Week 9:
Hamilton is NOT Secretary of State…

August 9, 2016

…but John Kerry is, and this week, he came to Argentina!

This is the news that I wasn’t able to discuss in last week’s blog. We are not allowed to discuss these types of events until they are official, and the press release was not published until the day before his arrival. However, this week was one of the most exciting in my time at the Embassy, and a whirlwind like nothing I’ve experienced before.

Secretary Kerry came to Argentina to solidify the bilateral relations that were begun when Obama visited this spring, and to discuss a variety of issues with President Macri and Foreign Minister Susana Malcorra. He also attended meetings with AmCham, and participated in a wreath laying ceremony, along with other events, during his one day in Argentina.

During his visit, I ended up doing more work than I expected. I volunteered my services to Diego, a senior officer in my section, who put me to work doing tasks like printing schedules and programming cell phones. While important, this was not exhilarating work, but I was then volunteered to help with the baggage for the envoy upon their arrival. I accepted, not knowing until later that their arrival was scheduled for 1:55 a.m. However, this ended up being one of the most surreal nights of my life, driving like maniacs across the city, meeting the plane at the airport, watching the convoy depart, and then taking over 30 pieces of luggage from the airport to the hotel, and delivering them to each respective room. We didn’t finish up until 4:30 a.m., but luckily, we were able to stay at the hotel that night before heading back to work the next morning. I woke up with only 4 hours of sleep, but sleeping on a non-Embassy mattress made that the best sleep of my life.

After changing at the apartment and then going into work, Secretary Kerry’s day progressed, which culminated in a meet and greet event for Embassy staff. I also volunteered for that, and while I was excited for that, I thought that was the closest I’d get to the Secretary. However, walking by Post One and chatting with the Marine on duty, I was asked to hold the elevator in place until the Secretary arrived at the Embassy. So, with one foot on the elevator and one foot on Piso Bajo, I stood for about 4 minutes, trying to put out of my mind that they had been doing repairs on the constantly breaking elevator just the day before. However, the Secretary’s  envoy came, and with it John Kerry himself. I was within six inches of the Secretary of State, and that was worth the potential peril to my life that the elevator entailed.

So, from there, I made my way over to the CMR, where the Meet and Greet event was being held. I helped usher people through the entryway and direct coat check, nothing too exciting, but when the time for the event arrived, I was able to get a front row place in the standing order. So, with great anticipation, we waited, and waited, and waited… apparently he was on a call, so he kept us waiting for a while, but it was worth it. He arrived with Ambassador Mamet, who gave his remarks, and then Kerry took the microphone. He discussed the importance of America’s and Argentina’s increased bilateral relations, increased efforts in a variety of fields, from drug trafficking to increased trade to educational development. At the end, he went around, shook hands with everyone, while the Embassy photographers took pictures. I owe my friend Curt, because he captured this moment…

After Kerry left, the volunteers cleared out the room, before returning to the Embassy. From there, I headed back to the apartment to grab dinner and a few things, before returning to the hotel. We got a few hours of sleep before we had to wake up at 4:30 to retrieve the bags from everyone’s rooms, go through and confirm that everyone was accounted for, re-certify them, and take them to security, before loading them up on the truck. After that, our morning was done, and we headed into the hotel for another hour of sleep and breakfast before going into work. Luckily, a long day at work was relieved by the Ambassador releasing everyone at 2:00, when I happily returned home and curled up in bed for a good five hours before getting up to play Truco and eat dinner with my friends. Looking back now it feels like a dream, but I have the photo proof to confirm it! I cannot think of a better way to describe my last days at the Embassy, and I’m looking forward to this upcoming final week a la Embajada de los Estados Unidos.