Saturday, February 27, 2010
Getting Vaccinated for Northern Argentina
Oh my gosh!! I NEVER ever thought during the course of my lifetime I would ever be worrying about diseases such as Malaria, Yellow Fever or Typhoid!! However, since I'm stepping into some rural areas of Northern Argentina- this is the heartland of these diseases and that's alittle concerning!! What's even more annoying is how I have excellent insurance that covers 100% of all immunizations BUT- Do you want to know what the joke is though??? Regular Doctors & practice DON'T do these exotic travel vaccines because they're not cost effective and they usually get burned by the insurance companies!!! (Unless you live in Utah cause they're used to dealing with Mormon Missionaries) So instead you've got to go to Clinics where you pay an arm & a leg to protect your wellbeing.....I went to Passport Health Houston and had a really great experience. It a Doctors office that specializes in exotic vaccines you need to get when you travel abroad/ go on Safari etc. A Married older Doctor owns these clincs and has about 4 or 5 of them. His Wife runs many of the clinics and they travel around the world about twice a yr and are totally certified in giving shots & giving information. They had a total spiral bound itinerary with infor about EVERYTHING I need to know about traveling. They even gave me a perscription for Travelers diarrhea.....anyway I got my shots and now my arm feels like a horse stomped on it BUT luckily I haven't been sick at all!! For Malaria - it's all about prevention......and there are pills but I'm sure the church will be handing those out whe I go to those areas....interesting stuff!! I'm a pretty outgoing person but have ALWAYS been cautious about putting myself in risky situations....Argentina is the nicest country in South America though so wish me luck and pray I don't get Malaria ; ) & I'm feeling pretty brave & proud of myself for going!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Shopping for Missionary Clothes
So yes I'm not ashamed to admit that I do care about how I look and being a future Sister Missionary means I'll be sacrificing a certain level of cuteness & accessorizing. HOWEVER since serving a mission is NOT about me and about serving others I just have to suck it up!! In the space of 4 days I managed to find about 80% of my missionary wardrobe after figuring out where I could find great deals on good quality clothes and actually find clothes that follow the strict Missionary Guidelines!! For you non-mormons my wardrobe is pretty much Corporate America with longer hemlines ; ) I want to help any of you future Sister missionaries so I will be posting the places I went and the things I found!!
Keep in Mind- YOU MUST TAKE THE TIME to thumb through all the racks of clothes and you'll be AMAZED what great marked down designer stuff you can find at:
TJMAXX
Marshalls
Ross
Burlington Coat Factory
I found about 4 black mid calf length skirts/ 2 brown skirts/ 1 gray skirt/ 4 cute colorful skirts and some really cute blouses and designer sweaters. I also found 2 pairs of PERFECT missionary high quality shoes which were both half off!!!
Kohls is another great place with corporate clothing!! I found about 8 blouses all different colors long sleeve and short sleeves.
Also the outlets at Katy Mills have lots of fantastic places with marked down clothing! I went into Gap and bought about 6 different colored cardigans to throw over my blouses when the weather is cold in Argentina.
Another really fabulous place is STEINMART!!! They have some really amazing designer clothes from high-end retails & shops.....I found some gorgeous longer skirts there and they are higher quality for I know they'll last!!
I'm not done but I'm making serious progress!! Maybe this will help you future Sister Missionaries!!
Keep in Mind- YOU MUST TAKE THE TIME to thumb through all the racks of clothes and you'll be AMAZED what great marked down designer stuff you can find at:
TJMAXX
Marshalls
Ross
Burlington Coat Factory
I found about 4 black mid calf length skirts/ 2 brown skirts/ 1 gray skirt/ 4 cute colorful skirts and some really cute blouses and designer sweaters. I also found 2 pairs of PERFECT missionary high quality shoes which were both half off!!!
Kohls is another great place with corporate clothing!! I found about 8 blouses all different colors long sleeve and short sleeves.
Also the outlets at Katy Mills have lots of fantastic places with marked down clothing! I went into Gap and bought about 6 different colored cardigans to throw over my blouses when the weather is cold in Argentina.
Another really fabulous place is STEINMART!!! They have some really amazing designer clothes from high-end retails & shops.....I found some gorgeous longer skirts there and they are higher quality for I know they'll last!!
I'm not done but I'm making serious progress!! Maybe this will help you future Sister Missionaries!!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Level One Rosetta Stone
WOW!! I've only done 1 lesson on Level One of Rosetta Stone and let me tell you this.......its worth EVERY penny!! It even has voice recognition so when I'm required to repeat a word, I have to repeat it over and over til I get it right! What's also amazing is that during the course of the lesson they never tell you in English that the word means. They show you multiple pictures of something and you figure out quite quickly what the word means!! It's total Immersion and it works! Also Rosetta comes with Audio for your i-pod!! After I take a lesson then I can use my i-pod to help reinforce what I just learned!! I'm already addicted!! ; )
Thursday, January 28, 2010
My Rosetta Stone Arrived
Happy Day!! My Rosetta Stone arrived in the mail this evening right before my Mom and I left for the Temple!! I am sooo excited to start the program!! I'm actually starting to get annoyed by all the people asking me if I already speak Spanish. The majority of Missionaries I've ever talked to DON'T usually speak their Mission Language fluently til AFTER their mission. Hopefully with this "highly rated program" I will come very far before I report to the MTC March 31. The people at Barnes & Nobles told me that customers who have bought this program have come back and said they can converse easily in their new language after about a month of Rosetta Stone! EXCITING!! The Mission will be stressful enough so I see no reason why I shouldn't study as hard as I can beforethe MTC! Money well spent! Sadly Rosetta Stone doesn't have a specific program for Argentina but a co-worker of my Mom's is actually from there and she recommended buying the Spain version as it's very close!! Plus she said I would understand about 90% of the Spanish no matter which Rosetta program I get!!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Opening Mission Call
To be totally honest I really didn't want to post this video because I'm wearing a very unflattering jacket and I'm a neurotic mess if you didn't already notice!! I had been up all night at the midnight premiere of New Moon & gotten sick from staying up late! I waited until the whole family was together and I was trying not to lose it while I was opening my letter.....if it sounds like I'm crying & laughing- I'm doing both!! ; )
A Moderate Vegan Heading to the Beef Capitol of South America
So anyone who knows me well knows on July 3 I bought a copy of the New York Times Best Seller Book "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman & Kim Barnouin. As of July 4 I became a vegan!! Some people laughed, others were impressed and some thought it was a phase/fad. Well 7 months later and 48 pounds lost, I'm proud to say I'm still a vegan ( I do eat fish though )!! What was even more interesting was my mission call in November to Argentina which for those of you who don't have a clue- it's famous for having more cattle than people.It's pretty much the Beef Capitol of South America. My Dad recently found an Article in the Houston Chronicle/Denver Post about this deep love of beef in Argentina which made me raise my eyebrows and decide to keep my mouth shut about being a vegan in Argentina.
Check it out- Cattle producing Argentina could face beef imports
By VICENTE PANETTA Associated Press Writer
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Argentina, a nation that prides itself on having more cattle than people, may soon be forced to import beef to keep its meat-loving citizens happy at the dinner table.
Intense government efforts to keep meat affordable through taxes, export restrictions and price controls have enabled Argentines to eat record amounts of beef this year, but the short-term bonanza has come at a very steep cost. With little or no profit left in meat, ranchers are selling out, slaughtering even the female cows needed to maintain their herds.
President Cristina Fernandez, who famously dismissed soy as a "weed," has said her government must protect consumers at a time when booming soy production has taken over 32 million acres (13 million hectares) of grassland once used for ranching.
Her government also has paid huge subsidies for massive feedlot operations where previously grass-fed cattle are fattened on corn and grain.
But it still takes three years from the moment a calf is born for a cut of beef to reach the supermarket, where the price—set weekly by government bureaucrats—is roughly 2 dollars per pound (half kilo), less than the going rate for a pizza that takes minutes to make.
Those low prices have Argentines, already some of the world's biggest beef consumers, practically gorging on steaks. By August of this year, Argentines devoured more than the average body-weight in beef—nearly 165 pounds (73.9 kilos), the most in 15 years, according to the Chamber of Commerce of the Argentine Meat Industry.
Most Argentines stubbornly reject the idea of replacing beef with chicken, pork or other meats. Despite rich South Atlantic fisheries, seafood is rarely seen on dinner tables, and vegetarians are generally seen as culturally suspect. A typical "parillada," or mixed grill, includes ribs, steaks, sausages and even intestines.
"In my house we eat beef nearly every day," said a typical griller—Maria Gremone, 77, an Argentine-Italian widower. "Every Sunday I roast for my children, grandchildren and anyone else who comes to visit."
Argentina's meat industry slaughtered about 11 million head of cattle during the first eight months of this year, more than any similar period in the past two decades. "It would be great news were it not for the fact that 50 percent of the cattle slaughtered were female," said Miguel Schiariti, the chamber's president.
"By 2011, the shortage will be evident and it will be impossible to continue without importing beef," added Hugo Biolcati, president of the Argentine Rural Society, which called on its 10,000 members—mostly large property owners involved in ranching and farming—to join an anti-government protest in the capital Thursday night.
"You can't work miracles so that more calves are born," Biolcati added. "What is born, is born, and there won't be more."
Agriculture Minister Julian Dominguez welcomed the rally after meeting briefly with Biolcati and other farm leaders Wednesday, saying "it's very good that they express themselves."
"Argentina has an extraordinary agricultural leadership," Dominguez told reporters, but he insisted that "the state can't sit by when there are asymmetries" in the market.
A message left by The Associated Press with ministry officials seeking more detailed comment Thursday was not immediately returned.
The weather hasn't helped: Argentina has suffered the worst drought in 70 years in about a third of its farmbelt, forcing some ranchers to sell off cattle with barely enough meat on their bones to slaughter.
All this adds up to a bleak future for meat lovers: Once beef production fails to meet demand, either prices will rise significantly or fixed-price meat will suffer widespread shortages, and Argentines will either have to consume less or import their beef.
"At this rate we're going to end up having to import beef from our neighbors," said Angel Girardi, president of the Argentine Association of Beef Producers. "Their meat will be sub-par in quality and much more expensive."
At roughly 55 million head, cattle still outnumber the 49 million humans in Argentina, but that will flip in 2011 if current trends continue, according to beef industry consultant Victor Tonelli.
Argentina's stock is expected to have 3 million fewer calves next year—cattle that would have produced 600,000 tons of meat at slaughter.
The agricultural economy is already being hit hard, and that will likely mean less revenue for the government. Even with steep taxes, beef exports totaled 4.4 million tons in 2008, worth $1.5 billion. This year's numbers aren't in yet, but the chamber expects a steep decline in 2010.
To maintain meat supplies, the government has applied not only a 15 percent export tax, but other rules such as a requirement that butcher freezers allocate 60 percent of their cuts for domestic distribution.
The Fernandez administration has repeatedly modified these rules to adapt to market pressures, and the changing landscape has made it difficult for producers to make long-term investments in herds.
Juan Carlos Tolosa, president of the Yaguare Corporation, one of Argentina's 700 butcher freezers, said the number of cows going to slaughter is already declining: His company slaughters only 3,500 cattle a week now, down from 5,000 a few years ago.
"The government must reduce its limits on exports, and not in dribs and drabs," Tolosa said.
Check it out- Cattle producing Argentina could face beef imports
By VICENTE PANETTA Associated Press Writer
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Argentina, a nation that prides itself on having more cattle than people, may soon be forced to import beef to keep its meat-loving citizens happy at the dinner table.
Intense government efforts to keep meat affordable through taxes, export restrictions and price controls have enabled Argentines to eat record amounts of beef this year, but the short-term bonanza has come at a very steep cost. With little or no profit left in meat, ranchers are selling out, slaughtering even the female cows needed to maintain their herds.
President Cristina Fernandez, who famously dismissed soy as a "weed," has said her government must protect consumers at a time when booming soy production has taken over 32 million acres (13 million hectares) of grassland once used for ranching.
Her government also has paid huge subsidies for massive feedlot operations where previously grass-fed cattle are fattened on corn and grain.
But it still takes three years from the moment a calf is born for a cut of beef to reach the supermarket, where the price—set weekly by government bureaucrats—is roughly 2 dollars per pound (half kilo), less than the going rate for a pizza that takes minutes to make.
Those low prices have Argentines, already some of the world's biggest beef consumers, practically gorging on steaks. By August of this year, Argentines devoured more than the average body-weight in beef—nearly 165 pounds (73.9 kilos), the most in 15 years, according to the Chamber of Commerce of the Argentine Meat Industry.
Most Argentines stubbornly reject the idea of replacing beef with chicken, pork or other meats. Despite rich South Atlantic fisheries, seafood is rarely seen on dinner tables, and vegetarians are generally seen as culturally suspect. A typical "parillada," or mixed grill, includes ribs, steaks, sausages and even intestines.
"In my house we eat beef nearly every day," said a typical griller—Maria Gremone, 77, an Argentine-Italian widower. "Every Sunday I roast for my children, grandchildren and anyone else who comes to visit."
Argentina's meat industry slaughtered about 11 million head of cattle during the first eight months of this year, more than any similar period in the past two decades. "It would be great news were it not for the fact that 50 percent of the cattle slaughtered were female," said Miguel Schiariti, the chamber's president.
"By 2011, the shortage will be evident and it will be impossible to continue without importing beef," added Hugo Biolcati, president of the Argentine Rural Society, which called on its 10,000 members—mostly large property owners involved in ranching and farming—to join an anti-government protest in the capital Thursday night.
"You can't work miracles so that more calves are born," Biolcati added. "What is born, is born, and there won't be more."
Agriculture Minister Julian Dominguez welcomed the rally after meeting briefly with Biolcati and other farm leaders Wednesday, saying "it's very good that they express themselves."
"Argentina has an extraordinary agricultural leadership," Dominguez told reporters, but he insisted that "the state can't sit by when there are asymmetries" in the market.
A message left by The Associated Press with ministry officials seeking more detailed comment Thursday was not immediately returned.
The weather hasn't helped: Argentina has suffered the worst drought in 70 years in about a third of its farmbelt, forcing some ranchers to sell off cattle with barely enough meat on their bones to slaughter.
All this adds up to a bleak future for meat lovers: Once beef production fails to meet demand, either prices will rise significantly or fixed-price meat will suffer widespread shortages, and Argentines will either have to consume less or import their beef.
"At this rate we're going to end up having to import beef from our neighbors," said Angel Girardi, president of the Argentine Association of Beef Producers. "Their meat will be sub-par in quality and much more expensive."
At roughly 55 million head, cattle still outnumber the 49 million humans in Argentina, but that will flip in 2011 if current trends continue, according to beef industry consultant Victor Tonelli.
Argentina's stock is expected to have 3 million fewer calves next year—cattle that would have produced 600,000 tons of meat at slaughter.
The agricultural economy is already being hit hard, and that will likely mean less revenue for the government. Even with steep taxes, beef exports totaled 4.4 million tons in 2008, worth $1.5 billion. This year's numbers aren't in yet, but the chamber expects a steep decline in 2010.
To maintain meat supplies, the government has applied not only a 15 percent export tax, but other rules such as a requirement that butcher freezers allocate 60 percent of their cuts for domestic distribution.
The Fernandez administration has repeatedly modified these rules to adapt to market pressures, and the changing landscape has made it difficult for producers to make long-term investments in herds.
Juan Carlos Tolosa, president of the Yaguare Corporation, one of Argentina's 700 butcher freezers, said the number of cows going to slaughter is already declining: His company slaughters only 3,500 cattle a week now, down from 5,000 a few years ago.
"The government must reduce its limits on exports, and not in dribs and drabs," Tolosa said.
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