The Diem Family

Steve and Becky live with their 3 children in Villa de Totoral in the Cordoba province in Argentina. Villa de Totoral is a very small pueblo, and they have been able to make a lot of friends with the townspeople over the last two years of living here. Their purpose in living here is to plant a church by first leading people to the Jesus Christ of the Bible (in contrast to the Jesus Christ that the Catholic church and indigenous superstitions have created). Between leading Bible studies, teaching English classes, working out at the gym, building relationships with the townspeople and raising three kids, Steve and Becky are very busy!

L to R: Gianna, Becky, Steve, Josiah, Elliott, and the random street dog that wanted to be in the photo.

L to R: me, Gianna, Becky

Josiah! 

Elliott! 

Gianna! 

All 6 of us crammed into this truck everywhere we went. 

Córdoba for the Day

Becky and I ventured (without the three kids) into the city Córdoba for the day. We enjoyed uninterrupted conversations and catching up on life. 

It is winter in Argentina right now. The temperature is like Illinois in the fall and the landscape looks like right after an Illinois harvest. 

We stopped by the ''skinniest building in the world'' for a photo. There are apartments for rent if you're interested! 

I posed for a photo with the skinny building, haha. 

The concept of siesta  in Argentina is taken very seriously. We got into the city about 12:30, just as stores were closing their steel doors for the afternoon. We managed to go into a store before it closed, and while we were there, they closed the doors. When we were ready to leave, we had to exit through the small door about half our height. I thought it was funny and had to take a picture. : ) 

The Catholic church of Córdoba has mosaics dedicated to Gaucho Gil, a ''Robin Hood'' historical figure. 

Motorcycles everywhere! (Heather Burns, I thought of you and your new motorcycle! : )) 

The cobblestone in front of the church is laid to create a profile of the church's front. 

Evidence of lots of pigeons. Seems to be present no matter what city I travel to, haha. 

This building wins the retro award for the day. Love the bonus car in front. Becky said the car is typical of Argentina. 

The streets after stores closed for siesta. We seemed to be the only people out and about! 

Since stores were closed, we went to lunch at Steve and Becky's favorite restaurant, Mandarinas. I asked for a glass of water and this is what I got. 

A delicious salad with chicken, mango, and sesame. Not typical Argentine food, but still delicious! 

And a gorgeous tiramisu! The 3D presentation was not something we expected, ha! 

Final stop of the day (probably my favorite : )) -- an art market set in a very modern, upbeat part of the city.  

Now that I am posting this on the blog, I realize Becky and I did not take a photo together... we'll work on that soon! 

Country Hoppin' and Jet Laggin'

I don't think I had ever felt so tired before in my entire life. 30 hours (straight!) of travel certainly takes its toll. I hoped to sleep on the overnight flight, but those chairs couldn't be more uncomfortable after 5 hours (and I still had 5 more hours to go until landing... NOOO!). 

Hour 1 of travel: See you later, Costa Rica! 

Hour 2 of travel: Central America, heading north to Houston. 

Hour 6 of travel: Hello and Good-bye, Houston! 

Hour 17: Hello and Good-bye, Buenos Aires! Thanks for the hectic bus ride with three suitcases! 

Hour 24: First views of the Argentine landscapes. 

Hour 26: Loved seeing how the sunlight broke through the clouds. 

Hour 27: Looks like the Badlands in South Dakota? 

Hour 30: Landing in Córdoba... ¡por fín!

I saw the sun set twice and rise once while travelling... yet it all felt like one really, really long day. I was so glad to see my friends, Steve and Becky Diem, at the airport, and even more glad to know they had a real bed for me to sleep in (instead of that uncomfortable chair United Airlines offered, haha). 

Before I went to bed Friday night at 10:30pm, Becky told me to sleep in as long as I wanted in the morning. I told her I have a difficult time sleeping in past 9 (very true!). Saturday morning, I somehow slept through the kids screaming, the washer rattling, the dog barking, the kids screaming again, etc. I didn't wake up until 11am! I can't even remember the last time I slept for more than 12 hours! Becky says I had jet lag... I think she's right! 

And now I'm on to other Argentine adventures... Even though this blog is ''Kate in Costa Rica,'' I think it's okay to post other travel adventures : ) ... stay tuned! 

Mejia Simpson Family

While teaching at Lighthouse, I met a family that I consider to be the coolest. family. ever. Hands down. Someday when I have a family, I hope to be half as cool as they are. 

Let me define ''cool'': Extremely generous and hospitable. Adopted 5 children. Foster family to many. Hope to foster many more children. 

Ever since meeting them and finding out about their mission to influence as many children as possible for Jesus, I have wondered how I can contribute as a teacher. Talking with the mom, Charlyn, was really good, and I hope to contribute time to the project in the future! 

A view of their property in the campo of Coronado. They hope to eventually build an orphanage and maybe even a school. 

L to R: Ruth, me, Daniela. 

While working at Lighthouse, I became connected with the Mejia Simpson family as Ruth was my student and Dani was my co-worker! I love these ladies!! 

Lighthouse Students

L to R: Ruth, Karina, me, Natasha, Tamara, Nhaia

I was able to spend some time eating ice cream and catching up with a few of my Lighthouse 5th graders (now almost 8th graders!). While they are growing up, some things have not changed: they love talking, giggling, and eating ice cream :). I never cease to be amazed about past students' memories -- they remember the funniest (and sometimes the strangest) things about our school year together. :) 

Tico Family Visits

 While living in Costa Rica, I had some really patient Spanish teachers, a.k.a. Costa Rican families. I arrived in 2008 without knowing any Spanish and I truly believe it was these very patient people in my life that made it possible for me to persevere through learning their language! 

The Cabezas Ramos family.

 L to R: Rebeca, Blanca, Judit, Manuel Enrique. 

While I lived with them in 2009, they included me in everything from Sunday family dinners to visiting earthquake epicenter sites. (Note: I forgot to take a picture while I was with them so I copied the photo from Rebeca's Facebook... ¡Gracias! )

The Marin Garcia family.

Pictured: Santiago (now 4 years old!) 

Marilyn (the grandma), Natalia (the daughter), and Santiago (the grandson) were also extremely generous with their time while I lived with them in 2010 and 2011. We spent afternoons at Parque La Sabana and toured me through the city to see Christmas lights. Now Santiago is 4 and talks a mile a minute!! It was fun to play with him again. 

Aydee

Trish and I hung out with our Peruvian friend, Aydee, for lunch. She was our main source of Christmas gifts during our first years in Costa Rica. While we did not buy any Christmas gifts this time, she is still definitely one of our favorite international friends in Costa Rica!