Graduation

My sister graduated from college this May, soon after I arrive back home. Her graduation provided a perfect excuse for a big family reunion right after my arrival: perfect timing! Family was one of my biggest motivations to come back to my home state, and I had a great time seeing and re-connecting with everyone. We had a crowd of 16 cheering her across the stage.

The family

Sister and pony Castine

Ginormous new addition to the family: an F-250 Super Duty with an 

extended bed....hot new wheels for the pony.

New Beginnings

I arrived back to the states in May. Since my arrival, my life has been a whirlwind of travelling, family, friends, and general summertime gallivanting. My blog fell to the wayside as I began transitioning back to living in the states and getting busy seeing all of the wonderful people that I’ve been missing for so long. Now, I’m giving my blog a slight face-lift: a new look for a new stage of life.  And here I will also chronicle my summer exploring new areas around the states.

The things that make my heart smile

The time has finally come for me to leave Argentina. Preparing for my trip back, I've made a list of the things that I love—the things that I will miss—about living in Argentina. 

·      Asados: First and foremost. Asados are not only a fantastic excuse to eat an inadvisable amount of delicious red meat and cow bits, but they are an opportunity for friends to gather and spend the day together.

·      All things sweet: dulce de leche, chocotorta, alfajores, panaderias in general....mmmm

·      Fernet

·      Dogs that don't need leashes and loyally follow their masters around or wait patiently outside shops

·      Greeting everyone with a kiss

·      The wait staff at Sarkis (and, of course, the comida)

·      Jacaranda trees

·      Long walks through the city

·      Dancing

·      Saying "hello" and "goodbye" to every person individually

·      Shopping on the subte (One day, I was making a mental “to do” list on my commute on the subte. As soon as I remembered that I had to pick up a sewing kit before going home, someone put one on my lap: amazing!)

·      Mate: As with many Argentine traditions and rituals, sharing mate is social in nature and can be oh-so addicting

·      Meriendas

·      The hours: I'm a pre-programmed night owl

·      Long dinners with lots of wine that turn into your night out

·      Talking to the fruit and vegetable guy to find out what's the freshest of the day, hearing about the butcher's latest concert, and generally having personal relationships w the people you get your food from

·      Empanadas

·      It's OK to show up late

·      Spending quality time with friends without binge drinking (or even drinking at all)

·      Your job is not your life or identity

·      Cafe cortados

·      Less materialism

·      Snack food: frutigran, marroc, 3D chips, Paso de los Toros Pomelo, sandwiches de miga, twistos

·      Free delivery...for EVERYTHING (pizza, ice cream, McDonalds, booze)

·      Patience and understanding for those learning Spanish

·      Friend's Day: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%ADa_del_Amigo

·      The parks, especially the Bosques de Palermo

·      The waiter will not bother you or try and rush you through your lunch or dinner

·      There's always a kiosko open somewhere...and they probably have it

·      Bold fashion choices

·      I got to be "exotic"....being a blondie (and a foreigner) in Argentina was a lot of fun

·      Embracing creative outlets (release your inner artist!!!)

·      Beautiful gene pool

·      It's a highly social city: There's always something going on, and someone to go to it with (cumple, asado, despedida, 2x1 mondays at freddo...always something on the agenda!)

·      Roof terraces with parillas

·      Interesting graffiti/art

·      Public transportation that goes everywhere (at pretty much anytime)

·      Ice cream

…and finally of course…

·      The people I've met here, Argies and extranjeros alike: YOU are the reason I fell head-over-heels for this crazy place

Prescription Movie

The cinema is my personal remedy for the blues. You know those moments—when you’re feeling sad, or nervous, or homesick. Everyone has their own way to fend off the cold pricklies: some turn to the bottle; some turn to the fridge; I turn to the big screen.

The movie theater is a two hour long escape.  I can voyeuristically dive into whatever story I choose. Moreover, once I’m sitting in that squishy seat, popcorn and smuggled beverage in hand, I could really be anywhere in the world. A cinema looks the same on the inside everywhere: dark. You get to forget where you are and who you are even it it’s just for the afternoon.

I am perhaps lucky in that I’m from the states and Hollywood movies have a global reach. I might be seeing it a few months later, but watching movies while abroad I feel like I could easily be in my hometown brushing popcorn off my shirt.

I don’t often feel homesick. Over the past ten years, I have lived outside of the house that I still claim as my “permanent residence” due to my constantly impermanent location. It’s now been well over a year since I’ve been back to the states. Technology like Skype allows me to talk to—and see—my family about once a week. Now that a hemisphere separates us, I speak with them more than I did when I was only a three hour drive away. Although I’m still very “connected,” I’ve started feeling those telltale pangs of homesickness in the past few weeks or so. This is maybe fueled by the knowledge that my trip back is impending, so I’m now homesick in anticipation of my return.

Endings are bittersweet—especially when it’s the end of something that you’ve enjoyed so much. I’m ready to bring this chapter of my life to a close. Ready to start all over again yet again. I’m a little nervous for my return but looking forward to being back and seeing everyone. I’m excited to start a more permanent life. To not worry about fitting it all in two suitcases. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t still hard to say “good-bye.”

So with these ambivalent feelings about the end to my two-year-and-four-month adventure in Argentina, I’m turning to my own prescription: a trip to the movies. I get to sit back and relax, and I don’t have to worry about fitting two years in two suitcases for a few hours.

Patriotism

When it comes to general smack talking, your country is like your family. You're allowed to complain and highlight faults; however, as soon as anyone else mutters a word against it, that patriotic gland in your brain explodes and you rush to its defense. Both are flawed. Both sometimes do things that embarrass you. Both helped weave the fabric from which you were cut. You can bitch about your family or your nation. But God help others who attempt this within earshot. You have the same intrinsic unconditional love for your country that you do for your family. Each person has different feelings towards their country: some relationships are close; some are estranged. Even in a strained relationship, that basic tie is undeniable.

I have been living as an expat outside of my country—the states—for over two years now. The label "expatriate" alone implies a distinct detachment from the mother ship. From this detachment, I have gained a unique perspective and ability to look at my home sweet home through different lenses. Watching major events happening in the states from another place, such as the elections of 2008, gave me a different (and perhaps more complete) view of the place that I'm from. Being an American abroad, you expect a certain level of comments. The shift in anti-American (or really, I should say North American) sentiments after the election was tangible. Even with the greatly improved reception after Obama's election, people still have very nasty things to say about the place I call home. Although the world has been infiltrated by Hollywood and Levis, not many people admit to being a fan of the states. After time, you learn when you should step in and when you should just roll your eyes and continue with your day.

As far as treating your country as your family, Argentines take the metaphor to the extreme. Many constantly complain about the corrupt government or how things never work or run well amongst themselves. No one likes Kirchner. No one likes to wait in the long lines. No one likes doing paperwork. However, to any extranjeros, or when visiting other places, Argentines tend to be incredibly proud, extolling on the wonders of the beef, football, and women of their country. Everywhere has its pros and its cons, and hearing about the positive aspects of the place you call home is great. No one wants to hear a visitor bitching about their house.

I'm not exactly sure when or where my slow evolution from tourist to something in-between began, but I have started becoming defensive about Argentina to non-native travelers. I visibly cringe when I overhear tourists loudly complaining about lousy service or how laughably "third world" everything is. I am amazed at things that come out of people's mouths...especially the freshly arrived. Is this some sort of superior-tourist complex that I have? As an extranjera, I don’t want to be represented by the mobs screaming in English and talking about what a great deal everything is in pesos. I work hard to learn the language and learn about the culture, but whenever I walk into a new restaurant or kiosko, I’m automatically put in the “turista” category with all the rest.

Although at times I also cringe when I spot noisy, drunk groups of Americans while out, I can’t listen to people complain about the states…especially people who have never been there or made an effort to get to know anyone from there. The actions of one person or one government do not represent an entire nation. There’s nothing that makes my blood boil like listening to a stream of America-bashing from people who have little contact with the states. Living abroad has made me realize some of the things that make my home country special and that there will always be things that I love about my home. And no one talks smack about my home…