Happy Anniversary to me! A year ago I landed in Argentina in the wee hours of the morning. I had left DC early the previous day, connected through Panama, and arrived seeing Buenos Aires at night. I was picked up by a driver who took a long time to find me because he thought I was a man and therefore didn’t hold up the sign when I walked by! (This was at 2am or so, so there were not a lot of people around…) He drove me to the estancia, where I was dropped off at the gate. There, Juan, one of the security guards, drove me to my new home, a little apartment, in his golf cart. There was a heatwave so it was boiling hot outside, and in the minute or so it took us to unload my luggage, the place filled up with mosquitoes! I spent the first half hour trying to kill as many as I could, while they did their best to eat me. Then I made my bed (I had brought my own sheets, towels etc.), sprayed myself with Off and tried to sleep.

The next morning I found my way to the hotel, but my boss wasn’t there yet, so I went back to my house, then I met a cat, and the guys in the stables. And then – work.

I am too tired to write much today, and that probably sums this year up pretty well – So. Much. Work! A small hotel basically means few people, long hours, and having to be a jack of all trades. I can’t really think of anything in the hotel that I haven’t done… I rarely clean bathrooms but I have done that too, and I have changed sheets plenty of times. I change light bulbs, I have cooked a few times and helped many, many times, I have set the table probably a few hundred times, I have shined a LOT of glasses… And then of course all the things that are actually part of my job! 🙂

An anniversary like this deserves a list, so here goes:

My least favorite things about this year:

• Too much work! It can be just too intense sometimes
• Inflation
• Mosquitoes
• Not being able to walk and buy things (I don’t think I have ever not lived within walking distance of some sort of grocery store)
• Not enough time to explore Argentina or hang out with new friends

Then the good stuff:

• I have developed a lot as a person: I am a much more calm and confident person than I was before. Yes, I get stressed out when everything is breaking and we have difficult guests, but at the same time I feel that I am good at this (and that it is not something just anybody can do), and that after this, I can do anything! Literally: I saw a job ad in Norway for a position as a high-end liquor distributor and I thought, yeah, of course, I can do that. I think I have got myself a superiority complex!
• I have learned that while there are some real jerks out there, most people are wonderful and just want to have a nice time. And being part of ensuring that nice time, well, that is pretty awesome. The very difficult, rude and annoying people just make life miserable for themselves and I feel sorry for them – their lives must be so empty and sad
• Living in the country side is really nice
• Returning guests: we have quite a lot of returning guests and it is a great feeling when people like it enough to come back. Shout out to el australiano and to John and V. who are coming soon, and to Mary Sweeting whose husband is here right now (we miss her, though!)
• I have discovered that I am an extrovert. Just kidding! I knew that already but it is pretty obvious here.
• Buenos Aires. Such a great place.
• The meat is actually really good…