A new home for the holidays

It’s been another long while, but with frequent travel the past month or so and frequent lack of internet and/or computer, blogging just hasn’t been possible.  Since it is summer here in Argentina, kids are off school and everything has really slowed down, especially here in La Plata.  Because the city is home to a larger university, the town empties out quite a bit between Christmas and February.  I am using this slow time to clean, organize, rest, and visit the comedor.  

For Christmas, I travelled to the small town of Orense, which is on the coast of Argentina and home to one of my roommates and good friends, Caro.  I spent several weeks over the holidays with her, her parents, and her four sisters.  Some photos of Orense and the family before I continue on...

Caro and I at the beach of Orense.

Orense Balneario to be correct...the actual town of Orense is about a 10 minute drive away.

This was the sunset on Christmas evening. I could not help but feel the presence of my grandmother who passed away this passed May in this little gift of God and nature.  Grandma Nyland loved few things more than a beautiful beach sunset.  I believe she strongly felt God's presence in this form of creation, just as I feel her presence in it now.

The view of  Orense from above.

I don't particularly love this picture, but my computer put the photos together to create some sort of moving image.  I could not let my computer's hard work go to waste and not share.  

A portion of the Huth family.  Caro is second from the left in blue, with two of her sisters to her left and right.  The rest are cousins.  I blended rather well into the family while crouching like this, but when standing I'm a good head shorter than than the rest.

This holiday season was very different from most for me for many reasons. There are obviously cultural differences in the way my friends here celebrate Christmas in comparison to my friends and family back home. However, the change allowed me to look more at this typical celebration that I am used to and analyze the good and bad of what I know to be Christmas.  I've decided to share some of these differences and what I learned in the following...

1.)  Here in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina, there is no such thing as a white Christmas.  The only thing white over the holiday season was my very pale complexion in comparison to everyone else’s at the beach.  Instead, it was averaging around 100 degrees.  Christmas music didn't even feel right.   I typically love Christmas music but the one time I tried one time to play some holiday jams while doing some holiday baking this year, I had to turn it off halfway through the first song.  While I’m sweating in a tank top and shorts, I don’t really want to here about bundling up, drinking hot cocoa, and enjoying the winter wonderland.  I never thought a holiday season could exist in which Christmas music did not bring joy to my soul...

A beautiful but hot day at the beach.  

Sun setting over the dunes.

2.)  Christmas  here isn’t an excuse for “all hell breaking loose” in the stores. As far as I know, no one died or was injured at the nearby Walmart fighting over claim for the last plasma television or toy for their child.  There was the hustle and bustle on the shopping street a  few days before as people picked up gifts but presents didn’t seem to be the focus.  This year my gifts were a few little things as a token of appreciation for a couple friends and baked goods for the family with which I stayed.  I like taking the time to come up with thoughtful gifts for people I love, but I don’t like the month-long preoccupation I often have with finding the perfect gift and spending the right amount of money.  Christmas should not be a time of greed and stress, but of joy and thanksgiving.

3.)  There is no Santa. Well, let me explain: There is no Santa, but there is this guy that goes by Papa Noel.  The jury's still out on whether they're the same guy or not.  There's the basic similarities between the two but Papa Noel appeared a little boxier, with a stringy beard, and was sporting sunglasses.  I was a child who visited Santa at the mall until awkwardly late in years and never once did Santa have a dreadlocked beard and sunglasses.  Just sayin'.

Also, there's now waiting for Papa Noel.  In fact, he personally visits the home just after midnight to give out gifts.  When I found out about this I began really hoping that Santa and Papa Noel are different dudes, otherwise I'm going to feel a bit cheated by my childhood and a little bitter towards the Argentinian people.  I would hate to think that Santa had to rush through my home, leaving only a few crumbs on a plate and ashy shoe prints on the floor, because he was taking the time to personally visit EVERY SINGLE home here in Argentina.  I never once saw Santa in my home.  In fact, he had so little time for my sister and I that after inquiries were made as to why Santa and my mother used the same wrapping paper, my mom revealed to use that he made her wrap some of his gifts for us. Low blow, Santa.  Low blow.

Papa Noel paying his visit.

Facu, Caro's cousin, wasn't too sure about this Papa Noel guy either...until he pulled a big ol' truck out of his gift bag.

4) The majority of Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve.  From what I experienced, families gathered later in the evening of the 24th for the Christmas feast.  We had dinner at about 10:30 pm, sitting around the table and enjoying the food until about midnight when a champagne toast was held, followed by fireworks set off by the cousins in the street.  The meal was of a colder variety due to the heat, with stuffed meats, salads, and fruit salad with ice cream for dessert.  All delicious!

The family sitting around the table for dinner!

A small portion of the large quantity of food cooked and served.

5.)  The greatest difference for me this year was definitely personal, not cultural, and that was the absence of my family in the US.  While it was beautiful to spend the holiday season with a new family and within a new culture, it was slightly sad being away from home and from those with whom I have celebrated Christmas for the previous 22 years of my life.   However, due to the kindness of the Huth family and thanks to modern-day technology, the distance was rather easily bared.  This holiday season I was blessed with the love and care of a new family, but to my family back home, my thoughts and were with you as they always are.

The Huth clan aka my adopted family for the holidays!  I could not have asked for better hosts! 

Below are photos of my family back in the US with whom I was unable to celebrate holidays with as they celebrated during my absence.  How beautiful are they??!!  I could not ask for a more loving or supportive family and for that I am eternally blessed.  Love you all!...

Thanksgiving with the Zollos side of the family!

Christmas with the Nylands.  That beautiful, blue-eyed boy in the center is growing up way to fast in my absence!

While right now things are moving slow for me, I am enjoying this time of peace and calm, as everything picks up again within a few short days.  Next week,  I will be traveling south to Patagonia and the town of Bariloche for our YAGM retreat.  After, MY FAMILY IS HERE and I could not be more excited to show them a part of my life here as well as experience new parts of Argentina with them.  So while I would like to promise that I will be better at blogging from now on, that just can't happen yet.

For now I can say that I am happy, healthy, and growing in so many ways.  And as always, I am so thankful for your love and support.  You are in my thoughts and prayers.  If you feel called to pray for me, pray that the Lord continues to guide and teach me and that He uses me for his purpose, even if it is a purpose that is often unclear or hidden from my very blinded eyes.  Love you guys!

Un abrazo,

Kristyn

10 things I am thankful for

Sunday was Thanksgiving here in La Plata, Argentina.  The nice thing about celebrating a holiday in a country that does not actually celebrate that holiday is that you get to choose when you want to celebrate it.  So I made Thanksgiving on a Sunday afternoon.  I was blessed with the company of roommates, various friends, including friends from the comedor, and two other volunteers, Erin and Josh, who travelled from Buenos Aires.  We had a lovely day of food, games, music and mate in the park.  The only thing that was missing was turkey.  Turkey is not widely sold here, and the ones that are fall outside my price range.  So we had a turkey day minus the turkey.  But we did have some delicious chicken cooked outside in the parrilla (pic below).  It was a hot day which made it extremely fun to be cooking with the oven, stove, and grill all day (NOT). Even with the heat, we enjoyed the day all the same.

AND in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to take some time to share what I am especially thankful for this year:

1.)  I am thankful for my family (including those not shown in photos, all Nyland and Zollos clan, you are a blessing in my life!)...

My parents, my beautiful sister, Katelyn, and my brother-in-law, Brad, have all been an incredible support throughout my life, and especially within my time here.  I am who I am, because they are who they are.  I think they they're all pretty great people, so I hope that means I'm turning out okay...  

I am thankful for them even though they like to send me pics of themselves doing fun things without me....such as eating at my favorite restaurant...

 ....and taking Thanksgiving hikes in the woods.

This year I give thanks for two members of my family in particular.  Within this past year, my family lost both of my grandparents on my mother's side.  While it was very painful to have them leave us, I could not be more grateful for the 22 years I had with them both.  They taught me about life, love, faith, and family.  A saying by Mother Teresa reminds me of the life they lived together.  She said, "We cannot do great things, we can only do small things with great love."  Nothing they did was extraordinary from a worldly view, but they lived out each and every day doing small things with great love for their friends, for their church, for their family, and for their Lord.  I had the blessing of feeling that great love each and every day of my life and I give thanks.  

2.)  I am thankful for my friends.  Once again, I'm thankful for all of you, but a few particulars this year....

One crazy friend who went on a big adventure with me.  I'd say I'm lucky to have someone that I still consider one of my greatest friends after almost 3 months of traveling together and almost 2 years of living together. 

These two, Aimee and Kelsey, have had my back since grade school.  I think Aimee and I may have been born friends, because I can't recall a time without her in my life.  I could not be more thankful for their friendship and support.  We were attempting to star gaze during the meteor shower in this photo.  We also look slightly high thanks to a really bright flash on a really dark night. 

All these folks here +Erin.  They have been such wonderful friends and support throughout my time here.  I love the moments we get to spend together even though their few and far between.  Can't wait till February!

And last but certainly not least, I am thankful for my friends from La Plata.  I am really bad at taking photos, so unfortunately I did have enough to display all the people who have been such good friends here, but here are some recent ones:

At the IELU churchwide assembly with the San Timoteo reps and my good friends Caro and Cristian.  

Drinking mate in the park after the Dia de Gracias festivities.

3.) I am thankful for children.  Not my children (I won't be thankful for that for a long while), just children.  Yes they can be so incredibly annoying at times, but how great are they?  They have such joy and energy for life.  I am so thankful for the time I get to spend with the kids at the comedor each week.  I hope that I am having some positive effect on their lives, because they are having a positive effect on mine.

4.)  I am thankful for the food on my table each day and those who grow it.   I love everything about food.  I love cooking, I love eating, I love the places where it is grown and the plants and animals from which it comes.  But I also think it is important to be conscious about the food we are consuming and the way it is produced.  I give thanks for good food, especially good food produced in good ways.

The organic farm on which we had our retreat in Uruguay.

Farm tour!

Breakfast during our retreat.  Most of the food was grown or produced on the farm.  

5.) I am thankful for the opportunity to learn and grow within a new culture.  I feel so blessed to be where I am right now.  I am blessed by both the good days and the bad.  Maybe even more so by the bad days since those are the ones I find myself learning and growing the most from.  I give thanks for the beauty of culture and the beauty of inter-cultural relationships.

6.) I am thankful for the beauty of creation. I think we live in a pretty amazing world.  There is so much beauty in nature and I love taking the time to explore it.  Unfortunately, living in a city, I do not get quite as much nature time as I would always like, but I am still thankful for the parks, plazas, and green spaces that fill La Plata.  Below are some picture of the natural beauty of my "home(s)".

The Metroparks of Cleveland with Caddis (my sister's dog).

A sunset on Lake Erie while home in Cleveland, Ohio.

On my way to La Plata from Buenos Aires.

And the natural beauty of a few other pretty amazing places I've had the opportunity to visit this year:

Plitvice, Croatia

Switzerland

 Italy

Greece

7.)  I am thankful for my church communities, both here and afar.  I do not know where I would be without the Lord in my life, and it is largely thanks to the churches I have been apart of, that my faith has been nurtured  and grown.  My childhood and family church (and school) Messiah Lutheran continues to support me to this day while I am here in Argentina and I could not be more thankful.  I thank Purdue Christian Campus House for showing me what community and living out your faith means.  And I thank San Timoteo for welcoming me in and caring for me throughout my time here in La Plata.

8.) I am thankful for my education...

I have been incredibly blessed with the opportunity of education.  I have grown to realize how valuable education is on all levels.  This brings me back to family, because I would not be thankful for my education, if it were not for my wonderful family who pushed me and sacrificed so that I could have the education I do.

9.)  I am thankful for animals of all kinds, probably a little too much.  These are a  few that are especially close to my heart:

Mora, professional pigeon hunter and our pup here in La Plata.

And my three favorite pooches of the world, Max, Buck, and Caddis.  They have been a wonderful part of the the Zollos family for years.  Well, Caddis hasn't but she quickly worked her way into our hearts and is slowly working her way into Buck and Max's.

10.)  I am thankful for those who have a heart for helping others. I have come across some pretty amazing people this past year, with servant-like hearts that have been so incredibly inspiring.  I've met people who everyday stand up for people without the means or ability to stand up for themselves.  I've seen people open their homes and lives to others in need, and making great personal sacrifices in doing so, because it is the right thing. I am so thankful that there are generous and humble people like that in this world.

A brief and scattered life update

Sooo.  Here's the thing.  I was gone all last week on a tech-free retreat with my wonderful YAGM Argentina/Uruguay family and I leave tomorrow for another computer-less week in Buenos Aires.  I'm going to give a quick update of my life, and I'll expand upon the details when I return!

1.) My church here, San Timoteo, celebrated Reformation Day with a special service and a celebration with some treats after.

Most of us together after service.

I decorated a cake with some help from roommates.  I don't consider myself very artistic, so I have to admit that I was pretty excited this actually turned out pretty decent.

2. We also had a small Halloween celebration at the comedor.

Holding our ghost suckers high and proud.  My wonderful roommates helped me make these for the kids.

I gave a little talk about the origin of Halloween.  But let's be honest, the suckers were WAY more exciting.  

 We got into costume by decorating some masks of different characters and animals.  This is my other cat friend and I.

3.  I spent a week in Uruguay for a retreat with my YAGM family here.  It was a wonderful spanish break spent with some pretty wonderful people....and animals.

I love cows. Well, I love all animals, but I really do love cows.  This is me with the baby of the farm.  Each day we enjoyed fresh milk, cheese, and dulce de leche compliments of her mama and the other gals.  

Getting a tour.  All the food grown here was organic...and delicious.  So. Incredibly. Delicious.

A little volleyball fun with the crew.  Our days here were filled with learning and sharing, but playing as well.  Futbol, frisbee, volleyball.  So great.

Nothing better than a group bonfire accompanied by songs and stories.

4.  During a long weekend, I had the opportunity to visit Recoleta, a rather well-known cemetery in Buenos Aires and the planetarium.  

Katie, another YAGM volunteer, taking some photos amongst only a few of the many monuments that make up the cemetery.  It's almost like a little village with small streets that wind through the graves and monuments of different shapes and sizes.

The skyline was filled with angels and crosses in all directions. Rather beautiful, but slightly eery.

The planetarium glowing in the night.  

Well, it's past my bedtime and I need to wake up early to head to Buenos Aires.  I will include more next time and put a little more time and effort into the post.  I would also like to add that I'm doing without spell-check and grammar-check so don't judge me too harshly. 

Thank you for keeping up with my life!  I pray that wherever you are reading this, health and happiness are with you.  Everything continues to be well here as I continue to learn and live within this new country and culture.  Until next time!

Love,

Kristyn