Submitted by Alexandra DiDonato on the 2013 fall semester program in Buenos Aires, Argentina…
This week marked the half-way point of this crazy South American journey and it’s hard to believe that we arrived two months ago! To commemorate this occasion, I thought I’d talk about some of my favorite and consequently least favorite things about Buenos Aires so far. So here’s a short list, starting with my least favorite things first and then moving on to my favorite.
Five things I don’t like:
– Things are often delayed or don’t function at all. I can’t even count how many times I’ve been late for class because the subte (subway) decided it was going to be twenty minutes late without warning or how many days I see older folks struggling to climb the stairs in the subway station because the escalator hasn’t been working for two weeks and nobody has done anything about it.
– In many places in Argentina, toilet paper is optional and so is a flushing toilet. The quality of bathrooms fluctuates depending on the quality of the area you’re in, which is very understandable especially in the more rural areas. But for example, when I need to go to Buenos Aires’ main and very active bus station Retiro, is it too much to ask that I don’t have to pay for toilet paper? Last time I was there two women sat outside the stalls and charged pesos for people to use their toilet paper.
– Water at restaurants isn’t free. Neither are refills.
– Watch where you step at all times. If you’re not careful the sidewalk will suddenly drop a foot, or you’ll break your ankle stepping into a pot-hole, or you’ll trip over some piled up pieces of broken sidewalk, or you’ll just step into dog poop.
– There’s always the lingering threat that your things will get stolen. Most crime here is just petty pick -pocketing, but you can never let your guard down in this city no matter where you are or who you’re with.
Now for some things I love:
– For one, I’m in love with the café culture here. In the States when it comes to the food industry, time is money. There’s more of an expectation for the customer to order, eat their food, and leave shortly after they finish. Some waiters in the States will bring you the bill before you even have time to finish your meal. Granted, that’s what we’re used to; eating isn’t supposed to take a long time and surely you have things you plan to do afterwards. However, in Argentina, friends go out to cafés or restaurants with the purpose of being there a long time just hanging out and chatting. When my friends and I sit down in a restaurant, it’s a very real possibility we’ll be there for 3 to 4 hours just enjoying ourselves. There’s no alternative, food takes forever to come out and the waiter won’t bring you your bill until you ask. Loitering is encouraged!
– The friendly and open culture. I literally just met you, but naturally we’re going to hug and talk like we’ve known each other since the first grade. I love it! Also, in general porteños are very patient with foreigners. If there’s something you don’t fully understand, they do their best to explain and help in any way they can. They also love chatting with you about your culture and what you like the most about Buenos Aires.
– There is always something to do, no matter what day of the week or what time of day it is. From hanging out with friends at a café, attending comedy shows, meeting with locals at mate clubs, visiting one of Buenos Aires’ beautiful parks or museums, taking bike tours around the city, and the the list goes on. With everything just a subte (subway) or colectivo (bus) ride away, there’s never a boring day in this city!
– On the subte (subway) there’s often people who’ll bring their musical instruments (along with amplifiers!) on board to play for tips. Sometimes there’s more than one and they’ve got a whole band going on. When they’re done everybody claps and a few donate pesos. It makes long subte (subway) rides much more entertaining!
– And probably the thing I’m most surprised to love, the premise of not eating dinner until 8 or 9 at night. Back in the States I’ll eat dinner around 5 or 6, only to get hungry again around 11 or 12. I’m often up late doing homework or projects, so to me eating dinner later makes much more sense!
Every place has it’s pros and cons, but, at least for me, the pros far out-way the cons when it comes to Buenos Aires. I can’t wait to make the best out of the two months I have left!