In major contrast to last week when I wrote an update, this week I’m working at a café in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires instead of within view of the ocean in a small town in Uruguay.

My parents were visiting for two weeks, and we had some great adventures in BA (polo match, ballet at Teatro Colón) and then a relaxing few days at the beach. I am so lucky and thankful that they support all my crazy adventures and enjoy coming to visit (although my mom said she’s eager for us to get on the road so she can visit us somewhere else!).

They’re (re)learning Spanish, too, and it means a lot to me and Roberto that they are taking an interest and making the effort to get to know his culture (and my adopted country) better. We took them to visit Roberto’s family in the southern suburbs of BA, and it was fun to have our families finally meet! With a crazy mix of translation, attempts at each other’s languages, occasional confusion, sign language, and smiles, everyone got along great.

In case you missed it, I recently wrote a post as part of a series called “The Most Important Word in the World.” If you have a chance, also check out some of the other posts that were part of the series. There are some great stories and explorations of the impact of one simple word: hello. (You can click through to the other blogs from either of the links above.)

I’d love to do another interview in the coming weeks, similar to the one I posted last week with Dalene and Peter of Hecktic Travels.