Biking, Turning 27 in Tigre, and Becoming an Honest-to-Goodness Argentinian Resident...Oh My!!

Buenas tardes!

It is yet another gorgeous Fall day outside here in the big ciudad and, after 3 days of being horribly, miserably ill, I am glad to have already gotten out and enjoyed it! Quite a lot has occurred since I last wrote, so I have much to catch everyone up on!

First off, I celebrated my 27th birthday on May 4th surrounded by many many friends. I started the day with a yummy breakfast at Vera's house, then a trip on the train to Tigre, a town on the river north of BsAs. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, so we all sat outside by the river and enjoyed a yummy Argentinian meal that - for everyone else - involved lots of what I think was scary looking meat. They begged to differ, claiming it to be DELISH...to each his own! In the evening we all gathered at my friend Kate's house (my studio apt being far too small to host a gathering), and ate pizza and other tasty treats and topped the evening off with a white cake with chocolate chips - YUM! And to ring in my 27th year, I received a day pass to a local climbing wall, a plant named Esmeralda, and a cheese grater!!

My next big adventure involved heading to a forest preserve south of the city to meet up with my friend Milan for an afternoon of biking. It was such a surreal experience to be transported from the hustle and bustle of the city to the tranquility of the countryside within 30 minutes. And the adventure began with a bang as I arrived at the train station to hear the whistle blowing alerting everyone the train was taking off. Being 50 meters from the closest car, I figured making the train was a lost cause, but alas, I persevered. I went running like a bat out of hell, (kindly) pushing my way through unsuspecting bystanders, and flailing my arms so the train attendant would know I was coming (as if it wasnt clear from the ruckus I had already caused). Every other person had given up hope and resumed to a mellow stroll. But not me. No, no. I was going to MAKE this train. No waiting and missing out on an extra 20 minutes of biking. So as I got about 10 meters away from the train, it actually started to move. So here I am running (like the wind, mind you), and now the train is also moving (like a dog who has just arisen from a nap to find that his owner has thrown a ball - i.e. slowly, yet surely, picking up speed). But the attendant saw me and seemed to believe there was hope!! So he reached out his arm telling me to keep running. Si se puede! There is hope, yet! And just like in the movies, I picked up speed, running alongside the train at a pace just a hair faster than the train itself was moving, reached out my arms as the attendant pulled me closer, reached his arm around my chest just under my armpits and swung me onto the platform. And, folks, as gracefully as that, I, Cameron Taylor, boarded the train outside of town and headed South. WOOHOO!

The rest of the day was far less eventful, but no less exciting. We biked through the forest preserve, hopping over roots and ducking to avoid being beheaded by fallen trees. At one point, Milan tried to convince me to cross a river using a bridge that had all but disintegrated except for one lone, narrow plank connecting the 20 foot span. I am a fan of adventure, but not to the point where I am fully aware of just how stupid and risky a decision I am making. So we backtracked and quickly found a much safer (albeit less exciting) way to cross the river. We ate peanuts under the oldest tree in the area and then headed back in search of mate and bread (oh, how I LOVE my bread!). Then it was back to the insanity of the big city. This time, I arrived BEFORE the train began its journey and was safely and soundly seated before the wheels started to roll. What a blessing to have such good friends to whisk you away from the city and remind you that large expanses of nature still DO exist!!

And my last adventure of note, but definitely not the least adventurous by any means, was my trip to the Argentinian Immigration Compound to apply for, and receive (thank goodness!!), my Argentinian residency. That's right. Here in Argentina, you are AUTOMATICALLY a resident once you apply for visa status. So I am not simply a mere legal alien, I am am honest-to-goodness official (albeit temporary) Argentinian resident - meaning I can live, eat, drink, sleep, even work(!) freely without encountering any trouble with the autoridades - VIVA! But given that I began this process back in October of 2010 when I requested my FBI report in the US, and continued it for the next 7 months as I went from one police station and govt agency to the next gathering documents, it is a HUGE relief to have completed this arduous process!

To offer an idea of the fun involved, I give you the following....In addition to the US FBI report, I had to also prove I have no criminal record here in Argentina, meaning I had to request an appt at the FBI office, wait a week, get fingerprinted, wait another week, and pick up a document declaring I have no criminal record here (phew!). NEXT, I had to visit my nearest police station (let's not even talk about how many stations I had to visit before someone could agree on which one I was closest to) to request a proof of residency. In order to receive this tiny (but muy importante) piece of paper, one must sit around inside her house between the hours of 9am and 9pm waiting for the police to ring her apt. Then you walk downstairs, nod your head, thank the officer profusely, and - wahlah - you have proved your residence! What else?...Translation of my US FBI report with a legal stamp that must be obtained in some dinghy office building deep in the center of the city. This involved searching for a translator, mtg with said translator, visiting legal stamp office, paying for legal stamp, and trekking home with far less funds than when I first set out. Then came several trips to the university to request, apply for, and pick up a document proving I am a student. THEN, and only then, can you request a "turno" (appt) with an immigration official. I was lucky and only had to wait two weeks (many people wait 2+ months). I arrived at 7:30 am, waited in a long line to be fingerprinted (again), another line to present my papers, ANOTHER line to recopy my passport, two more lines to pay 2 different fees, and then, FINALLY, was given a sheet declaring my residency! Phew, Im tired just thinking about it!

So there you have it, my latest adventures here in Buenos Aires! VIVA!