Tunesday Tuesday.

Remember in Gossip Girl when Dan and Serena get married and Serena comes down the stairs looking like a goddess while Florence & The Machine is playing this song?? I do, and it's one of my favorite TV moments ever.

 

Enjoy.

{P.S. did you also know that Florence and Blake Lively (Serena) are besties? True fact.}

The Marvelous City.

Oi. Bom dia. Obrigada.

This is about the extent of my Portuguese, yet for the last week my head was flooded with words I did not understand and I was at the mercy of those around me and my Spanish to get me around a country that is vastly different that I expected.

Welcome to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Expectations often don't meet reality do they? My trip to Rio was no exception to that. I planned about 2-3 months ago to have this vacation with a friend and about 4 days before leaving found out she couldn't go because of medical reasons. Being the planner I am, this did nothing but put me into a panic. I was not mad at her, ever, but rather confused at why God was separating us... what good can come from this and how am I supposed to rearrange a trip in such short notice? Really I was mad at science. But, I put on my big girl pants and got to emailing like crazy with some local M's in Rio that so graciously housed me and set me up with a local to be a tour guide for my time there.

Literally, saved. my. trip.

While I'm still not sure why God didn't want us to go to Rio together at this time, I know that His way is better and that He works everything out in the end. And He did just that. I had some fears before going about safety of being alone, and I have to say I never once felt afraid. Despite the culture and language differences, I felt completely covered in prayer and the presence of the HS. The family I stayed with was super busy the whole time, but made time for me and for that I am forever grateful.

Another takeaway from this trip is that I am thankful (not proud) that English is my first language, because it is a platform of communication for people from different nations. Also, I LOVE SPANISH! When I didn't know Portuguese and didn't see anyone around that looked like they knew English, I defaulted to Spanish. It looks like Portuguese, though (in my opinion) sounds vastly different.

 I was surprised by the number of international tourist I saw in Rio.  At the Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf, or at Maracanã Stadium, I hardly ever encountered people speaking American English... it was European accents or Australian English. 

 <<Funny story though... a man saw me in my chaco sandals who also was wearing chacos himself and wanted to take a picture of our feet together! I didn't ask where he was from, but if I had to guess...it would be the USofA>>

What else can I saw about Rio, other than the language? The food is amazing! The people are colorful and very friendly, cariñoso.  Rio was a good trip, but now that it's checked off the list, I'm ready to sit back and see  A R G E N T I N A.

Day 2: Maracanã

Day 3: Beaches

Day 3: Jardim Botanico

Day 3: Orchids at Jardim Botanico

Day 4: Christ the Redeemer

Day 2: These high school girls have a small group that I got to sit in on!

Tunesday Tuesday.

I bought a bunch of songs from Bethel Music last week, but this is the one that I can't get out of my head....

#BALife: Part 2

Six months in and I've learned a few things since my first #balife post. Mostly I wanted to share with you some hand gestures that I won't be able to leave behind when I come home. Then some other sayings or things that are just unique to here. So, sit back and come to Argentina with me:

1. This right hand which you shake back and forth and is GREAT. I don't go a day without using it, even if just with my roommate. It's great for exclamations... like, "What were you/they/she thinking?!" or "I can't believe that happened!!" I don't know why the girl is smiling in this photo. Normally your mouth is open and eyebrows wide.

2. This means anything in the past ... ___ times ago. Far away.  Hace mucho. All of the above. There wasn't a great picture of it, but it's good and used often...

3.   Qué sé yo? What do I know? I don't know! Not sure about something... just flick your hand under your chin.

4. There's another thing you do with your hand and you flick it when 'me cuesta mucho'. Something was hard, rough, and you're describing it to another person. If you're REALLY good you can make your hands make a snapping noise.  [sorry, I couldn't find a picture]
 
5. "si si si si si si si" never "si". Argentines, if you ask them a question, will tell you si 5 times over. Unless the answer is no. Then it's "no no no no no no" :)

6. Argentines are SO patient. I thought this when I first got here and it's something I was reminded of again today when paying a bill. I hope I get better at. I learned this when I got here that I carried my American ways with me that us USAns are FAST paced and don't like to wait. Argentines.... well if they have to wait 30 minutes to pay a bill, they wait and accept it. You don't see them complaining about it. It's what they know, and I appreciate that about them.

7. R-E-S-P-E-C-T when it comes to transit, anyway. This is more for guys.. and I love it! There is a lot of mutual respect among people here. Elderly and women with young children or pregnant always are given a seat on the bus. And at bus stops, guys always let ladies on before them (unless it's a really long line). I have this inner struggle sometimes if I'm in the front of the bus if I should give my seat up. Probably, when in doubt, the answer is yes. I've got some learning left to do.

8. Besos... we knew this was coming. I'm not surprised by this #balife, but I'm really going to miss it when I leave. Yesterday I made sure to kiss everyone before I left church. And today, when I arrived a little after a meeting started, I made sure to go around and kiss everyone at the table --which though seems rude and counterculture to us Americans, it would be rude to NOT beso them when I had arrived.

Well guys, there you have it. Mi querido Buenos Aires.

La Catedral de La Plata

Yerba Mate

Cabildo

Puente de Mujer :: Puerto Madero