John and I are spending a quiet Christmas at home this year. Argentina doesn’t feel very “Christmas-y” – there are not many decorations out and it just doesn’t seem to be much of a big deal here. Also, I think most people are still getting over the excitement of the World Cup! The government declared a holiday on Tuesday, and the city went nuts. The team flew home in the wee hours of the morning and evidently the streets were lined with people to welcome them home. They rode from the airport in an open-air bus. Later in the morning they got back in the open-air bus to travel downtown for a celebration – but with an estimated three to five million people in the streets, they abandoned the bus after four hours and jumped in a helicopter to see the adoring fans from above.
The rest of the week was work as usual, plus rescheduling visa applicants whose appointments were canceled for the holiday. Lea and I ventured out for lunch Thursday which was a nice break. John and I watched “Glass Onion” last night, silly but fun (if not long). I read ”Everything I Never Told You” (Celeste Ng) and “Snake Eyes,” by Hot Springs native Bitty Martin; it’s about a murder of one of her classmates back in 1964. I just finished “The Beauty of Dusk,” by Frank Bruni- thanks to Joan for the recommendation on that good book!
