My first month (or a little less) in Argentina

Let me tell you, people, it's been a crazy summer in our family.  First we had about 2 months from getting orders to shipping out.  Then we moved to DC, where I had to take the Spanish language class at FSI.  After not improving my Spanish like the teachers thought I should, they decided to extend me.  Lovely English Lass and the kids went to Florida to spend time with the grandparents and cousins, and I had to stay in Crystal City to try and get the proper score so I wouldn't have to be in DC longer.  That didn't happen, and LEL and the kids had to come to Argentina without me for a month.  It was the longest month of my life.

My fantastic and lovely wife came to a country not knowing much in the way of how to communicate, and not only got everyone settled, but she got the internet hooked up, and the kids started at school and in therapies as well.  Amazing is a word that is overused, in my opinion.  It should really be used for things that really blow you away.  This was amazing.  She got things moving, and kept the kids going while I tried to remember the preterite form of to be able to in Spanish.  (It's Pude, pudiste, pudo, pudimos, pudieron in case you were wondering.)

Finally the Department decided I was better off in Argentina than in DC, and sent me on my way.  So, on August 28, I arrived in Buenos Aires.  The house was great, save a flea infestation, and it was great to be with the kids and LEL again.

My initial impressions of Buenos Aires are good, but also a bit of the scooby-doo perplexed look.  (Head turned to the side, with a quizzical look on my face, in case you were wondering.)  Burger King delivers here, but they stop at 4 pm, and begin again at 8.  In some stores, when you reach 1000 pesos, they make you pay right then, take your stuff to another line, and go through that line.  If you want to use a credit card, you have to register your id number.  They don't have sour cream here.  The grocery stores have produce, but everyone tells you to go to the green grocer for that, along with meat at a butcher shop.  (I approve of this, by the way.)  Traffic is insane, and the government doesn't issue the driver's licenses, the Automobile Club of Argentina does.  The people here seem very nice, although the neighbor looks askance at our front lawn whenever I see him.  (I think their cat is getting in our yard too, which I really don't like.)

Crazy Little Man seems to like it here, but also misses his friends in South Africa.  However, he's been a bit impish, as he tells people he speaks fluent Spanish.  (In fact he told his teachers that the reason he was so good in Spanish was because we lived in Spain for 10 years.  We haven't.)  Lovely Little Girl is much like Alice in Wonderland.  She likes it here, from what we can tell, and just enjoys life in general.  LEL has been ill, but hopefully that'll be over with soon.

We finally got our stuff, so the house, which had been tidy, is a bit of a mess right now.  Still, we're glad to have our things now, and soon everything will be put away and life will return to a sense of normal.  We're just trying to get by right now.  In case you haven't been reading the news, the political and economic situation here in BA has been a bit interesting.  Not going to talk about that right now, as it's not something really to discuss.  If you want to see how it is, just go online and search for news from Buenos Aires.

Anyways, that's what's happening here.  I'll be blogging regularly as we get settled.  Thanks again for reading kind people.