Hola..

I am sorry I haven't been able to do more with this blog. My internet connection is horrible!

However, we are in our last week here. We leave for the airport on Sunday.

Time has definitely flown by and I am scrambling to do the other things I want to do before I leave BA. It has been a wonderful experience, definitely. I definitely feel lucky to be here. I know I haven't posted in a week or so ....

We've been dealing with a cold winter here, but it is okay. The subte in the morning is so packed, you get really hot for like 15 minutes and then go back into the cold. In the last week we ate really good Italian food, went on a bus tour of the city (all of it we had already walked, but we got to hear the history in the audio). We have had spanish classes every day, of course, from 9-1. It is a long time to be taught in Spanish and try to correspond in SPanish but it is good for us. We all went to a seafood restaurant on Friday night, too, and it was pretty good. We went to the Japanese Gardens, which are really pretty. The whole city does have a lot of charm.

I am going to work on finishing my homework today for my masters classes. I took the day off of spanish to do so. So...off to a cafe for some cafe con leche and tostada (toast).

love, lynn

teaching

I’m reading my book “Start Where You Are, But Don’t Stay There” tonight at a café. I like to inhabit cafes and stare at people, as well as get a decent internet connection which we don’t have in our house. But, hey, it is all good. Anyway, there was a part that really struck me about being so responsible as teachers to teach kids that life isn’t always roses and daisies and that is why they have to be prepared to deal with difficult situations and no matter how much ‘bling’ a person has, it is the person that counts not their things. I feel an immense responsibility as a teacher to show love and kindness, but also to let them know that this is serious business. This is not ‘entertainment act by Ms. Rossi’, but important business. I like being a teacher. I am also a ‘adopted’ mother, nurse, older sister, etc. In order to serve our students, we have to be all those things to get them to a place where they can learn. It is a tremendous responsibility!

In B.A. I see that same kind of love for their students. It is endearing to see that a classroom is still a classroom, the kids are still kids, and teaching is an art no matter where you are. Also, smiles are truly cross-cultural. I also like that I am a curvy lady, I do not see many people with ‘butts’. Lol, but true.

I came to be stretched, and I am. I’m lucky that we have such a great group of women here, I truly enjoy everyone and am grateful for that.

Spanglish

Last night we went to Spanglish - at a cool place near our apartment. It was really neat - almost like speed-dating, haha, but you rotate and speak spanish for five minutes and english for five minutes. Those working on their spanish get help and those working on their english get help. It was inspiring to see that people are in their same level of acquisition that I am - but of English.

I guess this is how my students feel at first - lost, confused, just sort of trying to communicate!!!

Anyway, today Ashley and I lead our tour of our area of Recolleta - we have planned to take them to the market, the cemetary, etc...

Tomorrow we have nothing planned which is amazing considering we have been so busy! So, I plan to work a lot on my masters stuff. :)

I hope you are all surviving GA's heat. It is winter here, so it is WAY different! love you

We went to a school again today. We watched an English Class of 14/15 year olds. It was really fascinating ! We compared our spanish book and their english book (textbook). They also were starting to read Dracula, in English. It is impressive that they are learning English. The teacher spoke good English. We then got to talk to them and giggle with them about our level of Spanish and their level of English. They loved talking to us and asking us questions in both Spanish and English - so I get Spanglish. Tonight some of my groupmates are going to a bar type thing for a Spanglish exchange. It is a 'fiesta' if you will and it is a exchange for both people learning Spanish and English. I'm excited. It is nice to have another weekend. This week of Spanish we had four days of class but five hours of spanish a day! A lot.

Last night my housemate Ashley and I went to look for cheap leather ..which is in this one area called Palermo. We found some really beautiful leather jackets. We probably are going to go back ..I think I found one I want to buy!

Tomorrow is our day to lead our classmates on a tour. Last weekend we went on a tour to San Telmo, etc. ...It is part of our assignments but will be fun to show our classmates our barrio (neighborhood, if you will). We are planning on taking them to Evita's grave, our favorite bakery, and some of the plazas around that area. It isone of the girls birthdays so we are also going to a mall to check that out. Everything is different but Argentina is very European. I was told today I look, or have the face, of an Argentian. :) That is awesome as far as I'm concerned.

I am going to download pictures to facebook. My skype name is lynn.rossi3. BUT I HAVE BAD INTERNET CONNECTION so that is why I haven't updated a lot, etc. SoRRY. We are pretty busy daily but I am enjoying it very much. We are taking a tango class next week and hopefully will go to a show . The shows are expensive, however, it will probably be worth it.

Hope you are all doing well. Miss you

It is amazing how different Argentina is from Mexico - Argentina is definitely more refined, I think. Well, at least somewhat. We have been so busy with classes but this weekend we enjoyed time to explore the markets. I went to Evita's grave, the market near my house, and to a popular lunch spot on Saturday. We walk a lot and explore along the way. We had pizza that was amazing (not as good as yours, Dad) and we had hot chocolate that was heated up chocolate with heated up milk....awesome!

Today we did San Telmo which is the popular spot to check out the market. I have bought a few nicknacks but nothing major - still looking for my leather purse. :) I don't really need to buy right now and I wanted to make sure I see a lot of different leather before I buy. It is expensive, though.

I am trying to figure out the pictures. Lindsay, Peter and Mila - I added you on skype but you need to accept my request.

Tomorrow Ashley and I are going on a train ride out of the city and going to an amusement park - should be fun. There is a holiday so no school for us.

I will post some pictures on facebook. LOVE YOU

Pardon

Pardon, Pardon, Pardon (mean sorry or excuse me ...) for not updating sooner. It has been a busy few days getting acquainted with the city and our school. Tuesday we went to the Colon Theater, and today we went to A ELEMENTARY SCHOOL! I am having trouble downloading pictures so I am still navigating that. The students were very excited to practice their English ...and we were happy to have people that would let us practice our Spanish.

Our schedule as been like this so far:

7:30 wake up

8 leave for class

830ish get on subte (subway) and go about 5 stops

9 spanish class til 11ish , break

spanish class til 1

eat lunch

we have been getting back to our house anywhere from 3-6 and we all have spanish homework and classwork for our masters classes. So, we are busy.

I am enjoying the culture - unfortunately (or fortunately) we have found a bakery on the way to and from school:) and I've tried the chocolate churros which are VERY GOOD. Muy bien!

I took pictures of the school to show my teacher-friends at home - and a picture of the gym and music room and some of the art room for Robin, Debbie, and Heidi.

Great experience so far, glad I"m here...time is going by! This weekend I will navigate going to church and going to the market. We are going to a tengo show sometime soon and we are going to maybe take a few classes. Also, we found out that our school's activities that they were arranging for us ....or they arrange for all their students at their school...they were charging us more then they actual event so now we are planning our own stuff to do - which I'd prefer anyway.

Thanks for being patient with posting. xoxo Lynn

ps I am trying to work our skype so I'll let you know asap.

I am here safely. We arrived this morning and went through customs, exchanged money, and took our taxi to our home stay. We are staying with an older lady that has an apartment that stacks about three floors. We have a floor to ourselves, and each of us has our own bedroom. It took us a few minutes to figure out how to use the elevator to come up to the 8th floor. We walked to the nearest subway and took it to our school. I'm going to try to attach a picture of my room and my group before we left from Atlanta. I don't have much to report except safety, which is good:).

Today

Today I fly out! Please keep me in your prayers:)

Love ya

Lynn

Where?

I'm a deep thinker. I spend lots of time just thinking. I think that is why I like to talk to others, connect to others, and spend time with others. For one, I like to learn new things and listen to others talk. But also, I don't want to be alone with my thoughts. :) It opens a whole can of worms - and because I think too much, I also worry too much. I worry about my students during the school year, I worry about graduate school and getting good grades, I worry about where I am going in life and what I'm doing next, etc. I feel comforted by a plan and by knowing.

So, where did I get a traveling bug from? I guess it is a mixture of my parents modeling this behavior and the optimal goal of never staying still. I feel very much scared by the thought of not being able to get up and move, leave, get out, get away, etc. So therefore, it scares me to even think of 'settling down'...etc. :)

I owe a lot to my parents, for sure. The hard work, the push to always work on the next goal, the belief in me (when I don't have it in me). I owe a lot to my work environment who push me to be a better educator and for accepting me and my crazy antics, my siblings that believe in me and push me as well, question and nurture in good balance, my friends that also accept my need to connect and also pull me back in when I'm on the edge, and for everyone that I have the pleasure of having contact with daily or even those I don't get to see all the time.

I am embarking on this adventure with an open mind. Argentina, wow, what a blessing to be able to go and live there for a month. To be stretched beyond my current comfort zone, to be challenged, to be educated, to have fun, and to live this crazy life.

Less then a week and I'll be leaving for Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm trying to be calm, cool, and collective. But - who am I kidding...I don't do that well and I'm definitely not going to change now.

I expect that this cultural experience will be enriching, renewing, and exciting. I definitely feel ready for a different environment - this past school year has been a married mixture of pain, hard-work, exhaustion, and enriching. I feel blessed to be able to have this experience.

I feel like I'm going to forget something - I need to make a list (again) and check it a million times. I'm stressed about:what coat to bring, what shoes to bring, will I like my family, will they like me?, will I be able to get around on the subway, will I have enough money, will I..what if?...Ahh.......

Take a deep breathe, right? I know, I know...