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.