focus on the good...

This week I have sat down to blog a few times and just can't..  but today I needed to.  Aside from being homesick and a bit sad, we took 2 steps BACKWARDS in our paperwork for our official ID's here.  With that said I need to blog and focus on the good.. the really good here..

I really don't want to be 'that' expat that just complains about things here...   there are lots of good things here to focus on

so of course, in pictures, here is what is good!!!

 Let me tell you the Argentine's know how to snack.. 3 pm snack is so common here.. a little coffee with milk and a ham & cheese sandwich.. it is the best.. the girls and I are fully trying to embrace this..

 Last week by accident we tried to find the Japanese gardens... instead we found the Rose Gardens.. truly just as nice (I think. I will know for sure once we find those Japanese gardens.. LOL).. the roses were incredible... 

 there is always a hill to climb.. LOL

 I am not sure what type of tree this is, but there are a lot in the city that are extremely old like this one with their roots exposed.  Many have limbs that almost lay on the floor which make them the perfect trees to climb. 

dear lord I am not sure how this happened, but that 10 year old on my right is now a full inch taller than I am.. how the heck!??!

 The ducks made us giggle and think of our friend Michelle.. she loves to get ducks every spring.. and I get the appeal.. they are soooo cute... but they also eat their own poo, so truly they are best in the wild..

 Pastries here are so good.. now their chocolate pastries are not very good, they tend to be dry, but fruit pastries like this apple torte are usually so very good.  I loved the presentation of this!!  This café also had Iced Tea.. which is like the rarest thing to find here.  I drank it so quickly there was no time for a picture at all!!

 So Mother's Day here is in October.  Despite my saying I didn't need anything special the girls did want to do breakfast for me.  McDonalds to the rescue!!  I also received cards from the girls written fully in Spanish.  I am beyond impressed with their Spanish skills.  Every day they come home knowing a new phrase or word.  Blows me away

 I love our little 'hood'.. it is quiet, easy to walk aroundand there are two ponds to sit besides.. or you know have a dance party.. (yes I am sure our neighbors loved that).. we also channelled our inner Vanessa and did a bit of yoga!

 International Day at the girls school is a fundraising event attended by about 2,000 people and there are booths from all of the countries that sell food and treats from that country.  The girls performed a sweet song about the different countries and their differences, it was lovely. 

 facepainting.. extreme!!

 Many different counties performed on International Day.  Colombia by far had the best stage show.  The Colombian ladies know how to get the crowd on their feet and dancing.  I enjoyed watching them and trying their fruit salad.. it was so fresh and delicious.. and if you know me.. I so do not like fruit salad.

 So Cora asked for Argentine color as her face painting.  I think this pretty much says Argentina!!!

 another picture from the Colombian Stage Show

 This girl right here is pretty awesome.  She was the first mom to say hi to me at a beginning of school year and give me her contact info.  I am lucky to be able to have worked with her on our U.S. booth (we made sloppy joe's.. so north American..).  I am lucky to call her friend!!

 so this picture so does NOT do this tree justice, but soon I will have better photos.. In November these beautiful purple floral trees pop up all over the city and are just so pretty.  I am blessed to have like 20 on the road I drive down to get to the kids school. 

 spring here means storms.. which leads to some of the nicest days ever here.  I will take the rain..

so really have I told you how good the coffee and pastries are here??  LOL.. I definitely have issues... 

101 days...

so today is 101 days here.. someone today asked me why I count the days here.  I honestly have no real reason.  I guess part of me wants to see how far I have come since being here.  I guess I need something.  I find it a great accomplishment that I can now get to the Walmart 5 miles away without trembling with fear like I did at day 13.. truly it is the small victories that I need.

today by far is one of the hardest emotional days here I have had.  I have cried, I have held it together, I have tried to laugh, I have been mad and I have been overwhelmed with sadness.  Mostly though I have just felt so out of place. 

Having friends in the house for the past 3 days has been so lovely, but truly I was not prepared for how I would feel when they left.  I was not prepared at all.    

 

so today... 101 days in.. this is truly all I have today.. lovely memories of days 98, 99 and 100

 

oh and I also have SEVEN.. yes SEVEN speeding tickets equaling about $6,000 pesos in fines (feel free to convert that one to USD)...  SIGH... I love that they just ticket you by mail.. 

Running Away..

so this past weekend we were blessed with a friend from the US arriving (and bringing another wonderful friend of hers).. it was sort of surreal to pick her up from the airport exactly 3 months to the day we arrived at the same airport.  Our 3 month flight 'home' was to be that day but we of course cancelled it as we are now in the process of getting our temporary residency here... still I wondered if anyone would notice if I just gave them the keys to the car and hopped on a plane myself..   I like Argentina and I am happy here, but there are days that I wish I could be home.. back in Texas in my mini van driving to the same school we have gone to for 5 years.. etc.. I miss my bed.. I miss my grocery store.. LOL.. it is the little things.. but such is life...

It rained all weekend and sadly they are in conference all week, but we made the best of our visit ( and we will see them this weekend).. so we are good.. but on Sat and Sunday we were able to eat some local B.A. must eat at places, visit Casa Rosada and the Catedral where the Pope started his career and take a soggy walk down the main shopping strip here (and have coffee)

Nola misses her Michelle.. she enjoyed every second and every bit of attention!!

 The Blue room in the Pink House.. Argentina is a very proud nation and I find that many buildings pay homage to the colors of the flag, which is lovely.. this room is done in the flag colors and is the first room you enter.

 the President here gives what seems like daily addresses to the nation.. this is where she does them from..

 The courtyard was just stunning

 I tend to be obsessed with floors and ceilings.. the labor it must have taken to lay this floor makes my head hurt.. and I just love the pattern.. this is thru out the courtyard area..

Pretty table... randomly stuck in a corner

 The view from the famous balcony where Ava Peron addressed the nation

 Ava and her husband

 Ava's desk

 seating for like a dinner of 25 people.. lovely.. the prettiest room in the house

The ceiling.. just lovely

more of that fun flooring:)  and stained glass windows... designed and installed by the only president to ever live in the Pink House.. so odd.. they live off site now.. this was also once the main post office..

the White Room.. over 450 bulbs in that chandelier and the ceiling was done by hand.  this is the room where formal functions take place

The gold trim is gold leaf paint..

ending the tour thru the hall of busts of past presidents.. I don't know who this is but that is a fine bigote...

OK.. yes I might have a problem.. I love this tile floor.. In the Cathedral by the Pink House.  This is the cathedral that the current Pope was archbishop of. 

 

the cathedral is beautiful.  On the outside it doesn't even give off the appearance of being a church.. more like a bank.. but the inside is truly breathtaking.

 

so while the first step into the airport I felt like bolting right there and there to anywhere but here.. I stayed and I am thankful for the friendship that has brought a friend here and I am thankful for the experiences we are having here..