Spring Arrives

Spring officially began in Argentina this past Sunday, Sept. 21, but we welcomed in the new season yesterday, when blue skies and a warming sun sent temperatures up to 21 degrees Celsius (about 70 F) and beckoned us outside. We celebrated at our favorite outdoor eating spot: Croque Madame, a French-style cafe attached to the Museo Nacional de Arte Decorativo, about a 15-minute walk from our apartment. Kurt had the French onion soup, Linda the saffron risotto; we shared the complimentary appetizer (pate and toasted bread), a green salad, bottle of mineral water, and a nice bottle of white wine. 

The museum is housed in a palatial building completed in 1918 as the residence of the Errazuriz Alvear family, prominent figures in Argentine history. It exemplifies the estilo frances architecture so pervasive here in the early 20th century (albeit on a very grand scale!).

Civic Duties

Last night we attended our first convocation of the homeowners' association for our building. Six of the seven units were represented. We met in the apartment of the "administradora" who has lived on the 4th floor for around 25 years and raised three boys there with her husband.

We agreed on a higher dues for the next year, mostly due to inflationary pressures and most particularly because of retirement contributions for Don Tito, who does basic cleaning for the building three times a week. 

Today we faxed our requests for federal absentee ballots to the Travis County Clerk. We hope our votes will count.

The Downsizing Continues

Six hundred days of music are now compressed into one small Ipod with access through our new Bose portable docking station, a wonderfully compact audio marvel. This duo resides on the top shelf of our petite desk . . . much more efficiently than the 200-some CDs and boom box they replaced.

By downloading and transferring the contents of the CDs, we've freed up more valuable space in our apartment and further minimized the number of possessions requiring our care and attention. 

Now, if Linda could only find a similar technology for shoes . . . .

Back in BA . . . and Back to Business

We're back in Buenos Aires after a 6-week adventure that took us from Stockholm, Sweden, to the very southern tip of Italy, and then to Paris (with a one-day side excursion to St. Malo in Normandy). Lots of good food, friendly people, and beautiful sites. We'll post photos here soon.

But for now we're nesting. First item on the agenda when we returned Sept. 9 was going through and organizing the contents of those too many boxes from our household shipment that were delivered literally hours before we took off on our trip. Much has been accomplished on that front. However, pending arrival of bookcases and other furniture, books and photos will have to remain in their containers.

Second action item: picking up our DNIs (Documento Nacional de Identidad). This precious "national identity document" facilitates financial transactions and travel and is solid evidence of our legal status here in Argentina. We picked up the DNIs this afternoon. Gaining them represents the culmination of many steps in the bureaucratic process. It also serves as a milestone: no more paper shuffling until next year, when we renew our temporary residency for another 12 months. 

Hay Que Tener Paciencia

One has to be patient. Over the last two months we former Air Force brats have relearned how to hurry up and wait. Since our last posting, we've had some exhilarating moments with federal bureaucracy, ranging from the officials who approve national identity documents (or DNI, in the castilian - as they say here - abbreviation) to the customs inspector charged with establishing the value of and approving delivery of our household shipment. Then home to wait . . . and wait . . . and wait some more.

DNIs will be ready sometime around mid-August. With this important number we'll be able to get credit cards from our bank here in Argentina. 

But our household goods finally made it to our apartment yesterday evening, 2 and 1/2 months since our Texas shippers hauled off everything from our Austin apartment. Delivery time was set for between 4 and 5 pm, but actually occurred between 6:30 and 7 pm. "Technical difficulties with the truck" was the way the local agent described the additional delay; the guys handling the delivery more plainly (and accurately) said the truck had broken down.  A second truck had to be dispatched to retrieve and deliver our container.

We had sold or given away most of our accumulated goods over the past several years; our shipment consisted of about 50 boxes/wrapped items total, mainly photo albums, clothes, and kitchen ware. After living with so little, though, we were overwhelmed by the amount of extraneous stuff in those 50 boxes. We are realizing we need to pare down even more. Already we've made a good start at downloading our CD collection to the MacBook Pro we bought earlier this year. We plan on buying an IPod and Bose docking station to eliminate the more than 300 CDs we still own. Next up: another go at culling the wardrobe. We'll get there.

A Visit to the Doctor

No conversation about our moving to South America ever ended without someone asking what we planned to do for medical care. The implication invariably was that we were setting ourselves up for iffy if not downright inferior treatment. Based on our first experience with the health care system in Argentina we're not too worried. 

For a couple of weeks now, Linda had a nagging cough and sore throat. Today it worsened so we walked toward Hospital Aleman, perhaps the ritziest medical facility in the country. But before getting there we turned into a Swiss Medical Group facility not two blocks from the apartment. The place was spotless and new. A receptionist referred us to ear, nose, and throat specialists on the second floor. We went up, waited in line for a few seconds, and while Kurt went to retrieve Linda's passport for the all-important document number, she was whisked in to see a young female doctor in a white coat. By the time he returned, Linda was coming out of the examining room with two prescriptions: one for antibiotics and another for a decongestant. The charge for the visit (without private medical insurance) was about $16! Two doors from Swiss Medical we filled both prescriptions for $23. The antibiotic alone would have cost $65  in the States.

We could submit these payments to our health insurance carrier in the U.S. for reimbursement but it hardly seems worth the effort. As soon as we finish with other pressing matters (the final punch lists on the apartments, customs procedures for our household shipment, etc.), we'll resume looking into private medical coverage here. Never has medical care been so easy, so efficient, or so cheap. 

At Last: A Place to Sit

Red letter day: we brought home the cafe table and two chairs we had ordered soon after arriving here. Forty days from placing the order to receiving the goods: only 10 days later than the estimated delivery time. Not bad! 

The new set substantially augments our meagre supply of furniture, which consists of a mattress on the floor and a camping chair (that has endured more use than could ever have been intended). We now have a more agreeable alternative to the other eating arrangements we have tried. Creature comforts are good. Very good.

We ordered the set from Sediana, a company that apparently makes most (if not all) of the tables and chairs used in Buenos Aires cafes and restaurants. The trio fits right into the rinconcito (little nook) between the kitchen and bedroom. Ideal for morning coffee and evening aperitif. We inaugurated the set this evening with a homemade meal of Linda's famous beef stew, complemented by salad, bread, and, of course, a few glasses of Malbec. Lovely.