Cotton-Eyed Teague

The strange thing about American holidays overseas is that it's just a normal day for everyone else. Obviously no hint of pilgrims or turkeys anywhere, but also no school or business closures, no quiet streets and, sadly, nada in the way of traditional Thanksgiving fare at the local supermercado. Our turkey, which we shared Sunday, was imported from Brazil and had definitely been soaked in salt water for at least a decade. Apparently they think we eat salt licks for Thanksgiving.

Teague's concert has become our new Thanksgiving tradition, because it always falls on the 24th.

And what a visual feast it was!

With a theme like "Crazy Farm" how could it not be entertaining? Teague and his Kinder 4 classmates dressed as bulls and cows and performed their little number to none other than Elvis Presley. Donkey kicks, air guitar and Elvis.

Sean and I didn't actually get to sit together, which is odd, but when we approached the director before the show and asked about it, she said that we paid to see the show, not to see it together. This is now the #1 reason why we call her Sue Sylvester.

The other classes dressed as pigs, horses, rabbits and chickens, and the 5-year old class (farmers) debuted their English skills; each child narrated a sentence in English. I cannot wait until next year, because Teague is going to sound like a rockstar.

We're looking forward to seeing what they come up with next year, for Teague's grand finale.

Teague enters at 0:49. He's the fast cow.

Chicken in the Straw

Remember Teague's over the top school concert last year? It featured Michael Jackson & Madonna costumes and 2-year olds doing the running man. I can honestly say that the show alone was worth the move to Argentina.

Having received his new costume, I am certain that this year will be just as fantastic and/or bizarre. Check out the fancy tickets and his hat, which appears to be a ninja/cow/witch blend. Nothing like wearing a heavy velour costume and headwear in full-on summer temperatures. Poor little ninja bull.

To get my paws on the golden tickets, I arrived early on ticket day, and the line o' parents already snaked down the stairs and outside the building. (This is a preschool concert, mind you.) After about 15 minutes, I shelled out 62 dollars for them and, as per usual, did the en mass goodbye kissing exit down the stairs. Yes, here we kiss everyone, parents, teachers, even the school secretary goodbye and hello. Every. Single. Time.

The show is this Thursday night, and, with the whole farm theme, and the fact that Teague came home singing "Chicken in the Straw" (because not only are there no turkeys in the country, they won't even say the word here. Ham Conspiracy!) it should be a night to remember.

¡Cumpleaños para todos!

Teague has become a regular on the preschool birthday party circuit, and birthday party season is in full swing. The school year is coming to an end, and because everyone leaves Buenos Aires in January and February, parents are rushing to squeeze in summer birthday parties before they leave for the beach. In the last 4 weeks, Teague has been to 6 birthdays, and has another 2 in the near future, including an out of town venue.

Parties here are hosted by "animadores" (coincidentally, also the Spanish word for cheerleaders), a hired group of 2 or 3 child-friendly entertainers who, with puppet shows, props and costumes, occupy and engross the party goers. Last week, the props included a pigeon and a rabbit, which each child got to pet. The pigeon part freaked me out; when did pigeons become birthday party staples? Of course post-pigeon, the kids went directly from animal petting to the food table. I heard that the crazy American mom ran over to her kid with a wet wipe. What a freak.

The biggest difference between parties here and in the US (aside from the whole pigeon love thing) is the cost of gifts. Imports like Disney, Hot Wheels & Barbie cost at least 4x what they cost in the US, for example, the gift below.

At Target, it is $25.00, and here, it costs $169.00 (679 pesos).

Parties are almost always held on weekdays, usually from 4-7, and parents are kept in a small side room to chat and snack while the animadores work their magic. The mom conversations center around school gossip, and, therefore, are the place to be. My Spanish is much improved, and I'm finally feeling less like a gringa. (only a little less!) If only I could remember to kiss every person in the room when I enter and exit, I'd be full-fledged Porteña! Sean is still not used to the dude kisses...can you blame him?

Whatever the animadores are paid, it's not enough! Piñata Mayhem!

One Man Show

Back in May, we received notice that our building would be painted from top to bottom. What we didn't know is that this guy, Jorge, was the painter. Singular. I should probably mention that our building is 18 stories high.

Does it seem strange to anyone else that our building contracted one person to paint an entire high-rise? It wouldn't if you lived here.

Because Jorge has used our balcony as his painting 'base camp' for the past few months, we've gotten to know his routine quite well. He arrives in late morning, pulling a large suitcase full of his tools and goes to work on our balcony, attaching himself to ropes. He chooses a narrow section of building and paints all the way down to the ground floor. By late afternoon, he's back at our front door to pick up his suitcase and roll home before another day of painting.

He's doing a heck of a job, but at the rate he's going, the building will probably need to be re-painted about the time he completes this round painting. Sean and I are betting on the finish date...the winner will take Jorge and his suitcase to dinner.