What a crazy day. I went to Immigration twice & did an Art Nouveau tour… all while it was hot & sticky. That 40 SPF sunscreen came in handy today.
Buenos Aires changes on a daily basis. Not that much time has passed since I last did the Art Nouveau walk, but so many buildings are being restored that sometimes even I am taken by surprise. I had a mini-heart attack when I saw the building below… a couple weeks ago it was a sooty brown. While much improved, I’m not a fan of the yellow & green paint job. Oh well. Hopefully they won’t put up Home Depot tile work like other “restorations” in BA.
Another stroke of luck was that almost every building foyer we visited was open. Just a few words with the doorman & access was ours. What a masterpiece.
However, the most interesting part of the day was going to Immigration. Evidently, according to a new law passed in June, pretty much everyone is welcome to emigrate to Argentina. Sound too good to be true? Apparently not. Just prove that you’re not a criminal, pay 400 pesos, wait for your case to come up in a few months & boom… temporary residency. Four years later, citizenship is yours if you want it. I am exciterated to say the least. Google —decreto 1169/04— if you’re interesting in the Spanish legalese.
I’ve had so many problems in the past trying to fit in a category that was “acceptable” to Immigration. This Friday (New Year’s Eve) will be my 4th anniversary of living in Buenos Aires as a tourist. I think it’s about damn time I had to stop leaving every 90 days to get a new stamp in my passport. My case comes up for review in mid-March 2005. Yippee!
[A little lo-fi nostalgia… original content from Line of Sight, reposted in 2024 to commemorate 20 years of blogging. Learn more.]