Well, I made it. After a relatively uneventful day of travel, I'm safe at home, with everything intact. As promised, here is the ode to porteño culture that I promised quite some time ago. I figured that if I don't write it now, you'll never know just how much I loved the place.
1) Walk
This is immediately evident, and perhaps the most important step in becoming a true porteño. Cars are a last resort, and the ones the do use are about the size of a toaster oven. Although, in defense of our lazy asses up north, the city is set up for walking, unlike our post-Ford suburbias. Every neighborhood has a few small grocery stores that are easy walks, and bigger destinations like movie theaters, etc. are easily reached by public transportation. I've made plenty of jokes about how crazy the busses are from the outside, but once you're on one, they sure are nice.
2) Chew with your legs still
That's the best subtitle I could come up with, sorry. But the point is, when Argentines eat, they eat. They don't eat and drive, eat and walk, or eat and breath, they'd choke. They do have plenty of good conversations, though. Although, as late as they eat, that's not as nice as it sounds. I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to yell, "NO, I DON'T WANT TO TELL YOU HOW A BICAMERAL CONGRESS OPPERATES, I'M FUCKING STARVING!" But I don't, my host family's nice.
3) Throw away your watch
I've been stating at my computer screen for about 20 minutes trying to think of something funny to say about this subject, but I can't. Without getting too Socratic on you, I'd like to point out that the to-the-second time concept is a purely imagined human construct, and completely arbitrary. It's a relic from the age of trains. Before then, it was, "I'll meet you sometime after noon." These days, we North Americans coordinate our schedules with railroad precision. But it doesn't have to be that way. Imagine not having to floor the accellerator to prevent a 2 minute tardiness to school or work. Two minutes! Granted, it's nice to be able to count on someone meeting you when you expect, but at what cost?
4) Know what's virtual and what's actual
People in Argentin talk in cafés, not chatrooms. The buy their books from nice old men down the street. They see the sun. Computers aren't nearly as popular as they are in the US. The economy might have something to do with that, but I think there's a difference in the people, too.
5. Buy your bread from a baker
I kind of hinted at this with the books from old men line in the last point, but small business are much more prevalent in Argentina than anywhere else I've seen. There are plenty of huge chains, both domestic and international, but they are the minority. There's a noticeable difference in the quality of food and products made by someone passionate about their work. Starbuck's hasn't broken into Argentina, yet. I was initially very surprised at that, since coffee is such a huge part of the culture, but the people are very loyal to their corner cafés, and the same can be said about the full spectrum of businesses.
6. PDA
Woah, I'm getting dangerously close to legitimacy, I think it's time for some boobies. I can't tell you how many personal displays of affection that I've seen over the course of the last several months. Old people holding hands on a walk, young couples picknicking in the park, teenagers sucking face on the busses, the list goes on and on. In general, the culture is just a bit more open than ours, and people do what they want to.
7) Moderation, moderation, moderation
This one might also be tied to the economy, but I think it's more of a cultural issue. And I don't just mean food, buy the way. I went to a computer store the other day for some CD-Rs to burn my photos onto, and the attendant asked me if I'd like them with cases or without, and I said without, so he went behind the counter and brought me back a single CD! It was actually all I needed, and was a nice surprise to not have to buy the 25+ spindles like in the US. There are a million other little stories like this, and the cumulative effect is obvious.
Of course, they don't have it all together; there's litter everywhere, the economy's junk, and they have very little regard for the lives of pedestrians. But all things considered, it's a wonderful place, and I would recommend it to anyone.
Well, that does it. This is my final posting for a while. It's the end of an adventure, or as I like to think, the beginning of the next. But don't worry, I'll be back; I have a habit of getting myself in interesting situations, I think that it's the only way to live. My next adventure is getting into med school, and that'll probably keep me away from the blog. But the next time I find myself with a story worth telling, you'll be the first to know, I promise. Talk to you all soon.
M
