We've had an eventful few weeks.
We've started to make friends. We have lovely neighbors who have been very helpful and welcoming. Natalia and Mariano live across the street and have 3 children: 2 girls named Martina and Felicita who are 11 and 8 and a little boy named Valentin who is 4. Natalia is an English teacher in a bi-lingual school near to us (not the school that Annabel and Rebecca will be attending) and Mariano sells materials to the farmers in the region. Even though their children speak little English and Annabel and Rebecca speak little Spanish, they all get along very well. They've come over to swim and have tea with us, and we have gone to them for lunch and play dates. We've also met an American couple from Jackson, Wyoming, who have moved here for a year to "take a break." Their children, Jack and Georgia, who are Annabel and Rebecca's ages will be going to Las Candelas school with our girls starting tomorrow. They, too, are really nice.
Grandma She-She came to visit us this week. Unfortunately, her introduction to Argentina wasn't the best. As she and Mark were driving from the airport, their right rear tire popped. A young Argentine man, standing on the side of the street, volunteered to help them. They weren't quite trusting of this good Samaritan--and, as it turned out, they had cause to be suspicious. As the "Good Samaritan" was helping with the tire, his accomplice snaked up in a car, pulled a couple of bags out of Mark and Sheila's car, and drove off. The young Argentine split soon thereafter -- about three minutes before it dawned on Mark and Sheila that they'd been duped by the Argentine underworld. (And, yes, this criminal duo caused the flat tire, most likely with a knife.) Losses: a new laptop computer, a camera, and three passports (Mark's, Annabel's, and Rebecca's, which were in Mark's backpack).
Mark and Grandma She-She, soon joined by Julie, Annabel, and Rebecca, spent the next several hours in a police station. On the way to use the bathroom with Grandma She-She, Annabel and Rebecca saw several people behind bars. One, a woman, waved at them. Nothing like putting a face to Annabel and Rebecca's occasional volunteer work for the Appalachian Prison Book Project.
As Julie and Mark keep reminding themselves, It's all part of the experience. This isn't, alas, Disney World, although on certain evenings, with the snow-capped Andes Mountains in the distance and the last of the sunlight shining on the willow trees in our yard, it does seem magical.
The rest of Grandma She-She's visit was, thankfully, considerably bettter. She showered Annabel and Rebecca with Webkinz and other gifts. We had a great time with her at the house, going into Chacras for meals and hanging out at cafes, and visiting vineyards. As always, she was up for anything and everything.
Everyone misses her already.
We've visited a couple wineries recently: one big one called Familia Zuccardi which has thousands of hectors of vines and makes thousands of bottles a year, and one with Grandma She She which is almost a boutique vineyard. At the Familia Zuccardi vineyard, we went on a extensive tour. We saw how the grapes were harvested, the machines they use to separate the grapes from the rest of the plant and crush them to make wine. We then saw the oak barrels they use to store the wines during the fermentation process and the finished product. We had the opportunity to taste wine at different stages of the fermentation process and then had a wine tasting. This was followed by a delicious traditional Argentine meal at their amazing restaurant. Needless to say, Mark and Julie needed a siesta after we returned home.
The second winery, Finca & Bodega Vistalba, we visited is owned by one of the old Argentine wine families. It is a relatively new finca that has less than 100 hectors of land and produces only a few bottles of wine a year (all of which are exported). The bodega itself was exquisite. The building looked more like a museum than a working finca. The tour was followed by a wine tasting and Grandma She She bought several bottles of Malbec to bring back to the States.
Julie, Annabel and Rebecca had their final Spanish class on Thursday (see picture above of our maestra, Senorita Analia). The children start their school tomorrow. We've purchased uniforms and school supplies. It is a long day -- they start at 8:00 am and end at 5:00pm with a 2 hour siesta in the middle. Everyone is excited.
We've started to make friends. We have lovely neighbors who have been very helpful and welcoming. Natalia and Mariano live across the street and have 3 children: 2 girls named Martina and Felicita who are 11 and 8 and a little boy named Valentin who is 4. Natalia is an English teacher in a bi-lingual school near to us (not the school that Annabel and Rebecca will be attending) and Mariano sells materials to the farmers in the region. Even though their children speak little English and Annabel and Rebecca speak little Spanish, they all get along very well. They've come over to swim and have tea with us, and we have gone to them for lunch and play dates. We've also met an American couple from Jackson, Wyoming, who have moved here for a year to "take a break." Their children, Jack and Georgia, who are Annabel and Rebecca's ages will be going to Las Candelas school with our girls starting tomorrow. They, too, are really nice.
Grandma She-She came to visit us this week. Unfortunately, her introduction to Argentina wasn't the best. As she and Mark were driving from the airport, their right rear tire popped. A young Argentine man, standing on the side of the street, volunteered to help them. They weren't quite trusting of this good Samaritan--and, as it turned out, they had cause to be suspicious. As the "Good Samaritan" was helping with the tire, his accomplice snaked up in a car, pulled a couple of bags out of Mark and Sheila's car, and drove off. The young Argentine split soon thereafter -- about three minutes before it dawned on Mark and Sheila that they'd been duped by the Argentine underworld. (And, yes, this criminal duo caused the flat tire, most likely with a knife.) Losses: a new laptop computer, a camera, and three passports (Mark's, Annabel's, and Rebecca's, which were in Mark's backpack).
Mark and Grandma She-She, soon joined by Julie, Annabel, and Rebecca, spent the next several hours in a police station. On the way to use the bathroom with Grandma She-She, Annabel and Rebecca saw several people behind bars. One, a woman, waved at them. Nothing like putting a face to Annabel and Rebecca's occasional volunteer work for the Appalachian Prison Book Project.
As Julie and Mark keep reminding themselves, It's all part of the experience. This isn't, alas, Disney World, although on certain evenings, with the snow-capped Andes Mountains in the distance and the last of the sunlight shining on the willow trees in our yard, it does seem magical.
The rest of Grandma She-She's visit was, thankfully, considerably bettter. She showered Annabel and Rebecca with Webkinz and other gifts. We had a great time with her at the house, going into Chacras for meals and hanging out at cafes, and visiting vineyards. As always, she was up for anything and everything.
Everyone misses her already.
We've visited a couple wineries recently: one big one called Familia Zuccardi which has thousands of hectors of vines and makes thousands of bottles a year, and one with Grandma She She which is almost a boutique vineyard. At the Familia Zuccardi vineyard, we went on a extensive tour. We saw how the grapes were harvested, the machines they use to separate the grapes from the rest of the plant and crush them to make wine. We then saw the oak barrels they use to store the wines during the fermentation process and the finished product. We had the opportunity to taste wine at different stages of the fermentation process and then had a wine tasting. This was followed by a delicious traditional Argentine meal at their amazing restaurant. Needless to say, Mark and Julie needed a siesta after we returned home.
The second winery, Finca & Bodega Vistalba, we visited is owned by one of the old Argentine wine families. It is a relatively new finca that has less than 100 hectors of land and produces only a few bottles of wine a year (all of which are exported). The bodega itself was exquisite. The building looked more like a museum than a working finca. The tour was followed by a wine tasting and Grandma She She bought several bottles of Malbec to bring back to the States.
Julie, Annabel and Rebecca had their final Spanish class on Thursday (see picture above of our maestra, Senorita Analia). The children start their school tomorrow. We've purchased uniforms and school supplies. It is a long day -- they start at 8:00 am and end at 5:00pm with a 2 hour siesta in the middle. Everyone is excited.
Gma She She is missing you all and so are we. She came home with 7 (!) bottles of wine for us. Said she planned to drink them in the airport if they wouldn't let her take them into NYC. But, no one questioned her. Would you?
ReplyDeleteSo, your girls are learning Spanish and our boys with the Spanish names are going to camp at the Jewish Y this summer. (Well, Javier is.) Every day they have a session called "Shalom Within." Don't you love it? I sure do. We miss you so!!!! XO, B, S, J & M