1 week in, kids are struggling

[USmom]

So we just arrived a week ago from the US. Our last 5 weeks in the US were spent traveling to a new place every week, so my kids (2 boys ages 3 & 4) were not in the best place for yet another new place. They are exhausted and already just want to be back home. While we have a perfectly fine apartment, we rented it online and when we got here realized that out of every window there is no view of anything except another concrete wall! I think this is part of the problem. I am trying to convince my husband (who will be working at a university the whole time) that we should be willing to give up our deposit to relocate. Wish me luck on that and any advice, or tips would be great. I have friends who are from here who recommended living in Palermo Soho and P. Hollywood. My situation is that it is hard to drag the kids all over the city and need an apartment where I won't feel like a total prisoner but close enough to some cool parks or activities that little kids can enjoy.

Thanks!

 

[Aleina Dee]

Welcome. I hope your stress level will go down in a few days and you will be able to enjoy exploring with your kids.
I would get cabin fever too, stuck in an apartment like that. I hope you win your negotiation.
Regarding Palermo I must admit I am not a fan of it but it will depend on where your husband needs to travel to etc. If I had kids I would look a bit further out,something like Belgrano or Vicente Lopez which is a bit quieter.
Tell us what area you are in right now and we might have suggestions as to where you can go to do stuff with the little ones.

 

[nledec]

Oooo, yuck! Good luck with the husband--insist as much as you can and trust your instincts that the apartment isn't working!
Reinstate your normal routine from home--the one before the 5 weeks of travel as best you can, or instate a new routine. But get a routine. The little guys just need some normalcy in their life. They don't realize they are on the other side of the globe, they just know things are out of order.
Give them and you some time to adjust.
There are some neat things to do here with your boys--the Prohibido No Tocar museum, the Planetarium, etc. Some google searches will give you a nice list of activities to make the city seem more inviting.
See if joining Club de Amigos could be good--they have a lot of good programs for kids.
Check out a local preschool (jardin) once you are a little more settled. It might be nice for the boys to have some little friends, and it usually isn't a problem to enroll them mid-year.
You'll be ok.

 

[Risu]

Hola,
Welcome and don't despair. Your children will soon adjust. This is just the normal transition to a major move. My advise would be get a babysitter pronto so that you have the time & freedom to get done what you need to get done. Look on this site for leads for babysitters. You can always do a Skype interview with them. You might also head to Club de Amigos ( private club for children) for some outdoor playground time...even in the cold it's a fun place for kids to romp around in their play area. Starting in September, new classes for kids will be offered & this would be worth looking into at their information desk.
This city is very child friendly and there are many places & events happening every week just for children. Just google it & you will be on your way. Try to find the nearest park to your apt. and head there. You kids will meet new kids and be able to play which helps them work out the stress they are feeling. You will most likely meet other EXpat moms and can get a lot of direction from their experience. Most Argentine moms speak English so don't be shy about introducing yourself.
Regarding your apt. You might try asking your landlord if they have another property that you could move to with a view. If you mention your children are not happy often times their hearts will melt & they become more willing to help.
Best of luck with having a speedy transition.

 

[USmom]

Thank you for the responses. To answer Aleina Dee, we are living in Alto Palermo near the mall. "Quieter" sounds nice to me right about now, as I am writing and the floor is pounding w/ music from the downstairs neighbors. Children are trying to sleep and asking to go home! It is breaking my heart. My husband is teaching at a university in Victoria, so he is really far from work. We decided to live in the city b/c everyone told us we would have nothing to do if we lived further out and that we would need a car, etc., which we definitely don't want to get. To Aleina Dee, do you know of things to do in those areas that you mentioned? I will look them up. I get the feeling that while I can improve the view, I will always have late night noise if we stay in the city. :-(. I'm feeling really overwhelmed right now and just miserable. I can't take another 4 months of my kids begging to go home. Thanks for any input. To Risu, we did hear about the Club de Amigos and will check it out tomorrow. Now I am off to google about Belgranno and Vicente Lopez. Gracias por todo!

 

[Aleina Dee]

Noise to boot ! Unbelievable. You could complain to the building administrator if it persists although in Argentina this is "late afternoon"still,meaning no one expects that anyone is trying to sleep. However that does not mean that they can just disturb you like that.

Regarding where you want to live it really depends what you expect to do while you are here. Belgrano is still centric ,has China town,parks and is on the train line to Victoria. You can get to the centre in 40 minutes by bus.
Vicente Lopez is technically not Capital anymore but is so close that you would not know that you have actually crossed the boundary.
In other words you could opt in to have some noise rather than be in the position of having to opt out which in Palermo whichever one you live in is a distinct possibilty.
If you want to take the kids out over the weekend you could go to the river (La Costanera),show them boats and all sorts of birdlife.It is a bus ride away from where you are. A bit closer is Palermo park , which has ponds with ducks and lots of people around during the weekend.

 

[Aleina Dee]

Sorry. I just wrote you a largish reply only to find that my post has gone into moderation.It happens sometimes and it might take a bit for it to appear.

If your husband works in Victoria Belgrano is a bit nearer for him ,on teh train line actually and it is quieter as there is less multi family buildings.
Yu could have the best of both worlds in the sense that you would be a 30 minute bus ride away from Palermo,an hour from the centre, but could also enjoy a life that is a bit more tranquil.There is parks, China town and loads of restaurants.
Vicente Lopez is actually not Capital anymore but so close that you would not be able to tell the difference.It is largely residential in a middle class way. Not too many restaurants or night life but again you are about 3 miles from Belgrano where there is more option.
Hope this helps

 

[Aleina Dee]

If you go to Club de amigos tomorrow afterwards you might like to take the kids for walk along the river . The 37 bus stops outside that Club.You could take it to the "Parque de la Memoria" which is a monument to all the disappeared. Sounds depressing but on the contrary during the weekend it fills up with families with children walking or riding bikes along the river walk . It is near Aeroparque so the kids might get to see planes taking off.
The 37 bus you need is the one that says 4 on its sign in the window and AEROPARQUE in direction of Ciudad Universitaria . You will pass the airport (Aeroparque) and the Parque de la Memoria is about 4 stops from there.

 

[USmom]

Thank you Aleina! Will do, as long as it is not raining quite like today.

 

[serranita]

Hi USmom,

I just wrote a reply to you which I think was lost, so here it goes again.
First, welcome to Argentina! Im sorry youre having a hard first week here, adaptation can be hard, and having been an expat child many times myself I can sympathize.
Regarding your living situation, since your husband is working in Victoria you might want to try the outskirts of the city. Belgrano is still in the city and is a good option but it is more city feel than Vicente Lopez. Also Olivos, La Lucila, Martinez, Acasuso and San Isidro might interest you. There are some beautiful residential areas in those neighborhoods and the international school with the American system (called Lincoln) is in Martinez, so there are some international families in the area. The train that goes from Retiro to Tigre stops at all these neighborhoods, and in Olivos there is also the Tren de la Costa which borders the coast and will take you through Martinez, Acasuso, San Isidro and further on to Tigre where it ends at a fun park and there are also boat excursions and other things to do. On Saturdays there is also a eco-sustainable living fair in the San Fernando station of the Tren de la Costa and there are many outdoor activities for children there.
Best of luck!!