People move at a snail-like pace here, unless you’re a cabbie who drives like a bat out of hell. Meat is what’s for dinner. A lot. Salads, good salads, are hard to come by. It’s perfectly acceptable to have wine every night of the week. Learning Spanish is hard. “Lo siento” is not how people say “sorry” and “adios” is not how people say “bye.” Thanks for nothing, high school Spanish knowledge. Once I had the dialect of Argentina down and became addicted to empanadas and Malbec, I started to really enjoy myself. My boyfriend moved to Buenos Aires three months before me. While he chose a great apartment to live in for the next 18 months, it was in dire need of some feminine touches and homey feels. I wanted to bring the old in with the new and mix my American pride with my new Argentine home. Considering we live in a lovely shoebox, it didn’t take long to decorate.

Be comfortable.

Buy Local Treasures. You’ll thank yourself when you return to your permanent residence one day. This popular “penguino” is used to serve table wine throughout Argentina.

Bring pictures that make you smile, and then hang them on the fridge with local magnets.

Cook. Okay, okay…so this isn’t exactly a well-balanced meal. It required some baking though, so it counts!

Think ahead about what would make your time away from home more bearable – bring it. For me, non-negotiable suitcase items included a Keurig machine, my own sheets and pancake mix! (Coffee, sleep and food is the way to my heart…)

Don’t compensate for certain luxuries. Be smart with where you flaunt the jewels on the streets, but who said anything about hiding them in the apartment?!

Decorate with what you love. Candles, reading material and colorful art make my apartment homey and vibrant.

Don’t give up passions because you moved. Bring them with you and evolve. And when you’ve finished yoga, pop open a bottle of red.