Just a Teaser...

Don't forget that you also have a great place to stay!

Without Meat Once More?

Again, we are headed to the supermarkets and preparing our food storage because it appears that after a 30 day "peace period" between Argentine Farmers and the President, no progress has been made. For 3 weeks in March, Farmers protested and went on strike by not allowing delivery trucks from the provinces into the city with food. Major grocery stores were barren and meat was something to be pulled from your freezer. Many restaurants, including well-known grills, did not have meat to serve to its guests. The farmers were well organized when they cut off these truck routes, but the government is hoping that the farmers will not be as successful at mobilizing this time. She has cancelled scheduled meetings with grain farmers and will not budge on her stand with the meat farmers after making promises of compromise in order to get the farmers to back down for the past month. Kirchner is losing major public support.

Inflation here is out-of-control and is affecting us greatly. Caps are held on prices of items monitored by foreign investment banks, however independent organizations speculate that inflation is somewhere between 20-35%. Just since our arrival in November, prices have soared. The kids are in local Argentine schools where the year begins in March. Both school have increased prices (the more expensive one by 12.5%) since school began to make up for increased operating costs. The only thing that softens the blow is the increasing value of the dollar to the peso.

Here is an interesting article with further explanation from the New York Times:

In Argentina’s Grain Belt, Farmers Revolt Over Taxes

Halloween 2007

Steve has finished cutting and editing our home videos from the past year. This was our last night with friends before we moved and the only one small enough to actually post. Thanks for a fun night and way too much candy!



For those of you bored by 4 minutes of trick or treating, skip through about halfway to the Dancing Pumpkin. :)

The Mormon Truths

My friend Laura had this link to The Truth About Mormons on her blog, which she found on Tiffany's blog. (I don't know Tiffany, but man would I like to know Gabriele, the author of the noted post!)

For more information about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

Newsroom: The Official Resource for News Media, Opinion Leaders, and the Public

Mormon.org

Family Day with Our Tiger

We spent the afternoon at Abe's school, getting our faces painted, jumping on inflatables, eating chorizo, fishing, doing the army crawl and supporting the PTO. It was a beautiful day and a great excuse to be outside!

Abasto Mall Children's Museum

This is one of, if the the most, beautiful children's museum that I have ever been to. It is jam packed with so many fun interactive activities for the kids. There is a mini-Mcdonalds, mini-grocery store and mini gas station for the kids to make sandwiches and use fake money to buy items from the store. On the other side of the mall, there is also an indoor carnival and amusement park rides. The rides are well-done, but not as impressive as the amount of rides that they have been able to fit into a small space. The mall also boasts the only Kosher McDonalds outside of Israel. I wish that I had more photos to share, but we were too busy playing and running after the kids to have much time for the camera. Therefore, the pictures without the kids are ones that I found on flickr and have linked back to the photographer as not to take credit for their work.


At the entrance

Playing in the Gas Station

Riding on the Ferris Wheel

Friends

Yerba Mate

Mate is not just a warm soothing tea-like drink, it is a national pastime for Argentines. I have heard it referred to as the drink of "Health and Friendship". In Buenos Aires, the gourds are carved from wood or made of leather with a special silver straw which contains a filter and are carried around for use throughout the day. Public trash cans are often lined with the leftover herbs. Although local members and Argentines reassure me that there are far more health benefits than that of coffee and tea, I do not see this as one of our new daily indulgences.

The first time that I heard of Mate Cocido was when Steve went to Youth Conference with our church the weekend of Semana Santa. Mate Cocido is made in large batches with "tea-bag" like packs and hot water and is not as concentrated as it is in the other form.

I give you this short cultural background as to explain the following conversation I had with Peyton today when I picked her up from school.

M: How was school today, sweetheart?
P: I don't want the hot juice.
M: Was it yummy?
P: No, I don't like it.
M: Did you have water instead?
P: No, I just want it warm. (a.k.a. I don't like it)

Today was first day of Mate for the class of 2 year olds. This is what they will have for snack most days, coupled with crackers or cookies. Apparently, they begin helping them to acquire the taste when they are young. I still am not sure how I feel about a toddlers daily consumption of the mate, but we are in Argentina.

Updated: Here is a brief video from the Today Show.

Shift in the wind

The wind has changed directions (which is extremely unfortunate for Rosario). The smoke is no longer billowing down our streets (causing the majority of us painful headaches) and all of my windows are open! I don't know how long it will stay away as the fires are still out-of-control, but for today, I count my blessings.

Wild Fires

Brush fires north of Buenos Aires have created a hazy, smoke filled city. Some speculate that it may have been the Farm Protesters who set the fires, but no one knows how they were caused. The city continues to send more fireman to the Northern Province. Don't let me give you the wrong idea, they are not in our backyard, but the southernly winds are blowing right in our direction.

We just received this warning from the Embassy:

Land fires generate a complex mixture of many pollutants which have acutely irritating health effects which can exacerbate existing health conditions and/or bring on symptoms in healthy people. The pollutants generated by fires, unlike normal everyday activities, are particularly difficult to remove from the air stream due to their chemical and physical properties (extremely small sizes, gaseous) and concentration in the outdoor air. Because of this they are permeating into occupied spaces like housing units and office buildings. A very important step in dealing with this is to minimize exposure to the outdoor air and minimize infiltration of the outdoor air into the indoor environment.

All post personnel are advised of the following methods to minimize exposure to air pollution during this event, those with respiratory problems such as asthma should take particular care:

Limiting time and activity outdoors;
Reducing the air exchange rate between the indoor and outdoor environment by closing windows and implementing weatherizing techniques such as taping up windows, doors, and any openings to the outside, limiting the use of household exhaust fans in the bathroom and the kitchen range hood;
Staying in air conditioning spaces with the unit set on recirculation;
Refraining from exercise - exercise leads to increased respiration, bypasses the effective filtering of the nose and results in increased lung exposure;
Reducing use of tobacco products and other smokeable items;
Minimize children's outdoor play;
Driving with the air conditioning on in automobiles with the air supply set on recirculation.

You should also drink plenty of liquids and use eye drops for eye irritation. Those with respiratory problems should ensure they have an adequate supply of medications on hand. The use of disposable dust masks is not recommended due to their inability to adequaltely provide protection in this type of event.

Where Is He?

... there is a trail of clothes through the house - underwear, pants, socks, shirt, and a sweatshirt, but no Abe.

She continues to call his name, but no awswer. She pretends that she is playing his game, hoping that he is hiding under the bed or in a closet. He won't be able to contain his laughter which will give away his location. Finally, she looks in the backyard to find the gates locked and then, her stomach sinks and she can hardly control her own laughter because she knows that he is in the only place she hasn't checked... the front yard. He is stark naked climbing on the rod iron fence in 60 degree weather.

As if the neighbors don't think that we were the crazy Americans already...

Abe's Latest Sandwich

Danbo Cheese
Mustard
Honey

It could makes sense, but somehow it just doesn't...

Toddler Adaptation

I am ceasingly intrigued by human interaction and the why's and how's of why we act the way that we do. What is even more interesting is watching the interactions of children in large group and their tendencies of gravitation. Living as a foreigner in a non-english speaking country brings this issue to light weekly, if not daily.

Abe is in a class of 24 children which is taught in English (instruction is more often than not bilingual because 21 of the children are learning English for the first time and speak spanish at home), yet all of the play is in spanish including recess, physical education and music class. We are impressed with Abe's ability and interest in learning spanish. However, back to my original point, it is incredible to see how he has gravitated to the two other children he can communicate with. Now I know that this is not surprising, but what is surprising is that he has become really good friends with a little British girl who is ALL girl. I might add that she is one of the cutest little girls that I have ever seen. For the two of them, it is the language that has brought them together and requires them to find other common interests such as books and make believe.

In Peyton's class, there are 11 children all within 6 months of age. All of her instruction and play is in spanish. As a matter of fact, the teachers speak such limited english that I am forced to really work when trying to get a 'childhood development' point across. It is a good opportunity for me as well to really express what I am thinking because I need to communicate effectively. There is one other American boy in her class. Everyday when I ask her about her morning, I get a report about the other boy and according to her teachers, they always play together. His mom made an interesting comment as well about the fact that he finally was willing to part with her in morning since Peyton began. These children communicate in spanish better than the older ones as the learning is easier for them and yet, they still 'stick' together.

Language and human interaction really are incredibly fascinating...

What To Buy On Amazon...

I have rediscovered fictional novels. In college, we read hundreds of pages a week for classes which left little desire to read "for fun." After college, I had children, a house to take care of, a traveling husband, church obligations and a business to run. Obviously, this did not leave me with leisurely time to read. For the most part, I was limited to TIME magazine and online articles.

Now... I have time. Actually, it has been quite an adjustment. Granted, I still have children which occupy the greater part of my day, but I no longer have housework or a business. This means that there is time for me... and for books. I no longer have access to a public library, and am forced to buy them online. Are amazon book reviews reliable? I do not want to shop blindly.

What do you suggest? Are there any novels that you could not put down or consider a 'must read'? I am really looking forward to your responses.

Update: Thanks for your responses. I have now joined GoodReads. I have just ordered: The Secret Life of Bees, These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901, Outlander, The Giver, Gathering Blue, and The Book of a Thousand Days based on reviews by friends that I trust. Maybe this will keep me busy for a while...

Guerra de Malvinas

Today is a National Argentine Holiday in commemoration of the Malvinas War (a.k.a Falklands War). This was a war between Argentina and the United Kingdom where 655 Argentine soldiers lost their lives trying to defend a group of islands that they believe is part of their country, yet ultimately lost. If you are interested in a deeper history, you can read about it here. Argentina has recently made a plea to the UK return the islands.

Our Little Chef

Today was the first day of Peyton's one-hour weekly Cooking Workshop at school. Peyton loves to cook and wants to help whenever she sees anyone in the kitchen. She occasionally even tries to add "ingredients" together that are either 1)non-consummable or 2)should never be eaten together!

Here is a picture from Sunday afternoon. Peyton and I made a chocolate cake with homemade chocolate frosting. I think that she ate/wore more than made it into the pan. :) Then Nina called to say hi...