Postcards from Argentina

Hola mi chico amigas,
( Hi my wonderful friends!!!!!)

I had a great day today.
I went to a barrios community centre and spent time with some beautiful but very poor 4 and 5 year old students.

They gave me some oranges!!!!!
They gave me huge hugs and let me sing Spanish songs with the visiting mercy worker, Josefina Bargo.

Josefina is incredible!!! She plays the smallest guitar I have ever seen called a Charango!!!!
It is sometimes made from an armadillo skin!!!!!
I hope they don't turn this Kangaroo into a musical instrument!!!!!!

Josefina took SAC teacher Mr Evans and me, Rodney Roo, to a lovely school that is doing excellent work for the very poor children of the surrounding neighbourhoods.

After Mr Evans played the Cup Dance for them, The children had a little flag ceremony and blew kisses to the flag and to Mr Evans!!!
They held my tail for some love and there were children holding on to each of Mr Evans' fingers - all ten of them. They all wanted some love from him.

Many mothers were having a parenting lesson and that crazy Mr Evans played the Cup Dance for the mums as well.
He is such an embarrassment!!!!

He handed the mums little stickers, that said things like......GREAT, TERRIFIC, BEAUTIFUL.
How does SAC ever put up with him?

While Mr Evans was playing for the mums and cuddling little kids, I had to baby-sit the 4 year olds. They coloured in the books that SAC sent and they used the pencils and crayons that SAC sent.

Red was the favourite colour and I had to hop all over the place to help them share the colours!!!!!
Those 4 year olds had me working all day long sharpening their coloured pencils!!!!!

Before we left, the children drew pictures and made a beautiful folder with my face on the front.
They presented it to us with a song and the children blew kisses!!!!
Children were hanging on to my tail, my ears, my friend the koala and Mr Evans' legs and arms.

They cuddled in for lots of love and 'mismos'.
'Mismos' means cuddles and kisses in Spanish!!!!
They loved me!!!!
I loved them!!!!

As I left the school, a horse-and-carriage went past and the horse thought a kangaroo was a very strange site.
Many poor people in Argentina drive in these horse-and-carriages.
I hope no-one thinks about a kangaroo-and-carriage!!!!!

One of my little friends showed me her house in the barrios and I almost got lost in the washing out the front!!

We had a great day today in the barrios and I loved them as much as they loved me. Mr Evans didn't want to leave one of his little amigos and the little boy didn't want to ever let the big Rodney go.

But I have many children to see over here and many hugs, kisses and oranges to eat.

So bye, bye, mi chico amigas!!

Hasta luego,
See you later,

te mando un besa,
I send a kiss to you.

The one and only Rodney Roo,
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