While in Argentina, we contacted Alberto Grimoldi, a friend and classmate from HBS. Alberto is a consummate gentlemen and the nicest guy you could hope to meet. Although he had just returned home from international travel, he immediately invited us for dinner and insisted on collecting us at our hotel. We were excited to see his wife Martita again and to meet his four boys: Agustin (15), “Nacho” (Ignacio – 13), Joaquin (9) and Nico (6).
We jumped into the car and headed out of the city along the river, catching up on old times. Alberto’s family business was doing well. They have been successful in Argentina through vertical integration. Half the business operates a shoe and sneaker factory; the other half operates retail stores across the country. Although Argentina uses high tariffs to block imports, his business is still able to sell top international brands that attract lots of customers. He can go to a company like Merrell’s or Timberland and license their designs. Then he makes those right in his factory – they look just the same – and he sets up Timberland-branded stores to sell them. Any technical materials or unique designs are imported and offered at a higher price to give consumers a wide range of choice. In this way, Argentines are able to buy top brand names, while keeping manufacturing jobs at home. Argentina’s trading partners overlook these tariffs because they need soy beans, meat, leather and fine wines and other agricultural products which are plentiful here.
About then the cellphone rang and Alberto took a hard right turn. “Martita wants you to go on a wild adventure before dinner,” he said with a grin.
We pulled up at the Buenos Aires Rowing Club, where Agustin has been learning to row crew. A few minutes later Martita arrived as well and we bundled into a rowboat! There was room for 4 oarsmen and 4 passengers in the bow. Carter and I took turns learning to manage the long oars and keep up with Alberto, Agustin and Nacho.
The rowboat was a wonderful way to investigate Alberto’s neighborhood. They live in Tigre, which is where a large river enters the ocean. There are many small waterways, islands and channels to explore. The air was fresh and clean and the trees were just turning color.
Martita introduced us to alfajores – the confection that Oreos always wished they could have been: two thin butter cookies joined by a delectable soft filling into a sandwich, the whole deal dipped in a chocolate or iced sugar coating for good measure.
The most popular flavor of filling in Buenos Aires is dulce de leche, which is – grab your chest – carmelized condensed milk. Oh no! Oh yes. Yes.
It was great. We stayed out as late as we could and reluctantly rowed home while darkness fell. Martita gave Katherine a small flashlight and she waved it high overhead – as if at a rock concert – to warn away other boat traffic.
Suitably invigorated and inspired, we came back to their home which is in a gated suburb community of 1600 homes sharing a common security. They have stunning lakeside location where the kids can swim and boat and bike and walk to each other’s houses. So many kid and adult friends came by to visit the Grimoldi’s while we were there! It was clear that they are an important part of a warm and friendly community – the kind of place that American suburbs might have been in the 1950s. Several of their brothers and sisters were raising family nearby as well so there is always someone around.
After so many nights in hotels, we were overjoyed just to relax in such a loving home. We shared a wonderful meal and chatted late into the evening. Our family returned to the city, feeling a bit homesick we must admit!
Well, the next day the Grimoldi’s invited us back to their home to meet Martita’s Dad and participate in a first communion party. Can you imagine a whole throng of such wonderful and generous people? They did not bat an eye and simply kissed us each once on the right cheek in Argentine style and brought us right into the thick of things. Astonishingly, not just Alberto and Martita, but also every one of their boys, and also every one of their relatives spoke fluent English! We soon realized that this is a very special family that is fascinated by life in other countries. Many had lived in the States or other foreign places (they appreciated the USA for its efficiency and relative ease of living). But in the end, they were all drawn back home to Argentina and Tigre, where their children could enjoy the rare privilege of growing up surrounded by playmates and relatives and supported in every way possible. What a great way to live.
Carter and Nacho got along well. They were swapping book suggestions and sword-fighting. Katherine took them on in Risk and was bolstered when their cousins arrived, Caroline (“Caro” in Spanish) and Sophia. The boys made the mistake of attacking each other while the girls quietly bided their time. Then they moved in and wiped out both weakened armies. Carter and Nacho hastily forged an alliance but it was soon over. Girls win!
I was fascinated by stories Martita was telling of her recent travel to Italy, and enjoyed meeting her father. He had built and run a chemical company working with silica-coated pigment that partnered with a large German company. Go figure, that’s was what I had done as well! We had a great time.
Later that afternoon, we headed to a large mall with Alberto to walk through his latest Timberland store opening. The store looked exactly like a U.S. store gleaming new. Discount on new shoes anyone? Yes! Just in time for Africa! We returned home with plenty of shoeboxes.
Happily for us, Alberto and Martita were able to arrange their schedules even one more time to come out to the city the night before we left Argentina. We just sat around our suite and relaxed with pizza and snacks, enjoying another few hours together while we could. The ending was sweet – buckets of ice cream that Alberto had brought from Freddos, and a box of alfajores from Havanna – both BA institutions. We had renewed and discovered strong new friendships.
The next day, we all felt sad. Not only would we have to wait a long time to see the Grimoldi’s again, but we also had almost two months more of travel left, before we could see our friends and family back home. One thought cheered us up though – we had saved the continent of Africa for the grand finale.
