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.

the good

This coming Tuesday the 25th of May, marks the 200 year Bicentenary of Argentina.  The government is putting on a manic array of activites to celebrate, and the icing on the cake will be the re-opening of one of the most beautiful theatres in the world - The Teatro Colón.  I have not had the chance to visit this theatre yet, as it has been closed for restaurations since I moved here two years ago.  I am super excited that it is re-opening, and I think it´s a great way to culminate the celebrations of 200 years of independence for Argentina.  Vamos!

Photo: www.buenos-aires.ws

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 Good - Shots Come in 3 Varieties

If you haven't had a shot yet, you haven't lived. And, in case you were confused, I don't mean tequila or any other type of alcohol. I am referring to a small bar of chocolate with almounds.

One might wonder, why is a bar of chocolate something so "good" about Buenos Aires? Well, you should taste the chocolate around here. It kinda sucks. There is, however, a rather cheap Kraft product called Shot that is great. Selling for around 3 pesos, it makes a crappy moment into a blissful, orgasmic gorgefest.

But Wait, There's More!

Shot comes in three forms!

1. A small bar of chocolate with almounds
2. Bite size chocolate-covered almounds
3. Shot Alfajor - a new product

I recently had the third option and was pleasantly surprised. It maintains its ties to the other two products, yet rebels against conformity and has an original texture and taste. My mission in the near future - buy all three and eat them all at the same time and then die of happiness.

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.