14 Years in Argentina: An Honest Update

 It's been such a hectic couple of months. It's hard to believe that 2026 started off with only a handful of students and virtually nothing to do. Lately, I've been teaching so many ESL students online, and that's actually a good thing. I love teaching people who genuinely want to learn. The money's not bad either. In fact, it helps satisfy our primary vice which is ordering fast food—lots of it—especially now that Cordoba City has a KFC!

But this post is more than just an update about what I've been up to over the past couple of months. It's also a celebration of our 14th year living abroad.

We left the States on June 16th, 2012. It took us two days to get to Cordoba City, Argentina, courtesy of two extremely long layovers. But on June 18th, 2012, we finally arrived in our host city and at our new, fully furnished house. 

From that point on, we've had our ups and downs—emotionally, financially, and with the people who have come into our lives. Sadly, none of them have stuck around, even those who likely owe us their lives.

One of the most radical changes in my life has been my career. About two years after I got here, I started out as a freelance writer and, years later, became an online ESL teacher. I don't know how I went from being a guy who worked in administration and finance back home to this. I guess life's funny that way. But teaching isn't the only thing that's been keeping me busy or driving me a bit insane.

Over the last 14 years, I've taken on more administrative responsibilities when it comes to managing the properties we own. That, in itself, has been a learning experience with more misses than hits. 

I assumed that owning property would be an investment, and yet it often feels like each property is sucking the finances right out of us like a vampire sucks blood. But I'll talk more about that in a future post.

Although huge amounts of stress have plagued me this year, the hubs and I have also taken the time to relax and enjoy doing the things we love, like giving regular holidays such as Valentine's Day and Easter a spookier theme.

Cornbread shaped heart for Valentine's Day

A Homemade Peach Pie with Yoshi Eggs for Easter

Nothing says Easter like a Facehugger ready to hatch!

We've also celebrated two of the three Friday the 13ths in 2026 with movies like Friday the 13th: Jason Takes Manhattan, Sleepaway Camp 2 and Sleepaway Camp 3, as well as some delicious food and treats.

Jason Voorhees Pancakes!

Crystal Lake Jell-O and Crystal Lake Drinks

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza. If you can't see the 13, you might be color blind.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls in front of our Friday the 13th Tree because... why not?

Then, on March 30th, we celebrated our 14-year wedding anniversary. Now I'm not going to sugar coat it for you. Relationships aren't easy. Marriage isn't easy. But I'm 100% sure that I wouldn't have survived these last 14 years abroad without the hubs by my side to keep me sane and put a smile on my face, even when it was the last thing I wanted to do.

Despite that, there's been a great deal of reflecting over the last couple of weeks. For one thing, there's less and less communication from our friends and family back home. My friends generally reach out to me only on my birthday or if I reach out to them first, which sucks. My husband's family only sends him memes but never comments, hits "like" on what he posts, or even asks how he's doing. But if I'm being honest, a lot of them are homophobic, particularly his pig-fucking c*nt of a stepmom. Then they wonder why we left. But I digress.

There are a couple of things I'm looking forward to in the second half of 2026. We've already celebrated Halfway to Halloween in May and Halfway to Thanksgiving in June, which I'll post about soon. Now we're getting ready to celebrate Halfway to Christmas in July, but not before we celebrate my 49th birthday in just a few short weeks.

We're also looking forward to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas in October, November, and December, as well as the final Friday the 13th of the year in November. Oh, and there's a Friday the 13th spin-off called Camp Crystal Lake premiering in October, which we're really looking forward to. I just hope it doesn't disappoint like some of this year's movies.

Masters of the Universe, Scary Movie 6, Scream 7, and Backrooms, to name a few, were absolutely awful and should never have been made.

But films, TV shows, and holidays aside, I've also decided to finally go to the doctor (hopefully sometime in July) to get a check-up. I've been putting it off for years because the state of the free healthcare system in Argentina has become a joke. But I'm not a kid anymore, and I need to start getting regular check-ups and making sure everything is still working in decent order.

I also know I haven't been posting very often, and that's mainly the result of being busy and, honestly, my state of mind. But I'm going to do my best to write more regularly because this blog has always been a way for me to look back on what we've experienced since moving to Argentina.

Fourteen years ago, we packed up our lives in New York and took a leap into uncharted territories. It hasn't always been easy, and it certainly hasn't always been fun, but it's had some really beautiful moments that I wouldn't change for anything. Here's to whatever the second half of 2026 has in store. Now if You'll excuse me. I need to go buy some hair dye so I don't celebrate my 49th birthday looking like a Q-Tip.