criplomats

Friday was my last day with the Foreign Service (or at least as an employee)! I’m officially retired. I was happy to share a going-away celebration at work with my colleague Puri (short for Purificación) on Thursday, followed by the embassy’s hail and farewell happy hour at the quincho (BBQ area) for everyone coming and going this summer. I was touched by the nice tribute. I also got this certificate that goes with the flag the consular managers gave me:

Friday we said goodbye to our lovely Pilar who has taken such good care of us and Flavia for the last three years:

Thursday evening I met Rachel S and Lea at Corte Comedor for a great steak. Friday Lorena came for our last weekly massage – boy will we miss that! And Saturday morning Juli came for my last mani-pedi — another home service I will miss mightily! After that, Lea and Jose popped in for a final goodbye and to pick up some things they can use as they go into packout.

I was completely blown away Thursday evening when I got a link to a goodbye video that Dan K and Lea put together with some of my favorite people around the globe! What an incredible gift that left me in tears.

Friday night, the sky put on a lovely show for us:

Saturday night, we flew from Buenos Aires to Little Rock, via Atlanta. Despite my incessant worrying about Flavia, she did great on the flight. I booked an extra seat so she and I would have a bit more room (she can’t fly business, boo) and everything was super-smooth. Our fabulous vet Leticia had done the paperwork for me and all I had to do was check in at the government animal control counter ahead of checking in with Delta – no problems! And everyone at Delta was super-nice as well. Until we are wheels up, I’m a nervous wreck with her but everything was fine and she was a trooper!

We had a quick visit with David and Alison before John and I crashed. I was thankful that Alison had put salad and a roasted chicken in the fridge for us, because we were so exhausted, I don’t think we could have made it to the grocery store! Flavia gave us a bit of a scare as the sedatives we gave her on the flight wore off – she was limp as a noodle for hours, but this morning she woke up fit as a fiddle and crying for breakfast!

We are glad to be home. Buenos Aires was a good tour, but with many hard days. I leave the Foreign Service very proud of what I’ve accomplished and I look forward to the next chapter!

We were thrilled to have a wonderful lunch at Cabanas las Lilas today with John’s former colleagues and their wives. We first met them back in the ‘90s and it’s been so fun to see them periodically while we’ve been in Buenos Aires. We laughed a lot and enjoyed an excellent meal.

Yesterday we also had a nice lunch with Christian and his wife Sara at Anafe. Christian works for me and we just hit it off when he arrived last year. His wife Sara is super interesting – her former career was as an actress in NY and in London and I’ve always wanted to get to know her better. Afterward, I went to the crafts fair near the Recoleta Cemetery. I bought another ruana as a gift for a friend at work made by this lovely man – I have one that I love. His mother taught him to weave and his work is excellent.

The big news of the week was our packout! It lasted three very full days, but now the house is empty and echoes! We had an excellent crew, thank goodness. Flavia is not happy and has taken to sitting in the corner in a guest bathroom in protest, bless her heart. I can’t wait to get her to Hot Springs for a couple of months of quiet.

We were back to work Thursday and Friday. My desk is getting cleaner and cleaner! Friday was an admin day with no visa applicants, so we took the opportunity to watch Frank and Sean (two of my officers) play in the embassy tennis tournament – lots of fun!

Here are a few photos from the week!

Suddenly the days are flying by and the movers will show up in the morning. The house is pretty much organized for packout but I have to tackle the kitchen today. I took Friday off work and spent the rainy morning working on the house before treating myself to lunch out and a quick walk through the fine arts museum.

Last night we had a farewell dinner at a nice parrilla with Lea & Jose and Rachel & Ray – it was so nice of them to treat us to such a lovely evening — and especially to get out in the rain.

This past week I worked from home so I could take a class for spouses of deputy chiefs of mission (DCMs — John’s position in Guyana). I’ve been joking about, but it turned out to be a really good class and discussed things like ethics, gift acceptance policies, policies regarding what you can/can’t do in an official residence (which ours will be), tracking official expenses, social media advice, cybersecurity, etc. Who knew there was so much to learn! And — to be clear, it’s my decision how much or how little I want to be involved, and that was actually a discussion topic as well.

Meanwhile, Flavie continues to live her best life!

I had a great birthday this year! I was so surprised to get these gorgeous Dutch iris delivered to the apartment from Ann – thank you, Annie! The night before was book club at our house (including takeout Pims Thai food) – it was fun to spend the evening with Lea, the two Rachels, and Bhavna and they surprised me with a great cake.

For my actual birthday, John took me to dinner after work at Carneros where we had great steak and wine.

Last Sunday, John and I went to lunch at a fun restaurant a little outside of town, La Ferroviario. It’s a big fun place and filled with huge tables of three-generation families. Afterward we went to La Feria del Mataderos where I bought a beautiful handmade tabla and some items made of cow horns (salt & pepper shakers, napkin rings, etc).

Friday, a few of the EFMs took me to lunch at a nearby parrilla – so nice of them! Saturday, Lea and I had hair appointments with Linda, then she took me to a nice birthday lunch at Villegas Resto – delicious BBQ ribs!

John and I watched a good movie, “Black Bag,” and we’re catching up on “Astrid” and “Hacks.”

Meanwhile, the organizing for packout painfully continues!

I love autumn in Buenos Aires – the weather is perfect! We were off for Labor Day on May 1. John went to a friend’s to play board games while I organized my closets and drawers. I’ve almost over-organized — when I went to lunch with Lea yesterday I had to scramble to find something to wear because I’ve prepacked so much! We had lunch at a cute boutique hotel yesterday and at Aldo’s last weekend. I’ll miss our weekend lunches.

Lea, Dan, and Patrick (my two deputies) took me out for dinner on Wednesday – so nice of them. I’ve been lucky to have them to work with.

I’ll also miss Flavia’s vet here – she came on Monday to give Flavie her annual rabies vaccine. I love not having to put Flavie through the stress of going to the vet. Leticia says Flavie is doing great and can’t believe she is almost 21.

In between organizing, John and I started watching “The Four Seasons,” which we’re enjoying. I read “Hold the Line,” by Michael Fanone, who was a police officer beaten up at the Capitol on January 6th (thanks to Joan for the rec). I’m now re-reading Adam Ross’s “Mr. Peanut” and watching “Friends and Neighbors.”