Final Countdown

This might be the last time that I write this. On the other hand, it might not! I am certainly down to my last few hours in Buenos Aires. I'm now quite glad - I'm really tired, covered in bleeding and itchy mosquito bites and I want to get home. I'm not much looking forward to the flight, though - 11 hours from here to Frankfurt, an hour stopover, then 2 more hours to Edinburgh. I am so excited about getting on the plane to Edinburgh. One of the times I flew back from Spain or France, having been away for several weeks, I flew back over the Forth Bridge, which was all lit up. It was a good feeling!

Well, after much fanfare and excitement, Sile and I didn't make it to Uruguay. I'm annoyed that I didn't get another random South American stamp on my passport, but it was going to end up being too complicated. When we got to the port, we queued at 2 different places that looked like ticket desks, only to be moved to another desk. When we finally got to the real ticket queue, there was a man who must have been booking 100 different trips as he was there for ages. By the time we got up to the desk, we had missed the 11.15 sailing to Colonia and the next one wasn't until 2. We then tried to book that, but we told that we would have to wait until 8pm to come back. I have heard that Colonia is beautful, but I think it´s probably about the size of Dalkeith and I'm not sure if we could amuse ourselves there for that length of time. We decided just to leave it, and went for a walk around the Plaza de Mayo instead.

Sile was pretty tired, though (we were both tempted to have a little nap on a bench down at the waterfront, even though we would have probably looked like well-dressed vagrants), so she headed back to her hostel for a siesta. I decided to check out a couple of places I still wanted to see - the Manzana de las Luces and a couple of the Cathedrals. I saw them both, but didn't really enjoy walking around today the way that I did on Saturday.

The reason I didn't really enjoy it is also one of the reasons I'm looking forward to getting home - the annoying attitude of the men here! They all stare quite openly and if they are feeling particularly ribald, they will hiss at you or make a comment. I thought it would be quite warm today so I wore a skirt, sandals and leggings (obviously I was also suitably dressed from the waist up. I'm not going to give them ammunition!). This seemed to be an invitation for men to stare and generally harrass me, and I wasn't in the mood for it! At one point I was hissed at and received 2 brazen comments in the space of 5 minutes. The last one was about my eyes being pretty (standard fare, it would seem), which wasn't so bad, but just after that, when I had decided to cut my losses and go back to the hotel to change into trousers, some guy was so busy staring at my legs that he walked into a scaffolding pole. All his friends laughed, and I did too, but I still felt really self-conscious and scuttled off as quickly as I could.

I find all this unsettling and not in the least bit flattereing. I had asked Pepe about it last night, him being a local. He said that if women look pretty, the men here like to show their appreciation - Sile and I argued that it was actually quite threatening and sometimes a bit scary. He claimed this wasn't what the men were doing, which made me feel a bit better, but when you have to walk past someone who is going "ch ch ch" at you or muttering something about you under their breath, you can't help but feel embarrassed and a bit scared. I don't like it! The hissing is the worst - I feel like saying "is that the best you can do?". Apparently there were 12 women for every man in Posadas, and with that kind of technique I imagine the men still struggled to get the ladies to be interested!

My psuedo-sociology aside, it's almost time to sign off. I fly out of Buenos Aires Ezeiza Airport at 14.40 tomorrow. I get into Edinburgh at 12.45 local time... I can't wait! Did I mention that?

If this is my last entry, thanks to everyone who has been reading it, leaving comments, Facebooking, texting and emailing me. It has been great to hear from you all and I can't wait to see you in person. I have one reader who says he is miffed that I'm coming home as he won't be able to read my blog anymore. I am thinking about falsifying some entries detailing wild escapades just for him.

Hope you've enjoyed it. I will miss writing this as it has become something of an obsession. What will I do with my time?

I may be back. Watch this space.

¡Hasta nos vemos!

Little Match Girl

Things just keep getting stranger and stranger. What a day I've had! If you had told me a year ago that today I would do what I've done, I would have wondered who you were talking about. Yet, here I am!

Sile and I didn't end up going out for long last night. We were both knackered (and I was a bit sunburnt, as I discovered later) and ended up just going for a lovely meal and then heading home. I ended up getting a random, free impromptu tour of the Palermo and San Telmo districts by my taxi driver, who was keen to show me a bit more of the city. It was fascinating. The city never stops, and at 2 in the morning it was still hoaching with people and traffic. I was just sorry that I wasn't able to make the most (or disfrutar, as the Argentines say) of what the city had to offer as I was so tired.

I had to get up early, though, as Sile and I had arranged to meet at her hostel at 10.15 the next day. She had talked me in to going on her hostel's pre-arranged trip to the Buenos Aires football derby. Now, as many of you will know, I had never been to a football match and was nervous about the idea of going. I had a preconceived notion of what it would be like and wasn't sure I wanted to be part of it. However, the temptation to go to such a prestigious match was too much... the idea of going to a River-Boca Derby as my first football match? Well, how cool is that?

So, this morning I found myself at the stadium of Club Atlético River Plate, section WD, in the second from top row. I had an amazing view of the stadium and enjoyed how high up we were. I had decided a few weeks earlier that I favoured underdogs River, with their white, red and occasionally black strip, to Boca's navy and yellow ubiquity. I was so pleased that we were in the River stadium in the home end, and the atmosphere of the home fans was amazing.

While we had been waiting at the hostel for the transfer bus to the stadium, I thought I heard a Scottish accent, and right enough, there was a Scottish guy waitng to go to the game too. He was Andrew, from Dundee, and we were both glad to have finally met a Scottish person after a month in Argentina. We were both particularly pleased about the prospect of the Scotland vs Argentina rugby match, which was due to take place immediately after the football.

The theatrics of the River fans was quite something. Before the game started, they unrolled banners from the edge of the top deck that displayed the colours of River - a red stripe between 2 white ones. Then they all suddenly had white or red balloons, according to the section they were in, to make up the red stripe on the white background. When the players came on, they released thousands of squares of newspaper into the wind and strips of paper at half time. It was all made even more breathtaking by the low flying planes that kept appearing just over the stadium, heading into the landing strip at the airport just beyond.

The game was highly entertaining, with a penalty, an injury resulting in a substitution, 2 goals (River!), some stunning footwork and a sending-off. Being in the thick of a host of River fans cheering and jumping when River scored was brilliant, and at several points I thought about the complete randomness of the situation I was in - and yet how much I loved it.

The game ended at 5 past 4, which was just after the kick-off of the rugby. In a very cool move, the stadium put the match on the big screen. This turned my situation into something even more random - here I was, watching Scotland play Argentina at rugby in a football stadium in Buenos Aires. I was gutted that I missed "O Flower of Scotland", though, as that would have been a classic moment to enjoy in the situation.

I got told to shut up when I cheered when Scotland scored first, but I didn't have to worry much as before long our fortunes had turned. Annoyingly, we had to leave the stadium just before the end of the first half and we were still on the bus home at the final whistle, which was broadcast over the radio. Andrew and I were both gutted. I'm sure if I had been watching, we would have won!

Back at Sile's hostel, Pepe, the guy who was in charge of the football trip, bought us some beers to commiserate Scotland's loss. Sile and I met Pippa, a girl who had just arrived in BA. She is here for 11 months, and it was a real privilege to help her settle in on the first night. When Pepe learned that it was my 2nd last night in Argentina, he suggested that we have a "celebration" at the hostel tomorrow night (which seems a bit strange seeing as I'm not even staying there, but I'm going to go with it) so that should be fun.

We ended up staying in the hostel until about an hour ago, watching the highlights of the River-Boca game on the TV. The highlights were very poor, showing more of the fans' reactions to the goals than any shots of the goals themselves.

Tomorrow there has been something of a change of plans - instead of going to Montevideo as planned, Sile and I are going to go to Colonia, which is much closer and it won't take up as much of the day to travel there. We will still get the Uruguay stamps on our passports, though!

Will tell all tomorrow. One more full day left. I can' t believe it.

Buen Día en Buenos Aires

It's been a couple of days since I last wrote this, but it seems like ages. I'm back in Buenos Aires now, and so glad I still have a couple of days here.

On Thurdsay, I had a really great last night in Posadas - I couldn't have asked for better, actually. We all went round to Marcelo and Veronica's for what was my last asado in Posadas! Marcelo cooked up tons of meat - probably more than a whole cow - and it was delicious. We sat outside on the terrace, even though it was about 25 degrees (in the dark!) and the air conditioning in the house was much more pleasant. We talked and played stupid games until about 1 in the morning - and (thankfully, I have to admit - I must be getting past it), we just went home afterwards. I was really grateful that everyone else was a tired as me and wasn't fussed about hitting the clubs. Phew!

I got bitten to pieces by mosquitos, though - they don't seem the least bit bothered by my insect repellent, and I have been bitten much worse than anyone else. I have ripped my poor legs to shreds scratching the bites - they are so much worse than midgey bites. Luckily, I have discovered that the antiseptic gel I bought for cleaning my hands with after a day in the Refugio dulls the itch. It has been a godsend all round!

Speaking of insects, or bichas as the kids call them, I was horrified on Thursday (so horrified that I forgot to mention it) to discover that I am now playing host to a rancid bunch of headlice. Charming! I had been getting Sile to check my head all the time and we had been congratulting ourselves on being bicha-free, but when Analia from Arcoiris checked me, she found a massive LIVE one - I saw it right there in her hand, squirming its foul little legs. Don't worry, I will quarantine myself once I am home until I have had a chance to cover them in shoe polish, or turpentine or whatever it is gets rid of then parasitic little swines. The shame of it!

On Friday morning, I had a bit of a lie-in and then finished the rest of my packing. I was really surprised that I managed to fit in my snowboarding jacket. That jacket has been over the Atlantic 4 times so far, and I have only worn it twice. I have no intention of wearing it on the plane back, though (it's so bulky!), so although I have now unpacked it again in my hotel here, I'll need to make sure it fits back in the case for flying home. I hope I don't have to leave behind any of the shoes I bought here...!

I went into town for a last look round and to get some last-minute bits and pieces. Sile and I bought a huge bunch of flowers for Cuca - they won't last, but apparently she loves flowers and she has already started using the tartan teatowels that mum and dad bought for her, so she will have a lasting Scottish influence of some kind! She has bought me a t-shirt with a picture of the Iguazu Falls too, so we have made a good swap!

The gang had one last reunion for luch before I left, which was really nice. Hannah had swapped her work for the day to help Jenny at Arcoiris, and it sounds like the kids are still in one piece there, anyway!

Then I did my goodbyes and headed off. I wonder if I will see them again - I hope so, anyway. Especially considering that I only got 2 weeks with the new lot - there still seemed so much fun to be had.

My flight from Posadas to BA was delayed by 4 hours, which was really annoying as I could have had longer in town with my friends and going shopping. Marcelo and Carolina took me to the airport as they were meeting the next raft of volunteers - I wondered if they would be feeling as lost and nervous as I was on my first day in Posadas.

Finally we left - the flight to BA was uneventful, apart from the landing, which was shaky and a bit scary, considering how close to the buildings we were. We landed with all the lights of the city around us, and I couldn't help but fall in love with the place all over again.

My taxi driver to the hotel was another friendly sort, and we spoke (in Spanish) all about how many Scottish and Irish people there are living in BA, the nightclubs and the difference between taxi drivers here, London and Edinburgh. Random, but very satisfying! My hotel turned out to be a bit of a rustic dream - the bathroom is the same size as the bedroom (although it is a single room and I do have to turn sideways and walk like a crab to get round the end of the bed) and - wonder of wonders - has a balcony. I spent a while standing out there last night, just feeling the breeze on my face and watching the cars go by on nearby Avenida de 9 Julio (at 16 lanes, apparently it's the widest street in the world). I was pleased to find that there is a minibar, and was half-tempted to tuck into the champagne, as it was only about 14 pesos or suchlike (2 pound eighty?). Instead I opted for a Quilmes, the local beer, but managed to pull out a Coke instead... and I'd opened it before I had realised - it was too late, so I had to drink it!

I woke up this morning all excited about the things I could do today. I had another good look at the city from the balcony and thought about how lucky I am - if you have the chance, you MUST come here. It's so amazing. I love it.

I braved the restaurant alone for breakfast, then headed back up to the balcony to plan my itinerary. I had actually already seen a lot of the city from when I first arrived in Argentina, but there are a few more of the smaller things to see. I first of all headed out up Avda de 9 Julio to the Obelisk, as I didn't get any pictures of that the first time around. From there I walked to Plaza de San Martín, which, according to my guidebook, used to be a slave market. It was hard to imagine that as I sat on a bench there in the sunshine, looking at all the gleaming skyscrapers all around me.

I then went to see the Torre de los Ingleses, which was a gift from the city's British contingent many years ago. It is now covered with "Malvinas Argentinas" ("The Falklands are Argentine") graffiti, but on one side it also has the British coat of arms with "Dieu et Mon Droit" on it, which surprised me with its incongruousness to its surroundings.

I was pleased with myself after that, because I plucked up the courage to go up what looked like a bit of a dodgy street to find the Museum of Immigration. What a reward! It was sited in what used to be the immigrant' hotel, where new arrivals to the country could stay for 5-15 days while they got settled in and found work and homes. It was really interesting seeing where the immigrants to Argentina had come from - they were encouraged to come from all over Europe. Some of the first families, apparently, were Scottish.

There were great photos of the new immigrants stepping off the boats to their new lives - it was impossible to see from their faces what they were thinking, but I would love to know what was going through their heads at that time.

I keep seeing planes taking off from the nearby international airport, and part of me longs to be on one, coming home. But in the meantime, there is still so much to see and do. Sile should be here in a few hours and then it's time to hit the town. It should be good.

Will try and write some more tomorrow, but now my fingers (and no doubt your eyes!) hurt.

¡Ciao!

Walkaways

A bit of a tough day today all round, not least because it was a struggle to get up this morning. We went to the restaurant my guidebook recommended, and it was lovely. I had this amazing steak, Bife de Chorizo al Canibal (not as gruesome as it sounds, but it was very bloody in the middle - just the way I like it!). The waiter even said "excellent choice, Sir" to Jonny (in Spanish) when he ordered the wine (the 2004 Malbec, if you're interested), but apparently the desserts were rubbish.

Afterwards I tried hard to resist the peer pressure to go out (I am 26, after all, and past such things), but ended up being press-ganged into going to Mentecato, and, even worse, the thoroughly vile Tauro. My pool skills had improved a bit, though. Being the "mum" of the group, I bailed out early again, and still felt as though I needed another 12 hours' sleep when the alarm went off this morning. My throat is now really hurting, and I would curse Tauro if I could get the words out.

Sile and I endured our last ever wait for the catorce (the no 14 bus) this morning, amid the general gawping and stares of Posadas drivers. One guy was practically hanging out his car. I don't get it - we are dressed in our work clothes, which are covered in paint, flour, mud and worse from the day before, we have no makeup on, we look half-dead from tiredness... what is it they find so fascinating? There is also this really funny thing that men do here when they are trying to get your attention as you walk past - they make this "ch ch ch" sound. For ages I just thought it was crickets in the grass! They really need to sort it out!

Arcoiris was lovely this morning. Zacarías read me a bit of a play he had been doing at school about the destruction of the Aboriginal peoples' lifestyle and habitat since the Conquistadores "discovered" South America. The play was done in the form of a story told to children by their grandfather, and the end of the story was yet to come - the grandad said that it was the kids' responsibility to make sure that the ending was a happy one. Zaca and I talked about what this meant and I explained that it didn't end with his generation, but would go on for ever, and everyone had the responsibility. I can't believe I managed to do this in Spanish and he understood - it was quite a moving moment for me. I had a great time too with Salomon, teaching him Scots phrases. He picks things up really fast. He spoke Doric at one point, when he greeted me with a "Fit like, min" and later on he said "he's totally radge". Brilliant!

We finished making the magnets, and 2 of the kids gave me theirs as a memento of them. They were meant to be mementos of us, but I like fridge magnets and it would have been rude to refuse. At one point Lorena called all the kids to the office and when they came back out, they had made posters for both of us that had drawings of all the children on it and messages from the ones that could write. Mine was written in Spanish, but Sile's one was in English, which said a lot for them - they don't really speak any English. It said something along the lines of "we may not share the same language, but we can still understand each other". Reading that made me cry. Sile hardly dried up all morning! At the end, we went round all of them and I said good luck for their lives to each of them. At one point I was struck by how fragile their lives are and I was really sad to think that their lives may not always be so secure and happy as they are now. I wonder what will become of them. I hope to keep in touch with them by email, though, and Lorena wants our photos to make a website for the home.

Eventually, after much crying and lots of goodbyes, we left. We had a very greasy lunch in the foodcourt - all 3 of us were up for some serious comfort-eating. Afterwards it was Refugio time - I was quite dreading it, but I ended up having some great moments with the kids. We had all the new puzzles out, and they all proved very popular. It was amazing the difference they have made - the kids used to run around madly all the time, making weapons to hurt each other or destroy things out of anything they could find. It was really nice at one point to step back and see a group of about 15 kids from the age of 4 to 14 all absorbed in some activity or another. Also, I had a bit of a watershed with Alejandrito, who I was beginning to wonder might be autistic as he didn't respond to anyone and used to cry a lot of the time. Somehow today I won him over and he couldn't stop giving me hugs. Last week he kept destroying things and hitting people, but today he tidied up all the bricks on his own initiative, and when I praised him he ran into my arms for a hug. Little things like that have made this trip worthwhile.

I was glad to get away at 5.45 because the kids had started to go a bit radge again, and I didn't want to spoil the nice afternoon that we had just had. I wonder what will become of all the kids there. I do feel, though, that what I've done has made a difference, even if it's just the tiniest bit. Now it's up to other people - I just hope that they care about the kids as much as I did. I think, though, that what I have seen and done here won't really sink in until I get home.

It's my last night in Posadas tonight. It's gone so fast. I will be glad of the change, though, and I'm excited about going to Buenos Aires again. Most of all, I'm excited about getting home - I miss it.

I better go off and pack now - I have to be out of my room by 10 tomorrow morning as there is a new person coming (another lamb to the slaughter!), so I want to be all organised. No late night for me, tonight, either!

The next installment will probably be in BA, if I can get to a computer. Until then... ¡ciao!

South American Homesick Blues

OK, so I'm not really homesick. And I don't have the blues. I was trying to be a bit clever with the title there... and I am now starting to really look forward to going home, and I had a blues incident earlier on, so it seemed apt. Read on.

Bowling was shut last night for refurbishment, apparently, so we ended up back in good old Mentecato. This will probably be my last time there, as we seem to be going to Cristobal (workplace of the nefarious Sergio. Hmm!) tonight and to Pan y Manteca on Thursday, as we haven't been there yet and supposedly it's good.

I rotted my teeth with my last Caipirinha and a Licuado, then we all bailed out. It was still too hot to think at midnight. Damn the tropics!

We were in Arcoiris early again this morning, having figured out the buses at long last. We started off with a treat for them - we started the first part of a magnet-making set, putting the plaster into moulds. The kids really enjoyed it and managed not to make too much mess - after my P7 last year and all their art antics, I could hardly beleive how little there was to clear up afterwards. Just as we were finishing, Rosi, a lady who has been in to visit before, came in with her guitar. She sang some nursery rhymes and Singing Kettle-style stuff to the kids, and it was lovely watching them sing along. They all had a go of the guitar, which they loved. Rosi passed me the guitar as I had said I played, and she asked me to sing for them. I was really nervous, but sang "Ye Banks and Braes" as I thought the more traditional Scottish, the better! They didn't have the first clue what I was saying (I'm not sure if Sile or Jenny did either!) but they all listened all the way through and gave me a round of applause, which was more than my class did on Burn's Day last year! It made me feel just the tiniest bit homesick. After that, Rosi played a sad traditional Argentine song, and it was blues all round!

It was lunch in the park again today and as early a start as we could manage at Refugio. We are doing loads better now with the games that we bought, and there was a moment today when about 10 of the kids were gainfully engaged in one or other of the things that we brought with us. Even Sara and Itatí, who normally spend all their time cooking up spiteful ploys to annoy us (yesterday we are sure they pinched a whole load of the jigsaw pieces, but today Itatí had miraculously and conveniently found them in the kitchen) joined in and were really sweet all afternoon. We were so impressed that we went into town afterwards to get a few more jigsaws and things for them. It can be a leaving present from Sile and me too as, after tomorrow, I doubt we will ever see those kids again.

We are going out for a meal tonight with the gang, so I'm off to get ready. I'm sad that after tomorrow I won't be able to see the kids again or be able to help them anymore, but I have worn myself out and I'm glad that I am passing on the torch to someone else. I think I deserve a break!

Mañana...

Hot in the City

I can barely bring myself to do anything today. It's so hot that it hurts to move. I don't get it - this time last week, I was wrapped up in my snowboarding jacket, gloves and hat. Today I just want to be lying in a very cold pool sipping cold juice. Or maybe an iced Dr Lemon.

Last night was totally uneventful - we were thinking of all going to the cinema, but as usual it fell to me to find out times, and I had to phone the cinema. I didn't fully understand what the woman said, which was just as well as I have since found out that the film we wanted to see isn't actually on. I must have heard her say something else. In the end we all ended up having a night off and I fell asleep really early. I woke up really early too because of the heat, but then the fan kept me awake, so I turned it off and stayed hot - and awake. I still feel like I have had no rest at all.

I managed to drag myself into work, but it was unbearable, even inside. I spent most of the morning with Mile, which was nice as she is starting to walk. It's a real shame she doesn't have a mum around to see her growing. Jenny and I had a lovely picnic in the park again. The park is called Plaza de las Malvinas and there is a sign with a big picture of the Falklands coloured in with the Argentine flag. People do keep wanting to discuss the Falklands with us, but I think it's best avoided and pretend that Scotland had nothing to do with it. It usually works.

Refugio was a bit better today, but I couldn't believe it when I saw the broken bench is in fact back and worse than ever (rusty nails sticking out all over the place) and has been joined by 2 others. The kids were doing clay modelling with German, an 18 year old who volunteers there every Tuesday. Of course, the modelling descended into rioting and the clay got thrown everywhere. German went around trying to pick it up and I commented that he was very brave to try doing stuff like that with them as it is bound to end in chaos. He agreed, but said he knew exactly what would happen. We ended up having a long and interesting conversation (in Spanish, ¡desde luego!) about the problems there are in the home and what he thinks are the causes. I'm not about to risk libel by repeating here what he said, but it was a very interesting insight into why things are the way they are.

Later on, Stefania, the girl who allegedly threw the puppy, appeared. I was so annoyed with her that I didn't kon what to do, but eventually I asked her what had happened with the pup. She pretended she didn't understand me, then later claimed that one of the other children had thrown it. Later still, I took her to one side and asked her if she knew how we should treat animals. She replied that we should care for them. I said to her that dogs can't fly and she shouldn't make them. I asked her if she understood and if she would remember that, and she said she would. I felt a little bit better about the situation, as she seemed to be sorry, but I suppose that's just a drop in the ocean. Bullying in the Refugio is probably endemic, with everyone able to find someone weaker than themselves to pick on - even if the person themselves is tiny and they pick on a dog.

Nothing much else of note happened today, unless you count my trip to the laundrette. I am so hot and tired and want a shower and a sleep! There is some talk of going bowling tonight - at least it will be airconditioned in there.

Tomorrow!

VIPs and RIP

It's Monday again, and all of a sudden I only have 4 days left in Posadas. It's gone so fast, but in many ways I am ready to come home. I think that's a good thing, though! I had a great time on Saturday night. Sile and I were lucky enough to be invited to a family barbecue at Cuca's daughter's house - I get the feeling that it's a real honour to be invited. Tim and Jonny went along too, but while we were picked up at 6.45, the boys didn't arrive until nearer 9 and we didn't eat until after 11. I had stopped being hungry by then. The dichotomy between Cuca's timekeeping and the lax approach taken by everyone else is stark - I arrived home at 6.40 by my watch and got a ticking off for being late, even though I wasn't... It seems Cuca sets her clocks 10 minutes early. Very frustrating! We were getting picked up at 6.45, but then no one else turned up until 9ish and we didn't finish eating and get back home until half one in the morning. It made me wonder what the fuss was all about, especially as I have checked and my watch is in sync with others around the city, including the one in the locutorio I am in right now!

It was such a lovely night, though. We sat around and drank wine in the garden of Cuca's daughter (Anna Maria)'s house and listened to the jokes told by José Luis. He is a right old joker, and was working the assembled crowd, who were rapt by his jokes! I could barely understand a word, but we all found ourselves cracking up at whatever punchline it was, as the the tone he delivered it in and everyone else's hysterical laughter was infectious. José Luis is the boyfriend of Emilse, who is Cuca's late son's wife. Cuca's son died in a motor accident 15 years ago, and it's nice for Emilse to have a new partner. Emilse is also Jonny and Tim's homestay mum and she speaks a bit of English.

When we finally got round to eating, I wasn't all that hungry. I had a bit of steak, some chorizo sausage (the Argentine stuff tastes very different from the chorizo you get in Spain or at home, but is still delicious) and the tiniest bit of morcilla, which is Argentine blood sausage. It's a national delicacy and I wanted to try some, but I have to admit I'm not a fan. It was like slimy, smooth black pudding. Urk!

Much hilarity ensued including Jonny narrowly escaping a dance with Anna Maria, who knows how to enjoy herself! We were dropped off home at half one, with each of us wondering if we could manage to stay awake another few hours to go out.

We made it out at half 2, which sounds obscene in the cold light of a Monday evening. But that's how things work here - Power (the legendary and massive Saturday club) doesn't open until 2 am. We went back to the VIP section - no VIPs were in there, sadly - but we did manage to share a bottle of champagne, which cost the equivalent of 5 pounds. Stranger-to-romance Sergio promptly informed me that he was working and would not be in Power, which was no piel off my nariz! I was very excited as they started playing some retro classics in the VIP, and at one point I could have sworn I was in the Egg all over again. They played "My Sharona" by the Knack and some Erasure and Depeche Mode. It was all so incongruous with the surroundings and Tim and I had a good dance off in honour of the randomness.

It all got a bit too much for us around 4, though, and we retired to the seating area. Tim decided earlier that he is very excited by the notion that there might be someone out there called Peter Bread (I might google this later) and we decided to see how many names we could come up with that were also foods (this may have been a result of food deprivation earlier in the evening). We came up with Victoria Sponge, Di Gestive (I threw in Rich Tea at this point) and Sam On. Any others would no doubt please Tim endlessly, so do leave them as comments at the end of this, presuming you are as sad as us.

I was really glad to get home to my bed. One thing I will say is that I hadn't appreciated before how much the smoking ban has improved the smell of my clothes after a night out. Every time I wake up after a going out anywhere here (even after just 1 drink in a bar), my clothes reek of smoke. I had forgotten how unpleasant it is, and won't miss this aspect of Argentina, although I will mourn the loss of the cheap prices of everything here!

I was up sharpish (for me) on Sunday morning, as Jenny, Hannah and I had arranged to go to San Ignacio. We had been tipped off that there was a lovely beach close by, so I duly packed my bikini and tiny travelling towel. The bus only took an hour, but it was incredibly hot as soon as we got away from the air conditioning.

San Ignacio is one of many sites of the former Jesuit compounds that were set up in the 17th century, where the Jesuit immigrants established colonies of the local indigenous people, the Guaraní. The Jesuits came over from Europe to set up religious colonies that "civilised" the Guaraní, while encouraging them to move away from their subsistent lifestyle, to farm and trade, and the Jesuits protected the tribes from the invasions of slavers from Brazil and other areas. From what I can gather, the colonies became almost Utopian societies, although they did have a house in the compound in which (according to the translation), women were shut away if they were widowed, had an absent husband, or were "dissolute", which doesn't sound very modern or socialist to me!

The Jesuits were all forced to leave the colonies by decree decades after their founding, and the buildings were destroyed by weather and various wars. All that is left of San Ignacio is some very grandly carved stone walls and the outline of the various rooms and divisions of the compound. If it hadn't been for the deep red colour of the stone, the blistering sunshine and the huge cactus growing by the ruins, it could have been a Historic Scotland site, which was funny!

The heat was almost too much to bear, as it often is here. We left and decided to try to find a taxi to take us to the beach, as we had been advised to do by Carolina. We also checked with the man at the front gate of the ruins where we should get the bus home from - as I think I said, bus stops are few and far between, and hard to discern if you're not local! We walked down the street, but there were no cars, never mind those with the white and yellow that shows they are taxis. I went into a shop to ask where we could get a taxi from, and the woman said "oh, these boys' uncle is a taxi driver. Just go round to his house and he'll take you". We followed the kids round the corner to the house, but they came back out and said he was asleep. His wife came out and said she would take us to the archway, where she said there was a taxi company. We felt very uncomfortable about this, and I was very stressed as I couldn't really understand her thick accent, and Jenny and Hannah don't speak much Spanish so couldn't help me out. In the end, she totally overcharged us for a 5 minute journey that did not result in us finding a taxi company at the archway, so who knows what she was on about. We ended up walking back into town and going into the casino, which appeared to have the only cafe that was open. We felt better after a coke and some air conditioning, and decided to abandon the trip to the beach, as if we couldn't get a taxi there, there was little chance of getting one back.

According to the timetable, the next bus home wasn't until 10 past 10, so we watched the sun going down (like switching off a light!) and then went for steaks in a restaurant near the ruins. I am quite used to things being set up for tourists, if not exactly touristy, and although it had been a bit stressful, it was really good to be doing something and seeing somewhere that is not at all touristy. The way things are going, Argentina in a few years' time may be a lot more built up and tacky and I'm glad I'm getting to see it now.

The bus didn't turn up where the man at the gate said it would be and eventually we realised that we had to go back to the Archway, after missing the second last bus home. Luckily we were able to get on the last one, but it was totally full and we ended up sitting on the floor of the top deck for a while. One thing they do here on long bus journeys is serve you a shot of black, very sweet coffee and a little boiled sweetie, and both were very welcome by the time the guy came along with the trays.

I felt like I had only been asleep for a minute when I woke up this morning, so it's just as well that I have had quite an easy day. I'm glad, though, as Friday was almost more than I could take. We made it really early to Arcoiris - for some reason the buses were being quite kind today. The kids were mostly really chilled and I had a couple of lovely moments with Mile, the youngest baby. We had brought a foam jigsaw map of Argentina, which proved very exciting to the kids but almost impossible to do. Each piece of the jigsaw was a province of Argentina (including territories in Antarctica and the Falklands, which are featured on all national maps) and I was ashamed to realise that I hardly knew any of the geography of the country that is hosting me. It was ok, though, as none of the kids did either. We pieced it back together eventually and managed not to lose any of the bits.

Sile went off to the locutorio after work, but Jenny and I bought cheese and bread from the local shop and had a wee picnic in the park. It's stupidly hot, though, and I was in danger of falling asleep. That feeling continued at the Refugio, but hardly any of the kids seemed to be there today so we spent the afternoon taking photos and chatting to 3 of the older kids, who normally don't really get much one-to-one attention.

One thing that is really sad about El Refugio is the state that some of the kids are left in. Daniel, who has stunted growth and severe learning difficulties, is constantly in wet and dirty nappies. He is 7 and although he doesn't seem to be aware of it himself, the other children notice that he smells very badly and it is very hard to be near him. It seems to be to be tragic and unfair that he is forced to smell like a dirty toilet all the time, and that is his life. He is already very psychologically damaged by what happened to him when he was wee, but I wonder what further stress that puts him under.

I also made the mistake of asking about the puppy. I am very upset but not at all surprised about what I found out - the puppy died last week. Apparently one of the younger girls threw him across the room to see if he could fly. This sums up the way the children live there. They are not looked after properly and have no guidance or discipline, therefore they have no idea how to look after a tiny creature like a puppy, and I suspect they had no empathy for it or any caring feelings. I am so sad that the puppy had to die, but deep down I knew it would only be a matter of time. It was the possibility of situations like that that made me think very seriously about not coming here, as I knew that in places like orphanages there was bound to be a degree of heartbreaking situations. I did not, however, expect to feel this over a puppy.

On a brighter note, the broken bench covered in rusty nails and the huge piece of wire that have been littering the patio for a week or more have finally been removed, and Jonathan, who was being really cheeky and annoying on Friday, was really cute and spent ages going through the dictionary, learning English words. Their Scottish accents are so cute. I now have Luis greeting me every day with a handshake and "awright, min" and Salomón in Arcoiris saying "stoap it" whenever someone does something naughty!

I know that in light of what I have just written about the puppy that the paragraph above seems totally inappropriate and facile, but I have to look for silver linings around the very dark cloud of Refugio and any achievement is still something to be celebrated in a place where there is not much to feel happy about.

I also know that some readers are worrying about me as things seem so bad. I have to reassure you that the Refugio is only one part of what I'm experiencing here, I have become desensitised to things a bit (however tragic that may seem, it's the only way to survive) and I am still having the time of my life. So don't worry - and anyway, I will be home in 9 days.

I'm going to go now and have a wee sleep before tea. Drop me any of those food names, it would make Tim's day!

¡Hasta martes!

¡Vivan los Sabados!

It's Saturday and I'm back! I was in such a grumpy mood yesterday, but today all has changed! It's the weekend and I love it here. I had such a good time last night and this afternoon, and it's only 6pm so the night is young!

I ended up falling asleep at half 8 last night and sleeping until Sile woke me up at 10 past 11 so that we could go out. Oops! Sleeping before heading out is the way forward here, as no one even thinks about going to bed before 6am. I love it! We went back to Cristobal, the bar on the Costanera that we were in the other night, and had a few beers before heading up to the Friday club, Mentecato. It had been far too long since I had had one of their fine Caipirinhas! The door policy there seemed very random and we all ended up paying different prices. Some people got voucher for a free drink with their entrance fee, but I didn't, no idea why! The place was packed, but we still managed to bump into people that we know. It's so cool that I have only been here for 3 weeks and yet I have loads of new "friends" from Posadas! I think that because everyone in the whole city goes to the same club, it is pretty likely that we will see the same faces, but everyone here is so friendly that it makes me feel as though I have really settled in and that I am part of the life of the city.

I was particularly pleased to bump into Sergio, the very sweet waiter who served us at Cristobal on Thursday night. He had been telling us that night which bars were the best and he advocatec Mentecato, and there he was. I had a really good conversation (in Spanish as he can barely speak a word of Inglés) with him and I am pleased to report that he asked for my number. Yay! I don't imagine this will be the romance of the century as I am only here for another 6 days, but it was nice anyway! Apparently I'm supposed to be meeting him in Power tonight, and this could go one of 2 ways - it is huge and packed and like a rabbit warren, so there is a chance I will never see him again, or, being that Posadas is worse for bumping into people than Edinburgh, he might be in front of me in the queue to go it. Either way, I'm quite happy!

Today Sile, Jenny, Hannah and I went into town to have lunch and do some shopping. One thing that we have become really used to here is being stared at constantly. It generally isn't done in a threatening way, but people here seem to be fascinated by us. I think it must be our incredibly pale skin. People keep commenting on my eyes as well, I think because it's really unusual to have blue eyes here. Anyway, we got stared at and approached constantly during our lunch, although most people are quite happy to leave us alone if we give them a polite "no, gracias". Just as well!

After lunch, siesta (annoyingly, from around 12.30pm to 4.30pm - the best part of the shopping day!) was over and it was time to hit the amazing shops. I had no idea that a provincial town in Argentina would be such a mecca of shops. I love all the stuff here, it is as if they saw me coming. I got a pair of earrings for the equivalent of 20p and a pair of shoes for around 12 pounds. It's amazing, and I want to make the most of it. I also bought a few souvenirs and we had a good look around the centre of town. Amazingly, I managed to get my bearings and find my way on my own to the taxi rank, more by good luck than anything else, though. The town is built on a grid system, and there are supposed to be signs on each corner saying which streets are crossing which, but some are missing and a lot of the corners look the same. I don't want to really obviously get my map out, but although I don't always fully trust my sense of direction, it turns out it is more reliable than I thought.

I am also loving the fact that my Spanish is as fluent as it now is. I had a really good chat with Sergio last night and we understood each other - I even attempted a joke, although this was probably unwise as no one gets my sense of humour even in English - and I had a really good natter with the taxi driver on the way to the locutorio to write this. We were discussing the weather (how die-hard British am I?) and how great Posadas is. We ended up talking about barbecues (very popular here) and the difficult economic situation in Argentina. And I used to sit in Spanish in school and wonder if I would ever need the random verbs that have been coming in so useful this last 3 weeks!

I mentioned the barbecue as Sile and I have been invited to one at Cuca's daughter's house. Jonny and Tim will be there too as their homestay mum is Cuca's daughter-in-law and it's a family affair! I'm looking foward to it. The meat here is amazing!

After that it's off to Power and tomorrow we are going to San Ignacio. We bumped into Veronica in town (Posadas is so Edinburgh! As they say in Spanish, el mundo es un panuelo - the world is a handkerchief (!)) and she told us to see the ruins first and then go to the beach. It's my mission to wear everything that I brought out here, and so far I think I only have my bikini left to go, so I can't wait!

¡Hasta lunes, chiquitos!

A Land Far, Far Away...

I'm so relieved it's Friday, as I imagine people all over the world have been feeling at various times throughout today. It's been such a hard week. I know that since Oli left we have been partying less and having to work harder, but I feel now that the novelty of being here, in this strange country with its new sights, sounds, customs and all the rest of it, has worn off a bit. I remember the first couple of weeks being hit with the realisation that at long last I was in Argentina and I felt so incredibly lucky... now I feel more tired and fed up than excited. But then, it is Friday evening and it's been a long week. Tomorrow I will be rested and will hopefully be back on form. Until then, I will tell you a bit about last night and today.

After tea, Sile, Tim, Jonny and I went down to the Costanera (not Costa Negra as I had previously thought, although "Black Coast" does have an appealingly Goth quality to it) to see the Parade for Noche del Estudantina (or something like that . I haven't quite managed to get a handle on what the title is. Everyone mumbles the words a lot here and it's very hard to get a sense of what they are saying!). The parade is made up of hoardes of school children who are dressed in various sorts of Carnival get-up. From what I can gather, all the high schools in the city are represented. They wore lots of themed outfits, including boys in spats, girls dressed as princesses, a japanese-style drumming band and a whole load of boys dressed in red and black pirate outfits (I was quite tempted to ask them where they got their sparkly shoes). There were several contingents of girls dressed in plumed headdresses and with huge ostrich-feather tails attached to their minute skirts, dancing to samba music. It was very iconic of South American culture and looked like amazing fun. I was impressed with how long the girls danced for and how well they knew their moves - they must have been practising for ages. It certainly beats being in the chorus line for the school musical! Earlier on the bus home, I had seen what looked like a big red yeti at the back of the bus. When it got off, it transpired to be a girl carrying one of those plumed headdresses. I couldn't imagine what she was doing, and was quite bemused by the whole incident. Now it makes sense!

Everyone made it to work this morning, and the kids at Arcoiris were pretty calm. We ended up playing a new game that we bought for them the other day. It is an English vocabulary game and went down well, especially with the older kids. Sacarias, who is 12 and very interested in learning English, picked up a lot of the words very quickly and although he struggled a bit with the pronunciation (I think it must be the way I say things!) he did very well. I wonder if in 10 years he will be a fluent English speaker, maybe travelling abroad and doing really well for himself - I really hope so.

At one point Analia brought out a book of nursery rhymes and fairy stories in Spanish, and started reading Snow White ("Blancanieves") to us. When she got bored half way through, I picked it up and started reading it to the kids. It was such a nice experience for me. I used to really enjoy reading to my class last year, and it was incredibly challenging to do the same in Spanish. I had to make sure that I put all the accents and stresses in the right places, never mind checking my pronunciation! Children's stories are often the way that kids learn their native language, though, so it was an interesting insight for me as a non-native learning Spanish. Some of the rhymes and so on are the same as ones we know - there is one about a boy who kisses girls and makes them cry like Gorgie Porgie, and they have Frere Jacques, although it is about Uncle Tom (or something!) instead. There were lots about going to sleep and Sacarias started reading me some of these while we were outside lying in the sun. I was really struggling to stay awake. All the kids here seem to still be up at 11 or 12 at night, so maybe these lullaby rhymes are more necessary here than at home, hence the large number of them! Also, fairy stories in Spanish do not end with a direct translation of "...and they all lived happily ever after". Rather, in Spanish-language fairytales, our brave heroes "lived happily and ate partridges" ("vivieron felices y comieron perdices"). So there!

More of the same at Refugio today... but my nerves are frazzled and I was doing well to keep my temper. Walter was particularly destructive and his brother wasn't much better. All the kids constantly hit each other with objects or their hands if there is nothing else around, and no one apart from us is ever around to see it. I was annoyed as well as after only 3 days, we lost a piece of the domino set and no one tried to find it. That says it all about the way the kids feel about their surroundings. We brought out the jenga set later on, and the older boys seemed really keen, but instead of playing, they just kept knocking down the tower. I ended up putting the game away, and was really disappointed by the boys' attitude. It's the kind of delicate situation that cannot be mended or even approached, though, with the language barrier that we are facing. I generally understand the kids well and make myself understood, but they choose which parts of instructions, warnings or reproaches that they want to understand, just to make things difficult for me. At one point today I was struck by how thankless the job is - I thought that the kids here would appreciate what I am trying to do, and thought that somehow they needed the help I can give. However, apart from the majority of kids at Arcoiris, the opposite is true. I know that they have been brought up to be this way and that it isn't at all their fault, but I didn't come here to have a mop thrown at me or be spat on. I could have stayed in Bonnyrigg! I do feel, though, that I'm doing the best that I can in the face of all the obstacles. I mentioned Maria, the girl with the speech impediment, before. Up until recently, all she has ever said to me is "Tía!", but today I was delighted (however briefly!) when she called me by my name. I didn't think she had it in her!

I did know that this was never going to be just a pretty little holiday. But I hope that what I am doing is making a difference and I hope that in the last few days I am here I will make an impact that will somehow improve these kids' very lonely and hard lives.

However, when work is over, holidaying begins. We are going out tonight and tomorrow night, probably with the new girl who arrives today. On Sunday, I think we are going to go to the jesuit ruins at San Ignacio, which are supposed to be amazing at sunset. I'm really looking forward to getting away and having a break! I will try to write this again tomorrow, otherwise I will probably be signing off until Monday. Hoping this finds you all well.

Playing With the Big Boys

We did go bowling... and the rest. I have had very little sleep but have still managed to do a whole day's productive work. Feeling smug! Actually, I feel better today than I have for a while. Maybe it's because it wasn't as cold today and the sun was shining, or maybe it's because the kids in Arcoiris were relatively calm this morning and didn't clamber all over me as soon as I got there.

But one thing at a time. All 6 of us went bowling in town, I was dead chuffed as I got 2 strikes... a record by my standard and I didn't lose (for once). Ok, I didn't win either... However, it seemed that this was way too tame and adolescent for Sile and Jonny, who suggested going back to Tauro, the place where we saw the Tango dancers last week. When we got there it was virtually deserted, but that made it all the more easy to get a pool table. I was relunctantly drafted in as Jonny's "copiloto", and I did warn him about my laughable pool ability. I think I potted one ball in that game. Anyway, things improved as I got warmed up (a few cans of Speed helped sharpen my reactions too. Calm down, it's only Red Bull!) and I ended up just losing to Tim by the black and wondering if I was getting away with pretending that I knew what I was doing and that when the ball went in by pure fluke, it had been exactly what I had meant to happen.

Jonny and Tim were lucky enough to be approached by a couple of men who were keen to be more than just friends! Score! They invited all of us to a barbecue tonight, but I suspect nothing will come of it. Probably for the best!

I managed to make it into work by half 10 this morning, not for lack of trying to be in early. I left the house at half 9. I think I may finally have cracked the irritating bus conundrum, although it took 45 minutes of waiting for the right bus to come. I was so pleased with myself that I actually found my way to Arcoiris withough the aid of a taxi.

Sile was not to be moved this morning, and there was no sign of Jenny, so I worked the morning shift alone. Luckly it was very quiet and I had some nice moments with the kids. In the ongoing saga of trying to get photos online, Lorena suggested I take her CD to the locutorio around the corner from the home, with the 2 older girls, Analia and Rocio, to accompany me. It was a wasted by lovely trip - the CD still didn't work (I have given it back to Lorena and given up all hope of seeing my photos on here) but I had a really good chat with the girls on the way there. They are really sweet but mature and intelligent too, and I felt like their big sister taking them out. They took an arm each and we had a nice little stroll in the sunshine. I had a bit of lunch with the kids again and it's always a really nice family experience. They always eat with spoons and have started calling me "Sara Cuchara" (Sarah Spoon) and take great amusement in saying "I've got your sister (etc) here" and waving their spoon at me.

I didn't have as much luck with the buses on the way to Refugio; Veronica had told me the other day that we could get a bus from the crossroads by our flat, but I couldn't remember where the bus stop was (they generally are only marked by a shelter here, and if there's no shelter you're guessing) and managed to go to the wrong place, duly watching the bus sail by. I ended up in a taxi that I'm sure tok me the longest route possible.

When I first got in, I was very pleased to be invited by one of the older-ish boys to play marbles. I have never seen them played by anyone of my generation or younger, and in fact didn't even know how to win. It didn't take me long to learn though and pretty soon I had my own cache of stolen marbles. This really touched me as the last time I think I heard of anyone playign marbles would have been in the Beano or an Enid Blyton book.

Jenny came along to Refugio after a bit, but we were both quite content to lie in the sun for as long as possible whilst minding the kids playing with the blocks that we bought them. Dominoes retained its popularity - probably becuase rather than being the traditional spotted type, they are each printedwith a number and an equivalent simple football strip, while zero is a big football. Three of the strips are like the River, Boca and Argentina strips. 6 is the Boca strip and everyone gets very excited about having the double 6 ("doble Boca") as they call it. The game was really popular with a lot of the kids who moved in and out of the playing group as they felt like it. From the youngest to the oldest kids, it rally grabbed their attention and the the same could be said of the lego. I was going domino crazy by the end of the afternoon, though! It's funny how something so small and cheap can make such a huge difference to them - they were all rapt so I can only imagine that they don't often get to do something like that. They don't need expensive or complicated toys, and they can amuse themselves, but clearly a few toys can make a huge difference.

We'll see how it pans out tomorrow. Thankfully it's Friday! Tonight there is supposed to be a big parade, but I suspect I am currently missing it. I hope it's still going on by the time I finish my tea. Speaking of which, I better run. Not across the road, though... it's scary enough as it is!

Stick with me...

The Kindness of Strangers

Thanks for the all the get well messages! Especially to one reader, who shall remain anonymous, who was up reading this late last night and texted me straight away to ask how I was feeling. Lovely. The wonder of technology!

I am now avoiding PC5 in my local locutorio, as it takes a good 15 minutes to send any email and hasn't even heard of Facebook. It also regularly signs me out of Bebo, so I generally find there's not even any point on going on it. On PC1 just now (the only other one is 6, no idea what happened to 2, 3, 4 or 7) so fingers crossed. I will also apologise for any mistakes I make that I don't edit out, the keyboard has a will of its own and it's very hard to correct entries once they're published. As for the photo situation... this continues to be a source of frustration for me. I managed to put my pics onto a CD using Arcoiris' PC, but the PC in the locotorio doesn't recognise them. I am now starting to believe that I won't be able to publish any pictures on here until I get home... but if you bear with me, I will do it when I'm back and you can get a rough idea of what it's been like here.

I'm feeling better, anyway, so that's cheered me up. I was in bed by 10 last night and slept right through til 8, which I think has helped me shake off the flueyness a bit. I can't beleive how cold it is, though - I now have 2 blankets and a duvet on my bed. When I first arrived, the heat just about knocked me over as soon as I got out of the airconditioning of the plane. It was technically winter at the time too. The 21st (last Friday) was officially the first day of spring, but somehow it is colder than before. I imagine this is what it will be like in Scotland when I get home, but I would like to make the most of the Southern Hemisphere spring while I can. Not fair!

It was still a trial getting to Arcoiris this morning, though, as my legs felt like lead. I have just about had enough of the 14 bus that is "supposed" to take us there. It comes at indeterminate times and it has the most random bus route. We have never actually managed to get it all the way from Cuca's to the stop outside the home. Either a taxi or a long walk, or both, has ensued. Today was no different. I think tomorrow we may just admit defeat and get a taxi door-to-door. The taxi drivers here are mental, though. And don't get me started on the bus drivers! My arms are getting a great workout holding all my weight as my feet repeatedly get pulled out from under me every time the bus stops or pulls away. They are G-force addicts here.

Inside the home was little better - all the kids spent a lot of time screaming today and sliding repeatedly up and down the floor on their knees. Last night, Jenny, Sile and I bought some toys and games for the kids in a poundstretcher-type shop in town, and we brought some of them along, but attention spans were fairly short and it was hard to keep up. At one point I found myself giving a baby her bottle with my right hand, playing dominoes with a 4 year-old with my left hand and trying to stop a 2-year old running out the front door with the other (...exactly). Multitasker extraordinaire! While all this was going on, a woman was sitting in the room waiting to go into the office for an interview for a job at the home. God knows what she made of it all!

I used to be terrified of babies. It's funny as now they don't bother me (so much!). On Monday I was very pleased with myself that I managed to get Mile (pronounced "Meelay" and short for Milagros, "Miracle") from screaming the house down to sleeping in a smooth 5 minute movement. Achievement! Yesterday Sile and I got roped into feeding Nicole, who just turned 1. It took 2 of us to get the soup in her mouth, although most of it went on all our jumpers. I would be totally rubbish at this if it was my own baby.

Of course, Refugio remains another matter entirely. I continue to be shocked and upset by the stuff I see there. Yesterday and today, the place was filled with thick woodsmoke, and it transpires that the gas has run out so they are burning a wood stove. It doesn't seem to be that efficient, though, as all the smoke was coming out straight into the kitchen. It seemed even worse today, so much so that we couldn't go inside and spent what time we had there outside in the patio. We did manage to take 4 of the boys to the park, including the 2 I shouted at yesterday. I thought we had done well and was pleased at how well they behaved, but they blotted their collective copybook by moaning that they would only enjoy themselves if I went to the shop and bought them some coke. Not a chance. It may sound mean, but if I give in once I 'll get known as a bank rather than a volunteer, and all subsequent volunteers will be subject to the same expectation. It was incredibly hard to say no to kids that clearly have nothing, but it ultimately has to be a case of being cruel to be kind. But kind to who? Me or them?

Later on, we brought out some of the games we had bought for the Refugio kids - more dominoes and some lego. Both proved popular, but I was shocked at how illiterate the kids are. One 8 year-old girl didn't know the numbers 1-9. One wee girl, Maria, has a serious speech impediment and possible learning difficulties. She doesn't say much more than "Tía" ("Miss") all the time, followed by a point at some object. This can be quite wearing, but the dominoes proved a bit hit with her. I'm not sure she got it, but it was really nice for her to be involved in something, as normally she is on the periphery of games that she doesn't understand and that don't involve her.

Later on, I saw something that has really shocked me. I have become used to the women carrying sticks as a deterrent or a punishment, the cockroaches on the walls and in the food, the lights that don't work, the doors hanging off the walls, everything being broken and the kids' clothes in tatters... but this was unbelievable. I walked past the boys' dorm and could hear crying, but couldn't see any of the kids. When I went in I realised it was a baby, lying on her own in the bed. I got closer and realised there was another baby there, with a pillow beside her! I tried to pick up the crying baby and she screamed even harder... I worry about her sanity as I usually see her wandering about crying. The other baby was in serious danger of falling out of the bed. I don't particularly want to write what image it reminded me of, because it's probably unfair of me to put it in this context. What was the most shocking of all this was that these 2 babies are the children of one of the women who works here, who was nowhere to be seen. When I found her, I told her what was happening and she sort of shrugged and carried on with what she was doing. I feel so helpless to help these children, who rely on the kindness of strangers. It's a very sad situation.

There is some mooting of a trip to the bowling tonight. Sounds good to me. I feel that this blog is getting darker and darker in tone, but I'm just writing what I see. Stay with me!

Sick as a Puppy

I woke up this morning feeling completely rotten - sore eyes, sore head, sore throat... and I don't suppose any of that was a result of the banana milkshake I had after the cinema. I have had a cough of varying degrees for a couple of weeks now, so this morning I gave in and went to the Farmacia across the road and picked up some jarabe, which is what you get for cough medicine here. I feel a bit better already, I think mainly because I actually succumbed to the need for medicine rather than trying to ignore my illness! I was feeling very under the weather, not least because it was freezing last night and was still really cold this morning. I had stupidly put all my long trousers into the laudrette the night before and though I would have to wear shorts to work, but luckily I found my one pair of smart trousers that I brought. Not sure what I thought I would need them for, but being as I followed the instructions of all the travel books and websites I read before leaving to the letter, I thought I would bung a pair in my suitcase. Just as well!

I ended up wearing my hat and scarf too (glad I brought them!) and although the cold seemed to barely register with anyone else, I have been shivering all day. At Arcoiris, it seemed to be Official Cream Puff Day, with various kids going off into corners and sulking throughout the day. I felt like following suit at one point! We decided to take the kids out to the park again, this time with a skipping rope and minus Tutui, the 2 year-old whose inquisitiveness is outweighed only by his lack of fear. A dangerous mix in a playground full of glass and barbed wire.

Skipping proved still to be a classic entertainment, and kept the kids busy in the sunshine for a good while. I managed to get sunburnt yesterday, despite it being freezing cold, so made sure I put on the sunblock for the tiny bits of skin that were sticking out of the spaces between hat, scarf and jumper. It felt wrong! The kids showed us some of their skipping games and I showed them "I Had a Little Bumper Car" - the bit about knocking into the policeman still makes me laugh, but it was hard to translate to the kids so they could understand too.

There were still a number off kids in several degrees of huffs when we got back, which made trying to get an organised game on the go very difficult. I opted to introduce "What's the Time, Mr Wolf" ("¿Cuál Es La Hora, Señor Lobo?") which seemed pretty popular - no surprise there, though!

After lunch I felt really rotten and ended up having a very long siesta, and feeling worse for it. Sile had to drag me along the road to get the bus to El Refugio, and the combination of feeling ill and what had happened yesterday meant I was not exactly excited about going to work... but as with all things, you get out of it what you put in. However, my Spanish had gone off to lurk in the back of my brain somewhere while all my thoughts were of getting back under the warm covers, so I realkly struggled. Yesterday, 2 of the patient older boys had asked why they weren't getting taken to the park, and I said that we couldn't take them then but I would take them soon. I promised that I would take them, though specified that it might not be today. Of course, when we arrived, the first thing they asked me was if we wer going to the park and I tried to explain that we weren't going as I was ill, and they turned my promise around on me and tried to say I had said they could go today. They wouldn't listen to me and I didn't get a chance to properly explain. I'm sorry to say that I totally lost my patience and shouted at them in English, which I'm not proud of. Later on, I was really pleased because one of the boys, whom originally I had thought to be bit of a wide-o, came up to me and sat right down beside me, and said gently "what happened?". I asked him if he had ever had flu and he said "many times", so I explained how I couldn't go in that state, and he said he understood. He accepted my apology, and I hope I haven't spoilt things by losing my temper. I think they are used to shouting from the other women, but I don't want to be like them.

Later on I noticed that I hadn´t seen 2 of the kids for ages, and another girl told me that these 2 had escaped over the weekend, by climbing onto the wall and over the roof. I am really quite sad, as the girl, Mariaeugenia, had always seemed mature and intelligent to me and we had some good convsations. She had previously told me that she wasn't allowed to come to the park with us as she was deemed an escape risk. Probably nothing made her want to escape more than that. I've kept a drawing that she did for me on one of the first days, when I asked her to draw her dreams. She drew herself, her brother and her mum in a house surrounded by flowers. I asked her where her mum was and she said she didn't know, but that she had promised to call Mariaeugenia, and that she had never done it. I don't suppose I will ever see her again.

Even sadder than all this is the newest resident of El Refugio, a black mongrel pup called Michaelangelo. He belongs to one of the girls, but as they lie quite openly a lot of the time, it is hard to tell who is the true owner. Yesterday he seemed shaky and confused, but today he really did not look well. I ended up with him wrapped in a jumper, trying to keep him warm next to my chest. I tried to get him to drink some water at one point, but he wouldn't. I hope he won't be mistreated or will suffer, but it's hard to imagine him being cared for properly. We'll need to see.

Apart from that, today marks 3 weeks since I left for Argentina. I can't believe how quickly it has passed and how dumbstruck I was by everything when I got here. Part of me wants to come home, but part of me wants to stay and see and do everything this crazy country (and all those surrounding it) has to offer. I really want to go to Montevideo, to Patagonia, Chile and Tierra del Fuego. But the ticket is booked and I'll be home 2 weeks tomorrow. It's too soon!

Thanks again to everyone who has been reading this and leaving comments. The first thing I do after checking my email every day is look to see if I have any comments. I'm trying to add a bit of humour to it, but I'm afraid that's just a wee bit thin on the ground today!

¡Mañana será mejor!

Another Brick in the (Filthy) Wall

Well, I didn't manage to write this yesterday as there are no locutorios open of a Sunday... qué sorpresa. Just as well anyway as I was quite content just to stay in bed all day making up for the lost sleep during the week. It was nice just doing nothing! We went out on Saturday night to Veronica's, although she was away on business so her mum, dad, friend Carolina and husband Marcelo entertained us insted. Plus, I had been so pleased with myself when I got back in on Saturday evening from blogging at exactly half 7, thinking I would impress Cuca, but when I arrived there was no tea on the table and she told me that Marcelo had phoned and we were eating with him! Typical! I will probably be late instead tonight, though... oops! Too much to do!

We met up again with Hannah, Tim and the other new girl, Jenny, who had just arrived. She was knoackered and did a good job of surviving until abotu 10 pm. We had pizza and empañadas, a local speciality which in reality are something akin to cornish pasties. I'm afraid my jury is still very much out on them. Then Marcelo served up the Tinto de Verano, evil Fernet and beers and it was time (1am) to head out to Power... I love it!

Power is a massive warren of rooms and it's impossible not to get lost in there, but somehow I ran into 2 of my new Posadas friends - Chantal (who, shall I say, has designs on young Jonny!) and Francisco, who I met in Mentecato last week and who greeted me as I passed with "hé, Escocesa!", which was quite amusing! We paid a bit extra (about 1 pound 60!) to get into the "VIP" section and were treated to music from the 80s and 90s - but it was mostly latin american or Spanish stuff. I was pleased to hear them play a couple of tunes that I heard in 1996 on a totally random tape I bought in a French market, thinking it was French music. It was the weirdest feeling when I realised where I recognised the tunes from.

We ended up dancing until the early hours (around half 5!) and headed back home, but it was well worth it. I am sad that I only have one more weekend here now. I intend to make the most of it!

Nothing much to report about yesterday, but today I woke up feeling really fed up. I have been reading the memoirs of Sandra Gregory, a British woman who was arrested in Thailand in 1993 for smuggling herion. Her book is a graphic description of prison life, and last night I dreamed I had been sent to prison. I woke up feeling really scared and a bit homesick, which I suspect is a lot to do with reading the book. Hmm!

Sile and I went with Jenny and Hannah to Arcoiris (I have been spelling it wrong all this time) this morning and took them to the park. It was a beautiful day (compared to yesterday - there were terrible storms and the power cut out again, in fact we ended up eating dinner by candlelight!) and the kids were really enjoying themselves, but the park was covered in glass and we had to watch them every single second. It was incredibly tiring and worrying, as we had had no idea the park was so dangerous.

We went into town for lunch, which was lovely as we sat in the sun outside a cafe. We were also pleased to be recognised by Marcelo and Veronica, who beeped the car horn at us as they drove past. It made us feel like proper locals!

After that, we headed back to El Refugio. We had explained to the new girls a bit about the situation... but they were still as shocked as I had been. We agreed that we would take 8 kids to the park and of course, we were met with the usual moaning and cheek from them. They were absolute pains in the rear the whole way there, and then one of them hit her face on the climbing frame and started gushing blood. We had to go back with her and at least 1 other kid, and they were all being so annoying about who was going to go. None of them has any sense of authority and I'm afraid that at that point I lost my temper with them, and said I wasn't going to take them to the park again because none of them did what I say. They just do what they want and are so cheeky, and there's no support from the staff, so why should I put up with it? More than anything else, I came out here to make a difference to the lives of kids who have suffered, are suffering and need to be nurtured. But I just feel I can't do it like this. I don't really know what to do next.

Sile, Jenny and I are going to try and buy some simple toys tomorrow, such as a skipping rope, so we can play more constructively, but I am sorry to say that my patience with the lack of structure or support is really starting to get me down.

Off to the cinema tonight, though, and I'm not as down as I sound. I just feel like I'm banging my head off El Refugio's dirty brick wall.

All Shook Up

Hola de nuevo. Somehow again it's nearly teatime and I have to go very shortly. I woke up to the sound of the pounding rain again this morning - it's nothing compared to Scottish rain, absolutely unbelievable! I am feeling the slightest bit homesick too, I think because the situation has changed a bit and and I'm back out of my comfort zone... that's a daft thing to think though as it will be great to have 3 new people and more adventures are sure to follow! We went out last night to a new bar, El Faro (the lighthouse to you), which is on the Costa Negra and has a beautiful view over the Rio Paraná to Paraguay. We didn't last long though as everyone was knackered, including newbie Tim, who is staying with Jonny now.

Today we met up with Hannah, the new girl who is working at El Puma, the animal sanctuary. We are meeting up with Jenny, the girl who will be working at Arcoaires and El Refugio with us, later. I hope she's brought some waterproof trousers!

I have to go now, Cuca and tea will b waiting. Did I mention how much I hate crossing the roads here? I can't figure out the traffic light system at all and to get home from the locutorio where I write this, I have to cross a busy crossroads and risk death every time. I always come out of the locutorio and think again how much I hate the roads here! But it´s all part of the experience.

Hopefully I will have some more interesting news tomorrow. We are off to Power, the Saturday nightclub again tonight, with a bit of Mentecato to start with. ¡Qué bueno!

!Hasta manaña... or whenever I can next get to a locutorio, bearing in mind it is Sunday here tomorrow... I miss 24/7 opening times!

Tired and Emotional

Good god, what is wrong with the computer? I have spent countless hours waiting for it to load up and clicking away all the virus pop-ups. I'm starting to lose my patience!

Feeling a bit sad today because Oli headed off back to "England"... the gang's been split up! We are getting 3 more people though, including a girl who will be working at the Refugio with us so that should be helpful.

We made the most of our last night as a foursome, though, with a delicious meal at the same restaurant as last time. I had this amazing steak that was still alive in the middle - just the way I like it! The steak here is better than anything I have eaten in France and so on. I love it! }Our friendly regular waiter, Mauricio, also served us with free cake and champagne, and the whole meal cost around 8 pounds each. I love that too! Afterwards, we headed like a bunch of losers to Copacabanna - there was a quinceañera party going on up the stair and we were the only ones in the lower floor... so embarrassing. We did get a chance to indulge our new-found love of Argentina's answer to Bacardi Breezers - the infamous Doctor Lemon. I'm going to import some of that when I come home. There are other weird drinks - Fernet, Jonny's favourite, which looks and tastes like boiled shoe polish, and Speed (!), which tastes like a better and more palatable version of Red Bull. I am quite partial to a vodka & speed of a night! Hmm!

Of course, we ended up in Mentecato, where the waiter practically knows us as well as any of you. We never leave that place alone! The club room was open up the back, though, and it ended up being packed. I think the whole of Posadas must go there when it's open! I met several Argentines and got a good wring out of my Spanish, it's hard work in that kind of environment. It was all over too quickly though, as was my sleep when the alarm went off at half 7 this morning.

We had a fairly pleasant morning at Arcoaires, Lorena searched for Edinburgh on the internet and was showing them photos of Princes Street and Arthur's Seat - made me the tiniest bit homesick, but a bit proud too. I have taught some of the kids how to do the "bounce-kick" thing from ceilidh dancing and we did that to some bagpipe music that came on. Talk about authentic.

We got our lunch again, and I was horrified to discover it was my absolute nightmare meal... MINCE AND POTATOES. Mum, you'd be proud of me, I did eat a couple of the offending spuds out of politeness, but I couldn't manage more than a few mouthfuls. Yuck! ¡Me de la boke!

We managed to head off early enough to pop round to Jonny and Oli's to see Oli off. While we were there, a programme about the Madres de Plaza de Mayo came on and the boys' homestay mum told us that the headscarves that they wear signify the shawls of the babies that were taken away from their mothers, as one woman used to wear the shawl of her missing baby as a headsquare. She also said that 30 years on from the disappearances, some of the women have been reunited with the children that were taken away from them.

El Refugio is really doing my head in. It's really in a state - there are so many tiny little things tha need done that would make a huge difference to the quality of life of the kids. For example, some bed have no mattresses - no idea where those kids sleep - there are doors off their hinges, missing window panes, doors with holes right through them, and a layer of grime everywhere. There's so much that needs done that I don't know where to start. This weekend Sile and I intend to get stuck into planning what we're going to do with the kids next week and get some proper resources organised.

Right, it's teatime and I want to stay in Cuca's good books!
¡Hasta mañana!

General Impropriety

Getting up this morning was a bit of a trial! Thankfully, we had arranged to start work at 11 rather than 9, and I certainly needed my sleep! The leaving do turned into a bit of a late one, of course. We went to Veronica's at 9 for the asado (barbecue). Asados are nothing like barbecues at home, no no. They are massive meatfeasts with huge chunks of beef, breaded veal and chorizo sausage. I ignored all the sidesalads and went straight in there for the delicious meat slabs. I had managed to find some cheap champagne in the back of the fridge of our local shop, and we shared that between the lot of us. Red wine here also costs as little as 6 pesos - that's 1 pound 20, folks! Unbelieveable.

After the asado and much hilarity, we headed of to Oli's choice of bar, Tauro, which turned out to be a real spit-and-sawdust joint. As soon as we went in we were hit by the smell of smoke, rough men and general sleaze. Perfect! There was an impromptu tango dance-off and we made some random Argentine pool-playing friends. I'm not quite sure what time I eventually got to bed. I have to say that I was amused by Cuca's advice as we left the house before we went, though - she said "take a jacket, because it gets cold in the early morning and you never know what time you'll be in". She said all this with a wry smile. She was right, of course, and I'm glad I took her advice. I reckon Cuca's seen it all!

We had quite a pleasant morning in Arcoaires - we made bead necklaces and bracelets with some of the kids, and of course they kept going all over the floor. Then we played a board game that was a mixture of Pictionary, Charades and Blockbuster. Brilliant fun and really good for my Spanish! Later on we ended up playing "guess what animal I am" and I had a great old time writhing around on the floor pretending to be a crocodile (cocodrilo), and fell about laughing when I was being a crab (sadly I still don't know the word for this!).

There was a huge storm just as we were thinking of heading off. The skies here grow almost as dark as night when there is a storm, which gives me an odd creepy feeling. As usual, we were really sad to leave. No siesta today, so we went straight to the stark contrast of El Refugio. The power had cut out during the storm so we sat around for a while in the dark. I'm finding it hard to deal with Refugio - the kids are incredibly demanding, often not clean (I have lost count of the number of times I have been peed on - and worse), and play little tricks on us and so on. One of the kids who loves to climb up for a cuddle clearly needed a nappy change, and was wet right through - I pointed this out to one of the women, who took him away, but she didn't change his clothes so he was still soaking on the outside. I couldn't bear to pick him up, and there was nothing more I felt I could do to help. When this child doesn't get picked up, he starts to call for attention by destroying things and hurting people, so it is a real nightmare. Very frustrating.

Finally, I think today I saw one of the most wrong things - it was some sort of holy day (I think!), and all the kids had pictures of the Virgin Mary with a prayer on the back. One wee girl came up to me and started doing this rather inappropriate dance (no doubt gleaned from the endless hours of risqué TV that the kids watch) whilst holding the card in her left hand. The irony was not lost on me. Later on she went off to have her shower and appeared naked, and proceeded to do the dance! ¡Madre Mía!

I have spent the last hour and 45 minutes in the locutorio writing this and several job applications that are due tomorrow. I'm currently about to scream as the emails won't send and I fear all my work will have been for nothing... and that I won't get a job because of it. As Mike Skinner rightly said, it was supposed to be so easy. I hope it's worked - I have to leave now as we are meeting the boys in 45 minutes to go out for a meal - Oli is leaving tomorrow, so we are going to celebrate/commiserate one more time. Any excuse!

Just checked, email seems to have gone through. Fingers crossed, or as they say here, ojalá. Pues, ¡me voy!

Not An Entry

Sorry folks, this is the shortest entry ever as I have no time left... I had fully intended to write loads today, but I spent the last hour trying to do application forms and get the slow computer to work and now I have to go... sorry. So much to tell too. Am now able to get photos off camera so will try to get them on here too.

Off to Oli´s leaving do tonight - que lastima.

´Ta mañana...

Getting Lost and Running Away

Back in Posadas again. Iguazu seems like ages ago. We got back in last night after 11, the journey was in way as bad as the one there, we had proper reclining seats and they even showed 3 films (including Gladiator in Spanish!). When we got back none of us was in any particular hurry to get back to home so we went for a very tasty pizza. I didn't end up going to sleep until 2am, but even then I was awake half the night scratching my numerous mosquito bites. I'm so itchy and it looks like I have some sort of pustulous disease.

I awoke this morning to the sound of rain, and for a short while thought that I was back in Morninside, and that the whole Argentina episode had been a dream. However, it was just another spate of forceful Argentine rain, which due to our position near the tropic, is accompanied by powerful and impressive storms. We decided to get the bus straight to work this morning instead of meeting Lorena - a foolish error! Despite squeezing our noses to the window all the way, we missed the stops (it was hard to see with all the raindrops and condensation) and eventually, when we realised that we didn't recognise our surroundings, we got off and crossed the road to wait for the return bus. We had to wait 40 minutes... oh dear! To make matters worse, the rain became increasingly heavy and more and more slanted to the left - we got totally soaked as the bus shelters here don't have sides. Eventually we got another bus back and missed the stop again! We ended up back at the flat, totally soaked and having to ring Veronica, who sent out the rescue party (Marcelo!), who very kindly took us to Arcoaires. We were only 70 minutes late!

When we got there, Lorena had a bombshell - 3 of the girls had run away from the home on the Sunday. They are 3 of the oldest residents in the home. One of them was back as she had been found, but the other 2 made allegations against the staff of the home and are now living elsewhere. It is really sad, as from what I can see the girls are treated really well there. Lorena was visibly upset by the matter and sad she felt really hurt by what they had said.

We spent the rest of the morning playing with the kids - some of them have made up their own themed versions of "This Little Piggie" and they are so cute to listen to. I spent as much time as I could speaking to individual children and being cuddled and kissed to pieces again. It's quite exhausting! The rain continued for the rest of the morning and we were glad to stay for lunch, which is always a cooked meal and very tasty. It's lovely getting to sit down with the kids and I'm finding my teacher/psychology skills really useful - the kids really respond to positive praise, although I struggle to find the words that are adequate. I do "thumbs up" a lot!

Neither of us were particularly looking forward to El Refugio in the afternoon, as when it rains they only have a tiny indoor space to play, eat, watch TV and everything else. We spent the whole afternoon watching innappropriate soaps - I can't really follow them, but it's the ideal opportunity to get 5 minutes with each kid on my knee, something that they are really starting to respond to (funnily enough, most of the keen beans are the boys). I was really pleased that I made something of a breakthrough with 2 of the older boys, who have been very wary of me. One of them came straight up and greeted me with the traditional 2 kisses and both of them brought their chairs to sit by me for a while.

We are both very shocked at some of the practices in the home, which I don't really want to write about here. One thing that did really annoy me though was that one older girl was enforcing discipline with a stick. It was hard to stop this as we don't ahve any authority. However, at one point she went to hit a child and hit me instead - I pointed this out and she just looked at me. I'm not too sure who is in charge and if the children are really safe at all.

On that note, I really have to run - I'm going to attempt to be home in time for tea to impress Cuca. And of course to organise something sociable for the evening!

An afternoon in Brazil

No prizes for guessing where we went today. And I have to say too, sorry for the quality of the last couple of days´entries, I´m feeling really tired, there are always massive queues for the PCs and I´m easily distracted by what the hostel has to offer... I feel like I´ve been on a mini-holiday this weekend, which has been really nice. but I´m now feeling really lazy and tired. We had to get the bus back in about an hour, and it´s another 6 hour journey back to Posadas... with work again first thing.

Oh dear, last night was another late one... we ended up playing poker and, unbelievably as I am a total novice, I won! I think there was a haul of 30 pesos (6 quid!). At last!

We went to the Brazilian side of the falls today, it was very beautiful. The photos are amazing and no words can accurately describe it. I need to find a way of getting my photos onto this. I was very pleased indeed to get a Brazilian stamp on my passport. I will write a bit more tomorrow when I have more time - we are leaving very shortly for the bus station. Argh! It´s so hot and sticky, I´m really uncomfortable and wonder if I can fit in a quick swim before we leave.

Hope this finds everyone well, sorry for the brevity! I suppose maybe it´s a pleasant relief!

Pioneer to the Falls

Hello! Before I even get started on this, I have to say that I cannot find the apostrphe on this keyboard so there will be none in this entry. Vile, I know, but it must be done.

I had a rude awakening this morning at 5 to 8 when Jonny - theres no "H" apparently - burst into our room saying that we were going to be late... We were supposed to be getting on a bus to the Iguazu falls at 8 oclock, and had somehow slept through our wake-up call. I got ready in the record time of 59 seconds and we were on the bus shortly afterwards. I blame the free Caipirinhas that were on off at the hostel last night!

We managed to entertain ourselves in this wild place... there was a huge BBQ at the hostel that cost around 4 quid and there was as much steak as you could eat, and Caipirinha in a huge basin for dipping into... too tempting. Then we went out with other hostelers to a pub in the town - more Caipirinhas - and rolled back in far too late. As a result I have had no make up on all day,which is virtually criminal.

We were taken in the bus to the falls at 8, just as the park opened. This was Olis idea, something to do with "sleep cycles", so we ended up being there really early. It was nice and cool when we first got there, though, so that was a bonus. By the end of the day, I was a bit burnt as I managed to forget my suncream in the rush - sorry, mum!

The falls are amazing - so huge and high, some parts you cant even see the bottom for all the mist. The Devils Throat is the best one - I will try to get my photos uploaded next week as works dont do it justice. The best part of the day though was going on the speedboat ride, which took us right up into one of the smaller waterfalls. We got completely soaked, which was really exciting, but of course we were wet for the rest of the day!

This PC is driving me crazy as I am typing faster than the words are appearing, and I dont want to leave the mistakes... so Im signing off until next time, possibly tomorrow, when I should have a bit more time to write about the Falls. Im just so pleased that Ive seen them, they were the one thing that I really wanted to go to see when I was here. Once in a lifetime! In another part of the world. And I did find that I was asking myself "how did I get here?".

Luego!

South American Skies

Hello again... I´m now in Iguazu, which is on the border between Brazil and Argentina. It was a really crap bus journey from Posadas leaving at 3.30 this morning... we went out to Mentecato for more Caipirinhas and then just headed off to the bus station. It was supposed to be a bed bus, but was just a really crap citysprinter style effort. We had the worst journey ever on incredibly bumpy roads with very little sleep! We got in around 9am and had to sleep for a substantial part of the day, so it was hardly worth it.

In the afternoon, we went to the local wildlife sanctuary. It was really interesting, with lots of birds and animals that are from the local area, such as toucans, monkeys, capybaras, wild cats and talking parrots! Some of the amimals are troublemakers, which is all very Mighty Boosh, and are in animal prison for a period until they are straightened out! There are also several animals that are there being taken care of in the rehabilitation centre following accidents of some kind. We got a guided tour from an English speaking guide, which was really interesting, especially considering we were in a rainforest.

Afterwards, we had a dip in the hostel pool. The moon was just up and I was really surprised to see that it is lying on its side here, apparently this is how it appears in the Southern Hemisphere. This completely blows my mind.

This computer is very annoying as the puncutation buttons aren't working, so I can't get it to do certain things. I'm not going to write much more, except to say that tomorrow morning at 8 am we are off to the Falls, which I can't wait for. But before that, we have a barbeque and another night out!

Until the next chance I get to write... hasta luego.

Mind the Games!

This will to be a super-rapido entry, I wa supposed to be back for my tea 20 minutes ago and Cuca is not keen on lateness as I have discovered! I have also discovered that I have at least one Argentine reader (hello to th eman who calls himself "Loco"!) as he left me a comment. I'm dedicating this (very small) entry to everyone that is reading my blg - I've had quite a few messages from people telling me how much they enjoy reading what I'm up to and it's so nice to know you're out there - everything at home seems so very far away. So thanks and keep reading and commenting and emailing and texting... I really appreciate it! Sorry if I don't reply individually, the computer here is quite slow and texting on the phone I have here takes ages as I am not used to non-predictive text yet!

So, I actually managed to get some sleep last night... what a relief. The boys were off out on the pull again (not sure how they got on - more on this later when I have had a chance to rendez-vous with them) but met us for an ice cream in the random ice cream shop across the road from Cuca's. It's open until 1am - how random! I felt much better for it this morning, but still managed to fit in a power-siesta later in the day.

Morning shift at Arcoaires was brilliant as usual, and refugio wasn't too bad either have been teaching the kids daft games and rhymes (Thumb War was a big hit today) and they have been going crazy for "Round and Round the Garden Like a Teddy Bear", the Hokey Cokey, "This Little Piggy Went to Market", "2 Little Birdies Sitting on a Wall"(!) and the song about speckled frogs on a speckled log. I have translated "This little piggy" for them and it goes like this: Este cerdito se fue al mercado. Este cerdito se quedó en casa. Este cerdito come rossbif (yes, I know!). Este cerdito no come nada... y este cerdito dice "hui hui hui hui hui (etc)" a la casa. Classic! They bloody love it. So easy to please!

Right, I better dash off. I don't konw if I'll get another chance to write until Monday, we are off to Iguazu for the weekend and not back until Monday afternoon - day off work! We are spending 2 days at the Iguazu Falls - they are right on the border between Argentina and Brazil, so we are spending one day on each side, and then the last day at the safari park nearby. I think this may be the highlight of my trip (well, apart from eating pickled cow's tongue last Saturday...). I'll let you know how I get on!

Hasta luego....