My "get out of jail free" card

That is what Gabe is in this crazy country. I have previously discussed how being pregnant got me to the front of the line at grocery stores and banks. It gets better! Last Friday Mario, Gabe and I went to Buenos Aires for an appointment at the US Embassy to get his citizenship and US passport. While we were there, we decided to take care of his Argentine passport because if you do the paperwork in BA it takes about a month to get a passport. If you do the paperwork in Rosario, it takes 4 months. Go figure. Anyway, we got to the national passport center at 8:30am, and Mario tells me to go in carrying Gabe in my arms so someone will take pity on me and give me priority. No need! There was a whole special room to process passports for women with babies and old people, with NO LINE! We processed all his paperwork, took his photo, got his fingerprints taken (crazy to stamp that little tiny finger) and were out of there in half an hour. It was an amazing experience in my life.

Basically NOTHING in this country is easy or efficient. I still haven't gotten my own national identity document (follow-up to previous post, the first time I went to the office they were on strike, when I went back I was told that even though they are open until noon, I must come before 10am to request an appointment, I have my appointment in August, their first available...) and with a mere two visits to the DMV equivalent, am no where near getting my driver's license. So needless to say I was completely blown away at how simple and fast this was.

They say that is a true sign of a 3rd World country, that all resources go to the capitol and the rest of the country is left lacking...
Gabe's US passport photo. He has officially been granted US citizenship and I should be receiving his US birth certificate and passport within 3 weeks.

It was such a beautiful day that we walked around Parque Palermo - which is the Argentine equivalent of Central Park. It's truly beautiful, this picture does not do it justice. Of course Gabe was well protected from all external elements. I actually think we were cooking him in there, but there is a great fear of children getting cold in this country....

As a nod to the good taste of Ashley and Mindy, we stopped by Un Altra Volta for ice cream. Well worth the visit...