The Newbie

First there was Ted, and then came the forgettable Frenchman Florencio, only to be followed by Uncle Brian. But now, after weeks of dormancy, the room on the roof is proud to present to you Miss Stefanie DeAngelo! Yes, at long last we once again occupy a full nest after my friend from home arrived in Buenos Aires Tuesday night. Surprise surprise, she's here to teach English, but luckily she got the memo that the late spring is not the best time to try and establish yourself in that trade and came with plenty of time to get plenty of work before summer vacation hits and the city empties. I've actually known Stefanie for at least 20 of my 23.5 years, since our parents met and worked together shortly after mine moved to the Berkshires. We were amongst an impressive (not so much in numbers as quality of personalities) group of children who grew up in the Thomson's backyard in the late 80's - early 90's, but our paths diverged for the next decade or so given we went to different schools. In actuality, we only reunited after my junior year (her sophomore, she's a grade behind but nearly 2 years younger) when we went to Costa Rica in the summer of 2003. Ever since we've been much closer, and now she's come to live with us in Buenos Aires. We welcomed her with homemade pizza and empanada night, complete with Quilmes and electronic music, and she's already started to mesh really well. So for all you reading at home, here's a new person with whom you wish everyone get familiar with her name, because she's now a supporting character in our blog. Welcome Stef!