From the Desert to Buenos Aires: Adios Buenos Aires

We left Buenos Aires on the night of April 19 at 1120 PM on our LAN flight to Miami. The departure was over an hour late due to radar problems at Ezeiza airport. Their main air traffic control radar was damaged by a lightning strike just after we arrived in February, and was still in the process of returning to normal operations.

The delay was a minor inconvenience as we originally had a connection time of one and a half hours in Miami. As a result, we had less time to wait around, and boarded our American flight from Miami to Los Angeles. After another 5 1/2 hours of flying, we arrived at LAX. We gathered our luggage and made our way through a light rainstorm to catch our US Airways flight from LAX to Phoenix.

After approximately 28hours of travel, door to door, we arrived home in Phoenix. Thanks to the help of our outstanding neighbors, Therese, Gary, Sally, and John, the house was exactly as we left it.

While it is nice to be to back home and into our "normal" routine, our goodbye to Buenos Aires was at the same time bittersweet. We were there long enough to get to know some great people, and had begun developing some fine friendships. I know that I can speak for all of us when I say how moved I was by the outpouring of kindness and generosity we received on the last few days before our departure.

I (Steve) will especially miss the friends I made in my Taekwondo classes at Evolution. I came in to their group as an inexperienced white belt, and the only North American. Muchisimas Gracias to instructor / sensei Alberto Lettiere for your hospitality, kindness, and talent as a teacher. Also, I would not have learned as much and progressed so well without my friend Ricardo and my frequent sparring partner Martin. I will miss the intensity and variety of Alberto's workouts. But I will definitely return in the future to visit.

Sensei Alberto Lettiere

Ricardo S. - Black Belt and Pan-American Champion

Martin G. - Friend and Mentor

Robert D. - Medical Student and Receptionist at Evolution

During our stay, as well as our week in Buenos Aires last October, we relied on Nora of Lavanderia "Nora" for all of our laundry needs, and also got to know her son Paul and grandson Walter. We will miss them all for their local advice and conversation. It was always fun to stop in and chat with them, whether we had laundry to do or not.

Nora E.

Walter E.

Paul E.

It would be a great error not to mention our favorite pizza and empanada place across the street, Mi Taragui. We consumed our share of Calabresa (Pepperoni), and Jamon con Morrones (Ham and Red Pepper) pizzas, not to mention their excellent Jamon y Queso , Cebolla y Queso, and Carne empanadas. Juan Carlos and Javier, the Mezo brothers, run the place. Thank you for your friendship, and we will look forward to getting together next visit for an asado (cookout).

El maestro - Juan Carlos

The kids' last day at school was particularly touching. Both of their classes had their own sendoffs for Diego and Bianca. They were both weighed down heavily with gifts, mementos, and photos from their friends and teachers. Thanks so much to Diego's teacher Miss Andy, to Bianca's teachers Patricia (Spanish) and Nora (English). They were instrumental in giving the kids a great experience that they will never forget.

Miss Andy and Diego

Patricia - Profesora de Castellano

Nora - Profesora de Ingles

Bianca's Last Day

Best Wishes to all of the fellow students and parents that we had the pleasure of meeting during our stay. Obviously, to list everybody off would be very lengthy and bordering on the impossible. Let it suffice to say that we are honored to have met and shared a short portion of our lives with all of you. Thanks to modern innovations such as email, we will be able to keep in touch for years to come. And of course, our Argentine friends will always have an open invitation to visit us here in the US, if the opportunity presents itself.

It would be an embellishment to say that every minute of our stay in Argentina was perfect, or that things always went smoothly or as planned. But what I think made our trip the most memorable was the exchanges that we had with other people. The love, kindness, and hospitality we encountered truly gives us hope that all is not lost on this crazy planet we live on. Beyond all borders, languages, and prejudices, it all boils down to the fact that simple human contact and friendship are the things that matter in this world.