the bad

Stubborn, ignorant, racist, sexist, arrogant Argentinians, who think that all people of asian decent are "chinos" (chinese), don´t give a shit about the environment and think recycling is a joke, who also laugh at saving instead of wasting water, who think it´s ok to objectify women, and ok to call people "gordo" (fat) or "negro" (black) as their nickname.  It´s time to move into the 21st Century and out of the 1950s.

the good

Weekends, public holidays, being at home with my cats, my boyfriend playing the guitar, reading, watching Kustarica movies, drinking tea and seeing the shadows on the buildings from the afternoon sun.  The good.

the bad

Magazines in Argentina are generally bad.  They are overpriced, you usually cannot flip through them because it´s pretty much forbidden to even touch one at a quiosco if you are not going to buy it, and more often than not they are covered in plastic just to make sure that you cannot get a sneak peek at what you are paying for.  Last week I bought the magazine DD, an interiors magazine.  It cost me 20 pesos and I honestly think if you gave me a week I could put together a better spread that is more innovative and isn´t just advertising.  I don´t want to poo all over every magazine they have here, because some are quite good.  My favourite is Barzon, which features art, culture, lifestyle, fashion and interiors in an innovative way.  It does cost 32 pesos though, which limits my desire to purchase it often.  In general however, the quality of magazines available in Argentina upsets me.  DD magazine, please take a look at Australian Inside Out or Vogue Living and pull yourself together.

the good

The passion that Argentines have for their team in the World Cup is good.  The city is on crack at the moment in the excitement of everything, and with a win in the first game they are feeling festive and confident.  I don´t have a television in my apartment, but I don´t really need one because when Argentina score the whole building errupts with cheers and all the cars toot their horns.  We can even take time off at work to watch the games!  Let´s hope they keep doing well to keep the festivites going...

Trámites - the Good and the Bad

This word in English doesn't exist. We could say the translation is an "errand" or "paperwork", but both words sadly do not fully express what it is. A trámite is any sort of errand or paperwork or thing on your to-do list. It could be getting your passport, paying a bill, signing up for classes, or getting something notarized. It is a term so generic that people use it to mean just about anything. Apparently, we can also legally ask for a day off to do trámites (I think the limit is once a month).

The Good: At work it is great because you can say, "I have a trámite" and since it could mean ANYTHING, no one will know exactly what you have to. You could be going to pick up some x-rays, cashing a check, or even interviewing for a new job! (True Story)

The Bad: In general, trámites in Argentina suck. They mean waiting in a never-ending line, getting signatures and stamps, waking up hella early to go wait in said line, and generally stressing people out. Basically they mean a lot of bureaucracy.

I am in the middle of renewing my work visa and it is a trámite from hell. For three days in a row I have had to get up at 6 am in order to go stand in various lines to get the proper paperwork to finish the renewal. On Thursday I will be getting up even early to get to the Immigration office at 6 am to stand in line for a couple of hours in order for them to even see me.

To give you an example of long lines in Argentina, here is one of people waiting to get into the national congress building:



I am not sure what they are waiting for, but it is definitely not worth it.