the front door bawling for about 15 minutes. I was working with Nahuel at the time and it was all I could do not to burst into tears as I listened to Pedro wail. I gave him a big hug and told him that I was sure he’d see her again soon. Nahuel told me that his mom comes to visit sometimes too but that it doesn’t matter to him anymore whether or not she comes and that he has grown out of crying when she leaves. He said that all of the young ones cry when their parents come and go and that some of the boys actually get to leave the home sometimes and spend the weekend with a family member.

Pedro, 11 years old

I cannot and do not pass judgment on the families that send their sons to this home but I cannot help that it breaks my heart. I don’t know their current situations or whether or not the home is a better option for their children but nonetheless I hate it for the sweet boys that I have met. It kills me that at age 13, boys like Nahuel have grown hard and numb to the harsh reality that their parents cannot take care of them for whatever reason.

That evening, I rode the subte home, holding back tears the whole way. I got home and Bibi, like usual could read all over my face that something was wrong. Standing in the doorway to my bedroom I tried to fight back the tears as I explained what had happened that day. We sat down in the living room and I told her about Pedro and Nahuel and what I had seen as I choked back sobs.

Later Bibi brought me some plastic cups, galletitas (crackers), and a couple of monedas (coins). She explained that she wanted me to take the boys some milk and crackers for an afternoon snack the next day and that her heart goes out them. I took her advice but knowing the boys, I decided that a big Coca Cola and bag of assorted cookies would be a more popular choice! They LOVED it. I did use the meriendas (snacks) as kind of a bribe to focus on learning English for an hour…but still, they loved it.

Man, I feel really blessed to get to spend a little bit of time with these guys. I pray and would be humbled that if they feel unloved at all, the Lord would use my little bit of time with them as encouragement and that they would feel showered with God’s love. I hope that they do not grow so numb to love or lack thereof that they lose all hope for this world that they live in.

Nahuel, who is REALLY good at drawing made this for me!

Con todo mi amor,

Katy         

True Life: Living with Bibi

"This is the true story of [two] strangers, picked to live in a house, [converse] together and have their lives [changed], to find out what happens when people [really try to be] polite... and start getting real."

So when I started this blog, I talked about Bibi and how welcoming she was and how blessed I felt to have her here. That hasn’t changed exactly, I’m still SUPER grateful for her…but I also haven’t been completely honest about our relationship, so I’m gonna get real.

Bibi is 80 years old. She is from Buenos Aires, Argentina and does not speak a word of English.

I, Katy Link am 21 years old, from the United States, and am fluent in English…and struggling to be fluent in español.

You can see why it would be hard for us to fully understand each other sometimes, not only linguistically but also culturally. She has helped me SO much to understand more and appreciate more about Argentine culture and that is an invaluable gift because I struggled a little bit with that at first. BUT we have had a few run ins. Here’s what went down:

Run in # 1:

I had just returned from Uruguay and Bibi had prepared a bowl of soup and small salad for dinner. I devoured the soup and then approached my salad. I found that it was composed mostly of large chunks of tomato with a few pieces of lettuce. Now, I like tomato, but normally on a sandwich or a few on a salad to give it a little umph and I just wasn’t feeling those big raw tomatoes this particular evening so I picked around them.  When Bibi noticed this, she said “¿no te gusta tomates? Te gustó tomates ayer.”  (You don’t like tomatoes? You liked tomatoes yesterday.) I tried to explain that I DO like tomatoes but that I just wasn’t in the mood tonight but that I would put them on my salad tomorrow. She BLEW up. She bustled about the kitchen rambling about how strange I am and how she had never heard of such a thing and how tomatoes are expensive and how she couldn’t believe I wouldn’t eat them. Maybe she thought I was being ungrateful or telling her I didn’t like her food, and I meant neither of those things. Needless to say, I was scared. You better believe I ate those tomatoes.

Run in # 2:

Bibi offered me an apple after dinner. I said I would LOVE one later but that I was full because her food was so delicious. (I am never turning my nose up to any food that she provides EVER again). I was doing my homework when I decided I would like to eat that apple. I peeked into her room and told her I was going to go grab that apple if that would be ok. I went to the kitchen and realized I still had my apples from el supermercado in the fridge so I grabbed one of those, trying to be considerate. When I told Bibi that, she sat straight up in bed and said “¿Hay un problema con mis manzanas?” (Is there a problem with my apples?). I told her no, of course not…that I was just trying to save her apples since I had my own. She got out of bed and stormed straight to the kitchen. I waited nervously in my room. She then brought the apple to my room and insisted that I eat hers and told me to eat mine at school tomorrow. No questions asked, I did just that…but I never meant to make her mad.  Eeek.

Run in # 3:

Every Saturday morning the cleaning lady, Claudia (who is SO sweet and fun to talk to) comes early in the morning to deep clean the apartment. Bibi tells me every Friday night that I have to be up and out of my room by 11 am. That’s a tiny bit hard considering the night life here in B.A. lasts ALL night but I do as Bibi says (that goes without being said I guess…).  I was up this past Saturday morning and helping clean up a little bit around the house. I left to take my laundry to the Lavadero down the street and when I came back Claudia was cleaning my room. She had taken EVERYTHING out my drawers, off of my desk, and moved all of my things from their normal place to clean. Ok, it makes sense to do that in order to really clean the room but when I returned I was really overwhelmed after seeing it. Bibi saw the stress all over my face and asked why I was stressed out. I told her that it just surprised me to see my room like that but that everything was fine. She then said over and over “Bien. Bien.  No necesitamos limpiar tu cuarto si tienes un problema”  (Fine. Fine. We do not need to clean your room if you have a problem with it.) Because of my language barrier, I couldn’t make it clear that it merely surprised me to see my things all over the place and that I trust Claudia and that I was not upset but Bibi kept pushing it and she seemed offended. Then I started to cry which didn’t help my chances of explaining that I wasn’t upset. At that point I was just so frustrated with my inability to clear the silly conflict up with a few words, like I could have done in English. Anyway, we talked about it later that night and cleared everything up.

 Ok so all of that being said…don’t get me wrong, I LOVE Bibi. I really do. I just went and sat in her room and watched an episode of Glee with her a few minutes ago. (I heard Lea Michele’s voice and bolted in there.) The concept of Glee is sort of hard to explain in Spanish, I discovered. Anyway, I am learning a lot about patience and being culturally aware. And Bibi’s sometimes obvious frustration with my inability to communicate fluently only heightens my desire to continue to pursue fluency in Español. Although our relationship has not been as lovey as I initially thought it would be, I praise God for her every day. It is apparent that the Lord´s plans for how I would grow through my relationship with Bibi, were different that I expected and I love her nonetheless.

Ok friends, thanks for reading! Coming up soon: Comida de Buenos Aires (FOOD, can’t believe I haven’t blogged about that yet), more from the Hogar de Los Niños, and hopefully a picture of Bibi (she always seems to be in her nightgown and won't let me snap a photo of her)!

Spending warm hugs and kisses from Buenos Aires where WINTER has set in,

Katy   

Feliz Día de Los Padres

Today is Father’s Day in Argentina too. As I walked around Barrio Norte and Recoleta today instead of the overly touchy feely couples sticking out like sore thumbs, ALL I could focus on were the sweet fathers with their sons and daughters spending time together to celebrate El Día de Papá. I decided to conduct a little secret photo shoot as I waited at the “shopping” (that’s what the Argentinians call the mall) for my friends. All of a sudden a security guard came up to me and asked me what I was doing and why I was taking pictures. I tried to explain that I am from the states and that I have a blog and that I wanted to compare Father’s Day in Buenos Aires to Father’s Day in los Estados Unidos…but he wasn’t having it. He asked me to stop taking pictures because I might be bothering other customers…OOPS! These are the sweet moments that I captured before I got caught…

This guy looks kind of mad...maybe he's the one who told on me! But his son is really cute and happy to be chillin with his dad!!

This dad is rolling deep! He's got FOUR kids with him!

AH! The CUTEST! I debated asking them if I could take a picture from the front.

This cute little one was playing the swingggg game with dad!

I really enjoyed creeping on families today and the outward expression of love that I observed from all of the fathers and their children was really a beautiful thing. I’ve blogged previously about the LOVE that everyone expresses here and that outward expression of love certainly includes families. Bibi told me last week that her nieces, nephews, and grandchildren in the states would never kiss their parents goodbye at school or in front of anyone and how much it hurt her to see that. I don’t remember if I was ever acted that way, but if I did...eeek, sorry Mom and Dad!. She also told me that sons and daughters here in Argentina do not normally leave their homes until they are married and that she liked it that way. That's a little bit different than how we roll in the United States. She always wanted to be an integral part of her son’s lives. I met Bibi’s son and his three sons Tomás, Guido, and Gastón this weekend. I could tell he cherished his sons as much as Bibi cherishes him and loves watching them grow up as much as she enjoyed watching him become a man. It was really nice to see their family dynamic. SO, all of that being said let’s do as the Argentinians do and love our moms and dads…and each other…and not be afraid to show it.  

Anyway, shout out to the one and only EDWIN LINK! Thinking of you today Dad, and missing you more than you know!

Happy Father’s Day to all and to all a goodnight!

Katy

The Earth is His: Hogar de los Niños

Sandi, Brandy, and me with Pedro and a shy Nahuel.

After my first day at El Hogar de los Niños, which was Tuesday, I decided to walk part of the way home instead of taking a bus or subte (that’s what the subway is called here) the whole way. During my 25 block walk, I listened to a song called “The Earth is Yours” also by Gungor. I am one of those girls who listens to a song on repeat until I can’t listen to it anymore.
(Can you tell I am on a Gungor kick these days?)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4EPnM62O8A

I think my mind comes alive as I listen to music and I feel like God speaks to me often through song. I liked sharing “Beautiful Things” and the thoughts that it provoked in me a few posts ago…so I thought I’d give it another go.

Back to my walk home from the children’s home the other night…as I walked and listened, I people watched. I thought about the stern faces of people rushing past me. I thought about the homeless man with his dog, pleading for a few pesos. I thought about the reckless taxi drivers and the strangers I had been forced to be pressed against on the overstuffed subte. And I thought about the boys at the children’s home who I am just beginning to get to know and already love. I have only been here, in Buenos Aires for a little over 3 weeks now and already my heart for this place and those people has begun to be changed.

A halfway crowded and muy calor Subte...yep they pack em in like sardines. During rush hour there is literally no room to breathe. Eeek.

The neighborhood where I work that the children's home.

The lyrics to “The Earth is Yours” include:

“And now, it’s rising from the ground, hear us crying out…Holy holy, Holy holy Lord…the earth is yours.” Psalm 65:5-8 is a beautiful picture of what I think this song is trying to depict too.

Psalm 65:5-8

New Living Translation (NLT)

5 You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds,

O God our savior.

You are the hope of everyone on earth,

even those who sail on distant seas.

6 You formed the mountains by your power

and armed yourself with mighty strength.

7 You quieted the raging oceans

with their pounding waves

and silenced the shouting of the nations.

8 Those who live at the ends of the earth

stand in awe of your wonders.

From where the sun rises to where it sets,

you inspire shouts of joy.

Not only is the earth with its trees and oceans His, but we…THEY are His as well. I know that seems like a no brainer, but for me it was a beautiful and much needed revelation on Tuesday night. When I arrived in Buenos Aires, I was terrified. I quickly learned that I am not a big city girl and after hearing about some sort of scary safety issues, I walked with my teeth clenched, my eyes hard, and with my hands tightly gripping my belongings at all times. I didn’t want to be the naïve one that got robbed or taken advantage of. I was a little bit angry at, scared of, and assumed the worst of people that I did not even know. As I walked and listened Tuesday night, my hardened and cautious heart slowly began to soften toward the porteños de Buenos Aires. I locked eyes with several strangers and could not help but flash big smiles in their direction...(I think it startled the majority of them). I feel like it is easy for me to subconsciously think about and pray to my Jesus or the Jesus of the United States. But the ENTIRE EARTH belongs to Him. Every person that I have encountered here, no matter their current situation, is a child of the same God that I worship. We all deeply desire and are crying out to the same God, whether we know it or not. I so quickly forget, as I worry about my own well being, that my existence here on His earth is for the sole purpose of living a life that glorifies Him, sharing Him with others.

Brandy and me with one my favorite niños, Nahuel. Nahuel is 13 and gave me a sweet bracelet today!

SO, I am praying that God will use my time with the boys…who are more like teenagers than children…at El Hogar de Los Niños to bring glory to himself and that he will continue to soften my heart toward every porteño that I come into contact with during the rest of my time in B.A. I'm seriously blessed to be here.

Sending love from rainy Buenos Aires,
Katy

Alpargatas.

Look familiar?

These are Alpargatas.

If you are a TOMS lover, I’m sure you know that Blake Mycoskie is the guy who started the movement that is TOMS Shoes. You probably also know that he was abroad when he came up with the idea to create a company that would sell shoes, 1 for 1 in an effort to supply shoes for impoverished children. BUT did you know WHERE he was when he came up with his brilliant idea?

You guessed it! ARGENTINA!

The TOMS design is designed after the shoes worn by los hombres del campo (men from rural working class areas) in the olden days. Now these Alpargatas are sold at ferias (artisan fairs) and zapaterias (shoe stores) all over Argentina. They are still worn by many in el campo and become a big city trend too! Here you can buy them for about 12-15 US dollars!

Today I went to the Feria de Mataderos in a suburb about 45 minutes away from where I live in bustling Buenos Aires. I was so pumped when I found these shoes and though they aren’t TOMS, they are a really cool piece of Argentine history.

Other pictures from the Feria de Mataderos:  

Sweeeeet Traditional Dance. Today was the...125th (?) Anniversary of the Feria de Mataderos.

Candied apples with palomitas dulces stuck on. They sell sweet, almost kettle corn like popcorn at the movie theaters too! (I went to see Que pasó ayer? a.k.a. The Hangover 2 last week and tried the popcorn.)

 Coming up soon...My first day at the Hogar de los niños is on TUESDAYYYY! prayers!

Sending LOVE from the land of the TOMS and really cool ferias,

Katy

"You Make Beautiful [interesting] Things..."

This is a post about some of the downright interesting things that I have seen and learned since arriving in Buenos Aires.  The title is inspired by the fact that I’m listening to a little Gungor (“Beautiful Things” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OR7VOKQ0xJY) right now as I write this post and because a lot of the things I have seen and learned are interesting and different than what I am accustomed to, but undoubtedly BEAUTIFUL in their own way.

The first couple of interesting beautiful things are just sort of funny.

1.       My keys.

I have a skeleton key to get into my house! SO beautiful. But I have 4 separate keys for 4 separate locks to get into my house every time I come home! A lot to remember!

2.      The elevators in my apartment.

Super old school. It has got two manual doors one like a normal door and one that you slide open and closed and it is SO jerky!

3.       Palomas en UBA…pidgeons INDOORS at my University.

“Hey! How did you get in here?!”

  

4.       Estampillas…SO big and cool. I just like them!

5.       Dog walkers. 

Whaaaat?! Can you imagine walking that many dogs? Man, if I walked that many dogs in my neighborhood at home where you HAVE to pick up the poop…I don’t know what I’d do. Bibi told me that one of the exchange students she had for a semester in the past started her own dog walking business. I’m only here for 6 weeks or else I might follow in her footsteps.

6.       Pesos to dollars in Uruguay. 

Check out that bill! $302 for LUNCH?! The pesos in Uruguay and 18 pesos to 1 US dollar. You do the math.

And getting a little more serious…

7.       PDA. Public Display of Affection.

Worse that Portugal, AP 10 friends. No lie.  Everyone kisses here as a greeting, women and men alike!

8.       Brutal honesty.

Over dinner the FIRST night we met, Bibi’s niece (who is probably about 55 years old) pointed out that I have acne. She’s a nice lady…but in the US that just isn’t nice.

Ok the reason those two interesting beautiful things are a little more serious is because Bibi and I had a real talk over dinner about our cultural differences last night and I’ve been thinking a lot about it. I mentioned how I am not a fan of the excessive PDA and how in the states, being as honest as they are here is normally taken as just being kind of mean. Of course, I said these things making a strong attempt not to offend her and she wasn’t offended at all. But she did share with me some of the reasons why people in Argentina act that way and do those things. She said that they live life with vigor. They speak their minds and share what is on their hearts freely. They are honest because they care. They love to the full and are unashamed to show their passion for the people they love. She kept saying that  "todos vibran” which means to literally shake with emotion. Tonight she told me that we have this one life to live and that the ones we love will not always be here. NOW is the time to love them and to SHOW them we love them. She kept saying a little rhyme…

“Hecho son amores, y no buenas razones.”

Which basically means, according to Bibi… that love produces actions and there need not be any other good reason to show love but love itself. What is love if you are not moved to take action for the sake of it, if you cannot live without it?  

How BEAUTIFULLY interesting is that? You better watch out Mark…I might be down for some PDAAAA when I get home…eh, probably not. Haha.

But anyway, having talked about those things with Bibi, I got to thinking…what if, I loved Jesus that way. What if the way that Jesus loves me, loves us, fueled us to SHOW it in every aspect of our lives? What is love if we don’t SHOW it? If there is ANY love worth showing, it is the love of Christ; our lives should mirror it. We should love so recklessly that everyyyone can see it. PDA for Jesus, for real. 

This is from one of the grave sites at the BEAUTIFUL world-renowned cemetery in Recoleta, Buenos Aires.

Loving you for the sake of Jesus who makes beautiful interesting things,

Katy

  

An Uruguayan Blast from the Past:

This past weekend I went on a grand adventure to Uruguay. I visited two different cities, Montevideo and Colonia del Sacramento. Both were so different than Buenos Aires and so beautiful. I took A LOT of pictures and I wish I could include them all here but this entry would go on forever! I much preferred Colonia del Sacramento over Montevideo so I’ll focus on the time I spent there in this little post! But quickly, Montevideo is one of the biggest cities in Uruguay and you wouldn’t know it because on Sundays it looks like a ghost town. I took the picture below to show how Montevideo literally STOPs on Sundays.

Ghost town Montevideo

This is the most beautiful sunrise I have ever seen. From the front of the bus from Montevideo to Colonia...I chatted it up with the bus driver.

  

[Back to Colonia…Picture yourself in a quaint colonial town in autumn. There was a light morning rain and the day is now overcast yet the air is cool and crisp. The brightly colored yellow, red, and orange leaves that crunch under your feet on the cobblestone streets make up for the lack of color in the sky…]

Ok now that we have set the scene, we can dive into the beautiful city that is Colonia. We kept referring to it as Halloween Town, like from the Disney original movie. It felt like it was time to carve pumpkins and drink pumpkin spice lattes…a personal favorite. When I asked for one at a coffee shop, I got a very strange look. 1. Because I didn’t know the word for pumpkin in Spanish at the time (calabaza in case you were wondering) and 2. Because pumpkin spice lattes just don’t exist in Uruguay or in Buenos Aires for that matter. I’ve found it interesting that I associate specific things from the states with types of weather. Even though it FEELS like fall/winter here, it is still June and July and Halloween and Christmas are far away.  

Anyway, we arrived in Colonia on Sunday night and stayed in a beautiful Radisson in the middle of town. Showering and sleeping in a hotel was quite a treat. We went to a restaurant called The Drugstore (shout out to Dad). It was such quirky, eclectic place with fun things decorating the walls. Dinner was delicious and frankly the amount of food was a little overwhelming. We had planned to go out after dinner but we all suffered food comas and crashed soon after returning to the hotel. 

Montez, Delaney, and Kenny across the table at The Drugstore.

Janet, a little bit bummed about the rain.

The next morning it did rain a little bit which was a bummer, but we made the best of it. I, being the rebel that I am (hah.), opted out of taking the walking tour around Colonia with our program and my friend Janet and I decided to take a tour of our own. We spoke with some natives in stores and restaurants and gathered some cool information that way. We took lots of pictures of the antique cars that decorated the streets and even had our own funny little photo shoot with a couple of the beautiful wooden doors paired with stone buildings. I wondered why Colonia gave me such dejavú and after talking to a waiter outside of a local restaurant I learned that Colonia del Sacramento is the only Portuguese colony along the Rio de la Plata. The houses are built in Portuguese style and resemble old Lisbon. I only spent a short amount of time in Lisbon, Portugal last summer during a layover, but this community reminded me SO much of the Island of Terceira that I fell in love with last summer. 

Check out those pensive shots...and the really cool houses of course! WAY more fun than a walking tour con un guia que no entiendes!

 

 AH! Forgot to mention some interesting cuisine that Janet and I tried in Colonia. It is called Tortas Fritas and it is just a big delicious piece of fried dough. You can only buy them from street vendors and they are SUPER cheap. 1 Torta Frita only costs 10 Uruguayan pesos. The Uruguayan peso is 18 to 1 to the American dollar, so it only cost about 55 cents give or take.  

YUMMM.

I was sad to leave Colonia and return to the big city on Monday night but Buenos Aires is where I belong for now. Colonia is only a 45 boat ride across the Rio de la Plata…so maybe I’ll go back! When I got back to Buenos Aires, I put my big city girl pants back on and ventured out to find a bus (there are probably about 300 hundred or more DIFFERENT bus lines to choose from) nearby that would get me from the port to somewhere close to my apartamento. I was successful in doing so and am now safe back in Buenos Aires.

Gracias por leer mis amores,

Katy