Receiving an email, text or call from friends and family takes on greater significance when you’ve been away from home for more than a month.
A visit is even better 🙂
Last week, our friend Judy and her posse came to Buenos Aires. They arranged to stay in Recoleta – a great area that is relatively close to many of the famous sights in the city.
It was great to see familiar faces, to catch up (hear English) and to provide them with our take on things to see, do and avoid. We met up with them a few times including dinner at a restaurant we stumbled upon near the apartment they rented. (The beef at Brut Nature was perfectly prepared and melt-in-your-mouth delicious.)
After several days here, they set off to see Iguazu Falls and then drink their way through a few wine tours in and around Mendoza.
Without getting too heavy, Judy’s brief visit shone a spotlight on some of the feelings of isolation and disconnectedness from home that have begun to percolate. Of course those feelings didn’t happen right away. The excitement of being somewhere new keeps those feelings at bay – for a time. Surfing Facebook keeps us dialled in to the lives of those important to us, but it’s a paltry consolation to being able to call up friends and hang out over drinks, dinner or at an event.
At times it even feels as though these blog posts disappear into a void. (someone is reading these things, right?) The best we can do is continue to lob messages over the equator that have an underlying subtext that says, “we’re still ‘here’ don’t forget about us.” And thankfully those pings don’t go unnoticed – our friends have been great at maintaining the connection.
As important as it is for us to continue to nurture our relationships at home, so too is establishing new relationships here. That can be a difficult thing to do when you don’t really know anyone and complicated further when you don’t speak the language.
Thankfully, our friend Luigi (a portaño living in Calgary) has been a superstar at helping us establish vital connections here. In addition to arranging our great apartment, he connected us with a local expat group.
Xpatlife is the brainchild of the wonderfully extroverted and amazingly vivacious Liana Neal.
Sommelier Matias explaining one of the eight wines we drained.
After a few warm and encouraging emails, we attended our first Xpatlife event: a wine tasting. As the consummate hostess, Liana made sure we met several people from far flung places.
It was a great night: lots of wine and interesting conversations! We threw in the towel early (at 2 A.M.) as a handful of diehard expats left the bodega to go dancing. Clearly it’s going to take us a while to work up the stamina for future events, but we’re totally down for it.
The next Xpatlife event happens at the polo finals in mid-December. But that’s after our next visitors arrive – Karyn and Dave, we can’t wait to see you and show you the sights!
#HashtagsHappen 
You are always on our minds. We miss you and do enjoy reading your posts, emails, texts…..and your mail!!! (ha ha – just kidding!)
Have fun w/ Karyn and Dave and we will see you in Jan! xoxo T&B
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Ha! Looking forward to seeing you guys.
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Love getting your posts!! It sounds like you are having a blast … And not to worry, I think 2am will become your standard! Haha!
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Chris, it is so great that you keep connected and that you share with all of us back home your experiences and thoughts as reality of life abroad sets in. Glad to see you are making new friends and continuing to expand your horizons!
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Thanks Barb. I look forward to the day when I can follow your adventures. I think you’re next – no?
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Love the posts! I’m guessing those are natural feelings of being disconnected. It’s going to snow here today – maybe that helps? We’ll miss you guys at the open house and certainly wish we were down there visiting. Take care…
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Thanks Kevin. Knowing there is snow there does ease make it somewhat better. So does hearing from you. ‘Hi’ to your bride.
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Will do sir! I’ll definitely say hi to Lisa. And of course please say hi to Frank for us.
Looking forward to your next post…:)
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Hi guys –
Sorry – been remiss in corresponding with you! Always enjoy reading your blog posts and your progress in BA. Having been there, it is fun to envision the things you are doing and the areas you are hanging out.in! We’re enjoying some home time now after a crazy busy fall with lots of travel. Will drop you an e-mail with our latest news/updates real soon.
Cheers! …. Peter (& Paul)
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Read them?? we can’t WAIT to read them !! Fiona and I are living vicariously through you and Frank- WE MISS YOU at DWA Frank ;(
Keep ’em coming!
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Hey chicas. Glad you’re following us. Frank says ‘hi’. He might even put in a guest post one of these days.
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Yeah, I read them, but I have little interesting to say back. Love the posts, though. We’re selling the Scottsdale house – you two wanna buy?
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Hey señor. I think we’re good on the property front. You planning to shift that investment to Hawaii?
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Planning to reduce debt. You never know when you’ll be found redundant…
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An all-around good idea even in good times 😉
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Didn’t mean for this post to come off all glum. Just an observation that there are challenges staying connected with those back at home. We’ve got it lucky – we’ll only be gone for half a year. I now have a much better sense of what friends, who have moved away permanently, have gone through.
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I read all of your blog posts, Chris! 🙂 Always looking forward to the next one. I’m like Jim, though – don’t have anything interesting to reply back. 🙂
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Hey Nancy. Thanks for following along.
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Great Blog CH! Miss you!! Xo
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Looking forward to seeing you guys in a couple of weeks!
Jim/Mick
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Hey guys. We’re looking forward to sharing with you some of the highlights of the city.
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Hi Chris
I am really enjoying your posts. Keep them coming. Carolyn and I talk often about getting back to BA and your posts help rekindle such great memories there. You gave us great beta before we ventured to Argentina a few years ago.
We are just back from a quick jaunt to the California desert as a bit of a kick off to my retirement and both of our next stages in life. We know we can learn lots from you as you adapt to the life of world traveler so far away.
Salud Dinero y Amor – to your continued safe and memory-making experiences. Kerry & Carolyn
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