criplomats

Yesterday I stopped by the art show at the expo center next to the embassy – there were a couple of hundred artists there with booths and I saw some fun stuff. Lots of people were there – Argentines seem to come out in force for events!

Friday night, John and I met some work colleagues for happy hour – it was fun to see Kat back from leave, as I hadn’t seen her for several years; her husband Jamie is our A-100 friend. Lea was there, plus I met new people. It’s truly a small world — I learned that the great uncle of Ben (who works in the Ag section) was the president of Hendrix College during my first couple of years on campus, Roy B. Shilling. He had asked where John and I were from, and when I said “Arkansas,” he said his great-uncle had been president of “a small liberal arts college called Hendrix“ a long time ago. I guessed, “Roy B???” Yep! We both had a good laugh!

Work continues to be busy. We had a “Super Saturday” yesterday, so I worked all day. Our wait times are long for tourist visas since Buenos Aires was shut down for so long during the pandemic – it’s a bear trying to work through it all.

Here are a few more photos from the art show.

We saw thousands of runners going down Avenida Libertador alongside our apartment building this morning – it went on and on!

We received our air shipments on Friday afternoon, so we have a few more clothes, toiletries, and odds and ends. We never really inventory what we send in these shipments, so it’s always a surprise by the time it gets to us. I spent some time yesterday putting things away and will continue to do so today. We always put the espresso machine in the air shipment, so I was happy to have John’s great lattes again!

Lea came by yesterday for a visit after her yoga class – we enjoyed yakking for a couple of hours and solving all the world’s problems :-).

Last Sunday, John and I walked a few blocks over to the Recoleta Cemetery. We didn’t go inside, but wandered through the artesian stalls outside it and stopped for lunch at an outside cafe. Monday was a local holiday, and our colleague Rachel had us and Lea over for brunch. Lea’s and Rachel’s kids played while we had mimosas and waffles – not a bad way to spend a morning! Friday night the DCM had us over for dinner with two Canadian diplomats who are her neighbors – it was an enjoyable casual dinner and nice to get to know some new folks. We were happy to be invited.

John and I went to a couple of restaurants this week that we liked, including a Japanese place last night. Our housekeeper Pilar started with us mid-week and she cooked good healthy meals for us two nights. For now she’s living with us and going home for the weekends.

I read a good book this week, “Disrupted,” by Dan Lyons about a middle-aged man going to work for a start-up in Silicon Valley – pretty funny and alarming at the same time.

We were thrilled to move into our “real” apartment yesterday! We’re still living our of just our suitcases, but we’re glad to be out of the temporary place so we can start to feel settled. Flavia is not happy about the move, but hopefully she’ll start feeling more at home soon. We’re in a nice part of town and have a lovely view from the 11th floor.

Lea and I went out last Sunday for a drink, and she came over to the new apartment yesterday. We sat on the balcony and yakked, enjoying the sunny day. She and I went out Thursday night with Jill and Marko – we had a fun time at a wine bar. Jill selected a nice Pinot Noir from Patagonia (Barda) that I really enjoyed. While Mendoza gets all the hype, there are good vineyards in other provinces, as well.

I read a fun book last weekend, “Falling,” written by a former flight attendant – it was quite the page turner and a fun read.

Lea, my former colleague from Monrovia, arrived this week to start working in the consular section with me. We went out for a drink last Sunday and talked for two hours straight getting caught up. It’s been fun having her in the office this week as we both learn about our sections and think about ways to make improvements. We had lunch with her and her husband Jose, who will be working with John in the management section – Jose worked for John back in Monrovia, too. It’s great to have them here.

I also had the chance to say hello to Jamie, one of our A-100 classmates from 15 years ago – he’s here in the public affairs section. John went out with him for drinks Friday after work while I got my nails done.

We also welcomed our new DCM Abby to post this week; John and I both had our introductory meetings with her. She has a great reputation and it seems like it’s deserved from our first impressions.

Yesterday our new housekeeper Pilar came to our temporary apartment to talk through the terms of employment, etc. I was delighted to learn that she is Bolivian and I can understand her Spanish! The Argentines have a heavy accent that is difficult for me (it sounds very Italian and double LLs are pronounced with a “J” sound).She seems on the ball.

John and I went to a couple of new restaurants this week – one night for sushi and last night to a parrilla (meat on the grill) called La Dorita – fun atmosphere and good food. Most restaurants here don’t open til 8PM, so we’re always on the lookout for places that open earlier.

It’s hard to believe we’ve been here a month already! Our permanent apartment should be ready in the next couple of weeks – I’m anxious to start feeling more settled.