Saturday, May 26, 2007

Final Postcard from the Bottom of the World (Ken)

I am writing this from a Locutorio on Avenida Las Herras. We returned home about midnight last night to find the laptop had crashed. (Perhaps as a result of all the attacks from the ongoing international blog wars?)

So this will be my last post from Buenos Aires.

Let me begin by saying: I got nothing-but-love for Argentina.

This trip has been fascinating, frustrating, educational, humbling, bewildering, inspirational . . .in short: everything I had hoped it would be--and more.

How much can a person really know about a country after only five months--and most of that spent in its largest city? Honestly, I´m not sure. But I am sure he can know more than if he had stayed home on his sofa watching Fox News. Over then next weeks and months, after some time and perspective, I suspect it will become clearer to me what it is I learned and how this experience has changed me.

This little blog started out after I began reading other blogs in my preparations for coming to Argentina. I found Alan´s blog and then Deby and Jude and Yanqui Mike and "Bloggers in Agentina." It occurred to me that this might be a good way to keep in touch back home. With postcards and letters costing four pesos and taking almost three weeks, this seemed a good choice. I saw a "hit counter" on the Salt Shaker blog and installed one on mine. No one was more surprised than I to find that I had more readers inside Argentina than I had back home. That changed things a bit. I didn´t start to write for a different (and inanticipated) audience, but I began to be read by a different audience.

Anyway, some of you have asked that I keep the blog going to document our return and re-entry into the USA and North American culture--part two of the expat experience. I will do that.

But I was not a blogger before I came here, and I doubt I will be a blogger much longer--once I write about my re-entry experiences. There just won´t be anything interesting to write about.

Thanks for reading. To many of you--thanks for your help and friendship. My next post will be from the USA.


**********
Twenty, twenty, twenty-four hours to go.
I wanna be sedated . . .
The Ramones

4 comments:

emilyeffinconrad said...

as much as I want you to be home, this was a slightly depressing post. makes me feel like you should live there or something.

99 said...

We couldn't make it to your farewell... are you still in town? We´d like to greet you good bye...

Jupi said...

Hi! I have been a "silent reader" of your blog for quite a while, and have enjoyed each entry. I live in argentina just around the block where you used to live (Las Heras y Ayacucho). I am one of your "argentine" readers. I´m sad you are leaving but glad you enjoyed the experience of living here. I somehow hoped I would cross you around the neighbourhood and say hi, but it didn´t happen. I will miss your entries very much. I hope Helen and you have a safe trip back home. And hope you visit us again soon. Best Wishes!!

Dr. K said...

Jupi
What a shame. I would have enjoyed meeting you. You should have come to my despedida. Thanks for reading.

Maybe next time?
Ken