Sasha has been a coworker and good friend since she arrived in the USA from Russia three years ago. She’s a firecracker; she’ll climb anything she can get her feet on, kick my shin if I make fun of her accent, or buy a plane ticket for a one week trip to another hemisphere on a whim. Her enthusiasm and energy are contagious. I enjoyed seeing Los Angeles through fresh eyes when she first arrived, so I knew she’d be a good companion to explore more of Argentina with. She had first mentioned visiting me in South America only three weeks before she knocked on my door in Buenos Aires.

I had just found my way home from the Superclasico when she arrived. Our reunion, and the brief night out that followed, capped off an amazing day.

Sasha had 45 hours to see Buenos Aires; her orientation was my farewell tour. I dragged her to all of my favorite spots from the previous three weeks, and introduced her to most of my favorite people there in the process.