the bad

The state of things, the organisation and essentially, the tramites or paperwork.  Today was exceptionally bad, even by Argentine standards.  It started with a trip to the public hospital to do a blood test, which is a tramite you have to do 1 week before you get married, apparantly at any public hospital.  Arriving at the public hospital of our choice at 7am, we were told it needed to be a certain type of public hospital, not just any old one.  So getting a bus back to a hospital near our house, we arrived at the second hospital.  After lining up, more lining up and then more of it, the doctor who is extracting our blood starts having an argument with another doctor while he has the syringe in my boyfriends arm, not actually looking at the syringe, and yelling at the other doctor.

We leave the hospital and go home.  I am working at home because I am waiting for another tramite, a certificate that verifies my address in order to renew my visa.  The process is that you go to your local police station and ask for the certificate.  They take your details and tell you they will come past your place in the next 48 hours between the hours of 8 and 2pm.  So what happens if you work?  You have to stay home, because someone has to be there to show your ID to receive the certificate.  So I stay and work from home for 2 days.  The certificate never arrives.  I call the police and they tell me that the postal workers have it, and will deliver it either Saturday morning or Monday morning.  I tell the police officer that I will not be waiting any more time in my house, as I already did that and nobody came.  He tells me that after Monday, I should just go back to the police station and pick it up from there.

The proof of address certificate is possibly the most puzzling of all tramites in Argentina, because theoretically, you could just hang out in a friend´s apartment and say that you live there (if you wanted to).  I have a signed contract that I rent this apartment, in my name, but no, someone has to come past, and see that I answer the door, because apparantly nobody works in Argentina, although if I didn´t have this job, I wouldn´t be able get a visa to stay in the country legally, and wouldn´t need the certificate in the first place.

Today I also tried to book a bus trip to Salta, and after hanging up on me twice and when someone finally answered for real,  they took my number and said they would call back but never did.  My family had a problem with their flight and the apartment rental company they are using do not answer their phone.  Bottom line, trying to call someone doesn´t work, and customer service is a mere memory from a place where it does exist... Australia.

I just have to deep breathe and think that tomorrow is a new day... and prepare myself for the frustrations to come...

the bad

Power cuts.  Well actually first it was the electricity including the light, fan (its summer!!) telephone and internet, then it was intermittently on and off for the next 18 hours, then later that night it was the internet and phone again, then the water, slowing to a trickle and then none until the next day.  But we got through it and are keen to see what awaits us next...

the bad

If there is one thing that would make me not live in Buenos Aires for a really long time, it would be the buses.  And more specifically, the fact that buses are always full, and not just full, but jam-packed.  So one would think that when all the standing room has been taken, no more people can fit on the bus, but this doesn´t seem to be the case here.  People make it their mission to squeeze, sometimes push and sometimes shove their way past you until they get to the back, so more people can get on.  But more often than not, there is not enough room to squeeze past people because the space is already taken.  This does not deter some, as they literally rub their whole body, genitals and hair included, past you, even when there is not room to do so.  This is particularly bad in the summer when it´s 40 degrees and still happens, but at any time of year it irritates me immensely.  One time I even had a little fight with someone as they said their permiso to shove past me and I said "Where exactly do you think you are going to go?" which was not received well. Lesson to all Argentines: If the bus is full, other people can wait for the next one.  I don´t want you on top of me.

the bad/the ugly

The last time I checked, the correct thing to do was to cross the road when the light for the cars and the pedestrians turns green.  I am not saying that I always cross the road at the lights, but usually I do, not wanting to be another casualty of the dicey road system they have here.  But recently some particularly angry motorists have taken it upon themselves to give me a blast of their horn if they need to wait 5 seconds while I cross the road with the pedestrian light IN my favour.  Really people, is it necessary?  Are you so angry with your life that you need to show your anger in a situation where I am doing the right thing, and you are using your warning device in a way other than was intended?  Somebody needs to teach these motorists a lesson in etiquette, patience and manners or I may just ruin mine by accidentally kicking your car the next time it happens...

the bad

The prices and the attitude.  Apparantly, the more expensive the experience, the worse the service (or at least that´s the way they seem to fly in BA).  I had lunch at a cafe near work called Mua the other day, or at least I took my salad away because it cost an extra 6 pesos to sit down and eat it (cubiertos: this is what they charge for the cutlery for your meal).  So I bought a 33 pesos caesar salad and my friend bought a 38 pesos bagel with salmon and cream cheese.  And to top it off, they put a measley drop of dressing on the salad and served up a whole lot more attitude when my friend asked for more.  The cafe itself was lovely; a nice big open space with mismatching furniture, high ceilings, lunching mothers with babies and money.  But if you are going to charge me 33 pesos for a salad, at least dish it up with a bit of service, not just greens... Mua can mwah my culo...

the bad (or the frustrating really)

I like to walk everywhere, and try to avoid taking buses and the subway if I can walk somewhere.  Buenos Aires being the big and populated city that it is, is often short of footpath space and there is nothing that I find more frustrating than when someone is walking at the same pace as you, and you cannot pass them.  You have no other choice than to walk with them or painfully close to them, and then they keep turning around because they are paranoid about being robbed.  Usually I speed up my walking pace to overtake them but this morning I was wearing-in some new shoes and they were in the process of giving me blisters, so speeding up was not an option.  And the guy infront of me was in his own world AND walking all over the place.  Is it too much to ask that you walk in a straight line and if at all possible, not at MY pace?

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 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 ugly

Disgusting pervy Argentinian men.  More specifically, old men.  Just imagine your grandpa eyeballing women in the street and saying things like "you are so tasty" in a dirty voice as they walk past... ew.  It leaves you wondering why there are so many horny old men in Argentina, and why they feel they need to share their opinions with you when you pass by.

The other day, an old man was walking towards me and we almost crashed into each other, but then he stopped, looked me up and down and as he passed by he whispered "que rico que sos...." (the tasty thing), and I looked back at him and said "que asco" (roughly translated as "how disgusting").  It´s time these macho viejos were told to shut their mouths, and if it´s me who has to do it, then God dammit I will.  The women of Argentina will not be sexually objectified any longer! (Yeah right).

the bad with a touch of good

Angry and impatient bus drivers are super bad.  The good ones play music and sing out loud, the ok ones smoke and talk on their mobile phone and the really bad ones can`t even be bothered to stop the bus when you are hailing it and just drive straight past you.

This particular one got his knickers in a twist because the lady infront of me got some of her money eaten by the ticket machine, and took longer than usual to buy her ticket, thus delaying the bus from being able to leave the stop.  He was huffing and sighing and being really quite rude when it was HIS MACHINE that was causing the problem.  The good was that the guy behind me offered the lady the remaining 30 cents that the machine ate so that she could buy her ticket.  What a good samaritan.  General public good, bus drivers bad.