Description (click on small pictures to see larger ones)

June 15: Castellano: A noche, no dormemos hasta 2 AM. Esta dia comensó despacio (~9:30 AM). Estaba consado y además, estaba frustrado que no entiendo castellano cuando se está hablando (o cuando gente habla) a velocidad normal. Fui a biblioteka para ver si puedo prestar grabaciones con discursos o predicaciones. Pero, porque Señor Hamerly no estaba allí, no puedo ver si puedo prestar casas. Un amable hombre (Fredy) prestó un predicacion con su tarjeta para mí. Yo dije que darría dinero para mantener (keep?) hasta yo devuelvo la grabacion, pero declinó. El pastor es Bernardo Rodriguez Traviño (la predicación es "Camina con nosotros"). En general, puedo reconozco cada palabra entonces va a estar bien practica para mí. Hay acerca ocho de su predicaciones juntos en la casa de libros, y yo compraría ellos. El precio es acerca 12 dolares. comensé tener dolor en mí cabeza. Tomé un Excedrin y Marta me hizo jugo de limón, despues, tomé una larga siesta. En la tarde, Alejandra y yo fuimos a una concerto de Ignacio Copani. Al principio, no estaba seguro si debo ir porque el dolor en mí cabeza, pero fui, y estuve feliz que lo hice. El groupo de bailarines tradicionales, en que Eli está, estaría bailar. Tuve que correr a la casa para mí camera (acerca 6 cuadros). Despues, yo descubro que mí camera no tiene una tarjeta (egual a falta un rollo). Entonces, tuve que correr a la casa otra vez. :-) Estan unos tipos de bailes, incluso el typo tradicional en que Eli estaba. Estaban interestante, pero tomaron demasiado tiempo (dos hores). Ignacio Copani estaba fantastico. Yo clasificaría la música como popular que es mezcló con rock suave. El abló mucho y me gusta esto para practicar escuchar. Al fin, compré dos CD's. Me gusta la canción "igual que vos." Yo llegé a la casa tarde, pero feliz. Gracias Alejandra!

English: We didn't "hit the hay" until after 2 AM this morning, so the day began slowly (~9:30 AM). In addition to being tired, I was frustrated about not being able to understand Spanish at normal speed. I went to the library to see if I could check out recordings of speaches or sermons. Because Señor Hamerly was not there, I could not see if I could check out materials. A very kind gentleman (Fredy) checked out a tape for me with his card . I offered to put money down for security, but he declined. The speaker on the tape is Bernardo Rodriguez Traviño (the sermon is "Camina con nosotros"). I can generally recognize individual words so it will be very good practice. There is an entire set (about 8 tapes) from him at the book store, and I might buy it. It's about $12 (U.S.). Unfortunately, the day became worse as my head began to ache. I took an Excedrin and Marta squeezed a lemon for me and I took a long nap. Life seemed a bit less dismal after that. :-) Soon after I awoke, Alejandra was willing to acompany me to a concert by Ignacio Copani. I was a bit hesitant because I didn't feel well, but I went and was glad that I did. Then saw that Eli and the group that does traditional dancing was going to perform, so I had to RUN back home for my camera (a distance of about 6 city blocks). Then after settling in, I took out the camera and discovered that the camera didn't have a memory card (the equivalent of having no film). So I had to RUN back home again, for the memory card. There were several kinds of dances including the ones that Eli performed. They were interesting, but lasted a bit too long (2 hours). Ignacio Copani was great. I would clasify his music as a mix of folk and soft rock. He talked a lot, which I liked. At the end of the concert, I bought two CD's of his. I really like the song "igual que vos." It was a bit of a late nigtht but it was worth it. Thanks Alejandra!

June 14: Castellano: En la mañana fui con escuela sabatica de Pablo a una parque para tener los servicios afuera. El tiempo estaba bien y estaba una buen cambio. En la tarde Pablo, Marco, José, Marcos, yo y otros fuimos a Rosario, una de mas gran ciudades en Argentina. Fuimos a una iglesia methodista (?) donde algun miembros (posible miembros de la directiva) estuvieron dedicando una sección del edificio. ECSES (la quarteta) cantaron y una representativo de la universidad (Señor Darrichon) habló. Tambien, un coro habló. ECSES y el coro hablaron juntos para la ultima canción. Le gusta a la gente ECSES. Despues el servicio, la gente pedieron ECSES para recordar una canción, y tambien para una segunda vez. Estaba feliz que yo estaba allí. ECSES estaba muy bien. Cuando terminó, el coro cantó para nosotros. No estaba una plan y personas rieron y palmearon. Estaba divertido y una experiencia unica. Despues, cenaron, y estaba MUY bien.. como una cena formal. La gente pedieron a ECSES para cantar otra vez entonces cantó dos canciónes... fantástico! (Estes hombres estan suficiente bien para esto typo de alabanza.) Estaba una día largo, y muy bien.

Mi solo problema estaba que no entiendo mucho cuando personas hablaron. Sin embargo, está bien para saber en que necesito trabajar. Voy a comprar grabaciones en castellano y voy a escuchar para mucho tiempo cada día.

	Pablo walks with the sabbath school class.
Our sabbath school met outdoors and it was very pleasant. Thanks for the hot drinks!
		This tree was near our sabbath school location, and was interesting to me. The second photo was taking from within all the shoots coming from this tree.
	Here is the location of our church for the day.

English: In the morning I went with Pablo's sabbath school class to a park. There, we had sabbath school and church. The weather was good and it was a nice change. In the afternoon, I went with Pablo, Marcos, José, Marcos and several others, to Rosario, one of Argentina's larger cities. We went to a Methodist church where some of the members (possibly board members) were dedicating a section of the building. ECSES (the quartet) sang and a representative of the university (Señor Darrichon) spoke. A small choir sang also, and ECSES joined them for the last song. The people loved ECSES... so much that they asked them to record a song in another room. I went to that room to listen, and again, ECSES was great. The people then asked ECSES to record another song, which they did (both songs ending in a supportive applause). When finished, the people sang for us. It was very impromptu and there was a lot of giggling, claping, toe taping, etc. It was a very fun number and the spontenaity and obvious fun made it a unique experience. We were then led to another room where they had a very nice meal prepared. I mean, VERY nice. It was like a black-tie event. After the meal, the church members asked ECSES to sing again... twice. (Yea, these guys are really that good.) The drive was long, but well worth it.

While I had a lot of fun, the bad part is that I understood little. I had hoped that I would understand more. However, it's a good to know my weaknes, and it's in understanding. So I will look for recordings of Spanish speaking and listen to them for a long time each day.

	Mark then Pablo in the same monument in Rosario. Very interesting place. One room has flags and anthems from many countries.
	To the left is the flame in the same monument. It's mezmorizing. To the right is a street in Rosario just before dark.
I love this view of the Rosario skyline near the monuments. It reminds me of a German castle with a rolling lawn. To the far right is the cobblestone road from which the skyline photo was taken. I just liked how it reflected light.
	ECSES enchants the audience. Señor Darrichon spoke for the dedication.
ECSES sings two more songs in the dining hall. Again... GREAT! (These encores were AFTER the two that were recorded in a side room.)

June 13: Castellano: Hoy, tomé el colectivo a Paraná (otra vez) y hablé mucho. En una tienda, tres empleados hablamos conmigo por algunos tiempo. Tambien, leí un cuento (y media) en Selecciones a la siesta hora. Es buena practica. Hey mucho palabras y prases que no sé, pero estoy entiendo la articulos bien. Vuelvo a la estación un poco temprano para preguntar acerca un posible viaje a Bolivia donde mi amigo (David Gates) esta a vezes. Me gusta que yo podía hablar a personas al mostradores de colectivos y invormación. Es dificil todavia y necesito concentración en todo, pero puedo hablar (aunque un empleado de un empreza quien estuve grosero a mí, no estaría de acuerdo jajajajajaja). Volvé mas temprano que ayer (a las tres y veinte), limpié mi habitación (¿usted quiso saberlo, sí?) despues hablé con Pablo para un tiempo.

ECSES cantaron esta noche. Estuve muy bien.

English: I took the bus to Paraná again and talked a fair amount while I was there. In one store, three of the attendants talked to me for quite a while. I also read another story (and a half) in Selecciones (Reader's Digest) during the seista time. It's great practice. There are many words and phrases that I don't know, but I'm understanding the articles fairly well. I returned to the station a bit early so I would have time to ask about a possible trip to Bolivia where my friend (David Gates) often is. It was great to be able to talk to people at the ticket counters and the help desk. It's still difficult and requires total concentration, but I can converse (although a fifth attendent who was rude to me might disagree on that point hahahahaha). I returned on an early bus (at three twenty), cleaned my room (you wanted to know that, right?) then talked to Pablo for a while.

ECSES sang tonight. It was great.

	While this location was not great for photos, it was small and sounded great.
	To the right, ECSES shows their silly side.

June 12: Castellano: Desperté temprano y fui a Paraná. Marcelo estaba en el mismo colectivo hasta su casa, entonces comiensamos juntos, pero cuando yo estaba en Paraná, estaba solo. Estuvo divertido. El paseo de la estación a la peatonal estuvo durante 15-20 minutos. Yo estaba mirando a muchas cosas, despues supe una cosa. Hay MUY pocas tiendas con baños. Hay uno y yo conozco muy bien. McDonalds. :-) Entonces, cuando almuerzo, estaba en McDonalds. Entonces, he comido a McDonalds en Argentina. (Hmmm... si yo lo hago acerca 5 mas vezes, es possible que yo hube estado en McDonalds en Argentina mas que lo de Estados Unidos. jajajajaja) A la siesta hora, leí Selecciones para un artículo. Despues, compré animales de juguete para alunos niños quien son especial para mí, y encontré una billetera que pienso papá Mohr quisiera. Es posible que voy a ir a Paraná otra vez en la mañana, entonces, necesito dormir. Ya son las nueve

Abajo esta una foto panorámica que quise hacer con unas fotos. Es una ruta cerca Libertador San Martin. Espero le gusta. Es A-N-C-H-A.

English: I woke up early and went to Paraná. Marcelo took the same bus to his house, so we started the trip together, but once I was in Paraná, I was on my own. It was fun. I took the 15-20 minute walk from the station to the "peatonal" (a street only for pedestrians). I looked at many things, then learned one thing. VERY few stores have bathrooms. There was one, however. I recongized it well. McDonalds :-) When lunch time came, guess where my loyalty lead me. :-) So I've eaten at McDonalds in Argentian. (Hmmm... If I go about 5 more times, I might have gone to McDonalds in Argentina more than that of the U.S. hahahaha.) After lunch, all the stores were closed, so I pulled out my Spanish verion of The Reader's Digest (Selecciones) and read an article. Afterward, I bought some stuffed animals for some kids who are special to me, and found a wallet that I think Dad Mohr will like. I may go to Paraná again tomorrow morning, so I better go to bed. It's already nine o'clock.

I wanted to try to create a panoramic view with a sequence of photos. This is the route near Libertador San Martin. I hope you like it. It's W-I-D-E.

June 11: Castellano: Estaba consado hoy para algun razon, entonces no trabajo tan fuerte. Yo vi televisión y escuché la radio en la mañana, cuando estaba veviendo mi primera yerba mate. (Ve foto abajo.) Yo hice una pocas cosas incorrectamente, entonces, solamente me gustó un poco. Pero la segunda vez me gustó mas porque Eli me ayuda hacerlo correctamente. Nos almorsamos Pablo, Eli, Martin y Abuela Elena. Normalmente yo almuerzo en alguno restaurante, pero tuve que probar cocina de Pablo, y estaba muy rica. El dijo que su mamá lo cocina mejor entonces quiero probar esa. :-) Pero, Napal es un largo distancia para manejar <sonrisa>.

Tuve dos clases de castellano juntos (de las tres a las ocho) entonces estoy mas consado a hora. En la mañana voy a ir a Paraná, a primera vez con Marcelo, pero despues vamos a su casa, voy a estar solo. Esta bien. Siento mas cómodo como antes. Bien. Tengo que dormir.

English: The day started slowly because I was tired for some reason (although I slept well). I watched TV and listened to the radio in the morning while drinking my first mate! (See photo below.) Because of several mistakes, I only liked it a little, but the second time I liked it better because Eli helped me make it correctly. I had lunch with Pablo, Eli, Martin and Abuela Elena. I normally go to a restaurant, but I had to try some of Pablo's cooking, and it was very good. He said his mom does a better job, so now I want to try her cooking. :-) Alas, Napal is a long drive <smile>.

I had two Spanish classes in a row (from 3 - 8) so I'm even more tired now. Tomorrow I'm going to Paraná, at first with Marcelo, but after going to his house, I will be go solo. It's fine though, I feel more comfortable now than before. Anyway, I better go to bed.

Silly Picure Foto Tono	Mark tries his first Yerba Mate. :-) However, no one was here to help me and I made several mistakes. 1. I put in too much yerba 2. I used water that was a bit too hot 3. I didn't shake the mate while it was upside down and without water, so my bombilla had many particles in it. But it was good anyway. I had a bit more after lunch when Eli was here to show me how to do it right. Thanks Eli!

June 10: Castellano: Yo siento mejor otra ves. Me levanto a las 7, desayuné, y a hora estoy escuchando a la radio (con mucho hablado). Despues lavé mis ropas en esta día nublado, tengo ropas en mí habitación en mucho lugares para secar. Está bien. Las ropas va a secar finalmente. Despues almorsé, tomé café cuando yo leía el diario (Clarín). (Bien, bien. Yo solamente leí una poca porción.) Despues, fui a mí clase de la tarde con Señora Celia y nos hablamos por dos horas y media. Otra ves, fue bueno practica. Cené, despues, nos encontramos Marcelo y yo. Respondió mi preguntas y caminamos alredador Libertador San Martin. Lo disfrutamos. Pero a hora, estoy muy consado y tengo que dormir.

English: I'm feeling better again. Cool. I woke up at about 7:00, ate and am now listening to the radio (with much talking). After washing my clothes on this cloudy day, I have clothes strung up all over my bedroom. No matter. They'll dry eventually. After eating, I had coffee and read the news paper (Clarín). (OK, I only read a small part of the news paper.) Then I went to my afternoon class with Señora Celia and we talked for two and a half hours. Yet again, it was great practice. After an uneventful supper at the hospital, I met with Marcelo and he answered questions as usual. After that, we walked around Libertador San Martin and talked. It was fun. But now I'm very tired and must sleep.

	Mark and Marcelo in class. Marcelo takes time out of his busy schedule to be my Spanish teacher, and he has been great. Thanks again Marcelo!
Not everyone naps for a siesta, but many do (stores close too). The above shows how a few take their siesta. I tried to take photos of the way other people take their siesta, but they told me that it wasn't customary for strangers to enter their house with a camera. How was I supposed to know? (I'm joking)
	Above is a morning picture of one area where people relax at the Sanatorio.
	This cactus is near the campus in someone's yard. I like it!

June 9: Castellano (acogería todo correcciones): ¡Bravo! Mi gargancha no me duele tanto. Sin embargo, ya estoy consado y son las diez y media jajajajajaja (reírse, aunque es una cosa mala). Solamente necesito dormir mucho y debo estar bien (o estaré bien - no se, es possible que yo no debo usar 'debo' en esa manera <sonrisa>. Por favor, alguna persona ayudame :-)) (Me pregunto si personas que no saben castellano van a preguntarles '¿porque tanto palabras en la versión castellano?') Hoy será un diá en cual voy a descansar, leer y ver TV (todo en castellano, claro, excepta el parte de descanso. Es independiente de idioma. <sonrisa>).

Los últimos días han ser frío cual es normal tiempo por esta estación. Me gusta porque tambien, la humedad se fue.

A hora son las ocho. Yo desconsé hasta media día. Despues, nos encontramos a Marcelo y mí (a las 2 en lugar de las diez en la mañana). Despues, nos encontramos a señora Celia y mí a las quatro y nos ablamos por dos horas. (Entonces, yo hablaba por quatro horas.) Yo apriendé mucho entonces estoy feliz. Despues cené, voy a supermarcado y compré dos tipos de yerba para probar. Uno es puro y la otra es mezclado con otra hierbas. Ambos deben ser de alto calidad. (La marcas son Taragui and Cumbrecita.) Compraré una otra con sabor de naranja (la tienda no tiene la marca Cebse, pero va a tenerlo mas tarde).

English: Yipeee, my throat doesn't hurt so much. However, I'm already tired and it's still 10:30 am hahahahahahaha (hmmm, I suppose that's a bad thing). All I need to do is sleep a lot and I should be fine. It will be another day of relaxing, reading and watching TV (all in Spanish of course, except the relaxing part. That's language independent. <smile>).

The last few days have been cold and that's apparently the norm for this time of year. I like it though, because the humidity is gone also.

Now it's 8 o'clock. I relaxed until noon. After lunch, I met with Marcelo (at 2 instead of the normal time of 10 am) then I met with señora Celia at 4 and we talked for two hours (that's four hours of talking). It was very productive too so I'm happy. After supper, I went to the grocery store and bought two types of yerba mate to try. One is pure yerba and the other is mixed with other herbs. Both are supposed to be of high quality. (The brands are Taragui and Cumbrecita.) I will buy another with some orange flavor (the store didn't have the recomended brand, Cebse, but will have it later.)

June 8: Castellano: Tengo mas medicino. Espero que me sano (o simplamente sano?) porque es mas difícil para aprender mientras estoy enfermo. Pero, todavia, estoy aprendiendo mucho y estoy felíz acerca mi progreso. Hoy, yo compro dos mates y dos bombillas para Laura y mí. Yo probé yerba mate pero tiene azucar y un otro tipo de té. Quero probar mate solo. Porque me gusta café sin azucar, es possible que me gusta mate, pero no se a hora. Ellos será parte de la coleccíon internacional de nuestros.

Nosotros decimos adios a Agustín y Aline hoy. Estaba bien que están aquí, aunque deseo que yo sabía mas castellano mejor para conocer ellos mejor. Possible puedo durante una otra viaje aquí. Espero.

English: I have more medicine now. I hope I heal because it's difficult to learn while I'm not feeling well. But I'm still happy with my progress to date. Today, I bought two mates (cups for a drink called yerba mate) and two bombillas (high quality metal straws) for Laura and I. I tried yerba mate once, but it had sugar and an other type of tea. I want to try straight mate. Since I like coffee without sugar, it's possible that I will like mate, but it's difficult to say. They will be part of our collection of international items.

We said good-bye to Agustín y Aline today. It was good to have them here, however, I wish that I knew Spanish better so I could know them better. I might be able to during another trip here. I hope so.

	Mates are cups for a traditional drink in Argentina called Yerba Mate. The lighter colored mate has yerba mate in it. The outside of these are leather, the inside is made from a gourd. To the right are bombillas which are like high quality metal straws.
Cultural Note: It's traditional to have one person as the server. The server puts the yerba mate (like a special tea) into the mate, poors hot water in, then hands it to the first participant. When that participant is finished, he/she hands it back to the server, who repeats the process, making sure the bombilla is not clogged, etc. It's a very social event. Only the server puts in mate and water. (If you are familiar with this tradition and see errors in my description, or have more to add, please send email. I would like to learn more I will update this and make in the entry for the day that I update this.)

June 7: Castellano: Agustín y Aline estan aqui. Los encuentro hoy despues el servicio iglesia. Son bueno gente. (Eran paciente y me ayudaban con mi gramatica. Aprecio cualquier persona quien me ayuda con mi gramatica <sonrisa>) Marta preparó un bueno almuerzo y despues, nos hablamos.

En la tarde, Martin y yo caminamos para mucho tiempo. Martin es siempre patiente and muy servicial y me enseñó mucho. El paseo estaba divertido. ¡Gracias Martin! Tomamos té despues nuestros paseo. A hora, es muy tarde y necesito dormir. Ciao. :-)

What a great position for this cat. I saw it in a bush about 5 feet up. I had to snap one. You should view the larger version (by clicking on the picture). Que bueno posicion para este gato. Yo lo vi en un arbusto acerca 1.5 meteres alto. Tuve que sacar una foto. Usted debe ver la grand version (en la manera de "click" en la foto a la derecha).

English: Agustín and Aline are here. Aline is Pablo's sister. I met them today after church. They're very nice people. They were patient and helped me with my Spanish grammar - I like anyone who's helpful with my grammar <smile>.

In the afternoon, Martin and I took a long walk. Martin is always patient and very helpful, and he taught me a lot on this walk. The walk was fun. Thanks Martin! We drank tea after our walk, and now it's late, so I must go to bed. Ciao. :-)

Above is Agustín y Aline (Aline is Pablo's sister). In the upper right corner, Marta is putting the finishing touches on Sabbath lunch. Arriba están Agustín y Aline (Aline es la hermana de Pablo). Arriba y derecha, Marta está preparando almuerzo para esta sabado. Several of us chatted in the hall after lunch. / Nos charlamos en el vestibulo, despues almuerzo.

June 6: Castellano: Mi leccion de castellano estaba largo porque estuve uno listo de preguntas. Marcelo tuvo paciencia para mi y respondió todo. Hablamos por casi tres hores en castellano. Despues almuerso, fui a elNavegante otra ves. ¡Que bueno espresso! Encontro a Elías alli porque necesitó usar una máquina, pero todo estuvo ocupado. Entonces se lo ofrecí usar mi máquina a la casa. Entonces, fuimos a la casa. Estuvo beneficioco para mí porque nos hablamos mucho. En la tarde, Eduardo y yo fuimos a la reunión que is parte de graduación de Marcelo. Eduardo me ayuda mucho a mí castellano. Hablamos mientras caminamos. Cuando volvimos, me mostró a su habitación y hablamos acerca su fotos y mucho mas. Gracias Eduardo. Estuvo una gran lección de castellano. :-)

English: My Spanish lesson was very long because I had a long list of questions. Marcelo patiently answered all of them. We talked for almost three hours in Spanish. After lunch I went to elNavegante again. Good espresso! I met Elías at the coffee shop because he needed to use one of their computers. Since they were all occupied, I offered to let him use this computer. So we went to the Canalis family's house. The big benefit to me was that we talked a lot. In the evening, Eduardo and I went to the Friday night meeting that was part of Marcelo's graduation weekend. Eduardo helped me quite a bit with my Spanish. We talked as we walked. On the way back, he showed me his apartment and we talked about pictures and much more. Thanks Eduardo. That was a great Spanish lesson. :-)

Marcelo graduates this weekend! Congratulations! He's my Spanish teacher and has helped me incredibly.

June 5: Two new pages have been added, one with pictures of automobiles that interested me and another with pictures of the Universidad Adventista Del Plata (UAP) campus. Links are in the menu at the top of this page.

My throat is worse. I would have gone to Paraná with Marcelo today, but I was a bit worried about my thoat and being in Paraná all day, so I stayed home. I will watch TV and read a lot today. They are excellent activities for my Spanish. I'm a bit worried about my throat because it appears to be strep (visually), although I do not have a fever. I will ask Pablo about it when he returns from Crespo. Everyone has been very supportive. Marta and Elena prepared soup (and tea) for me and have offered to do so again today. I love soup anyway, but it's especially nice when I'm feeling sick. This green tea that Abuela Elena prepared is great.

Pablo gave me a type of antibiotic for my throat. I took one pill and will continue with it for a week.

(Spanish) Castellano (a lo estilo de Mark <sonrisa>): Hay dos paginas nuevas. Uno con fotos de autos que estan interestante para mi, y otro con fotos de Universidad Adventista Del Plata (UAP). (como se dice "link"?) Conexiones (o eslabónes) están en el menu arriba.

Mi garganta está peor. Yo planeé ir a Paraná con Marcelo, pero estaba un poco preocupado acerca mucho tiempo a Paraná cuando estaba poco enfermo. Entonces voy a ver televisión y leer mucho. Estan actividades exelente para aprender mas. Estoy poco preocupado acerca me garganta porque me parece estar un malo tipo enfermo (en inglés, es llamado "strep throat"), aunque no tengo una fiebre. Voy a preguntar a Pablo cuando el volve de Crespo. Todo en esta casa han estada muy servicial. Marta y Elena prepararon sopa (y té tambien) y han ofrecido otra vez para hoy. Me gusta sopa siempre, y me gusta mas cuando estoy enfermo. ¡Esta té verde que Abuela Elena preparó is rico!

Pablo me dio una tipo de antibiótico para mi garganta. Tomé uno y lo voy a coninuar por una semana mas.

June 4: My throat is sore so I'm going to rest much today. It's a good time to post some pictures that I've saved, but never had time to post as of yet.

Mi garganta está escocedura, entonces voy a descansar para mucho tiempo hoy. Es una oportunidad para poner photos en mi pagina. Los salvo para mi pagina, pero no tuve tiempo antes.

	elNavegante is the coffee shop to which I frequently go. Natalia and Mariana talk with me frequently. I buy some things there that cost more than at other stores, but the talking is valuable, so I support the store.
This is the most interesting vehicle here. It has bags in the back, likely for weight so the wheels don't spin.		Above, Martin receives a back rub from Jael.
	The sun in the trees on campus is to the left, and to the right is a place where people relax at the Hospital.
This little Mercedes was cute and I've not seen them in the States.

June 3: It was a great day. I arose early and went with Marcelo and Marlise. We went to a remote area in the country (as in countryside) and visited a small elementary school. Marcelo asked some questions of me and I answered, talking to the class in Spanish. There were times that I needed help with words, but I was happy with what I was able to do. Then, Marcelo had to leave for a few minutes unexpectedly and I was alone with the class. That was interesting, but it turned out to be quite fun. I began asking questions of them, about pets, their favorite cars and motorcycles, etc. I had a lot of fun. Then the children had some questions for me (including questions about 9/11 and the Iraq war). In the few minutes I was there, I began wishing that I could know the children better. They seemed very genuine.

Here are the children in the school that I visited. Que Bueno! They struck me as very genuine. I wish I could know them better.

On our way home, we stopped at a farm where Marlise wanted to buy eggs. We talked with the owners for a while (I had a hard time understanding) and they showed us where they made cheese. They were very nice and answered several questions (about the machinery). I decided to buy half of a large chunk and a dozen eggs myself. (Maybe I'll make an omelet.) When it was time to go, I pulled out my wallet and the owners said "it's a gift." I was very surprised and impressed with their generosity.

After my 4:00 PM Spanish class and after the grocery store, I went home and played Martin's car racing game with Martin and Eduardo. I lost every time, but next time I will beat them! :-) Now, I must get to bed.

Here are the farmer and his daughter in the place in which they make cheese. To the right is the vat where the milk is prepared for cheese.

June 2: In Short: It was a very good day (but no new pictures). I talked a LOT and understood fairly well. Learning Spanish has some similarities with a roller coaster (hay similares entre aprendar castellano y una montaña rusa). Today was a high (hoy estuvo dia alto). I talked much and learned much (hablo mucho y apriendo mucho).

Note: Tomorrow I will go with Marcelo to Paraná to see where his project will take place. I will be introduced to people from the areas that are in the country (de el campo?). I really look forward to that (yo deseo eso). I hope to be able to take pictures, however, I will be careful to not offend by the manner in which I take pictures.

Details: I started the day with my morning Spanish lesson from Marcelo and we talked for about two hours. It was very helpful. At lunch, I met with two friends at the hospital cafeteria and I talked with them and listened to them through lunch. One stayed for a while after lunch, describing several things about Argentina and the economy (all in Spanish). It was very interesting. After the afternoon coffee, I went to my afternoon lesson with señora Celia and we talked for over an hour and a half for the lesson, then talked for another hour about her computer, almost solely in Spanish (only using English for a quick clarification). It was very productive.

Now it's late, so I should update this web page, get my email and go to sleep.

I miss you Laura.

June 1: Last night, two mosquitos kept me awake for much of the night. :-( But they both regret it now. What a tough guy I am. :-) I read some (in Spanish) and watched a movie called Lugares Comunes. The Argentine actors talked VERY fast for me, but it's good practice anyway. The sound quality of most of the movies is very low, even broadcast television is better, so I will likely watch broadcast television from this time on (pienso la frase correcto es "a hora y en delante"). I then talked to several people in the United States.