First Impressions

We're here! And we are sitting together in Grady and Claire's living room with our new friend, Eli -- a 24-year-old missionary from Alabama. Connie and Ted - who I must say look GREAT and who we are SO HAPPY to see - are helping cook up some amazing hamburgers -- we are VERY hungry! :) So, here's what we're going to do to give you a quick run-through of the last 24+ hours ... we're going to write this like a screenplay, so you can hear from everyone who wants to contribute. Here we go.

Krissi: Hey, guys ... let's tell everyone about our first impressions. Start with the travel.

Rebekah: I survived my first flight -- even though it was soooo long and impossible to sleep.

Chris: Yeah, planes aren't meant for people who are 6'4".

Amelia: I couldn't sleep, so I used the time to finish a 9-page book report and a geometry test. Go me!

Matt: I got a high score on Tetris!

Brice: Episodes of The Office saved my life. [Chris is tattling on Brice that he actually watched some Hannah Montana, too. Shhh ... don't tell.]

Krissi: I think the only people who got actual good sleep were Sam and Nolan. I got to listen to Teri laugh out loud as she watched Beverly Hills Chihuahua.

Nolan: Yeah, I slept like a baby.

Emily: I've never seen a sunrise so magnificent!! [everybody is verbally agreeing here]

Krissi: OK, so the first flight was long, but we made it. Now, let's hear about experiences since we've been in the country. I'll start -- I have to say that I knew I wasn't in Texas the moment I saw the vegetation in Buenos Aires -- there are like five different types of trees that look nothing like at home and I was just mesmerized by them! Very cool ...

Matt: The first thing I noticed were the signs all in Spanish but with English underneath. [very helpul, by the way] I did feel like my french fries at McDonalds here in Argentina taste different from at home. The Coke tastes better. [Chris is agreeing with him at this point.]

Brendon: I felt like my Pringles tasted different, too, once I ate them in Argentina. [Krissi laughs at this since they came from AMERICA - she thinks it's all in his head.]

Amelia: On the bus to the second airport, we could practically reach out and touch the cars next to us, they drive so close! And then they get up soooo close on the bumper that it almost looks like they hit. Krissi and Emily and I also had an interesting time trying to understand our taxi cab driver ... all while watching him narrowly miss hitting the car in front of him.

Wendy: I didn't realize that Trelew was such a desert place. It looks like West Texas here! Ted and Connie and Grady and Claire have been so hospitable.

Teri: It has just been wonderful to see old friends who are so near and dear -- and making new friends who we have so much in common with. [We are laughing at Teri right now because she and Claire discovered that they have two of the same bowls that they bought 30 years ago.]

Brice: There are like a billion apartments here -- with dogs running around. You have to watch where you step in case they left you a present.

Rebekah: I got to go to the store with Claire and use my Spanish skills -- that was very cool! And I get my own room -- because I'm special!

Krissi: Yeah, I get to sleep at the guy's house -- Connie, Pebbles (the coolest dog), and me are the only girls. But, it's nice for once to get to be with my husband - that NEVER happens at youth events.

One thing that is worth mentioning is the shock on the boys' faces when we arrived to the second airport ... a group of very manly 20-something men stepped through the gate. The boys were watching them, trying to figure out if they were soccer players. But when these men said goodbye, they all embraced and kissed each other on the cheeks. Our boys freaked. We had to explain that it was the custom here -- that's how everyone greets. They soon had to engage in this kind of behavior tonight as they met new people! I think all of our boys should start practicing this custom with each other while we are here -- doesn't the Bible even say "greet each other with a holy kiss?" LOL. We are already being stretched out of our comfort zones.

So the hamburgers are smelling REALLY great about now ... our tummies are rumbling. Sam couldn't contribute tonight because he is out changing money with Ted while we are doing this. I will say that he has done an EXCELLENT job as our leader -- maneuvering a group of 12 Americans through a foreign country including three different transportation methods. He is tired, though. Go Sam!

Here is our schedule tomorrow (that we know of so far) -- Argentines don't really get up or get active early in the mornings. So, we're planning to sleep in a little bit - and since we have athletes who need to stay in shape [and old people like me who need to get in shape], we decided we would go on a group walk/jog/run around the local track in the morning. Church isn't until the evening, so we're going to drive out to Rawson to meet the teenagers there and practice our Spanish with them! We've got marshmallows and Easter eggs that we're going to introduce them to - fun!! Anyway, there is just too much to tell about the last day or so, but hopefully you were entertained by some of it. Pray for restful sleep tonight and for us to be prepared to talk with the locals about our relationship with Christ. Pray that we can encourage and serve Ted and Connie (and Grady and Claire) while we are here.

Thanks - keep checking the blog!