rugby – 1 year in Argentina

Me kicking off

My first rugby game I kicked off and I had fun. I’ve had 3 practices so far and this was my first game. I didn’t get a touchdown. A touchdown in rugby is called a strike and there’s really no pause in the game. I play rugby because one of my friends invited me to go to one of his practices. His name is Santi. From then on I’ve been playing. We practice on Wednesdays and Fridays and I play games on Saturdays. I like it because it’s fun and the only rule is don’t talk back and have fun. The first game was really cold and after the game we ate hamburgers and Fanta. Everyone is asking me questions about America and Portland and Oregon. Only two kids on my team speak English, Santi and Ignacio. We’re going over to Ignacio’s house today to visit and they speak English because they lived in New Jersey for 3 years. The point of rugby is to pass the ball behind you and you can only tackle from waist to knees and you have to wear a mouthguard.

Our corner for necessities

It’s been a big week for Mother Nature in Cordoba. This past week we’ve had 100 degree days and 60 degree days. High winds and no winds. Massive brush fires surrounding the city have been somewhat contained now, followed by an earthquake nearby on Wednesday night! It was centered near Alta Gracia and shook the house for a few seconds. Earlier in the week the city was hazy with smoke and bits of ash in the air.

We’ve spent the week getting more organized and established with school, work and life here, but can’t help but feel pretty guilty and privileged to be able to provide our kids with this opportunity, yet events like the fires and realities such as the weak peso cause others to suffer all around us. After we hosted our first asado on Sunday, we discovered that our friend Dolore’s family house outside of Cordoba was destroyed.

We have begun to figure out schedules around siesta along with our weekly grocery and meal plans. We are juggling schedules sans car for shopping, walking the kids to school, paying bills, watching Molly and coordinate house repairs, and set up services like water and security. Budgeting each week is coming together gradually. Erica is starting to pick up more English teaching gigs. Erica and I start Spanish classes 2x per week starting next week and the boys have joined a local rugby team! The boys are meeting lots of new friends at school and despite some very persistent older girls, they seem to be having fun and becoming fluent fast. Ben actually wrote a note to one girl that said, “No me gusto, basta!” Hearing the boys speak with their friends at rugby practice has been a thrill. First match tomorrow might yield another post soon!