I bought a guitar today! Julie sold some of my uniforms for me in Arizona and I used that money plus a little extra to buy the above guitar and the slightly-cushioned case -- 10 pesos cheaper for the snazzy red color! They threw in the two picks you see. It is even made in Argentina! I'm so excited for this, I've been wanting to get a guitar ever since I got here and finally got some good music store advice from my friend and colleague, Monica. I'm not a great guitar-player, I just play some chords, but I've been missing making music, and also found that I really missed the guitar in my personal worship time. And yes, you can find pitches to tune with on the internet!This week I took a ferry to Uruguay to renew my tourist visa. It was a wonderful day -- cool and stormy-looking but with no rain. I had lunch with a tour group and sat with a Colombian woman. Interesting weather perspective: she told me that her home city, Bogata, is always cold and without seasons. When asked how cold, she said, "Well, nowhere near as cold as this!" Dear reader, it was in the high-50s.
So, here I am with our first sight of Uruguay in the background. When this picture was taken I wasn't aware that it is of the historic part of town. After my city tour I sat right on the edge of the peninsula you see in this photo.
Above and below are pictures of where I sat along the water at the tip of the peninsula. It's funny: I've lived alone for 11 years now. I've really noticed the alone-ness here in Argentina since I still don't know very many people and sometimes spend several days in a row at home. When I was on the ferry and the city tour I was thinking that I find traveling tiring. When I've visited places with friends I much prefer finding a coffee shop and sitting there for hours and talking. The ferry also made me think back to being on the MERCY ship in the Philippines, which was a blast primarily because I was living in community, working and eating and living with other people. Then I had lunch with Laura, the woman from Colombia, and she couldn't believe I live alone (she lives with her parents). So, I was thinking that I'm just kind of crazy, and of course I'm having a hard time being alone because it's not natural.And then I found this spot. I sat here and listened to music on my I-Pod and heard the waves and prayed and read Scripture and felt incredibly alive and full of the presence of God and not alone at all.
Below is the flag of Uruguay as seen by night on the ferry:
Fun fact: people here don't seem quite as caffeine-conscious as we are in the States. Three of their principle hot beverages, mate, mate cocido, and coffee, are all high in caffeine, yet most people can drink them into the evening. I can't sleep if I do that, so I've taken to traveling with herbal tea sachets in my purse since it can make people uncomfortable if I'm not drinking. Once after I had said no to coffee at 8 pm and casually mentioned I couldn't sleep if I had it that late, someone at our meeting said, "I know you're a doctor, but I mean, have you ever asked a doctor if that happens? If drinking coffee late at night can really keep you awake?"
