Adios Argentina

Ok, well, today is the end of the GSE experience in the Province of Buenos Aires 2011. 

My family has been super amazing again. Carlos got up and went to work at 4.30am just so he could leave early and see me before I go. I find that incredible and so sweet. My tin of 50 bags of Traditional English Tea doesn`t quite seem to match that generosity. 

Canuelas (yes, I have finally learned how to spell it properly) has been a great way to end the trip. We have seen a game of Polo, had an enjoyable late night meeting where our presentation started at 12.30am and then we had a demonstration of Tango and Carlos started playing traditional folk music on his guitar. We stumbled home near 4am! What else did we do?... We went to Buenos Aires where Dave and Sara went to the Boca vs River game - apparently it`s some kind of big deal in Argentina? ; ) Jerusha and I went to San Telmo and explored the markets, which we both really enjoyed. Lunch was fantastic because Dave and Sara were made to perform Tango in front of the lunch crowds. Very funny!

I`m now all packed and ready to go, just waiting to be collected. The trip has had its highs and lows, but i think it has been good overall. We have learned a lot about the Argentinian culture, met some wonderful people and hopefully made new friends. I would like to say my spanish has improved, but unfortunately that would be a lie. But I would also like to say thank you to everyone who has logged on to our blog to check out what we`ve been up to in Argentina. I know everyone has very busy lives so thank you for taking the time!

Right home time - although I have somehow lost my house keys. Anyone got a spare room?!

Ciao amigos

Zara

Home stretch

Ok, we are now in our final town having travelled from Chivilcoy to Canuellas this morning. I really enjoyed Chivilcoy and loved the house I was staying in. I know I always say that, but it is true that every family makes you feel so welcome and part of them, that it is difficult not to enjoy it (Plus Cecelia threatened me if I said bad things- violent woman ; P)

My cold is back with avengence. I blame the run earlier in the week. No good thing comes from exercise! Ever! 

We arrive in Canuelas and it looks lovely. Much smaller than Chvilcoy. We are only here until Monday, when Jerusha and I begin the long journey home. The afternoon, I took a siesta and it started raining. Every time we are promised to watch polo, it rains the day before so the game gets cancelled. It`s crazy to be here for a month and not see a game. However, we might be lucky enough to see a practice session, but only if it stops raining sometime soon.

I`ve decided not to go to a school to talk tonight. They were excited to hear from native english people, but with my cold, I hardly fit the bill! Plus i`m missing the dinner out, instead eating in with my family and having a nice early night. I want to be well for tomorrow because in the morning we plan to return to Lobos to see a horse therapy centre for disabled children in action. This is mainly due to Sara, who helps in this field, but it should be really interesting. Then we have the practice polo session and by the evening we will be giving our presentation to the Canuellas Rotary club.

For ages, i didn`t think i was getting anything out of this, but now that we are near the end, i do believe that my presentations are improving and my improvising/spontaneity is getting better. I hope other people think that too. Whilst i do feel that i am like this because i`m so tired and sick i don`t care so much anymore, i hope it is something i can keep going when i return to England. 

Anyway, i might have a lie down after my very tiring siesta.

Ciao

Zara

It had to happen

3.5 weeks, so close to the end but yes, I`ve managed to twist my ankle. It`s all swollen and bruised. Why does this always happen to me?

Typical

Enfermo durante tres semanas. Esto es muy aburrido!

Ill for three weeks. This is getting boring!

Conference at Mercedes is over. I think it went well - people laughed in vaguely the right places. It was to about 100 people on sunday morning, but after 3 hours of presentations in Spanish! I can´t say i learned much, but i can say they coffee was good even if it was served in ridiculously small cups. After the conference, there was a huge formal lunch to mark the end. As we were leaving, it was announced over the microphone and we exited to a round of applause from 150+ people. Such a weird experience, you can´t help laughing!

We are now in Chivilcoy. It is probably one of the larger towns we´ve visited, with approx 70,000 inhabitants. It´s very pretty, has some great shops and the Rotary club is really friendly. I´m living with a fantastic lady called Cecelia. I love her to bits, she´s so much fun and is really living life to the full - just the way she wants it.

Since being in Argentina, i´ve put on about 3kgs. This is horrific, as i was probably carrying too much weight before i even flew out here! On Monday, I went out with Cecelia and her personal trainer for a walk/jog session. I thought this would be a great way to see parts of the city and maybe catch a few of the sparse sun rays while keeping fit. This could be the new me. A new, fitter, healthier, positive attitude me. I never run. Physical exertion does not appeal to me. We set out. It´s pretty. This area is amazingly flat and you can see for miles. I´m with lovely people, in the sunshine, keeping fit. The first few walk/jog sections are good. I could do this. I could run and even enjoy it. Then the inability to inhale, burning lungs and amazingly sore legs start hitting me. I remember why i never liked running. I struggle to stop and start with every section because my hips feel so stiff i´m sure i´m riddled with arthritis and resent it happening to someone so young. It could not remotely be that i am just unfit. The worst thing - the jogging is few and far between and mostly for one minute, with an occassional two minute jog thrown in. In fact, we probably job 8 times in 45mins. I can barely walk for the rest of the afternoon and most of the following morning. Still, i´d done it and i congratulate myself on the Monday night for being good and giving it a try. However, I have a slight lapse when I´m at a lose end and someone offers me icecream. A big tub of dulce de leche and chocolate & almond icecream is delivered and I eat it. All to myself : (

Of course, when the personal trainer phones on wednesday and says he´s feeling ill and can´t make todays  session, i´m devastated!!!

Yesterday, while i was recovering, we did something in the morning (can´t remember) and the we went to a wheat production farm and we saw all about the genetic manipulations that go into making a good loaf of bread. It was quite interesting and I remembered bits from A-level biology, but not remotely as much as i should remember. We then go to a modern art museum and give a presentation at a rotary club after dinner. You´d be so proud of me. I had to do a presentation with no powerpoint and no notes. And i didn´t panic! (I was too tired). Ok, so it wasn´t great. Being in a different language is never going to be as punchy as if it were an english crowd, but i did it and didn´t spend the whole night reliving how awful it was (i spent the whole night thinking someone was trying to break into the house because ceclia was away and i was on my own and i kept hearing noises-it takes your mind off a presentation somewhat). 

Anyway, it´s really nice to hear that some people are actually reading this blog and I look forward to catching up with everyone properly when we get back. Less than a week left!!!! 

Hasta luego
Zara

Hola

Hola,

Conference went really well and we were well recieved. The presentation was really good and the team all performed well and recieved a huge applause. We then went for dinner with huge amounts of meat! Boy am I glad Im vegetarian!  They have been great for us given they are not used to having vegetarians to stay. I have had some amazing foods and have had vegetables that I would not normally used to cooking. Squash has become my favouite along with roasted sweet potatoes.
We are now in Chivilcoy, very rural around the city centre and really lovely. Not  tourist attraction and not some where you would ever find if you were traveling.  This morning started with another radio programme but having been on 4 TV programmes and many different radio programmes we feel very proficient at working on live radio!
Yesterday we went to a huge wheat and Soya farm. I always thought farming was so simple, plough, plant, grow then harvest and start again. But no apparently there is a programme of developing better wheat seeds that takes up to ten years of nuturing and evaluating plants.
Since last writing the blog (time goes so fast here and we have next to no free time) we have done many things. David showed us all how to ride but sadly he and his horse and he chose to go oppersite ways, one minute hey ho silver the next a meeting with the dust!  We have done vocational visits and visits to Rotary projects. Met town mayors and as said completed many newspaper interviews as well as being on radio and tv.  It will be starange to return home without the celebrity hype that follows us here. Also we have allour meals cooked and served and freindships from some really lovely people.....so who wants to come home?

Sara

Wish I was with you

Hello,
I am sorry I have had to leave beautiful Argentina. I have had such a fantastic experience and I am glad that I did get to experience some of this great exchange. I will miss the food, the sites and most of all the wonderful people I have met along the way. People were so welcoming to me and nothing was too much trouble and one day I would love to return and visit the new friends I have met along the way.

I want to thank the team for their support, they are wonderful people and I cannot wait to see them all!

A big thank you to Sara and the Rotarians who helped me get home quickly, couldnt have done it without you.

Love Sam x

Oops

Hola, Buenos dias. Slight bad start to the day. My alarm didn´t go off, so i checked my phone at 10.15 when i should have been up at 08.30am! Serves me right for not getting up when i heard everyone else moving around! I just assumed they were up ridiculously early. Oh well. I have missed the possibibility to ride our host families horse, but i can live with that. In stead, I had a nice read, charged my ipod and caught up on my emails, so not completely wasted. Except i am hungry and dying for a coffee. I don´t function without caffeine.

So we are now in Mercedes. It´s been an up and down week, with Sam flying home. We´re sorry to lose her, but had a great trip whilst she was with us. Hopefully we´ll see her soon. The main reason for being in Mercedes is to attend the district conference, where we will be giving a presentation on Sunday morning. We will be updating the powerpoint later this afternoon, so not at all last minute. We hadve a formal lunch today and then a bus tour of the city. It´s actually starting to warm up a bit, so maybe we won´t need the jumpers today!

Last night, we went to the opening of the conference. It was interesting as nearly the only word i understood was cena - dinner! The dnner was great.  They forgot the vegetarians and had made a ham puree spinach pancake. Once they discovered vegetarians, they attempted a claim that we could remove the ham from the panake. This wouldn´t really work as we would just be left with a miniscule green pancake. Interesting. They then relented and gave us the vegetaables from the meat main course which was potato gratin and mashed squash. Foruntately we´d had a nice big lunch. We had entertainment in the form of a siging duo. I really enjoyed it, but i don´t think it was to the taste of all the group. There were then three songs where everyone was on the floor dancing, so i promptly hid in the bathrooms until it was over. There´s only so much time you can spend there without looking strange - i´m not quite sure i pulled it toff!

Anyhow, I better go and get ready for lunch. Fingers crossed for coffee.

Asta luego
Zara