Not So Much Time to Explore

Pizza Dinner at the Pad

Two posts in the same day, you ask? Well, not really. The last one - Reality Check was written about a week ago. I finally had time to put the text and some photos together.

I am finding out that it pays to keep up with a web log every few days. We have been so busy with our school routine and day-to-day operations that it can be hard to remember what we did three days ago. School days typically go the fastest. The kids are up by 7 AM, and I walk Bianca to school at 0740. Back to the apartment to get Diego ready, and he is off to Jardin at 835.

When we first arrived, Silvia and I had some lofty plans of sightseeing and checking out other areas of the city, but we have found ourselves to be limited to the times between 9 and 12 when Diego is in school, and from 1320 to 1620 when Bianca is in her afternoon session. While we don’t regret putting the kids in school, it definitely has cramped our style on the exploration front. By necessity, it has put us more into a normal living routine, rather than a vacation-style outlook.

We did manage to get down to Puerto Madero last week on one of our morning jaunts. Puerto Madero is the revitalized dock and warehouse district east of downtown Buenos Aires. After languishing in neglect for about 20 years, the area was brought back to life in the early 90’s. It is now the location for a nice yacht harbor, offices, loft apartments, and a slew of upscale hotels and restaurants. Also nearby are the quays for the high-speed ferries to Uruguay, operated by Buquebus. Time and finances permitting, we may take one of the ferries over to Colonia, Uruguay on the other side of the Rio de Plata.

Pictures (Top to Bottom) Puerto Madero and Buquebus Ferries

We stopped for coffee and a pastry for about 45 minutes before we had to make our way back to Palermo. While the Puerto Madero area is very nice, neither of us have much desire to return later. We don’t see it as a very accurate reflection of the essence of Buenos Aires. I am sure there are plenty of nice restaurants, bars, and such, but all of them are geared (and priced) towards tourists and the wealthiest 1%. Since we have been here, the places we have enjoyed the most are what you might call the “local hangouts.” We tend to pop in and eat at any place that looks interesting to us.

Not to say that we don’t sometimes plan our restaurant outings. We found a nice website - http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/ , a comprehensive online restaurant guide to Buenos Aires. You can search by type of cuisine, restaurant name, and location. If I find somewhere interesting, I plug the address into my interactive map website: http://www.cybermapa.com/ . Put in the street name for Calle and the number in Altura and the map comes up. We have used it to find a few places in the immediate area. Since we usually eat a lot of local Argentine food, we have been going more for the “ethnic” foods: a Chinese restaurant and two Mexican places here in Palermo.

We wish everyone our best. We have been lazy recently about taking photos, and plan to post some new ones in the near future.

Reality Check

Thanks everyone for the comments and emails on the blog postings. Time has been passing quickly down here in Buenos Aires, and for the most part, everything is going well and we are enjoying ourselves. However, I have decided to make a post to provide a more “realistic” view of spending an extended period here away from our home, friends, and family. Silvia complained to me that out blog tends to “sugar coat” our experience, and ignores some of the trials and tribulations we go through day by day in Argentina.

One of our major concerns is one of personal space. We are used to country living, with neighbors out of sight and out of earshot. Our square footage for living space has gone from 2400 to 850 square feet. The kids, accustomed to their own bedrooms, have been sharing a small room with two twin beds. When Bianca arrives home for lunch or after school, the kids tend to be at each others’ throats. Our best defense is to go to the park or to a restaurant with a play area so we can let them wear themselves out.

Kitchen in Our Apartment

Living Area in Our Apartment

As adults, Silvia and I have our own occasional tensions due to lack of space. There are few places to hide in a small apartment. It has been an adjustment for both of us, since we are used to having several days a week apart due to my airline schedule. The good news is that we have managed not to strangle each other yet! We do manage to take some personal time to go to Tae Kwon Do class, the gym, or out to explore or shop on our own. Silvia and Alejandra, the mother of one of Diego’s classmates, had the chance to go shopping together last week.

Buenos Aires is a city of many dogs. Each day, one can see professional dog walkers, known as paseoperros, exercising a large group of dogs, sometimes as many as ten or so together at one time. Between the paseoperros and other owners walking their own dogs, obviously a large amount of “doggy do” and urine is generated. All of it is deposited on the sidewalks, and about 1 in 50 owners will take the time to clean up afterwards. Walking the sidewalks always requires an extra awareness of where you are putting your feet.

Paseoperros in Action - Watch Where You Step!

To their credit, most building caretakers and business owners perform a morning ritual each day. At about 8 AM, they emerge en masse with hoses and squegees to clean their respective sidewalks. But, 24 hours later, the sidewalks are ready for another rinsing.

Mosquitos have been an issue as well. Since we arrived a month ago, we have encountered a day or two or rain each week, which probably contributes to their breeding. Because there are no screens on our apartment windows, we have all received our share of mosquito bites. They seem to favor Silvia the most- they must like Mexican blood. We finally got an anti-mosquito product for the apartment, and it seemed to work pretty well last night. We have turned the tide in the bug battle.

Weekend Fun and Games

This weekend has been a fun, although busy, break from the weekday school routine. Diego and Bianca finished up their second full week of school Friday. I think everybody enjoyed to opportunity to sleep in on Saturday morning.

Saturday afternoon we hailed a cab in front of the apartment for a 10 minute ride to Palermo Viejo (Old Palermo), the location of Yaos, (http://www.yaos.com.ar/) the event hall hosting a birthday party for Bianca’s classmate Joaquin Cora. The majority of the children were dropped off by their parents, but because of the distance from our apartment, Silvia and I decided to stay for the duration of the party. The kids enjoyed themselves with the the basketball hoops, slot car racing, and other games. The pinnacle was the magician, including a couple of real white doves.

(Magician at Joaco's Party)

(Diego Driving his Slot Car)

We had a nice time at the other end of the hall with the other adults, mostly the immediate family of Joaquin. The staff kept us well supplied with coffee and sodas, a great selection of sandwiches, and some incredible cakes. Marcelo and Laura, Joaquin’s parents, were extremely gracious, and a lot of fun to talk to. I would venture to say Marcelo’s English is much better than my Spanish!

We headed back to the apartment after the party ended at 630 PM. Next on the agenda was to get Silvia her Mexican food fix. Like many of the restaurants here, our restaurant destination didn’t open until 830 PM. We grabbed another cab ride back to the Palermo Viejo area, and arrived at the Mexican restaurant Xalapa at 840 PM or so.

The food was quite good; good enough to impress even the skeptical Silvia. She had Enchiladas de Pipian, and I had Carne Tampiquena. The kids were satisfied with some quesadillas. Being that we were running very late with young children, we headed home soon after the meal, just about the time the restaurants were starting to fill up.

The Palermo Viejo restaurant scene itself is worthy of its own web log post. However, any good Buenos Aires guidebook or travel website can give more detail. Suffice to say, Palermo Viejo, with its subdivisions Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood, offers some of the most interesting and varied dining in the city. Anything from traditional Argentine parillas to just about any ethnic cuisine you could ever want is available. The only drawback is that the prices are a bit higher than the standard B.A. eateries, but still a good deal by U.S. standards.

Continuing on with the weekend festivities, today (Sunday March 18) was our day at the Zoo. To add to the enjoyment, today featured outstanding weather, which is forecast to continue through midweek: Sunny, light winds, and about 80 degrees F / 28 C. This marked our third trip there since October. Always a fun time. We made a point of arriving at 1230 PM, since our last visit two weeks ago was late in the afternoon, and we didn’t get to see everything.

(Plaza Italia - Near Zoo Entrance)

(Zoo Fountain)

(Diego at the Snack Area)

(Bianca and Diego at the Snack Area)

(Feeding the Zebras)

(Family Photo inside the Rainforest Building)

Another busy week in BsAs

The last week here in BA has been a busy one. Everything is going well at school the first week. Diego, being used to only 3 days a week of preschool, sometimes complains about having to suit up for school every day. But once he gets there, he has a good time. He gets along well with his classmates, particularly his friend Santi (short for Santiago.) Santi’s Mom has told us he has been demanding to watch more TV shows in English, because he wants to communicate better with Diego. Hopefully he can convince Diego to work on his Spanish. As I write this at 1222 PM, Diego is at an afternoon birthday party with his class to celebrate his classmate Ramiro’s 4th Birthday.

Bianca has also had the chance to socialize a bit. Her classmate Fiona’s mother, Beth, is an American from Chicago, and she hosted a “play date” on Friday with some of the other girls in the class. Bianca also attended a birthday party for Florencia on Saturday. Quite the production - about 20-30 kids. They had food and soda, boys vs. girls games, a magician, and even a dance portion with lights and disco smoke. It was interesting how most of the parents (ourselves included) drop off the kids for the party and come back a couple of hours later. Meanwhile, the party is well chaperoned and in a secure environment. In spite of the language barrier, Bianca had a wonderful time. Unbelievably, there will be another birthday party next Saturday for another classmate. I am not sure if we will attend or not. We have been talking about taking a weekend in the country.

From the perspective of Mom and Dad, we have been trying to fit in some of our own activities in the morning hours without kids. We took the subway down to the Plaza de Mayo last week, and walked around the downtown area after enjoying a coffee and pastry. The three hours we have with both kids in school tends to fly by. Next thing you know, it is time to get back.

Typically, though, one or both of us will spend the afternoon hours at the park with Diego to give him a chance to blow off steam (and energy.) With the exception of a few rainy days, the weather has been very warm and sunny. The seasonal equivalent in the north would probably be late August to early September. The big adjustment for we Arizonans has been the humidity, which lately has been ranging from 94% in the morning to 75% in the afternoon. This week the temps have averaged about 29 C / 84 F for highs and about 18 C/ 65 F at night. We ran the AC unit in our bedroom last night.

We have been a bit lazy with cooking dinners at home. We went to Oporto, one of our favorite places, for dinner last night. The food is very good, and best of all, on the second floor, they have a kids play area. We can enjoy our wine and meal while the kids play under the supervision of a restaurant-provided “nanny.” Silvia and I both opted for mini bife de lomo (tenderloin steak) and the kids had milanesas, (breaded cutlet) with fries. We were served by a waiter who remembered us from our visits in October of last year- a nice guy. The meal was good and reasonably priced: two glasses of wine, two sodas and the meals for 60 pesos, a little less than $20 USD.

On a recommendation from Beth, we found a well-equipped food store in Palermo called Jumbo. It is, on a smaller scale, reminiscent of a Wal-Mart or Target store with a supermarket inside. They have a good selection of meats, produce, and groceries of every kind. We also stocked up on some paper and plastic goods for the apartment. The only drawback is that it is not within walking distance. Not a major concern, though. A 5 -minute Subte (Subterraneo=Subway) ride and 10-minute walk got us there this morning. They have a taxi stand in front of the store, and it was only a 7 peso / $2.33 USD ride to the apartment. Our main reason of going to Jumbo, however, has not yet been fulfilled: They occasionally have Mexican corn tortillas available. They were sold out today, though. We settled for a bag of flour tortillas. Silvia and I definitely miss our Mexican food. There are several Mexican restaurants nearby, but none of them open before 8 PM!

Well, this post is getting long. We’ll update the blog with some more info and pictures to come.

First Day of School Photos

(Still figuring out this photo posting on the blog site. More postings to come.)

The First Few Days of School

We started with Bianca’s first day ceremony at 755 on Monday morning. The whole school assembled in the courtyard for the salute to the flag, complete with the national anthem, followed by short welcome speeches by the directors. After the ceremony, all of the parents accompanied the kids to their respective classrooms for a final sendoff. Bianca was excited, but as you will see from some of the photos, she had sort of a “deer in the headlights” look, not sure what to expect.

After leaving Bianca at First grade, we had until 0930, when Diego’s first day ceremony started. They had a similar event to Bianca’s, but smaller and more geared towards the 4 and 5 year olds. All of the kids lined up with their teachers, and again, the students and parents went off to their classrooms. Diego’s group of 4 year olds are in the sala naranja - “orange room”. Since many of the children were in preschool for the first time, all of the parents stayed in the classroom for the first 15 or 20 minutes, as the teacher introduced all the students. We all slowly filtered out as the kids moved to the outdoor play area.

After three days, the kids seem to be very happy with their schools. There is obviously a language barrier to work through, but it hasn‘t seemed to dampen their enthusiasm. I think the fact we made several visits to the schools last week has helped them to feel more familiar.

We have made a point of checking with their teachers to see how things are going. Diego’s teacher Senorita “Andy”, said that he is very sociable and talkative, although he insists on talking to his classmates in English. Diego finishes each day with a smile on his face - so far so good.

Bianca’s teachers have been positive, as well. She obviously has a long way to go with her Spanish. It is unrealistic to expect much after less than a week. We are confident that she and Diego will both progress. Also, because they study English some of the afternoons in Bianca’s school, they have some English-speaking teachers on the staff that have taken Bianca under their wing, so to speak.

We have been impressed by some aspects of the school down here. Each student has a hardbound cuaderno (notebook) that the staff use solely for communication with parents. Daily and weekly schedules, permission slips, and anything of concern is stapled in to the notebook, which we can check each afternoon.

Another nice aspect is that nobody drives their kids to school. In Arizona, we are used to a gauntlet of Minivans and SUV’s, in a constant procession of drop-off or pickup. Usually the closest you get to the other parents is a glimpse through the tinted windshield. Here in BA, parents (from all the schools in the area) walk their kids to and from school. We have chatted with some of the parents that we recognize, and we look forward to getting to know more people in the coming weeks.

Gearing Up

Since our arrival, we have gone through quite an adjustment period. The time change of 4 hours ahead of Arizona is not as extreme as Europe, for example, but still noticeable. The time change, coupled with the Latin American tendency to stay up late and eat late, kept us on some strange hours the first few days. It would often be 1100 or 1130 before we even got the kids to bed. Our tendency was to sleep until 10AM, which is a rarity for the kids. Diego is usually up by 7, saying “Its morning time!.”

The afternoon of our arrival we decided to check in with the kids’school, to introduce ourselves and allow the kids to see the facilities. Over the next two days, we had interviews with Diego and Bianca’s teachers. It was a nice opportunity to meet them and to give them a chance to interact a bit with the kids. Since Bianca and Diego are in First Grade and Preschool, they have classes in different buildings that are just around the corner from each other.

Another nice feature for both classes were the parents’ meetings on Thursday night. Most of the other parents were able to come without their children, but we were given special dispensation to bring ours. A few other couples did the same. Our impression of the school so far is that the staff is very interested in keeping the parents actively involved. They also seem to have a genuine compassion for the children, and are as concerned with their social growth and interaction as they are with academics. It seems like a much more personal touch than I have seen so far in our Arizona public schools.

The school hours are a little bit different than in the U.S., as far as the First Grade goes. The first bell is at 0755, and the kids get a lunch break from 1200 to 1320. They have the option of eating on campus at the lunchroom, or they can go home for lunch. The day is completed with a session from 1320 to 1620. The afternoons will consist of English Study, art, drama, music, and one entire afternoon of P.E. and play at a sports field (campo de deportes) away from school.

Diego’s Jardin for 4 year olds runs from 845 to 1200. They also have an afternoon session available, but we felt that Diego would be fine with the half day, especially since he is going from three days a week in Arizona to five days a week here. The hours are nice for us (Mom and Dad) because we have all morning Monday through Friday to explore, shop, go to the gym, etc..

Speaking of the gym, we had originally planned to join a chain called Megatlon, but they wanted $40 ARG ($15 US) for a single visit or $400 ARG ($133 US) a month. Like in the States, you really get reamed unless you sign a year contract. Instead, we joined a gym called WellClubhttp://www.wellclub.org/ for half the price on a month-to-month basis. They have about 5 branches nearby; the one we will use primarily is all of two blocks from our apartment. That is a far cry from our gym in Chandler,AZ, a 25 minute drive from our house. There is also a Martial Arts gym across the street from us. I am going to check out their Tae Kwon Do class tomorrow night. They charge $40 ARG($13 US) for 8 sessions a month. Not a bad deal!

Our final adjustment has been to finally get to a grocery store and stock the apartment with some food. One cannot live on Pizza and Empanadas alone. Food prices are very low unless you need to get something exotic or imported. I am also quite pleased with the beer prices. A 650ml bottle of Quilmes (about 32 oz?) is $2.50 ARG - less than 1 dollar! Many good bottles of Argentine wine are available in the $5-10 ARG range ($2.75-3.30 US).

Next Post Coming Up- First Day of School - March 5

L.A. to Argentina in only 15 Hours

We have now been in town about a week. Already I am chronologically “behind” with postings.

We left LAX (Los Angeles, CA) at 1055 on Monday morning, February 26. Our total transit to Argentina consisted of an American flight from LAX to Miami (4 ½ hours), and a flight on LAN Argentina from Miami to Buenos Aires (8 ½ Hours). Both of our flights arrived on time, and the only glitch was the fact that we were unable to confirm our seats for the LAN flight while in Los Angeles. LAN actually had to pull volunteers off of the flight to get seats for us and another couple that were connecting from LAX. Silvia and the kids were all together in the center row of three, and I was directly in front of them. It felt like we were traveling standby again. This trip was actually the first time we have traveled as a family with “real” tickets. Hopefully things will fare better on the return trip.

Our flight landed at Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini airport(http://www.aa2000.com.ar/index.php) (“Ezeiza” to the locals, named after the accompanying suburb.) at 655 AM, in a torrential rainstorm. The airport is primarily for international flights, and relatively easy to navigate. We had a reservation for a remis, or private taxi, and about 45 minutes later, arrived at our apartment. The owner and agent were waiting for us, and we completed all the paperwork in short order.

We are staying in the Palermo barrio, or neighborhood. It is a nicely located, middle class area with everything we could possibly need within walking distance. Subway lines, taxis, and buses are all plentiful and nearby. It is also one of the parts of the city with the most green space; lots of plazas, parks, gardens, and a Zoo. Buenos Aires is made up of approximately 54 different barrios, all with their own different flavors, pros and cons. Palermo is a great location to launch off to many of the adjoining areas of interest we will try to familiarize some of them for you in the coming weeks.

And yes, we will be adding photos very soon. This has been a busy week getting the kids ready for school and getting our bearings here in Buenos Aires.

Why are we doing this?

(Steve at the keyboard)

The idea of spending a (somewhat) extended period in a foreign country really began in April of 2005. Silvia and I (Steve) spent a week in Madrid, Spain, and enjoyed the atmosphere in a large Latin city. We stayed near the city center of Madrid, and we were able to see many of the sights, and even visit other surrounding attractions, without having a car. We were within walking distance of about everything we needed. Other places were easily accessible by taxi, metro, or motorcoach. While sitting at cafes eating tapas and drinking Spanish wines, we mused on the idea of living in a Spanish-speaking country with the kids. They would have the opportunity to improve their spoken Spanish, as well as to experience a culture different than their own.

Obviously, my responsibilities as an airline pilot based near the west coast would make it very a difficult commute from Europe. Ironically, it was an airline vaction bidding system that would resurrect the idea of spending an extended peiod overseas. Due to other commitments and procrastination, I missed the 2006 Vacation bid deadline. The result: all three weeks of my vacation in Late January / early February. Basically, what was left after every single pilot in my airplane and seat had selected their choices.

I had visited Buenos Aires, Argentina briefly in early 1998. My father, in international business at the time, had almost a week of business meetings there, and I was able to use my airline benefits to join him there. The big plus was the company-paid hotel room, not to mention the company-paid steakhouse dinners and tango shows in the evening. Years later, I remembered the pleasant weather, the interesting architecture, and friendly people.

Through my monthly bid selection, I would most likely be able to stretch my 3 weeks of vacation into 5 or 5 1/2. After doing quite a bit of internet research and reading, the plan was in place, with grudging approval from Silvia (aka wife). We would spend a little over a month in Argentina, primarily in Buenos Aires, but with a side trip or two. Bianca would miss a few weeks of Kindergarten, and Diego could skip preschool - no big deal.

In my ignorance, we planned to use non-revenue (standby) tickets on American from Dallas/Fort Worth to Buenos Aires. I had been checking seat maps for weeks up to our scheduled departure date. On our departure day, and the next, and the next, I realized that February was summer in South America. Not only were Americans heading down to Argentina en masse, but so were Argentines return from their summer vacations in the U.S. After two days in Dallas, we realized that we weren't going to get on any flight anytime soon. We cut our losses and headed home, GAME OVER.

Maybe it is a pilot personality trait that demands a mission be accomplished eventually. In October 2005, we managed to travel (standby, no less) to Buenos Aires. The trip was basically a condensed version of what we wanted to do earlier in the year. Over 9 days, we spent 7 full days in an apartment in Buenos Aires, and had a wonderful time. The spring weather was sunny and warm, the food tasty and inexpensive, and the people very friendly and fun to talk to. Diego and Bianca enjoyed playing at the local parks with the Argentine kids their age. It took them a few days to realize that they didn't understand English!

Silvia and I talked about how nice it would be to spend some time in Buenos Aires, and how much the kids' Spanish would improve if they were immersed in it. In conversations with other parents, we learned that their school year started in their fall, beginning of March, specifically. If we were to return and enroll Diego and Bianca, they would only miss 2 1/2 months of school in Phoenix.

I made a solo fact-finding trip to Buenos Aires in December to check out a few bilingual schools. Another reason was to go back to Argentina and confirm the idea that we really wanted to spend some more time there. I was hoping Silvia could come along, but it wasn't possible due to babysitting dilemmas at home.

Over four days, I met administrators and teachers at several different schools, and spent hours each day checking out neighborhoods and apartment buildings. I finally narrowed it down to a couple of schools. In the end, we chose Children's School Boston (www.childrens-boston.com.ar) Really nice people and a very professionally run school. Diego would enroll in Jardin (Kindergarten) for 4 year olds, and Bianca for First Grade. An added plus was the location, literally 3 1/2 blocks from our apartment. We would do a short-term rental from ByT Argentina (www.bytargentina.com), the same company we rented from in October. Our two-bedroom apartment would literally be across the street from where we stayed last fall.

So to answer the subject question of this post - Why Buenos Aires? We think it is an exciting city - it is affordable, there is a lot to see and do, the people are generally outgoing and welcoming, and are justifiably proud of the fine city and country. Argentina has experienced more than its share of economic problems and poverty, but has never lost its national pride, its Argentinidad. We think of this visit as an opportunity to contribute to their economy, enjoy an interesting place to live, and hopefully act as positive ambassadors for our country. A country that as of late has been seen as increasingly arrogant and self-absorbed.

Apologies for this excessively long first post. We hope you will continue to check in on this blog over the coming weeks as our adventure continues. We will have a lot more pictures and more once I figure out how this blog website works.