All about my Life in Buenos Aires... as an Expat and all that.
I don't love to fill out questionnaires but this turned out to be quite pleasant.
The questions prompted memories and I ended up sitting here going over days in the past that were so special and so full .. full of sights and sounds and warmth and all sorts of feelings.
I never thought of us as ExPats.
We just lived there. We didn't hang out with other Americans or go to meetings or go to the places where They All liked to go.
We lived in a building of all Argentine people.
We shopped and ate and played with the locals ..
We schlepped our bags of groceries home, we walked our dog, we took Taxis and sang along with the radio and taxi driver ( well I did .. my husband just liked to listen ---ok he was more dignified than I )
But the taxi drivers loved it !
We started the process to become permanent residents as soon as we arrived, it was everything you can imagine ... not speaking the language, going to huge ancient buildings downtown , full of immigrants from all over the world , all waiting to get those little pieces of paper that meant you could stay there... I think we were the only two people who did the entire thing, which the process took over a year , almost 2 .. without a translator.
When I look back on the things we accomplished, only because my husband was with me and brilliant.
We got our papers and became permanent residents.
We were fingerprinted so many times by so many people from so many bureaus and offices.
I have never been kissed by so many strangers.
Those that stand out in memory are the very tall and very handsome btw ... police who fingerprinted us .. asked us about living in New York then kissed us * yes, my husband got it too* and said Goodbye.
When we first came back to the US .. it seemed strange to me, no one is kissing us hello or goodbye.
Wait a minute ! Where is my kiss ???
I demand my Kiss !!
To tell the whole truth, some of those policemen were very fine looking. It was not painful to have to let one of them kiss my cheek. twice. yes, only twice.
And now , I am sitting here waiting for the rain to stop, for people to look at my house, buy my house ! let me get on with My Life !
I will go to Florida to live.
I will visit our friends from BA in Miami when they come up.
I will hopefully visit my friends from BA ... in BA .. when I can fly down.
I am in the process of selling a house too. As soon as it sells, I'll be spending most of my time in a newer one so I can be around my kids and grand kids more. I just can't wait for it to sell. That and it's lots of work.
ReplyDeletedonna,Good luck on it all ! It is a lot of work, keeping everything looking picture perfect .. and controlling ones impatience to get on with life !
ReplyDeleteLet me know when you sell .. bon chance !! Buena Suerte !!
Buenos Aires sounds like such a beautiful place in so many ways. I want to go there someday, (when I overcome my fear of flying.) I never even considered going there until I started reading your posts! I'd always wanted to go to Paris and Rome, you know, the usual places so many dream of going. So narrow minded of me, I know. But now I want to go South instead of East. So much to learn and see. :)
ReplyDeleteOh Mary what a wonderful compliment ! I never cared about Argentina in one way or another, my husband was the one who thought it would be a fun trip to take. He might have had it in the back of his mind that he would like to live there but as far as I knew, that trip was just a trip.
ReplyDeleteWe used to talk about living in Paris or London .. he had lived in both, Before meeting me :)
It isn't narrow minded , it is so far away and the other places get so much press and attention.
I will move to Florida keeping in mind that the trip is much shorter to BA from Miami :)
besos ..
Also Mary ... everywhere you look, you see the touches left from the French and English who were the early settlers and made a huge mark on the city of Buenos Aires. So much of the architecture is French and the parks were designed by a man named Carlos Thays .. read about him :)
ReplyDeleteOh, reading your blog brings back many great memories of my 2 week trip to BA. My best friend and I walked everywhere and we really loved just sitting in a park with a picnic from the grocery store watching the dog walkers with 10 or more dogs on a leash.
ReplyDeleteI also thought there was a noticeable Italian influence. Some of the best pizza I have had was enjoyed near the pink palace. I long to return for another visit but it is so difficult to find enough time off to make it worth while.
Congrats on your choosing FL for your next home!
Thank you Anony .. I am selling my home and moving South and hoping that the next trip I take will be back to BA .. 2 weeks was just a taste, wasn't it :)
ReplyDeleteYes, the pizza is so good .. as is the ice cream ~