Evacuation

United States Embassy in Buenos Aires Emergency News Bulletin, April 27, 2020: The Argentine government announced the sale of airline tickets for regular commercial flights is prohibited until September 1. Only flights that receive special permission will operate.

There are still seats remaining on the Eastern Airlines flight from Buenos Aires to Miami, Florida on Wednesday, April 29, at 11:30 a.m. If you need to leave Argentina, you should strongly consider booking this flight, otherwise you should be prepared to remain abroad for an indefinite period.

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Reading the news is depressing, so for a while, I took a break. It was unhealthy that my morning routine was to open up the New York Times app and feverishly study the colorful maps of the growing death tolls across the world. Unfortunately, checking out is not a responsible option in these uncertain times.

U.S. cases as of April, 28, 2020

Two days ago, I received a news bulletin from the U.S. Embassy concerning the future of regular airline travel in Argentina. The decision had been declared by the Argentine president that morning. There had been prior emails, all warnings about the possibility of travel being restricted, but I was living in denial. Just like those poor saps partying in the late Summer of 1929, I didn’t want the party to end.

I called up the embassy and they explained that the flight was exclusively for remaining U.S. citizens in Argentina. With all of that information swirling in my head, I felt that I wanted to weigh the pros and the cons of staying or leaving, but time was running out. I had planned on staying in Argentina until July, but now I was risking the possibility of not knowing when I could return home.

About an hour later, I had made up my mind; I would take the flight (that would leave in just two days) and exit Argentina. However, there was one small problem, within one hour, all tickets were sold out. I looked at my computer screen and laughed. The choice was made for me. I figured I would just adapt accordingly.

In all honesty, there were only several immediate issues with my situation. Firstly, I worried how my dad would process the news. I figured the best plan of action would be to call the embassy back and see if there were any other options. The only advice they gave was to check to see if any other Americans cancelled their flight plans which would result in open seats. I went to the appropriate website and checked for any openings. However, at the bottom of the page was a message that said 30 people were also looking at the page. I refreshed the page and the number rose to 40.

I looked at my Macbook with pursed lips. What would be the odds that someone would cancel their flight AND I was able to snag said ticket? I sank into my chair and looked at my ceiling. Did I really have to tell my dad about my situation right now? Well, once again, that decision was made for me. My train of thought was interrupted by a Facetime call from my father.

He heard the news about the flights online and he wanted to know what I was going to do. I updated him about the situation and how unlikely it was that I would be able to secure a ticket. He urged me to refresh the page one more time…

The screen read: 1 seat available for Flight-888 to Miami, Florida.

I smashed on the reserve button and typed in my credit card information at a breakneck speed. The ticket was mine. My father yelled out a “hurrah,” but I knew that my work was far from over.

The problem is that the airport is located outside the city of Buenos Aires, and currently the city is closed off from the rest of the country by a military blockade. Passage is only permitted for essential workers at key crossings.

I know someone who fled to the suburbs last month to be with their family, but eventually they needed to get back into the city for essential work. They were forced to wait for more than four days to get permission to circulate.

I called the embassy, yet again, and they explained that they were working on expediting the requests due to the sudden announcement of the upcoming flight. Two days ago, I sent them the required information and waited for my permission slip.

I slept about four hours that night. I woke up yesterday at 7AM, and received the letter of permission to circulate from the embassy at 7:51AM.

With the letter secured, I walked out to my balcony and looked out at the city. Dark clouds wafted overhead and rain came down in buckets. I did not want to start, but it was time to pack up my things.

Fast forward several hours, it is now 4:25 AM, April, 29, 2020 in Buenos Aires. I hear sirens wailing in the distance and see four packed bags in front of me. My landlord will be coming at 7:30AM to check the apartment and my driver will arrive at 8AM to take me to the airport.

If all goes well, I will arrive in Miami at 9PM (EST) today. I will have to spend the night in the airport and then I will be taking a flight to Charlotte, NC to stay with some close friends until the situation in New York improves.

To be continued...