My Portero Hates Me

One of the first things I noticed when walking around Buenos Aires is that there are a lot of men lingering in doorways.  Like, every single doorway has someone just hanging out, watching people go by.  It was a bit unnerving.

Then we moved into our apartment and I realized that these folks don't just hang out in doorways for their health, they are paid positions that virtually every apartment building has.  It's called a portero, a doorman.  Perhaps you have lived in another big city where this is customary, but it's my first time, so outside of what I've watched on Seinfeld, I really didn't know what constitutes the responsibility of a doorman.  I'll just put it out there - I'm still not sure.

As far as I can ascertain, there are two types of doormen; the kind that go out of their way to help, open doors, help with groceries, give parking advice in difficult areas of the city, take care of minor fix-its within an apartment or care for animals while you're out of town, OR the kind that stand in a doorway checking their cell phone and chatting with the guy next door who is also standing in a doorway.  We were blessed with the latter.

His name is Rito.  This is not an actual photo of him, but you get the idea - the man spends his "working" hours: 8:00 - 12:00 and 5:00 - 10:00pm standing in our doorway watching time pass him by.  Sometimes he polishes the postcard-sized piece of brass that frames the door buzzers.  Sometimes he shoves our mail under the door.  But most of the time, he just stands.  He inexplicably changes into a suit and tie for the latter half of his shift.

I'm pretty sure he has disliked me from day one.  This was the day I tried to "buzz" someone in from our apartment and couldn't figure out how the button worked (I have since found out that it is disabled due to security concerns, but again, this was day one).  He knew I was foreign, he knew I was new, and as I stood on the street with my Spanish/English dictionary trying to figure out how to say "open door with phone", I'm pretty sure he was enjoying watching me struggle.  3.5 years later, he is the only person in this city that consistently cannot understand my Spanish.

He does have moments of enlightenment.  He understood me perfectly when he requested we bring him running shoes from the US, or when his daughter needed to borrow a large suitcase for a trip to Disney.  He turned ignorant again when I said that I wouldn't buy his son an iPhone.  You can see how this works.

This general dislike has turned to full blown hate within the last few months.  I can pinpoint the day.  After a series of issues: our coffin-like service elevator had broken down twice, with our beloved empleada Candy inside, the same service elevator would open without the elevator being at our floor (presenting just an empty shaft, and we're on the 4th floor) and I has asked Rito on multiple occasions to let me know if there was an issue with the elevator, write a note, knock on the door, send a smoke signal, whatever.  Just let me know.  So when he didn't, and the elevator broke again I expressed my frustration.  It was something along the lines of "It is disrespectful of you to not advise me of this problem.  I am very bothered." In Spanish.  And by some miracle, he understood.  And now he hates me.

Aside from the annoyance that a man paid specifically to open the door for residents watches while a very obviously pregnant woman, generally traveling with a 2 year old and a multitude of miscellaneous bags struggles with the keys to enter our building, this is not an issue for me.  Jon takes the far more practical view that a man with a motive, that is intimately involved with our apartment building, is a perfect storm for getting robbed.  I understand, but refuse to make nice.  Call it being stubborn - I cannot bring myself to grovel to this waste of a decent salaried position.

So, while most of our experiences with the people of Buenos Aires have been overwhelmingly positive, this bloke is a daily reminder of one of the few people that I will gladly leave behind when we eventually move. And until then, let's hope he doesn't hate me enough to rob us...

When it Rains, It Pours

A cute saying that explains that when bad things happen, they tend to happen all at once.  Alternatively, it means that when it rains outside, the sky opens up and an ungodly amount of water falls to the earth all at the same time.  We have experienced the latter more times that we can count during the 3 years that we've been in Argentina.

Some sort of mixture of the incredible storms that happen in South America, and the horribly poor drainage infrastructure that BsAs has as a city, creates these Noah's Ark-style floods more often than I'm comfortable with in the summer. You know it's bad when people describe the flooding as, "Remember that time the city flooded really bad.  No, not that one, this was sometime in November.  No, not that one, this was on a Tuesday.  Oh yeah!  That flood was really bad, but not the one I was thinking of....", so yeah, the city floods here kind of frequently.

Yesterday was no exception, it rained all.day.long.  We had plans to have friends over in the afternoon to help release some little-people energy, but the rain was to heavy to even walk out the door.

This was the street in front of our apartment around 4:00pm in the afternoon.  This is also one of the main roads in Buenos Aires, and you can barely tell, but in the far side of the street there is a 2-lane access road that was completely covered with water.

Ironically, if you have to be outside in this kind of rain, the best place to be is on a bus, they are taller, more stable, and can generally cut through the standing water.  The downside is that you have to wait for the bus like these poor saps:

And though it is a nice city, the streets are infamous for being filthy.  I know I don't want to be knee deep in that street-soup.

Is that umbrella really helping??

As for us, we staying indoors and enjoyed some of Gretchen's favorite activities, like reading this book called "Words".  She loves it.  She climbed into this chair to read it on her own, then looked at me and said "Mama, no mas!" - she was tired of me taking pictures of the flood.

 Combining two of her favorite things, socks and "putting things in things", we spent time filling her rain boots with pairs of socks.

We did not take the open top bus tour of the city.  Apparently, no one did:

However, we did fill this cabinet with books:

She was a very busy girl...

No book was spared...

I love the tip-toes in this one, she was attempting to get a whole set of books in a the same time.  Notice the completely empty book shelf next to her, she was a dedicated little worker.

Spending time inside with my girl is a highlight for me.  She's fun, she's playful, she has creative ideas on what to do - and the rain is a good reminder that you don't have to be busy all the time. Filling boots and cabinets with items is a great way to spend the afternoon!

It sure beats being this lady:

My Week as a Working Mom

I have the incredible fortune of being able to stay at home full-time with my daughter.  This fact has brought me unmeasurable joy and allowed me to be present for virtually every milestone in her life (most of which I then share on this blog...).  So, don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE staying home with Gretchen, but sometimes... it's nice to interact with the world of adults.

Most moms I know have a similar conundrum (maybe dads do too, but I've only really heard it from moms), I want to be there for my kids, but I really like working/my job/having a life outside of the home.  Then there's the other conundrum that if you choose to work, you are somehow shorting your children a parent, or if you stay home, your identity becomes "(Child's Name)'s Mom" and everything else you've ever known is gone.  Anyways, it's a real pickle.

This is why, when the most ridiculous series of events lead to me being offered a 5-day job in the city, I jumped at the chance.  Even though it involved working at a world congress of Anesthesiologists, a field that I know nothing about, with a group of people I had never met personally, performing a job that I was only semi-clear of the responsibilities - and not only that, I brought a friend!  I turns out that I'm not the only one curious about the life of a working mom, my friend Mary joined me to help with the congress.

So, here's the story: My mom, an avid Packer's fan (as in football, cheesehead, Lambeau Field.  Not as in boxing up your belongings for a move) went to the Packers/Vikings football game last year and met a "really nice" guy while tailgating before the game.  Chris, is the Director of Meetings & Exhibits for the American Society of Anesthesiologists and one of their upcoming exhibits was going to be in, you guessed it, Buenos Aires!  Not just in BsAs, but literally on my morning jogging route, it was super close to my house.  So, my mom took his card, asked me to call him and give restaurant recommendations and other general travel information that I give to people coming to Argentina.  A few months later we started emailing, and much to my surprise, Chris wanted to hire me and a friend for the week - "helping" with the congress.

Me and Mary working our mojo at our busy booth

So, we helped.  We setup the booth, got dressed up, and then spent the following week representing the American Society of Anesthesiologists - which in and of itself is a pretty straightforward job.  The complication came when we realized that this world congress was heavily attended by South American doctors that generally did not speak English - so we became, quite possibly, the most under-qualified and over-praised translators ever.  It was great!  The doctors attending the congress loved us because most of the companies/groups represented did not have Spanish-speakers at their booths, and Chris and his team loved us because to their non-Spanish-speaking selves, we were fluent!  Who would have ever thought the phrase "Si puedo escanear su papel, se mandamos mas informacion de nuestros proximos congresos" (If I can scan your badge, we will send you more information about our next meetings) would come in so handy?!?

Still working...though slightly less busy...

It was incredibly fun, we had a great time meeting new people, working on our Spanish, and generally interacting with the world outside of home.  It was challenging, interesting and completely different than my normal day-to-day.  The best part about it was the incredible amount of positive feedback we got from everyone around us, the doctors, the other exhibitors and the entire group to came to represent the ASA.

The worst part about it was being away from Gretchen - I know it sounds silly, but it was really difficult to be away for that many hours a day when I am used to spending my life in its entirety with her.  I really missed her!  I was sad to come home and only have an hour or so before she had to go to bed.  In this regard, I am glad that this job offer only lasted a few days.  I hope this doesn't come off as condescending, but I have a new appreciation for those that can balance working during the day, raising their children at night, keeping food in the house and still maintaining contact with their friends.  It is not an easy balance, and for those that do it, whether by necessity or by choice, know that I am impressed.

So, thank you to Chris and the group at ASA for the opportunity to work for a few days, thank you to Mary for joining me, thanks to Gretchen and Jon for being rockstars while I was gone, and thanks to my mom for being a social butterfly at a Packer's game.  It was fun, educational and a good reminder that I have skills that range outside of the home.

Gretchen's Birthday, Uncensored

For those of you who have been on the edge of your chairs, waiting to hear about Gretchen's next tooth, today was the day!  Her second front top tooth FINALLY made it's arrival this morning, hallelujah!

Aside from that excitement, as I was updating Gretchen's baby book today, I realized two things; 1) I take a LOT of pictures and 2) I post a LOT of really great, happy pictures, potentially skewing an outsider's view of our lives.  There are also a LOT of really funny pictures that probably more accurately capture the feeling of certain events.  With this in mind, here are some of the "outtakes" from Gretchen's birthday party that I thought deserved a second look.

Here is what happens when we take our eyes off of Gretchen for a moment.  My friend Milena hilariously captured our little mischievous one:

Yep, that's our daughter with a big, dangerous fork.  I'm pretty sure she was searching for more cake on the table, but she was pretty excited with this discovery.  In other news, Gretchen can reach most heights in our apartment now - be warned!

Here is our happy furious birthday girl after we removed her demolished cupcake.  She was not a happy camper.

And neither was her friend Claire.  I'm not sure what happened here, but what a sad face!  I think it was the hour in most children's birthday parties where there was just a collective break down.

Here is Gretchen's friend Lilly chomping away at a balloon:

And Talia, enjoying Gretchen's new Daisy Duck figure:

And now Gretchen enjoying another one of her new toys.  I'm pretty sure our entire living room was in someone's mouth at some point during the afternoon.

Including the fireplace!  This is where Kia chose to hang out during the party.

And here is one of the 32 pictures we took in an attempt to get our little ones in a shot together.  Notice the multiple arms and distraction techniques we are employing in order to get everyone to sit still.  What you can't see is Milena laying on the floor making sure that no one falls forward onto the floor.

And here is another example of what happens when we take our eyes off of Gretchen for a moment.  She also proceeded to pick up the glass on the coffee table and drop it in the middle of the floor a second later.

Lastly, here is the best gift of all (for now), the box from our new trash can.  She had a blast with this box - crawling through it one way and the other.  It occupied the better part of a day.

I hope you enjoyed this more accurate view into our lives.  With luck, you have a box at home that brings you as much joy as our trash can box brought us!

Two Years, and a Little More

I have written on my to-do list "write annual end-of-year blog", however when I searched for my previous end-of-year blogs, I realized that I have never actually written one.  I wrote about our first full year in our apartment, but that anniversary has come and gone.  Ironically, this sums up my 2011, great intentions, mildly delayed follow through.

So, welcome to my first annual end-of-year blog, signifying the end to our second (full) year in Buenos Aires.  And what a year it was.  We had a baby, we took a zillion (actually 8) international flights, we had lots of visitors - expected and surprise, took fewer internal trips but we have big plans to do more in 2012, we bought a car.  And the most asked question of 2011: "How much longer do you guys think you'll be in Argentina?" has a slightly more defined answer now: "Longer".

It's always so much easier to reflect on the year in a post of photos, hopefully your 2011 causes you to look back with a smile, as ours does.

2011 contained some of our highest highs, here are some of the things I am most grateful for in the last year:

• The clear frontrunner, the birth of our daughter Gretchen:

Our precious little peanut, 2 weeks old

Coming home for the first time as a family of 3

• Having a great circle of friends locally that helped us prepare for, and then welcome home our baby girl:

The ladies responsible for our wonderful Buenos Aires baby shower

• Watching our parents meet their granddaughter for the first time, and watching them transform from parents of adult children to doting grandparents in the blink of an eye:

Grammy and Papa with Gretchen in March

Poppa and Gran with Gretchen in April

• Seeing our brothers all find their way into being Uncles.  These big, strong men turn into tender baby-charmers as soon as she is around:

Uncle Chris holding a sleeping Gretchen in June

Uncle Robbie explaining the remote control at Christmas

Uncle Dan holding Santa's little helper Christmas Day

Uncle Ted is all smiles with Gretchen in October

• Being able to spend so much time with our families this year, especially during the holidays:

Christmas dinner in Lexington with the Gill Family

Christmas Eve in Clifton with the Giorgiani Family (and Frodo)

•  Being able to spend time with friends during our trips home, and watching 2 couples that are very close to us say "I do":

Dan and Lian's wedding in June

Sarah and Josh's wedding in August

The Virginia Tech guys together in October

Gretchen meeting many of our friend's children in June

• Being able to travel to places I never would have known if we didn't live in Buenos Aires:

Jon and I in Salta in December

Gretchen and Daddy at Temaiken Biopark in September

Our family at La Candelaria in July

•  Celebrating my first Mother's Day:

A chilly May Mother's Day

• And having great friends to help us celebrate the other holidays in the year:

Us with the Newhooks and the Lorangers

•  Watching our family grow:

• And sharing where we live with friends that come to visit: 

Jon and I with the Patnos and the Axelrods that visited in July

My college roommate Sandy that stopped by during her vacation in BA

 And though every year as an expat we are forced to bid farewell to great friends that move away...

With Anso and Paul that moved back to France in February

The Dooleys and their trio that are starting their next adventure in Mexico

We are thankful for the friendships we have made and the experiences that we have had.  We hope for another great year abroad filled with lots of visits from friends and family, new friends, and many more story worthy events.

Happy New Year, and best wishes for a happy and healthy 2012!