Pics #9





Update 9



It's truly incredible that this home with 29 men, most in diapers & many whose bed is wet each morning…smells so clean!  The thorough daily cleaning and mounds of laundry handing to dry each morning is the reason.  Men shower probably daily and those who can't are lowered into a bathtub.  Today 2 young guys came to give haircuts and fresh shaves.  The nuns do most of the cleaning.  They will often stop doing whatever they're dong to visit, tease or just pat the men.  Often they have joined them in the activities we are providing adding laughs & smiles.  Today we had some men kicking a round an air powered disc (think air hockey puck).  Several nuns did some kicking too.  Coloring is still the activity of choice.  Rog & I often sit next to individuals who can't or choice not to sit at the table.  Using a tray as a table, we encourage them to do puzzles (even the 4 piece is a challenge), stack of circles toy, shape sorting ball, magnetic shapes & duplos.  But the one that wear us out the most is Zip Ball because we have to stand opposite the man and make the ball go back & forth…until usually we quit.  All the nuns have taken turns too.  Great exercise for all!  On Wednesday, a local man came & had several men paint on wood that had a picture traced on it.  He also had some sawing to make legs for small tables they plan to construct.  Sister Anita brought over a broken guitar for him to fix and then got a few lessons.  So now she's a singing nun who can strum!  

Our slowest day is Thursday as it's the nuns "day in" and as one of the local helpers says as he plays his transistor radio loudly…when the cats away, the rats will play!  I was able to have a nice conversation with a couple men who could talk to me using Google translator.  It was good to learn something about their story.  One was boxer & the other a jockey.  Both felt they had successful lives.  When I said I thought they must feel bad about losing that life, one said " 

You certainly can't call these men lucky…but at least they are living in a clean environment, wearing clean cloths, sleeping in clean beds, eating nutritional meals and getting excellent care with much love added!  We are impressed!









Pics #8



Update 8

I'll start with a funny story:
We were talking to Jake on the phone when we heard a loud clanging. I immediately jumped up & ran to the door which we had forgotten to lock. I got there just in time to pull the gate shut and kindly wave Jesu away. Then I went back to talk to Jake who asked what was happening. We explained it was just Jesu, one of the residence who's about 6 foot tall shaking the gate to our front door. He wanders about often & the nuns tell us he is looking for food & will eat up any he finds. He is truly a gentle giant. As I told Jake, "We aren't kidding when we say we are living in a loony bin!"
There's also been quite a racket in the fig tree in our front yard. The figs are starting to ripen and parrots have invaded the tree. Rog counted about 30 today. Sister Anita tries to knock the figs down to save them with little success…so I was surprised to see her show up in the kitchen tenderly holding a parrot! It had been attacked by the resident dog. She put it in a box…it didn't live long but she'd tried. So I guess she can't even let the fig attackers die without some TLC. She probably prayed for it too.
These nuns are wonderful. Sister Joan, the cook creates such nutritional meals every day in a sweltering kitchen. She's a hoot scurrying about making humongous bowls of a mixture of multiple ingredients. Things I'd never think to combine. All chopped up in small pieces because most the men are missing most their teeth…and then she pours it & spreads it into pans that are 3'x2'x1" and pops it in the oven. Each is a unique casserole ready to feed the residents & nuns. Today she was going to the market so lunch had to be prepared ahead & served cold. She prepared what I'd call a Pasta Salad on Steroids: pasta, potatoes, carrots, chicken, beets, peas, onions, peppers, oil, salt & mayonnaise. I've been the designated onion chopper and I can honestly say that I've chopped over 100 onions! Rog gets to do the peppers. I'm glad he keeps our knives sharp.
With lunch made, we headed to town. We picked up chicken a man was donating & since the bank was close & we needed pesos, we went in only to be turned away because we were not customers. Luckily, the chicken donator knew where we could get dollars exchanged for pesos. It helps to have connections! Next stop was groceries & then to the bus station to get ticket for Ana because she is leaving tomorrow. Helena is leaving also but she has a car & lives just 1 hour away. We will truly miss them as they have helped so much in the kitchen & Helena speaks English.
We got back to our villa around 1 & had our usual ham & cheese sandwich then down for a rest & out of the heat. Around 3 we headed back to visit Atilio & do activities with the men. About half now participate with a little encouragement . Today Helena took time to play UNO with about 5 players…including Rog. She was so patient explaining how to play. Rog needed a few explanations too! Several nuns & us got a big laugh when one of the older & less active residents told Sister Avo that he'll be glad when we leave so he can watch more TV. (Large TV in activity room usually has a movie playing unless we're there.) Judging from all the smiles & laughs we get from many of the other residents, I think & hope he's in the minority!!




Pics #7



Update 7

It seems there's always a way to help around here. In the kitchen or trying to engage the men in some activity. Miolito is a coloring machine & several others are regulars. They got tired of duplos & the one simple puzzle here so we played more balloon volleyball until we got tired! Since several of our dear friends (you know who you are) sent money with us to spend when we see needs,I told Sister Anita and asked if she thought it would be good to spend some of that donated money to get some more things for the men to play with. Smiling, she readily agreed and asked Michaela (long time volunteer) to go with us. Off we went to a nice toy store where Michaela & I picked out lots of toys we thought the men could play successfully considering their disabilities. Many are toys toddlers use to improve eye hand coordination. Also fidgets, slinkies, magic cubes, large piece puzzles,etc. We'll keep them in our villa & take them out just one or two at a time.
We got back in time to go on the large group outing. The nuns encouraged everyone to join and it took some coxing to get some of them to go. Pushing the ones in wheelchairs while those who could walk with or without help slowly made their way to the river park. It was a very short distance but took a long time to get everyone sitting on the a long bench with a view of the river and the breeze in their faces. Helena had brought a guitar & sang sweetly while Sister Anita passed out orange drink & candy. After a bit, a vendor selling churros came by and I think, Michael stopped her & bought one for everyone. Delicious! One man has a disease that makes his skin very itchy and so he is always moving back & forth in his wheelchair. Sister Anita started to imitate the movement & said he was like Michael Jackson. Love her sense of humor & ability to tease these guys which always makes them smile. After a bit I noticed Sister Joan wasn't there so figured she was working in the kitchen and could use my help. Yup. Rog said after I left a local man came by and played the guitar and sang really well. Slowly the procession returned without incident until they noticed Fran, the runaway wasn't there….Rog jumped on a bike, Helena drove off in her car and several nuns took off running! Quite the scene. He was found quickly. Never a dull moment. After the dinner mess is cleaned up most nights, Rog & I get on the bikes & head out looking for our dinner and the chance to be around the average Argentinian. We probably are the only tourist here though we don't look much different than most of them. We ride by many families & couples relaxing in the cool evening breeze sipping their mate…a tea like drink. They have a large thermos of hot water which they pour some of into a cup filled with a mate mix & then sip it through a metal straw…refilling as needed. It's such a common site and the cups & straws are often very unique. On Saturday night, there were bands performing…one punk rock and the other more of an Irish band with the flute player who was outstanding. We find it quite amazing that we found ourselves in a place where we can make someone's life a bit better, be with wonderful nuns who we can chat & laugh with, have bikes to ride to nice restaurants nearby & do a bit of exploring, live in our own private albeit simple villa…all in a sunny warm place. It's truly a win-win situation!





Pics #6



Update 6

Good news! The man, Fran who'd escaped has been returned. Found naked in a factory. He is only about 30 and as I mentioned, needs meds to control his schizophrenia. He is good looking, fit and always walking usually with a scowl. He ignores everyone but the sisters give him lots of jobs. On Thursday, the nuns have what they call a day in. Locals showed up, builds a wood fire, put a plow share on top & cooked a local dish called Sorrentino. Kinda like a stew. They gave us a big pan of it. Delicious. Since the nuns weren't around to tell us what to do, we spent more time coloring with the men and playing balloon volleyball which they loved. We saw some move in ways we didn't know they could! We spent more time with Atilio. He especially enjoyed listening to The Raven, by Poe and a couple poem by Frost. We ate Sorrentino for dinner so had longer bike ride instead and we had time to play a couple games of cribbage.
Friday was my birthday and I was flooded with birthday wishes via email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger & Instagram! Amazing and confusing to have some many ways to communicate…and all free!
I told Rog not to tell the nuns it was my BD as they already have so much to do & would probably feel obligated to do something. And the men don't seem to be capable of understanding or couldn't do anything if they could. Except Atilio—so I told him & took him a piece of chocolate bread we had. We went about the day encouraging coloring, volleyball, building with duplo blocks and preparing & serving meals. Left on our bikes around 8 in search of a good steak dinner. Rog had checked several restaurants out by looking at their website pictures & ratings. We headed for the best. The restaurant was quite simple & the waitress had a sleeping baby on her shoulder. An older man who seemed to be the owner brought us appetizers & tried to talk English but we ended up using our translator. (They are fantastic!). The steak was tender & delicious, the French fries & onion rings were crispy and Rog had a cold beer & I had Coke Zero. The owner checked on us man times & chatted with us. He was pleased to hear we were from USA, helping at MofC and that it was my BD. He brought us a creamy, Carmel topped flan and champagne. A vendor selling flowers came by & Rog couldn't resist so he bought me flowers & had to pay over $10. When we got our dinner bill of $38, Rog pulled out his credit card, as usual. Unfortunately, they didn't take credit cards. We pooled what pesos we had & were still $10 short. (Shouldn't have bought those flowers.). The owner said, "No hay problema. Manana!" So we biked off feeling pretty strange. (Update: took him $ next day with a big tip). I went to sleep thinking about all the countries I've celebrated my BD in, all the BD wishes I got, and the chance to talk to so many people I love dearly. I thought about how lucky I am to be well enough to celebrate my 75th birthday like I did today!




Pics#5



Update 5

Things looked pretty quiet this am so we did some of our wash. We've been gone one week so it was time. As we were hanging the last few, Sister Joan came & asked us to take her to the market so off we went. Since her driver always knew the way, she had a hard time figuring out how to get there. Even had to say a prayer once…but we got there. It was a huge warehouse with lots of fruits & veges. She said yesterday was the big market day & there would have been tons more produce, but we got enough to fill up the van: potatoes, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, turnips, cabbage, egg plants, bananas, apples, oranges, lettuce, melon & eggs. Most she paid for but several vendors gave her their less desirable produce which she gladly took. We stopped for cheese, ham, tuna & chicken at another market on our way back. By 11 we were back in our villa eating lunch. The afternoon was slow. I tried to play tic/tac/toe with a few men but only got blank stares or they shook their head no. Finally at 4, we started cleaning the veges & putting them in storage. that kept us busy until 7. Dinner & dishes were handled mostly by residence. Some of them that I thought were staff, were not. We've been able to borrow the nuns bikes which has been a nice way to get to nearby restaurants for relaxing dinner next to the river. Our evenings have been filled with reading, writing & phone calls.
Here's a funny story I don't want to forget…Rog noticed a lot of yogurt like containers in our frig so he opened one & tasted it. He thought it just needed sugar so he added some. Better, he said so he ate the whole thing. Later we learned, it was cream cheese.
Next morning there were more veges to peel, cut, cook or store. I was dicing onions when Sister Joan walked by & told me not to cry…so I started singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina and she immediately joined in. She loves to laugh. Yesterday on our way to the market, she'd laugh when we came to a speed bump & say "Loma burro" (hill donkey). She is the main cook and I don't see her using recipes. She said she uses what she has & her imagination! Yesterday a bakery brought left over bread. There were @50 left over croissants so she had me slice them & put a piece of cheese & ham in them. She popped them in the over 15 min before dinner and wella….super meal eagerly gobbled up! She had me cut up some donated French bread into chunks & that'll be breakfast along with jam. The harder buns were broken into chunks & made into bread pudding! Buns not too bad were set aside for families that came later. Too hard one were put in a bag for a lady who has pigs who will come later to get them. Not a crumb wasted. At the market someone gave her a crate of egg plants because they were old. Today Rog helped peel them & slice them. Sister boiled them and then I helped dip them in egg & cover them with bread crumbs. She stirred up a tomato sauce, spooned that on each & added a slice of cheese. Another good meal created from free food. Other than the instant potatoes, everything else has been made from scratch and with much care. Much of the work is done by two young Argentina girls who hope to join the MofC. One, Helena speaks good English so we chat with her while we work.
Today's trip to town was with a local lady, Michaela. She's a HS Math teacher with extra time to volunteer since it's summer break here. She has volunteered her for over 30 years. We went after bike locks & groceries. Before we left, we asked Sister Anita what the men might enjoy. She suggested coloring books & Duplo sets. We found both! Later as the men started coming to the dining room tables, we put them out & BINGO…several started building towers & coloring. Success! Later, as we were cleaning up, Sister Joan told me she was missing me. I said, we aren't leaving for at least a week…she said she knows but is already starting to think about missing me. I'll miss her too.






Pics #4



Update 4

I actually didn't mean to include the picture of Noah being on the Dean's List with the last set of pictures…but I guess bragging about a gson isn't a bad thing!
Now we feel like we know a few more ways to pitch in & help. Seems there's always something that needs cleaning, ways to help the cook and a man who needs a smile or pat on the back. We have made a good connection with a few. There's Alitio, who has a disease that has quickly put him in bed full time with the use of only one arm. He is one of the few who speaks English so we visit him often. Just 18 months ago he was a computer analyst and teacher. Now drs don't know what's causing his rapid decline. He knows he's dying. He has zero family. He feels lucky to be here & is eager for us to visit. And there is Miguelito. He has been here for years because his mom died when he was very young & he has Down syndrome. He is the best worker here. He dries dishes after every meal…as fast as I can wash them. Then he gives me a huge smile & high five. Another man recently escaped so Roger drove Sister Anita around looking for him & to the police station to report him missing. She says he is not dangerous but without his meds, he will be hearing voices in his head. There's 28 men with various disabilities here all getting lots of TLC. In spite of their own disability, I see them helping each other walk, eat, move wheelchairs and just chat. Those who can have jobs & all seem to enjoy watching movies.
Yesterday a local youth group came with boundless energy and filled the building with chatter, singing, dancing and giving lots of hugs. Most of them were 16-17 yrs old and knew some English. They eagerly asks us questions & freely told us about themselves. When they asked what I wanted them to sing, I suggested their national anthem. They sang it with gusto arm-in-arm and dancing. They eventually got us & a man who could to dance with them. Before they left, they set up a WhatAp group, took selfies & recorded us telling their English teacher how well they did speaking to us. Meeting these "real" kid is one of the bonuses we get when we volunteer locally. Just doesn't happen when we're tourist.
Yesterday Sister Anita asked Rog to be her driver the next morning so he was up early & ready to go…but then she said she wanted my to go also…so I jumped out of bed & was out the door in 10 min. Off we went in their quite new van along with 2 nuns & a young girl who's been here testing her desire to be a nun. There's roads were good & traffic fairly light so with the help of Google Map, we found all the stops needed: hospital, pharmacy and two other M of C centers. One for AIDS patients & other for girls with disabilities. I certainly felt that God provided when we happened to be waiting for the nuns by the pharmacy…which was next to a store with a COKE banner! I quickly ran in, got by Coke Zero (no Diet Coke) & along with the peanuts I always carry, had my normal 11 lunch! While we waited at most stops, I gave simple English lesson to the young girl thinking about being a nun. As it turned out, Sister was right to have me come as I could read the Google Map directions to Rog so he could concentrate on driving. Stop signs don't exist so when he came to a 4 way, he had to slow down & figure out if he needed to stop. We both enjoyed Sister Anita's stories as we were about the areas & shops we were passing. As we arrived back, she said she was glad she did not have to pay a driver because they charge a lot. Roger teased her saying since it was his vacation time, he charged double. She just grinned & said you will get your pay in heaven. We were back at 2, dinner prep at 4, served dinner at 6, cleaned up & were back to our "villa" by 7. We heated up some left overs from yesterday: country fried steak, instant potatoes & homemade pizza with caramelized onions…all we'd helped prepare yesterday. It had been a full, hot day and we were glad the temperature had cooled down so we could sleep well.





Pics #3



Update 3

FYI **Obviously didn't edit my last update as I said I was editing…false news. NOT editing.

Today it was time to head to Zarate where the Missionaries of Charity nuns were waiting for us. But how to get there?? Normal train service was out of order so we took an Uber to the first train station operating…about 45 min away. Then thanks to a very kind young man, we got our tickers & found where we'd board. He was so happy to help and later actually returned to give us a bag of Argentina candy & ask for a selfie. He wouldn't accept pesos but gladly took American dollars. The train was ancient looking & very, very basic. It was about 30% full and there were 6 bikes too. Soon after we left the station, the police man guarding the doorway told us to put up our windows which were almost impossible to see out of. A man explained to us that people throw rocks at the train. Before long, we passed by dilapidated shacks, trashy yards, burned out cars. Worse we'd seen in Argentina. I didn't take pictures as I was sitting close to many locals. After about 5 miles, we came to weedy open spaces, expressways and a series of small towns with parks, sports fields, skate parks, 2 story homes & rather new tall apartment buildings. We passed by a well manicured golf course with mansions on one side…and poor houses on the other. As we got closer to the port city of Zarate, huge manufacturing plants & warehouses were next to transfer stations. Zarate was the last stop and a pleasant surprise as it was mostly a nice town. Uber didn't work so a kind man offered to get us a taxi & we soon were at the M of C compound. The gate keeper opened the gate with a big smile & Sister Anita was soon there to greet us. She speaks very good English as do many of the M of C nuns (think Mother Teresa) as it is the common language of their order of nuns. I'd spoken to her several times on WhatsApp, her suggestion! Who knew nuns were so tech savvy?? Sister Anita gave us a quick tour of the hoe that houses 29 men with a variety of issues. Six nuns & several staff feed, bathe, exercise, care & love them. Sister showed us our "villa" near the end of the rather large compound surrounded by a wall. It has 5 simple bedrooms, a large basic kitchen/dining room, bathroom & a front sunny area. We'll be very comfortable here! They even stocked our frig with cheese, ham, fruit & water and bread & crackers were on the table. We feel mighty blessed! After getting our stuff situated, we were soon mopping floors & hanging clothes to dry. This place is spotless. Heard of the saying: Cleanliness if next to Godliness?? The nuns must have! We helped dish up dinner plates, fill water glasses & then it time to wash all those dished. Next more sweeping & mopping floors. At 7, we walked to a very close restaurant for a dinner of fresh bread, grilled chicken, Fr fries, a beer & a Pepsi Black (diet). We devoured that meal. Found a Coke Zero at a little nearby store so I'm set for tomorrow. Two tired people hit the sack @9:30 wondering how did we get so lucky??




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