We Reconciled Our Marriage at Johnny B. Good

When Zach and I got married in NY in 2012, we thought it was going to last forever. Then the stress that came with moving abroad to Argentina practically tore us apart. We were separated and our 12-year relationship, of which we had spent a year and a half married, had come to an end.

During our 8-month separation, we realized that we still loved each other and needed one another to get through the challenges we faced since we moved here. So we are officially back together!

To celebrate, we went to a restaurant that I’ve been dying to go to since we moved here two years ago. It’s called Johnny B. Good and it's located in the heart of Nueva Cordoba.

The restaurant offers a variety of Americanized dishes. The first thing we noticed as we came in is how much it reminded us of Uno’s Chicago Grill or Chili’s, two of our favorite restaurants back in the States.

We got there at noon, but were afraid that they weren’t serving yet. We’ve had some previous experiences with other restaurants in Cordoba where they won’t serve you unless it’s 1 p.m. I’m not talking about the fast food restaurants of course but the fancier restaurants. So it was very nice of Johnny B. Good to open their doors at 12. 

The menu had an assortment of appetizers, main courses, and my favorite, desserts. Zach and I started out with the potato skins. They’re not exactly like the ones they serve in the States, but it was close enough. The inside is stuffed with cheese and there’s no way you can avoid noticing how thick these puppies are. Potato Skins are usually thin and have cheddar and bacon bits sprinkled over them. These were gigantic but still delicious.

Then I went ahead and ordered the Philly cheesesteak, which I haven’t had in ages. They call it the Golden Baguette here and it only costs 83 Argentine pesos (9.86 USD as of the 9/8/14 exchange rate).

Zach had a burger with huge onion rings, not those scrawny shriveled up things they give you at BK. The bacon wasn’t really bacon because it’s hard to find in Argentina. They have something similar here, but the texture isn’t the same. It’s softer and feels raw in your mouth, but Zach loved the burger just the same. The cost was about the same as the Philly cheesesteak.

We were stuffed but decided to go ahead and push our stomachs beyond their limit and order some dessert.

Zach had something that looked like an Oreo ice cream cookie with vanilla sauce on the side. While I had a brownie cup, which was… well… it’s kind of difficult to explain. The first layer is whipped cream with a layer of fruit, followed by a layer of "Dulce de Leche" (A caramel-like spread that is very popular here) and a brownie crumbled at the bottom of the glass cup.

With drinks (non-alcoholic), the bill came up to 425 Argentine pesos (50 USD as of the 9/8/14 exchange rate).

All in all, it was money well spent to celebrate our reconciliation. Afterwards we went walking around the city and saw that the annual book fair was in full bloom in Plaza San Martin. I covered the last two fairs, but this year I felt that there wasn’t anything new or special to report.

Debating whether or not to go into the book fair

Zach and I went through the fair rather quickly. We were looking for novels in English, but since they don’t sell many of those here, the bookstores that take part in the fair didn’t bother to bring their small selection of English novels.

The fair did serve one purpose and that was to kill time until our movie started. In case I haven’t mentioned it before, we have a history of going to the movies over the last 12 years. Our ticket stub collection is almost as big as the thousands of DVDs we own. We watched the comedy “Sex Tape” with Jason Segel and Cameron Diaz. We were the only people who laughed at the jokes because we were used to that type of humor but the film wasn’t that good.

On a different note, Zach recently became the proud uncle of a beautiful baby girl (I guess that by marriage that makes me an uncle too) and we'd like to take the time to congratulate his brother and his wife for their new addition. Whether we get the chance to meet our niece remains  to be seen.

I would also like to congratulate my very dear friend Amber and her husband Chris on the birth of baby Nathan.

We love and miss our friends and family back in the States, but are grateful for the wonderful friends we've made during our stay in Argentina.

Going Global at Cordoba, Argentina's Global Village

Global Village was an event held at the Studio Theater in Cordoba Capital, Argentina. It brings people from diverse cultures and backgrounds together to share and to celebrate their uniqueness with music, dancing, information and most importantly, food!

There were tables representing Spain, Croatia, Paraguay, Cuba, the Middle East, Poland, Germany, Canada and Italy (and if I’m forgetting anyone I am deeply sorry).

There were performers entertaining us with Polish dancing. Performers from other countries like Germany and Italy performed as well. Enjoy this short video I made of the event.

I loved that everyone at the event respected the different cultures present at this event. I’ve recently dealt with three separate situations where this was not the case, leaving me a little disheartened. So Global Village was a very refreshing experience and frankly it gives me hope that it will open people’s minds to allow those from all cultures and walks of life to express themselves freely without the fear of prejudice.

I'm looking forward to the next event and hopefully, other cultures not present at this year's event, will be encouraged to participate as well.

Check Out 2014's Argentine Product Pricing Comparison

So the international rumor mill suggests that Argentina’s economy is hitting an all-time low. So I decided to do a bit of pricing comparison with products I spot-checked last year versus the actual cost today. Have the prices dropped? Do they ever in any part of the world? The answer would be no. However, are things really that drastic? Let’s find out.

On July 29^th, 2014, the cost of the US dollar in Argentine pesos was: 8.19

On August 1^st, 2014, the cost of the US dollar in Argentine pesos was: 8.23

On August 4^th, 2014, the cost of the US dollar in Argentine pesos was: 8.26

On August 8^th, 2014, the cost of the US dollar in Argentine pesos was: 8.27

On August 24^th, 2014, the cost of the US dollar in Argentine pesos was: 8.39

On September 2nd, 2014, the cost of the US dollar in Argentine pesos was: 8.40

The photo on the left is the cost of the product from a year ago. The one on the right is the current price.

Yikes! There's a 3.10 increase in Argentine pesos. In US dollars this would cost you $1.04.

Wait! What? Can it be? No. That's not possible. He must have switched the images around. Sorry to disappoint you folks, but the prices on these products are correct. The Gatorade on the left was once 9.50 Argentine pesos and a year later it has dropped to 7.25 Argentine pesos. That's a 2.25 drop. In US dollars this would be .88 cents.

Activia's liquid yogurt might give you the runs, but you'll be 51 Argentine cents richer. The price went down from 15.50 to 14.99. In US dollars this would be $1.81.

Oh man! I was really looking forward to cleaning the wax out of my ears this weekend. Q-soft, which is basically a Q-tip has risen by 2.30 Argentine pesos. In US dollars this would be $1.69.

Oh ... SUGAR! The cost of cereal has definitely jumped in a year by a whopping 18.14 Argentine pesos. In US dollars this would be $4.41. Don't fret boys and girls! There are plenty of generic brands on sale at local supermarkets that taste just the same, but at a more affordable price.

 

Hellmann's Ketchup has a nicer looking package, but the price has gone up from 8.65 to 11.45 Argentine pesos That's a 2.80 markup. In US dollars, that's $1.39.

Now you're probably wondering what the big deal is. After all, as long as expats have U.S. dollars, the prices are more affordable in Argentina than they are in the States. That's a good point, but you need to consider the fact that every expat has a different financial situation. Those who continue to earn money in US dollars are better off than those who have depleted their supply of dollars (like yours truly) and are now solely dependent on Argentine pesos.

I should point out that a lot of these items have generic brands or have Argentine equivalent products that are (in most cases) cheaper. As far what the future holds for product pricing, we'll just have to wait and see.

Expat Report: 26 Months Living in Argentina

I’d like to start by thanking anyone who has shown their love and support for my expat blog. And if you haven’t yet, don’t worry, there’s still time to join the journey. ;-)

I’m nearly two months late writing this, but I felt it was important to reflect on and honor the past two years of my life here in Argentina.

So let me start with a few general updates about changes in Cordoba and Argentina in general. Then I’ll get to some of the crazier things that have been happening in my personal life.

McDonald’s Breakfast Is Less Argentine

One of the things that has helped us cope with homesickness is food. For instance, I’m happy to report that McDonald’s here recently started offering a more American style breakfast: bacon, scrambled eggs, and two pieces of bread that come surprisingly close to the texture of a bagel, minus the shape and the hole in the middle.

Whether this breakfast menu option sticks around beyond 2014 remains to be seen. Based on the last 26 months, I’d say I should enjoy this version of McDonald’s breakfast before they revert back to a more Argentine menu.

Walmart Sells Bacon

Walmart stores in Argentina now sell bacon that tastes just like the kind back home. My ex, Zach, was kind enough to make some for me recently. I’m so grateful to him since I have absolutely no talent for cooking.

And yes, I’m aware how weird it sounds to have my soon to be ex-husband cook anything for me. But getting divorced while living abroad is extremely difficult, and I’m not the kind of person who would throw anyone out on the street. I certainly wouldn’t do that to him, as we still love each other in our own way.

Public Hospitals Are 100% Free

The public hospital in Cordoba no longer charges the already minimal outpatient fee, which is great, but on the downside, getting an appointment with a doctor has become much more challenging. I’ll probably talk more about this in a future post.

Roommate From Hell

Earlier this year, Zach made friends with an Argentine named Cami. They had a lot in common, like their perky personalities and obsessive love for men and shopping. At first, we thought she was amazing. In fact, I was so relieved Zach had found her because he had seemed pretty down since our breakup in December of last year. She gave him a reason to smile again, and it took the pressure off me from looking after him after so many years, so I could actually focus on my life, particularly my university life.

About a month after they met, we decided to invite her to move in with us. We had a spare room, and she was desperate to leave the place she was living in. She also agreed to pay rent and half of the utilities.

Around June, she shared that she was doing a lot of freelance writing and felt she could find some work for me. I was actually looking forward to working for someone else because Ben, the guy who gave me freelance article assignments, had parted ways with me, and not on the best of terms.

Unfortunately, as the weeks went by, her assurances about freelance assignments didn’t turn into reality. Frustrated, I confronted her about it. It wasn’t violent, though I will admit I could have been friendlier when I told her I wouldn’t have quit Ben if I had known she wouldn’t have any work for me.

I honestly wouldn’t have cared if she never found a single assignment for me because I was still busy trying to get through my psych courses. But a lot of things led up to that confrontation. For starters, my parents, who had agreed to handle the utilities until I graduated, decided to cut me off financially. I suddenly found myself without money, while having not only myself to feed but also Zach. I also had to make sure I had enough money from freelance work to buy the Neotigason pills he needed for his Darier’s Disease. That was no longer an option because I had no freelance job and no financial support from my parents.

To make matters worse, my anti-anxiety meds had stopped working. Before, they would provide peace and even feelings of euphoria. Now I felt apathy toward things that should have mattered. So in the end, a lot was going on, and when I asked Cami if there was any word on steady assignments, which she had assured there would be, she told me there was no update yet. I got mad and accused her of tricking me into dropping Ben. She claimed she would never do that. I didn’t believe her and called her out on it. She got so angry that she decided to start looking for a new place to live, though she didn’t leave as quickly as I would have liked.

Although things calmed down a bit, and Cami was able to provide me with a few assignments, I continued to struggle in other ways.

No More Anti-Anxiety Meds

As I mentioned before, my anti anxiety meds had stopped working. As my 37th birthday got closer, I decided to try managing my condition on my own. But the meds weren’t the only things I cut off. I also said goodbye to my psychiatrist, who, if I’m being honest, was mildly homophobic, somewhat ignorant, and a bit apathetic himself. And although my psychologist was nice, I realized she didn’t have a f*cking clue how to help me. So as of this post, it’s been two months without therapy or anti-anxiety meds, and I’ve had my ups and downs. I wasn’t fully prepared for the mood swings or the unexpected anxiety attacks I've experienced.

While I was more sociable last year and in early 2014, I now find myself staying indoors a lot more. To compensate, I try to invite friends over when there’s enough money for snacks and drinks. But here’s the thing. Most of my friends are also Cami's friends, and she’s spun the story to make herself look like the victim and me like the bad guy, just like she did with her previous roommate and her ex. The only neutral friend was Brian, whom I met last year, but sadly, he went back home to the States and has gone radio silent. As for my college friends, let me rip off that band aid and tell you what happened.

I Quit!

It wasn’t an easy decision, but I didn’t feel the university was the right fit for me. I could go on about the reasons why, but suffice it to say it had a lot to do with how disorganized the university was. Not having my meds didn’t help either. I also had to focus all of my energies on finding full-time work.

Freelancing Full-Time

Eventually, Cami was able to secure more steady freelance writing assignments like she had originally promised. So now my time is fully devoted to freelance writing. My income depends entirely on these assignments, and I’m able to make ends meet, but just barely.

Zach has also joined our little freelance writing team, though his true passion has always been in the kitchen. He recently launched his own website where people can order some of his incredible pastries. You can check it out at: Zach’s Bake Shop

Here are some photos of the amazing things he bakes.

In addition, Zach created a group called English & Muffins, where expats and Argentines gather at a hostel to play fun games. It’s a great way for non-native English speakers to practice their language skills while enjoying delicious muffins and cakes.

Happy Birthday to Me!

I also celebrated my 37th birthday in July with Zach and two new friends who surprised me with a party. Usually, I’m the one organizing surprise parties for others, so it was rare—and wonderful—to be the center of attention. They decorated the house with themes from some of my favorite shows like Supernatural and Star Trek, along with zombies and Superman. Suffice it to say, it was an awesome celebration.

Looking Back

It feels like a lifetime ago since Zach and I stepped off that plane in Córdoba, yet not a day goes by that I don’t think about our old lives back in the States. Maybe things would have been different if we had stayed.

My friends back home have experienced moments I wish I could have been there for. One friend lost her son in a terrible accident. Another recently remarried and is expecting her first child. I used to tease her that I wanted her to make me an uncle. Now I won’t be there for that or any other milestone in her life. Sometimes, I wonder if the choice Zach and I made to leave New York was the right one. Would we have stayed together if we hadn’t moved?

Sure, we’ve made some friends and have tried building a new life here. But the setbacks and frustrations just aren't worth it. Also, I'm not sure if the bond we have with those we've met is strong enough to keep us tethered to Argentina.

The only thing I'm sure of is Zach. He and I remain close, especially in the wake of the crumbling friendship between us and Cami. He could have taken her side, but he's got my back as we continue to travel up sh*t's creek without a paddle.