Greetings from Down Under. No, we didn't move to Australia, but since technically we live further south than almost all of Australia, and south of the southern tip of Africa, and since Argentina has no catchy phrase worth printing on a T-shirt, it will have to do. Argentina and Australia have a lot in common. They both start and end with an 'A' (like all the A countries except for two... answer below).... That's about where the similarities end.
A is for awesomeness. There are a lot of awesome things about living abroad in Argentina and there are some not some awesome things. We have now been here for 16 months and I think we have a handle on what's good and what's a hassle about living here. Both lists are considerable, but when all is said and done, we are happy here.
R is for ridiculous. Working for the State Department means that I follow local politics very closely. We really all blessed to be from a country where law and order are implemented and respected. While traffic laws exist, they are neither respected nor enforced. When the spouse of someone we know had her passenger door window busted and her purse snatched while she waited at a red light, it was about 50 meters from two police officers, who did nothing. She went to ask them to pursue the offender, they shrugged and said, "This is Argentina. These things happen."
G is for guests. We are looking forward to some. Mike and Danielle are taking the plunge to visit us from Germany over Christmas. It will be a blast.
E is for excursions. Argentina has a lot to offer from the northeastern tip of Iguazu Falls to the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia. From beaches to mountains to glaciers to grasslands. As a family, we have done a few smaller trips, but will be going to Patagonia to go whale watching over thanksgiving.
N is for nocturnal. The Argentine culture is much more nocturnal that the American culture. When Candace and I go to dinner, most of the restaurants where we live open their doors at 8pm. When we arrive at 8, we are the ONLY ones there... and it's only when we are finishing that the restaurant begins to fill up. Typical dinner time is about 10pm or so... and teenage kids stay out until 4 or 5 in the morning...
T is for the temple, closed since we've been here. The Buenos Aires temple, built in the mid-1980's was closed about two years ago for renovations. The 18-month project still has no firm ending date. A new temple in Cordoba (8 hour drive from Buenos Aires) was announced and has broken ground, but will be a few years before its ready. So the closest temple to us is in Montevideo, Uruguay. While close on a map, not easy or cheap for a family of 5 for a day trip. Hopefully BA will open in the next 6 months.
I is for international. At Claire's school a couple of weeks ago, we did the annual International Day fair, where the school celebrates the school's diverse international community. I think there are about 40 countries represented at Claire's school. Good food. And it's so neat to see the kids exposed to the world.
N is for nutrition. Food was, and is, a big adjustment in South America. Processed foods are processed differently and it takes a lot of effort to maintain your eating habits when you can't get the foods you're used to. There is plenty of meat and potatoes though... so any Mouritsen would be pleased.
A is for another year. Our initial posting was for two years, but we extended for a third, so we plan to be here until the summer of 2013 in case your travels bring your our way.
What's that spell? A-U-S-T-R-A-L-I-A!!!! Did you figure out the two countries that start with 'A' that don't end with 'A' yet?
Candace surprised me a few weeks ago asking if there were a chance that we could stay in Buenos Aires for a fourth year. Unfortunately for her the answer is now. I'm pleased that she is enjoying herself so much. She does a ton of activities and is always busy with her mostly expat group of friends.
Claire is finishing the first semester of kindergarten and surprises us with how well she speaks Spanish. she'll say things in Spanish (correctly) and then ask what it means. She knows a lot.
Sam is a giant. The youngest, and biggest, kid in his preschool class. Funny as can be... and unfortunately for him, he looks more and more like me every day.
Caroline is mobile. Enough said.
I'm enjoying the work down here and we are keeping busy. We recently passed one year since Lily's passing (on 1 October) and miss her tremendously. It is hard to see Claire grow into Lily's clothes and perfect the tasks (like tieing shows or brushing teeth) that Lily was also practicing. From a temporal perspective, those who say that time heals all wounds have not been wounded deeply enough. From a spiritual perspective, while tears are still shed, we look forward to the day when we are reunited with our little girl who can teach us of heaven. We are so grateful for the knowledge that she is not gone, but has rather taken a commanding lead on us in our family's quest for eternal life together.
ANSWER: Afghanistan and Azerbaijan
I'm nocturnal...and it drives me crazy that everything closes so early here!
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