Consumables!

One of my favorite things of the overseas tour (of which I have had four and a half) is the mid-tour consumables shipment.  You arrived at post, new place - exciting! Then your 250 pound UAB (unaccompanied air baggage) arrives - yeah!  Then your HHE (Household Effects) come and you get to move in, make it fit, decorate, and generally make it a home - fun!  If you were smart, you put some of the food you love in your packout. For me, that includes Lucky Charms, Gobstoppers, Craisins, and whatever Trader Joes had on sale.  But 6 months in you realize that there are things you just can't get in your country or things that are too expensive to buy in bulk.  For Argentina it is the following:

• Cadbury Milk Chocolate (from the United States, not made overseas)
• peanut butter
• maple syrup
• spices of all kinds
• good raisins
• marshmallows
• graham crackers
• Fudgie Grahams
• brown sugar
• tortilla chips
• Kashi cereal
• Lucky Charms
• tennis balls

So thanks to my brother and Bonnie, I got to shop like crazy for a few days and fill their garage with lots of fun things (also was lots of stuff I didn't need but couldn't pass it up).   And man, was that a fun few days.  And now, I am waiting for it to arrive so I get the fun of unpacking!

Something you should do every Sunday - Postsecret

Someone sent THIS to Postsecret.com last Sunday.  I start every Sunday by reading the postcards. I imagine anyone who reads blogs probably is already aware of Post Secret, but if not, in a nutshell, people are invited to anonymously submit a postcard with a secret they have never shared - which are then posted in batches each Sunday.  This has been going on since 2004 and it has blossomed into something incredible.  Some of the secrets are funny, some will scare you straight, and sometimes you feel like you could have sent the secret yourself (surprisingly often).

So this particular secret could have been written by any number of my friends in the Foreign Service or those I have met while traveling overseas. All of these people would be classified as successful, generally happy people, with an ache that surfaces once in a while.

It is a vulnerable thing to admit that this kind of lifestyle can be very isolating and lonely.  You have new people around you whenever you land in the next country and support from your community if you are lucky, but inevitably you are starting over.  You have to build a new set of friends, a new identity, seek out people who share your interests and hobbies, fill your time for the months it takes to feel comfortable opening up to new people.  And it is all happening while the life you know back home, if you are lucky enough to be home long enough in one place to keep those connections, goes on.  And you know it goes on, without you there. 

Yes your life is happening in glamorous or exotic places, but often in another language and another culture with its own norms and rules, with the challenges that come from having to shop for groceries in a foreign language, order unfamiliar food in a restaurant, navigate streets and find your way to the doctor or a movie, and still feel like yourself amongst all things foreign.

And of course, besides the obvious benefits to this lifestyle - one thing it has given me is I think over time I have become a more full version of myself.  For me, since I carry my interests and passions with me, and don't have them collect like layers of paint on a wall, I am not defined by all the people who know how I have "always been."  I have had to spend time defining who I am so I can find those things that make me feel like me as soon as I arrive somewhere new.  That means I seek out a volleyball league, get involved in biking and hiking, take a class in something (that list ever evolves) and start cooking - a lot.  I also know that home is important to me, so I spend some of that early free time on making sure my new apartment, whether it is in India, Bolivia, or Argentina, feels like home.  Then I hope friends come to visit.  Because sharing this world with them helps me bridge that distance.

My wise friend always tells me the grass is greener and reminds me that our lives are great - and I know that. But they can also be hard and seeing someone else express that sentiment, well, it made it seem a little less so. 

Tomorrow, you might want to check out postsecret.com.

Patagonia - The Incredible Place I stayed

Which way will the wind blow.

This is my last post on the visit to Bahia Bustamante in Patagonia.  Buenos Aires is a great city, but if you aren't from a big city, well, then that is what it is.  A lot of cars and stores and restaurants. That is fun but if you are craving big sky, trees, space and fresh air, then the parks just aren't enough.  Patagonia is all of those things in overdrive.

It is incredible to be on this side of the earth.  We were staying on the Atlantic Coast and closer to Antarctica than the equator. We were so isolated from any other civilization that the Milky Way was as bright as a star. Luckily four planets were visible when we were
there and using someone's cool i-pad app, we were able to find each one.

Seaweed Warehous

Street Sign.

Everywhere you looked there were animals, or views. or wood weathered by the ocean or charming details.  Our room, Pinguino, faced the beach. When we weren't on an excursion, I would walk the beach and collect sea glass, driftwood, or a few shells.  I walked through parts of the beach that were ankle deep in shells - it must be what Florida was like hundreds of years ago.

Our hotel room.

On the Road to Bahia Bustamante

We also visited the seaweed factory that operates behind the hotel.
The food was top notch and usually one meal a day included sea weed in crepes or salad or even desert.  They had an organic garden on site and a great staff.

 It was a fantastic break from the city and I hope I see more friends down here so I have an excuse to go back!

The door into the main sitting room and dining hall.

Looking down the beach.

Sunset through my window into my bedroom.

The coastline.

The booty!

Patagonia - the views!

The views in Patagonia are neverending and fabulous.  There is the view down the road to leave the seaweed factory.   There is the view out to the Atlantic Ocean and to the bay.  There are sunsets and sunrises and incredible skies.  I have to say, there is a reason why Patagonia is so famous and beloved by travelers.

  

Visiting Patagonia - the birds!

Last month I visited Comodoro Rivadavia in Chubut Province in Patagonia.  It is a huge area of land, with a large Welsh population.  There are more than 25,000 Welsh speakers in Chubut, concentrated in the town of Trelew.  
My friend Daniel and I drove from Comodoro 180 km north to Bahia Bustamante.  It is a seaweed factory in the middle of a huge plot of land privately owned but protected as a natural area.  The best part of the trip to this remote area was the wildlife for me, a birder at heart (someone who likes to observe birds). 

The landscape was incredible - all rugged coastline, sweeping vistas, and the petrified forest...but oh, the birds.  We saw Magellan Penguins (first photo) just days before they would leave to migrate north into warmer waters.  They come to this one island to nest and lay only one or two eggs, carrying for them until they migrate together.  We also saw Rheas (basically South American ostriches), cormorants and more seabirds than I can name.  Overall, awesome. 

Mentoring Argentines in Tucuman

Tucuman. Lovely Tucuman. The Philadelphia of Argentina and the burial place of the Madison of Argentina.  That is how it was explained to me (and it confused me as well until I read a little).  You can read about it all here and here (Juan Bautista Alberdi).   What is more interesting for my few dedicated readers is how many Argentine high school and college kids came out on a rainy Monday to meet with American Fulbright scholars, talk with embassy representatives, ask questions about scholarships to study in the United States and hear experiences from studying abroad.  More than 130 kids were interested in spending two days talking about how to become a global citizen.  And we didn't even offer food - just coffee and a few medialunas.   They listened to Argentines and Americans talk about what it was like to study abroad and learned how to apply for a job.  My colleague Federico put this all together with money from Washington's alumni office, and using all of the alumni of our exchange programs to give the talks. These kinds of events are a ton of work, but they give you an unparallelled opportunity to meet with Argentines. You never know if one of the kids in the audience will decide to go to school in the United States, or remember that they met an American and we aren't "that bad."  Sometimes in the war against anti-Americanism, not that bad will do.

Checking in - The Happiness Project

You have probably all read this book already - The Happiness Project.

The book follows twelve months of the author trying to get her "happiness" house in order. I am still using my time in Argentina as a resting point, a place to figure out what is important, fine tune some things with myself (because let's face it, most of the behaviors for good or bad are set) and get ready to have a great next twenty years.  There are a ton of tools out there to help you find out how to navigate life a little easier, but the point is to find one that works for you and take the time to try it.

Good luck.

To save those of you some time who haven't read it or don't want to, here are a few key things she wrote:

The author's Twelve Commandments.
Be yourself.
Let it go.
Act the way I want to feel (fake it till you make it).
Do it now.
Be polite and be fair.
Enjoy the process.
Spend out. (I haven't finished the book so don't know what this means!)
Identify the problem.
Lighten up.
Do what ought to be done.  (I really like this one - simple but we all have an inner compass)
No calculation.
There is only love.

She also has the Secrets of Adulthood (most of which I agree with)
People don't notice our mistakes as much as you think.
It's okay to ask for help.
Most decisions don't require extensive research (I REALLY LIKE THIS ONE)
Do good, feel good.
It's important to be nice to everyone.
Bring a sweater (and umbrella, etc)
By doing a little bit each day, you can get a lot accomplished.
Soap and water remove most stains.
Turning the computer on and off a few times often fixes a glitch.
If you can't find something, clean up.
You can choose what you do, you can't choose what you LIKE to do. (Though I would add, you can choose to like what you do!)
Happiness doesn't always make you feel happy.
What you do every day matters more than what you do once in a while. (ALSO VERY SMART)
You don't have to be good at everything.
If you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough.
Over-the-counter medications are very effective.
Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good (this blog is a GREAT example).
What's fun for other people may not be fun for you - and vice versa.
People actually prefer that you buy wedding gifts off their registry (and everyone loves a gift). 
You can't profoundly change your children's (or partner's or colleagues) natures by nagging them or signing them up for classes.
No deposit, no return.

Vendimia 2012 - Mendoza

 So you walk over a hill in the middle of what feels like nowhere in Mendoza, a province famous for Malbec and other great wines.  Lights flash on the stage in front of you and you realize the hills are covered in people.  In front of you are 20,000 people watching a huge show.   Then you are sitting there, listening to announcements of all the various winners of Vendimia, a huge beauty pageant with all the different regions in Mendoza offering one candidate.  Now the show begins.  And goes on...and on...and on....more than 600 dancers showcasing the history of wine, and Mendoza, and basically the world. 

 Then SHE enters - best I could tell, she was WINE.  Or the QUEEN OF WINE.  Or VENDIMIA.  Or PREVIOUS WINNER OF VENDIMIA. I am not sure, but her costume was something to see.  And she was all over the stage.  On top of a giant mountain that rose out of the stage where she rose up and broke huge chains from her arms.  Observing the show wistfully from a throne.  Walking or being carried around the stage.  But always there. 

 Then the show, filled with opera and choirs and soaring music and dancing in water and fake trains and lots of acting out the history of the province of Mendoza goes silent for a moment, and then...the CONFETTI.  This is followed by selecting the queen, Wanda from La Heras.  I was in town for another two days and the TV shows were filled with experts giving the play by play on the Vendimia 2012 show.  Looks like every year they have to top the previous year.  I think they will need live animals if they want 2013 Vendimia to be any better.  I love my job.

Stage 3 - All the rest done! - Now...come visit.

All: Here are the photos from my apartment.  The only reason why I share them is to invite my friends and family to come stay.   I am so glad it is done and now I can get out and spend time in the city!