January 3rd
A hectic travel day back to Buenos Aires. Nai is spending a few more days in Resistencia, but with the chaos of three other cats, a dog, and sometimes an extra puppy in the house, it made sense for Nai’s cat, Ruko, to travel back to Buenos Aires with me. Although I was happy to help, I was definitely a little nervous about being responsible for transporting her—and very unsure how she’d behave.
When it came time to give her the sleeping pill and get her ready to go… Ruko was not having it. Feisty and furious, she scratched and resisted every attempt to feed her the medication. Finally, Fabiana took one for the team, managing to give her the meds via syringe—and earning herself a few rough scratches (and maybe even a bite) in the process.
With an unhappy, loudly meowing cat in tow, we headed to the airport. After getting Ruko’s paperwork checked and saying our goodbyes, I walked into the one small gate at the Corrientes airport. Poor Ruko was still super stressed—the meds kicking in just enough to make her groggy and confused but not enough to calm her down completely. Her meows echoed through the tiny boarding hall, drawing plenty of stares and whispers.
Flying with Flybondi (basically the Argentinian version of Spirit Airlines) only added to the chaos. I struggled to fit her carrier under the seat, passengers around me grumbling their annoyance—sorry, but I’m not squishing her! Once we were in the air, though, she finally settled down and slept (or at least stopped meowing) for a good portion of the flight.
Landing in Buenos Aires didn’t mean the end of the travel-day checklist. I’d brought along a gift from my host dad Juan Carlos for a friend of his in Buenos Aires. I thought he’d pick it up from the apartment later, but he messaged to offer a ride from the airport instead. Great! Except when we finally found each other amidst the airport chaos, he explained he didn’t have his car because someone else was using it—he’d also taken an Uber.
Unfortunately, Ubers here don’t allow pets, and you need a different app to book a pet-friendly cab—an app I couldn’t download because I don’t have Argentine ID. Turns out, he did not have the app either, so, there we were, in the middle of a packed airport, Ruko meowing loudly, trying to figure out how to get home. Eventually, we booked a regular Uber and pleaded to driver asking if Ruko could come along in her carrier. Thankfully, they agreed.
Finally, I said goodbye to the airport and the friends of the Tymkiws, and Ruko and I made our way back to Nai’s apartment—home! Ahhh what a relief to be back.
