#24: On anniversaries

As of last month (February 22, to be exact), I’ve been in Argentina for 18 years. I’m still not really sure how that happened, nearly two decades done and dusted.

My first memories are flashes and glimpses of a walk from Recoleta (my first apartment was on Montevideo, just one block up from where I’d eventually move in 2022) down toward Plaza San Martín where I got a SIM card and clunky Nokia brick phone.

Circling behind the plaza in front of the train station and the Torre de los Ingleses on the 152 after leaving the first day of classes in Puerto Madero and heading toward Palermo.

Walking down a very dark Av. Dorrego from a friend’s apartment to Crobar for a night out (and with a horrible sunburn).

Whizzing down Av. del Libertador early one morning, not a cloud in the sky, and wondering why everyone had their shutters completely down (I get it now).

I never planned to be here this long. It kind of just happened, I guess. One thing lead to another, one job became another job, a relationship became a marriage, yet more jobs became a career. It still blows my mind a bit that I have been here this long; I certainly didn’t have “move abroad forever” on my Bingo card growing up, and I never expected to find myself over 8,000 kilometers from my hometown.

Argentina isn’t for everyone, and I’ve met dozens of people who have cycled through over the years. It’s hard to be so far away from home. It’s hard to be in a place that doesn’t allow for stable future projection. It’s hard to lack access to creature comforts and reliable institutions. It’s hard to feel like you’re unable to get ahead financially.

It’s hard.

But it’s so much more than that, too. It’s deep human connection with brilliant, kind, and generous people. It’s stunning natural beauty and picture-perfect landscapes. It’s dark humor and a penchant for sarcasm. It’s resilience and resistance and reinvention.

This is a place where you can create your own destiny, move outside the confines of what’s expected or assumed of you, and plot your own (and extremely non-linear) path. There’s so much richness and value to that, don’t you think?

OK, OK enough sappy reflecting and waxing pseudo-philosophical.

Whenever I consider the passage of time, this line from Steel Magnolias pops into my head:

🇦🇷 Greatest Hits 2007-2025

Want to take a lil stroll down memory lane and relive some memorable moments from the last 18 years?

You know what, hell yeah. Yeah.

1. Checking email on a public PC at the Village Recoleta McDonald’s at 5am after leaving the boliche (this mem really never gets old)

2. Being misquoted as saying I want to be a bus driver in my next life

3. Seeing Sasha Velour and Detox at the height of the Drag Race hey day

4. Celebrating my birthday at Colomé winery in Salta during a supermoon

5. Every time I’ve ever jumped in a lake in Patagonia

6. When Argentina won the World Cup

7. Producing, scripting, and filming a segment for the TODAY show

8. Every single Pride, protest, and march I’ve ever attended

9. Being denied entry to UCA because I was wearing flip flops

10. The first time I had a pikachu empanada from La Cocina

11. That time I did the Muza5k with a monster hangover in the name of journalism*

12. Adopting Pocho in 2014 (and before that, Loba ❤️)

13. Meeting my lobster (+ so many other incredible friends that have changed my life)

14. Bribing no less than five people to expedite my residency process

15. Any time people tried to spell my name and failed miserably

16. Driving a tractor in Entre Ríos as I learned how rice is harvested

17. When the owner of Delhi Mahal invited me to his wedding in India

18. When a cab driver thought I was “Argentine, but a drunk” based on my accent

19. (Bonus) When it snowed in BA for the first time in 89 years on July 9, 2007

*Sadly I cannot link to the article because the person who owned the media outlet erased the entire archive containing years of content without giving anyone a heads-up so dozens of people were left without examples of their work ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

✨ Random Things

The Return of Bad Information!

Listen, I know I’ve said this before but it’s for real this time! Being creative during the collapse of late stage capitalism is harder than it looks, OK?

I’m so beyond happy to announce that I’ve started recording new episodes of my podcast, Bad Information. Make sure you’re subscribed (iTunes or Spotify), and you can also check out video episodes on YouTube. If you don’t do this, I will know, and I will be heartbroken, which is homophobic!

Special thanks to my favorite sapphic ally, Marcos, for the incredible space to record and yap to no end. A new episode is coming out this weekend, so keep those eyes and ears peeled, babe.

I love everything about the Bad Info universe and sharing it with you all brings me great joy! Also, if you have any ideas or suggestions about what you’d like us to talk about in upcoming episodes, I’m all ears.

And finally, if you’d like to support your local queer content creator (I can’t believe I just typed those words out together), feel free to leave as many Cafecitos as your heart desires.

Negativos Encontrados at the CCK!

Whenever I find old photos scattered about the sidewalk near the trash, I take a look to see if any of them are worth bringing home with me (hey, we listen and we don’t judge). Which is probably why I’ve been so partial to the IG account @negativosencontrados - and was so happy to visit their exhibit at the CCK on Sunday.

It’s such a tenderly nostalgic journey through time, back to epic family vacations, ebullient holiday celebrations, candid day-to-day moments, and more. In the words of the exhibit’s curator Francisco Medail, “At a time when images are circulated virtually around the world in a matter of seconds, Negativos Encontrados invites us to reconsider the link between visual culture and our country’s material history.”

Negativos Encontrados - CCK - Sarmiento 151 - Wednesdays to Sundays, 2-8pm

The Arrival of Fall!

Everyone in Buenos Aires just a couple of weeks ago:

Everyone in Buenos Aires now:

FINALLY. Summer is OVER. I can walk around without SWEATING and/or WANTING TO DIE.

Anyone who says they love summer is only doing so because 1) they have unlimited access to a pool, 2) they don’t live in a concrete-dense metropolis, 3) they live close to the Arctic Circle, and/or 4) they’re clinically insane.

Autumn in Buenos Aires is absolutely spectacular. Sure, springtime has the jacarandas (which we will love for all eternity), but something about the golden hour in March-April is enough to purify your soul and renew your faith in humanity.

No more sweaty thighs sticking to the seat on the bus. No more boob sweat that instantly kills any and all vibes. No more panic about power cuts or heat stroke. Anyway, the new season has reminded me that life isn’t as miserable as I thought it was (maybe).

The only downside? The turtles of Talcahuano will probably be hibernating for the winter soon and I have no idea what I’m going to do until I see them again! Bonus: If you want to see a photo of my vet’s turtle wearing a teeny tiny birthday hat, please click here.

I always say it, but I’m forever an agradecida. Argentina has given me everything, it’s shown me who I am, it’s given me the loves of my life, it’s been the backdrop of endless unforgettable experiences… so much of me is wrapped up in this place, I can’t imagine what my life would look like if I had chosen another path.

Happy 18th anniversary to me. Here’s to the next 18.

Until next time,

Paige

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