My first missive from the Fortress

When I decided to pack up my life and move to the Southern Hemisphere, my family and friends offered me more support than my half-baked plan probably deserved.  Still, my mother did make one request of me: "Find the U.S. Embassy, and go introduce yourself."

The American Embassy, or as I like to call it, the Fortress.

Given her instructions and the architectural wonderland that characterizes Embassy Row in Washington, D.C., I imagined the embassy as this charming, neoclassical building amid a neighborhood of chic mansions.  While Buenos Aires does have a lovely grouping of embassies between Av. Del Libertador and Av. Figueroa Alcorta, the American one is not part of this cool crowd.  The U.S. isolationist philosophy holds true for its consulate, which is well removed from all the surrounding buildings.  Behind 12-foot walls is a plain government office that looks like some outstanding eyesore from the 1970s.

Over the course of my five months in Argentina, I've never had to go through as much security as I did to enter the American Embassy (and that includes a few turns through Argentine and Uruguayan customs).  After checking my hand sanitizer, iPod and lipstick at the front, I entered the heart of bureaucracy— it was not the kind of place you "introduce" yourself.

Nevertheless, I appeased my mother by registering on the State Department's website.  By sharing your information with the U.S. government, they promise to alert you of any problems while you are living or traveling in said country.  Today I received my first e-mail alert, which reads as follows:

Dear Wardens: 

The U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires has been informed that a protest group will block Av. Maipu in Vicente Lopez this evening, reportedly beginning at 1900hrs.  The blockage will reportedly be in the 2600 block of Av.Maipu, just north of the Residencia Presidencial. 

U.S. citizens should plan their movements accordingly, take common-sense precautions and expect lengthy transportation delays, if not total gridlock.  The local media will provide additional information about the roadblocks as it becomes available. 

First question: Since when are protests worthy of the State Department's time and resources?  Along with soccer and mate-drinking, protesting is the national pastime in Argentina.

Second question: Why are they addressing the expat and travel community as "wardens"?  Did I accidentally register as a law enforcement officer on the State Department page?

Just another of life's mysteries ...