Swapping Seasons in Argentina

If I were a non-human animal, I would definitely be a migratory one. One of my favorite things to do during extreme seasonal heat or cold is to head south to escape it. It’s not rocket science, I guess. Plenty of people head South for the winter, kind of like the birds do. My family went to Thailand to warm ourselves last winter. I think it’s equally as valid, though, to head South (and by South, I mean the southern hemisphere) in the summer, when the thermal readings are at scalding, unbearable levels. Even though the temps in Nashville have been pretty mild this summer, I’m still enjoying the winter break in Argentina. I like shocking my body with the sudden polarity that comes with swapping seasons. Last summer, I was in South Africa, where it snowed – in August! I love that I could say it was snowing on my birthday, during the hottest month of the year where I come from.

The downside to fleeing your current season is the packing. We recently moved in to a new home, and I literally just finished storing all of my winter clothes. Digging sweaters and boots out from their inconspicuous hiding places wasn’t so exciting. So I decided to make a fun little game of it.

I normally don’t take photos of my clothes posing, but I thought:

1) It will help me organize my outfits visually, in an attempt to avoid overpacking (I get seasonal amnesia about how to put outfits together, apparently), and

2) It might make an interesting post.

Some of my clothes have been in storage for years, as I’ve been in residential limbo since selling my house in DC and buying a home in Nashville, so rediscovering these treasures feels a bit like going on a shopping spree (but without the buyer’s remorse). I did get a teensy bit excited.

Yes, those are furry earmuffs

Mixing it up with travel, seasons become more bearable. They don’t last as long, and you can appreciate the heat or cold, respectively, when you return home. Believe me, it is 36 degrees here in Buenos Aires, so 90-plus in Nashville isn’t sounding so bad right about now.

Braving it on the open-air city bus tour in BA

As we sit inside our swanky downtown apartment, hibernating from the cold, I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to escape our winter to be here in Argentina’s summer. Yea, it’s that cold outside. Oh, and there was definitely a Christmas carol playing in the little wine shop today. Christmas in July!

Are you embracing your season, currently, or escaping it?