Have a Mate!

Today was "unwind" day -- our Argentinian visitors are off on the next leg of their whirlwind tour of Central NC, and today was spent visiting friends and playing soccer in the rain. Kennedy and Mark also went to a Father-Daughter Dance tonight that was organized by the Girl Scouts. They had a great time and Kennedy got a patch for her vest! They had formal photos taken again this year, and I can't wait to see them!

Last night we took three of our Argentinians bowling -- one had an invitation to have dinner with friends in Apex and one was taken to a jazz concert by her host family. The other three wanted to go bowling, so we took them. We got a late start and didn't get to the bowling alley until almost 8pm, but we took Kennedy and met everyone there. Several members of our Rotary club joined us and we ALL bowled. Nadia, Mariana, and Alicia had never bowled before, so we had the bumpers on both lanes, but everyone had a GREAT time and the girls went out with one of their hosts afterwards to find a pizza place. The rest of us "old folks" limped home and passed out, however! :)

Today they went to the state's Peace Conference in Chapel Hill and their host families drove them there, so I didn't need to chauffer them anywhere for the first time in 3 days... it seemed strange to just drive my own family around for a change! :)

This week I get back to work and work, and more work... I think I will probably attend a couple of social events in other Rotary areas over the next 2 weeks to check in and see how the team is doing. I really enjoyed getting to know them and would like to share some more Mate with them and discuss what they have learned in other areas. I am purchasing my own Mate and gourd from a place online tomorrow -- it's an infusion drink that is served hot, and it's very good! The team introduced it to us while they were here and it has many benefits for the drinker, including increased metabolism! I've included a photo here so you can see what it looks like. It's a very common drink in Latin America that is shared among people in social gatherings -- especially university environments.

More soon...!