Liliana and Alfio

Liliana and Alfio are so wonderful! Unbeknownst to me, Liliana was reading this blog, and learned that we miss not having waste baskets and tissues. So, before we arrived, she went out and bought waste baskets for several rooms, as well as tissues for my room. That is just a minor example of Liliana and Alfio´s hospitality. They are hosting us three females, while Liliana´s dad, Hector, is hosting the two guys. All three of our hosts speak excellent English (Liliana is an English teacher), so we are all comfortably speaking in our native tongues for the first time in more than three weeks. Our hosts exude warmth, good humor, generosity and are full of interesting conversation.

On Monday morning, after a visit to the Intendente of Baradero, we visited some sites in town. The town square is somewhat unique in that San Martin (the liberator of Argentina and several other South American countries) is not featured in the center of the plaza. He is off to the side, and there is a sculpture of a condor in the center. If I recall correctly, the condor was a gift from Switzerland, as there are many Swiss who settled in Baradero. The condor, a native of the Andes, is facing west, looking towards the far off mountains.

After a wonderful lunch, we headed for some cultural exchanges, including a visit to a feedlot, soy fields, and a dairy. The gals experienced quite a bit of Argentine Machista (what we call machismo), but we worked through it. In the evening, we had a wonderful BBQ of fish, specially prepared by Alfio, along with other dishes prepared by Kelly and Eecole. The gals are really missing cooking and we have benefited greatly in the last few days from their desire to cook up a storm. A huge outdoor BBQ is a necessity in all Argentine homes. It is difficult to sell a home if you don't have one.

On Tuesday morning, Liliana got a call early telling her that a reporter from the local TV station was on his way over to interview us for the news. We had absolutely no notice. I hadn´t even brushed my teeth or put on mascara yet. Next thing I knew, I was in front of the camera answering questions about the exchange. We watched it on TV later this evening, and it sounded pretty okay, even though I am quite sure that my grammar and use of words was not the best. Liliana´s English students were at the house when we saw the newcast, and everyone cheered. What fun!

We started Tuesday off with a trip to a local company, Luis A. Ducret, which mainly grows and sells sunflower products. The meeting was pretty interesting, but was especially exciting because it was the first formal business meeting we had attended where the person meeting with us, Leandro Ducret, was drinking mate and shared it with us. Mate is a huge tradition in Argentina, and is an acquired taste (most of the team likes it). Of course, I had to take photos of everyone drinking mate at the meeting.

We then went on a long ride out to see some of the fields. The big rig of our host could only seat four, so our four team members traveled in it, and I traveled with Hector, Liliana´s 83 year old father. The roads were terrible--potholes abounded--and Hectic was driving the brand new Renault he just purchased in January. After the pothole filled roads, we drove on dirt roads and then through the soy fields with no roads, with soy beans banging under the car. Despite his age, his new vehicle, and the horrible conditions, Hector was fearless and determined, but not reckless. He drove like a champ. He always kept his composure and good humor, and we had a great adventure. The only thing that held Hector back in the fields was the five wire fence the rest of us climbed to check out the cornfields (I was determined, as usual, to keep up with the 20 somethings). Even then, Hector waited patiently on the other side of the fence, smiling, relaxing and listening as best he could to our conversation about corn production and the politics of farming. Hector has my vote for Rotarian of the Year.

Next, we visited two fruit packing plants, and learned a lot about how the crop is prepared for shipping. We came home with a big box of kiwis and two big boxes of mandarins. Then, after resting for a couple of hours, we dined with local Rotarians. Kelly and Eecole went to the home of a local Rotarian where nobody spoke any English. They relished the challenge of communicating with their hosts without help from me or Todd. They apparently were successful and were very pleased with how the evening went. Todd, Andy and I dined out with another group of Rotarians, and I was happy to be speaking totally in Spanish all evening. I think I have improved my Spanish skills quite a bit this trip, although I still have a long way to go.

There is a lot of field burning going on outside Baradero, and the smoke is just awful. When we left the restaurant this evening, it was so smoky it seemed very foggy, and my eyes burned. It is even a bit smoky in the house tonight. There is some talk that the roads may be closed tomorrow due to smoke. We hope not, as we are heading to San Pedro tomorrow morning for a visit to INTA (another branch of the agricultural school/experimental ag station).