Quiz time!

The 6 months in, 'non-quiz-format-quiz' about all things Argentina. Enjoy ;) Answers on the next page!

1. If something is 'copado', it is...

a. Covered

b. Big

c. Cool

d. Expensive

2. You can/should kiss the following:

a. A coworker

b. Your best friend

c. A visitor at your church

d. All of the above

3. Without _________, it's not a meal!

a. Meat

b. Vegetables

c. Dessert

d. Bread

4. A Superclasico is a specific...

a. Football game

b. Kind of sandwich

c. Style of music

d. Cut of meat

5. Situation: Someone offers you mate, and you'd rather not partake. What do you say?

a. No quiero (I don't want any)

b. Nothing

c. Si (they won't take 'no' for an answer)

d. Gracias

6. How do you feel about Lionel Messi?

a. Who? 

b. He is the messiah

c. Meh, not as good as Maradona

d. Traitor!

7. Tango is to cumbia as...

a. City is to country

b. Snob is to ghetto

c. South is to north

d. Rock is to rap

8. All of the following are ways of saying 'dude', except:

a. Loco, loca

b. Nene, nena

c. Chabon, chabona

d. Pibe, piba

9. Someone cuts in line at the grocery store. How do you respond?

a. Start telling so-and-so off. Who do they think they are? 

b. Roll your eyes. This is all too typical.

c. Do nothing. 

d. Cut back in front of them. You're in a hurry, too. 

10. How do you say the 'y' in 'yo'?

a. 'y' as in yogurt

b. 'j' as in jazz

c. 'sh' as in shirt

d. 'ch' as in chill

My friends are getting married, and I can't go to their weddings

Note that I didn't say "all my friends." There are plenty of you who are not getting married right now, whether that's because a) you're already married or b) getting married is not in your cards within the next few months. See, I'm getting better about not generalizing over-dramatically.

Still, it's a fair enough generalization: I went to a Christian liberal arts university, and so did many of you. Whether or not you got that fabled "ring by spring," it's probable (possible?) that you're getting married within a year or so after graduation. Thus the explosion of wedding invitations.

None of which I can accept. Not in the 'I can't accept that you're getting married, because I'm absurdly bitter' way. I genuinely am quite happy for you. Just in the 'I live a few thousand miles away from your venue, and it just isn't feasible for me to attend' way. You understand, right?

I'm starting to understand. See, this is the time of life when decisions have almost larger-than-life consequences. Jobs. Relationships. Travel. Faith. Certainly decisions had effects before, but they were all wrapped up in the bubble-wrapped package of Education for me. Now, the world got a whole lot bigger, and so did the repercussions. I chose to live in Argentina this year, and while I still don't know what the long-term fallout of that will be, for right now it means that I miss out on significant bits of your life. Although, to be fair, you also chose to get married this year.

...Or not get married. Wouldn't want to generalize there. Either way, choose wisely and enjoy the consequences  =) Wish I could be there, but then, I wouldn't be here. Profound, eh? 

Ministers in the making

"So, you're studying to be like a pastor or priest or something?" It's a pretty natural question, considering I am in a seminary, although I think the answer is closer to 'something' than pastor. Part of the reason is that I make a better teacher than anything; the other is that being a pastor, as near as I can figure, is the hardest job out there.  I've gotten a decent taste of it here, and have filled certain pastoral roles enough to make me appreciate the full time ministers out there. Because appreciating these people is a really good idea, I thought I'd share some of these observations. In the words of Iñigo Montoya, "let me explain...no, there is too much. Let me sum up."

1. Pastors are people. These may seem obvious, but a pastor doesn't leave his or her personality behind when called to the ministry or speaking from the pulpit. The dynamic of the seminary group ranges from Angel, whose gestures are louder than his voice, to straight-talking Franco; from nearly always upbeat Tatiana, to Camilo, who tends toward melancholy even on sunny days. The church needs each type of leader. It needs women like Julia who can prayerfully intercede with tears. It needs men like Diego who can confront gently. It needs people like Mecha who can joke a point across or Gaby who can talk with anyone or Luci who can encourage thoughtfully or Raul who can lead worship in music and attitude or Agus who will tell the truth. That said...

2. Pastors are individuals. If pastors are anything like their seminarian selves- and I suspect they are- then no matter how much they try to be "all things to all people, to reach some," at the end of the (Sun)day they are...themselves. Don't expect or ask them to be Billy Graham or Joyce Meyer or your former pastor. Every now and again, encourage them to work in the style that they work best, on the topic that they're most passionate about: it's something to behold.

3. Pastors are poor. Most of the seminarians have given up any hope of being "successful" by society's standards, and all will make their living by a side job or skill. Computer technician. Music lessons. Teaching (double-bonus there).   That said, be so generous that they never have to preach on tithing. Seriously. There's a lot of heresy around that topic and they'd just as soon NOT go there to pay the bills.

4. Exegesis (what did this mean?) is easy. Hermeneutic (what does this mean today?) is easy. A GOOD exegesis and hermeneutic is hard. It takes work, time, resources, the Holy Spirit, and (dare I say it?) brains. If your pastor has done both well, the Bible may end up contradicting the top-selling self-help book or your neighbor's pet philosophy. Or supporting- you never know. A good sermon or teaching should leave you full enough of God's word to share with someone in need, and hungry enough to devour more.

5. Pastors do it all. Counselor. Exorcist. Theologian. Babysitter. Advisor. Academic. Musician. Teacher. Speaker. Tech guy. Accountant. Psychologist. Leader. Janitor. Executive. Host. Confidant. And, especially if they live near the church, they are on call. All the time. Staying at my friend Ani's house (whose parents are pastors), I was amazed that the stream of "visitors" was steady from 7 am to 1 am. Not kidding.

6. ...but that doesn't mean they should. I'll keep this simple: help your pastor out. These men and women are not only happy to share the Gospel with you, but also "their very lives." They've given up time, energy, privacy, and more to serve you, and they do a lot of it on their own. That's not how the church is supposed to work. Pull together.

7. Pastors wouldn't be pastoring if they hadn't felt called by God to shepherd His flock. Yep, that's us, sheep (pastor=shepherd in Spanish). Sheep and people can be very tough to work with, so let's keep the politics to a minimum, eh? But, we all are the very ones who are closest to the good Shepherd's heart. If you have the sort of pastor that I've just described- the kind my co-seminarians are becoming- thank God for them. Support them. Encourage them. Follow them as they follow Christ. And try not to head-butt them too hard. 

The most Argentine thing ever happened last night...

I've gotten some jibes over the last months about being in Argentina, which is basically about as European as Latin American can get (and they're proud of it). Especially compared to my friends who are living in the bush in Africa or doing similarly "out there" things, they have a point. "Isn't it basically the same as American culture...just in Spanish?"

Yes and no.

Plaza Armenia, the new park we've taken residence up in Palermo, is more Portlandia than Portland- more on that in a later post. The Simpsons reign yellowishly triumphant on TV. Fast food chains abound. Really arrogant comebacks. Meat and potatoes. Heck, sometimes I've even had a hard time telling people here what the most different thing about the US is (hint: breakfast).

And then there are times like last night, when the most Argentine thing ever happened. Never mind that the Pope's local radio interview was on repeat all morning or that the blue and white jerseys still are the base layer under most camperas during the day. This was quintessential Argentina.

It was about 1 am by the time we finished the movie (US: time to go to bed? Argentina: the night is young!), and so the guys and I went out for a walk to the park. Because parks in the wee hours of the morning are not sketchy places, we sat down in the skate ramps and drank mate. We sat talking and sharing jokes and stories for a while, watching a tatooed, Hawaiian shirted skater wipe out a few times in front of us. Then, he walked up to us.

"Hey, you got some beer?" he called, although the gesture implied that he'd happily accept something stronger. Besides a packet of yerba (tea) and a thermos of hot water, we had nothing of substance, but we offered him some mate anyhow. (I imagined how this would've gone down in the US- a guy wants a drink, so you give him tea? Right...)

"Yeah, dude, that'd be great". And he came over and had a few sips, asked us where we were from, talked a bit, and then went back to his skateboard.

Somehow, it struck me as one of the most Argentine moments ever. I'm not entirely sure why, but it had to do with being social past 2 in the morning and a random skater taking tea as an acceptable substitute for alcohol. Life here is funny that way. 

The post o' happy

Well, you're right. That last letter was a bit south of sad, even for the southern hemisphere, so I'll make it up to you, and myself. This is going to be a post o' happy, not a contemplative or reflective anything, just a list of the things that have still managed to make me smile or laugh this last week:

1. Other people laughing. From Liz's giggles (because who doesn't like to hear babies laughing?) to the guys upstairs (which has been heard from two blocks away- impressive but true!), laughter is good. Very good. 

2. Bad translations.  I'm a language nerd, and this stuff sets me snickering. This is a pretty mild one, but spend any time wandering through the image groves of Google, and you'll see why it's addicting. 

3. Calvin and Hobbes. Any of them. 

4. Baby penguins. And the knowledge that they are less than a thousand miles away warms my heart. I should visit them. 

5. Ferris Bueller. Bueller. Bueller. Bueller...

6. Music for a Found Harmonium. Alias 'the song near the end of Napoleon Dynamite'. Ok, so this one doesn't make me laugh, but it at least makes me smile. Reminds me of a cassette my Uncle Dave made for us when we were younger ('SONGS FOR KIDS THAT HAVE TOO MUCH ENERGY'), and, indirectly, that it'll all turn out   ;) 

Well, that's all for now, folks! What things make you smile/laugh?

The colectivero stops for no ghost

Well, it’s been another full week in Almagro, my urban hometown on the banks of the Plata River. I had a visitor from the US, who came bringing a suitcase full of goodies from home: pillowcases for the seminarians, marshmallows, my favorite green sweater, gum, and, the ‘gift that will keep on giving’, a waffle-maker. Needless to say, we were all thrilled and gorged on way too many sweets, I got to show off Buenos Aires, and after pretending to be a tourist again devoured the notes and letters when I should’ve been a better hostess. It was like an extended vacation in some ways, and having it end at the airport last night was a bit of a shock. “You look like a ghost today,” observed Taty, my across-the-hall neighbor.

I feel like a bit of a ghost, actually. With my height, I seem to have inherited some melancholy from my dad’s side of the family, and although I have enough humor in me to never get truly depressed, I am feeling pretty down today. I remember a sign tacked up in Ani’s kitchen that originally read ‘Sadness is forbidden in this house, because the joy of the Lord is our strength’, but was later edited to say that ‘God created emotions, Jesus felt them deeply- it’s okay to feel upset sometimes…’

So yeah, today I feel sad, and that’s okay. I am tired, sensitive, sore and craving some alone time. And yet, seminary life in a big city doesn’t offer much space to brood. No matter how ecstatically great I feel or how lacklusterly ‘meh’, life goes on. The sun keeps rising, the clouds keep covering it, and the colectiveros (bus drivers) stop for no pedestrian; they’re kind of terrifying that way, actually. The rhythm of life zooms on, and somehow, by the grace of God and a spoonful of Nutella, I keep up with it.

I have a vague suspicion that I’m not the only one who has had a sad day, that I am not the only ghost to walk this city. Life and the colectivero stop for no one on its streets. But thankfully, I do not wander it alone.

And now, before a) you worry more or b) I sound cliché, I think I’ll go for a walk, pray, and watch Ferris Bueller. Perhaps in that order.