Hazel and Fran Moreno
Rather than try to give an Argentinian perspective, which of course I am not qualified to do, I thought it would be good to describe my experiences, hopes, fears, delights etc. After all, most of you will know me and should therefore get something of a flavour of Argentina.
I am putting all pictures at the bottom!
After leaving our UK home in rain and, a rather long flight (15 hours) we set down in B.A. to a cloudless, sun-filled day at 25º Celsius. This was great at first but it was difficult acclimatising to it. I had one very bad night when I managed to keep the entire household awake, followed by two days of sleep. After that I felt fine - I definitely prefer the hot weather here to that of England.
Looking back, I realize that most of the time I have known Hazel, we have been planning to come here. At first it was just a nice dream that I could endorse without realizing what was involved. More recently, almost all our time and effort has been put into getting here. Then, after our arrival, suddenly everything changed. No more packing things into the loft, no more dealing with solicitors, accountants, estate agents etc., no more panicking about having enough time to get everything done. Suddenly, I am free to get on with the important stuff like learning Spanish! It's amazing to wake up in the morning not having my mind filled with trying to remember a dozen urgent but inconsequential tasks that need doing. Having said that, I am now sitting at a PC connected by broadband to the Internet and have thus become very busy with all those emails etc. and writing this account.
What am I doing here though? I barely know any Spanish and I am amongst a people more akin to Spanish and Italians than English. The church here is definitely vibrant. When Hazel suggested that we come out way back when we were first getting to know each other, it sounded very attractive indeed, though it is hard to put my finger on exactly why. I certainly think that coming here was a good move though. The best reason I can put forward is that by serving in Argentina, I can bring something of my Christian perspective to them and I, in turn, can benefit from theirs. After all, being in different cultures we must have learnt different things.
So, here I am in a far warmer climate surrounded by warm caring people. So far, all our travels have been unremarkable and trouble free. We spent the first week staying with Rámon and Fran (both friends of long standing with Hazel). They have a small house in a neighbourhood of Buenos Aires called Rafael Castillo. It's not a rich area. Only half of the roads have been paved – the ones the buses use. The pavements are not at all wheelchair friendly. This is fairly typical throughout the country as each house takes responsibility for the bit of pavement in front of it so there is no continuity.
Wherever you are, the food is great. Good beef, chicken, chorizos and morcillas (sausages that are are cross between haggis and black pudding). A lot of houses run small BBQs outside on the pavement. A lot of people have a siesta in the afternoon and eat their evening meal at about 11:30 p.m. This takes some getting used to.
The church in Rafael Castillo is pretty charismatic which is very common here. Most evangelical churches are involved in some kind of social work – there are no social services here. The church at Rafael Castillo runs a project for women who have been subject to domestic violence. They are referred to the project by the local judiciary so the church has a number of women and children living there. They tend to stay for three to six months.
So far, we have spent a few days in Rafael Castillo, followed by a few days in La Plata with fellow missionaries Stuart and Jenny Oliphant and their children and are now in Córdoba. We are staying in a small flat consisting of a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and a very small eating area. It is not ideal but is very good for now. It means we have some privacy. Rubén, the local pastor is looking after us very well. He arranged the flat, has fed us with many good things, and has shown us around Córdoba. His daughter-in-law will be teaching us Spanish. We met her last night and her English is very good. There are also a couple of 'striders' (short term workers from England) – Liz and Jo who are staying with Rubén so there are some English people to talk to.
So, for now, my first priority will be to learn Spanish so that I can settle in and get to know people. Then, I hope I will be able to see where I fit in to the church here. As Hazel has already worked in Argentina, her working Spanish is pretty good. I now realize just how daunting it would be to come out without Hazel. It is extremely frustrating not being able to communicate well. When Hazel first arrived, her Spanish was not much better than mine is now – all credit to her though – she had no lessons and learnt by simply being here with a well-thumbed dictionary in her hand.
Here are some pictures to give a feel of the place.
Hazel and Fran Moreno
Ramón and Fran's House
A car for sale (depicted by can on roof)
Ramón Moreno
Jorge de Kay (the Street)
The pavement
A Rubbish bin (elevated so that dogs do not ravage it)
Kingdom Hall of the Jehovah's Witnesses (Yes, they are here as well as
in England, as are the Christian Scientists and the Mormons)
Dalma (one of Ramón and Fran's dogs)
The church
The front door of the church (two plaques either side name the members
of the Step Team who helped build the church)
Building work is always continuing at the church
Project Office
The dormitory
The dormitory (again)
Some of the Staff and Women of the project
A women with her child
The church BBQ (We had some excellent lamb on this last year –
it does not look much but they are excellent cooks.
One of the children. (Taken by another of the children)
Children
Children (again)