Argentina

I am in the last week of my time here in Argentina. It has been a wonderfully terrifying experience. I have been pushed to use what little spanish I know by our driver, Omar, who takes us to work each day (the area the plant is in is not safe). I have wondered around a gorgeous city. I have heard why the Argentinians love Tango, believe that Las Malvinas (or the Falklands as we know it) are rightfully Argentina's, and why the government is hurting the economy.

I have traveled many places. Spent 4 weeks in Europe, been to the west coast multiple times, and spent a week in China. I have truly never felt like I understood another culture as much as I do Argentina while at the same time understanding that in no way have I fully grasped the country and it's people.

There is an amazing sense of pride in the country. These people love the land between their borders just as fiercely as an American loves our own country. Flags hang everywhere. Even more so than in America. At least a fourth of the Apartments in Buenos Aires hang the flag from their balcony. This pride in the country is reflected in their devotiom to the National Soccer team. I wish there was a comparison to be made between the devotion that goes into them watching football and the devotion that american's support of a sport. The closest I can compare is the dedicated to an American Football team or Baseball team, but even this compares pales because this is not an entire country is rooting for one team. We have that every four years in the Olympics but outside of those brief months every four years, our largest support of a team is City against City. It's amazing to be in a city that is almost entirely quiet as most of it's residents are watching or listening to Messi run the ball down the field in a "Friendly" match against Brazil. Hearing the roar of support when he scores a goal, knowing that the dull roar from inside Locos por Futbol (literally Crazy for Soccer, the best soccer bar in Argentina) joins other cheers from all different corners of the country.

Messi

This pride does not extend to the government. The government here is still trying to pull itself out of the economic slump and the people are angry and frustrated at the attempts because it is worsening the problem. The inflation is currently officially at 8% but the reality is much worse at 20 -30%. The raises given to our employees in argentina are around 25% because of inflation. In addition this is considered to be inadequate and frequently our employees leave to go to a company that can provide yearly raises in line with inflation. The unofficial rules around the trading of the currency make it impossible for companies to do business and as a result are leaving Argentina.

The one thing that the people wholly support the government is the sovereignty around Las Malvinas. Las Malvinas are a strategically placed set of islands (archipelagio?) near the southern tip of the country rich with natural resources as well as easy access to South America. The Argeninians believe 100% that Las Malvinas should be Argentinian (and to suggest otherwise is an insult). Signs are hung up all over the place.

Translated: The Malvinas are Argentinian

A little history: Las Malvinas were accessible to the native inhabitants of Argentina but were never inhabited by them. Since it's discovery by Europe there has been differing claims between the English, Spanish, and Portuguese as to who discovered it first. The islands have changed sovereignty over many years and the debate over who has sovereignty is still debated between the English and the Argentinians. I won't go deeper into the history as it is very convoluted but essentially the English Claim that Las Malvinas has always been a territory of England and is protected as such and Argentina claims that when it declared it's independence from Spain they included Las Malvinas in this claim and therefore, when actually frred from Spain's rule (and since at the time spain had occupation of the islands), Las Malvinas rightly belong to Argentina. (They invaded Las Malvinas in 1986 to try and assert this claim. America sided with the British and the British army ousted the Argentinians 2 months after the invasion)

Now The inhabitants of Las Malvinas have their own functioning government and that government, after a vote from the people, declared it's right to choose which country to which they will pay sovereignty (as the Island can not function by itself) and have decided to remain British Citizens. I mentioned that if this is what they want, then that is what they should have. I got a lecture that concluded with:

Jess: But WHY does Argentina want Las Malvinas?
Argentinian: Because it's ours

Makes noooo sense to me but that is the beauty of being here. I get to see how another culture thinks and reacts to the world. Like how when someone compliments us in America we become self deprecating but in Argentina they say "I know". The amazing way they make beef. The astounding and death defying way they drive (I swear there are no traffic laws).

I will be sad to leave behind a culture that I am learning to love and appreciate but oh boy will it be nice to be back in a place where I can understand people on the street when they talk to me.

PS Evita isn't nearly as big of a deal as Americans think.

My love of Reading

When people first get to know me they usuall find out 1) I am loud and talkative 2) I absolutely love to read.

There are two things, maybe three, that fed my love of the written word:

The thing is I didn't use to love to read. It was very hard for me to read. In first grade I was in the Red Robins. This was the lowest of three reading levels in WCCS Mrs Brody's first grade class behind the Blue Jays and White Doves. The goal was to move up in the groups and if you were in the White Doves at the end of the year then you got to put on a play. I wanted to be in that play more than anything but I didn't read well. I wasn't behind really so much as I hadn't developed the natural rhythm that comes with reading. I made it into the Blue Jays right before the end of the year and I didn't get to be in the play, which was Billy Goats Gruff. They had "costumes" and everything! I was determined that next year I would be in the play. I spent most of the summer reading. Unfortunately the next year in Mrs Bell's second grade we didn't have reading levels or even a play, so I never got to show off my new skill but the time I had spent reading over the summer had opened a world to a painfully shy girl who could be anything she wanted.

The second thing that really hooked me on reading was my dad. For as far back as I can remember he would read to us at night. Early on it was Dr Seuss: Hop on Pop, Green Eggs and Ham, Fox in Socks, and Doctor Seuss' ABC. These books were read with funny voices and always when reading the ABCs he would, and still does, have great excitement to read the letter O. "Oscar's only Ostrich oiled an Orange Owl Today" after reading that he would crack up at the picture.

As we grew older, so did the books. My dad would read CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia, giving voice only to Reepicheep who would have a high piping voice, and JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings as well as any other books we might have been interested in at the time (I was an avid fan of Nancy Drew). Every night he would pick one of the girl's rooms to read in and someone would yell "Dad's reading now!" and we would all go and cuddle up next to him. One of us under each of his arms and the other somewhere across the top of the bed above his head. We all loved reading along with him. A book would be read and reread. Katie, Kristen, and I (John wasn't old enough to know what was going on) frequently taking trips with the Penvensie children, Lucy and Edmund in particular as Voyage of the Dawn Treader was on the favorites. Books were not seen as sacred objects to be maintained but as an adventure to be drawn into. Pages were earmarked, dust jackets (really hate those things) were torn and raggedy, and blotches of pre-bedtime snacks made it's way on to the page as we handled the book.

Both of my sister's have amazing insight into books and now my brother is developing that ability as well. They can see the symbolism and the authors intent with foreshadowing and allegories. Katie has an English degree from UGA and both Katie, Kristen, and John were in Honors English. The family now reads (separately) amazing literary works like Catch 22 and War and Peace (I haven't been up on the Baker book club as I have read neither of these) but also fun stories like Harry Potter and the Hunger Games (these aren't really to Katie's and Kristen's taste though).

I feel blessed to have been giving the amazing desire to read anything from fiction to biographies (I highly suggest Dick Van Dyke's autobiography) and I hope to pass this love on to my future kids.

Read more about my awesome father in my sister's blog here

Lessons from Coach Mag

When I was younger I was on the community summer swim team. It was a big thing to do in my area. I loved being on swim team... well actually I liked going to swim meets and competing. I wasn't so big on the practicing portion of it all. For many years on the LMT swim team, us alligators and crocs (teams) had an amazing head coach called Coach Mag. He was an awesome coach and it isn't recently that I have really understood the influence he had on my life.

My family joined LMT when I was around 6. I can remember my first day of Swim team, not very well but enough. There were kids just as small as I was sitting on our stretched out beach towels getting ready to do some "dry land" (exercises not done in the pool.... if you were on a swim team you hated dry land for the simple fact that you weren't in the water). I am sure my parents were somewhere very near by as I was a shy kid and wouldn't do anything without the safety net of family or friends. There was a very tall guy standing in front of everyone, watching us all lay out our beach towels on the ground. I shyly walked towards the group and the tall man in front. I tried to go to the back.

"SMALL CHICKIES IN THE FRONT!"

Several of us shyer ones slowly made our way to the front of the group. Kids ranging from 6 - 10, maybe 12. The older ones had already finished dry lands and were well on their way to finishing their laps for the day. The tall man with the funny safari hat grabbed me gently by my upper arms and lifted me to his eye level.

"Do you want to swim?"

I nodded.

"Do you want to be on the team?"

......... "I guess" I whispered

"It will be fun" he whispered and set me back down.

From that moment on my summers were made up of swim team and being at the pool.

Mom, Dad, and Baby John sitting with the Barnharts

during one of our meets, you can see the pool in the background

Coach Mag, at least in my mind, was a tall benevolent Giant that pushed for your best   - I was terrified of him haha

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT YOU CAN'T DO!!! TELL ME WHAT YOU CAN DO!!!"

This phrase was constantly being yelled from the side of the pool as we swam laps. It is something my family still says to this day. Ok it usually is something my mom says when we didn't want to do chores. It hasn't been until recently that I realized how he was trying to change our thinking. I couldn't swim a 100 fly (still can't btw... that stroke is hard! I never got the flutter kick down) but I could swim a 50 fly. And if I could swim a 50 fly, then I could swim another 50 fly.

Many times in my life I have had the can't do attitude. It's time that I took Coach Mag's lesson to heart and decide on what I can do. Because if I CAN pass the financial exam, then I CAN pass the Regulation exam and then the BEC exam. I can't exercise every morning, but I CAN exercise for 45 minutes at night.

So here I come. Time to tell the world what I CAN do.

PS Anyone know what happened to Coach Mag?

You're Wonderful

"You're Wonderful!"

My mom has many wonderful qualities. She puts her family first all the time, she is an amazing organizer and planner, she can garden and has a passion for it, she maintains the family circuit of information (known locally as the Joy Daily News), she loves the crazy dogs that our family ends up adopting, but most of all she affirms other people. Her gift is one I can only hope to emulate. The above phrase is something that I have heard her say ever since I can remember. She usually says it as she is ending a conversation on the phone or maybe that is just when I notice it the most. This departing phrase isn't reserved for family but is also used for friends, both old and new. It rolls of her tongue so easily and the beautiful thing about it is that she means it. Every. Single. Time.

I asked her once why she always said this to people. I can't remember exactly what she said but the thought behind it blew me away. She said that it didn't cost her anything to say it and the other person may need it or may be it would be just something to let them know that they were appreciated. She became my very first example of what it is like to be generous, not with money or with time, but with words.

So, Mom, in case you are wondering - You too are wonderful