Don´t cry for me
Filed from: Silvia´s apartment, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Soundtrack: Mana, Revolucion de Amor
It´s a balmy autumn day in Buenos Aires, and the radio this morning forecast average temps of between 75-80 degrees F, a definite shift from last week in Boston. The park outside smells pleasantly of freshly-cut grass. I´m here for a couple days before heading south, where I´ll be for the next four months. I´ve come through Buenos Aires partly because it´s cheaper than Santiago and partly because I know the city and have friends here (I lived here for acouple months in 2003 and have been back five times since). After having been on the road so much, there´s a lot to be said for seeking out the familiar and a sense of home when you can find it. I can get that here, and I like it.
Yesterday was filled with errands and navigating among the sleek and stylish portenos (Buenos Aires residents) and the professional dogwalkers who walk upwards of 10 dogs at a time. The highlight of the day was tracking down Miriam, a woman whose gift for depilation (in particular, waxing) has been my primary reason for booking flights to South America through Buenos Aires for the past couple of years. Anyone who knows my (admittedly intense) feelings on the subject will know how delighted I was to see her again. It was good to catch up and, of course, shed some hair in the process.
Overall, things in the city seem pretty much the same as when I was last here in May. The economy seems to be getting slightly better (the exchange rate is a little lower, and my lunch - an Argentine classic of pizza with Roquefort cheese and hearts of palm - was a couple bucks more expensive). While there seems to be a stronger security presence in the downtown shopping area, fewer banks seem to be covered with the metal panels that had served to protect them from the daily demonstrations of hammer-wielding protestors whose savings had disappeared during the financial crisis of the last few years. It´s hard to say if things are getting better or worse, and the preponderance of high fashion on the streets (which extends to the fluffy, coiffed dogs) makes it difficult to gauge the current state of the country´s fragile economy. Most people I have talked to feel like things are at a standstill. They´re not as bad as they were, but they´re not really getting better either.
That´s the view from here. I´m going to try to get a map on this site so you can see where I´ve been and where I´m headed. And thanks for the comments - it´s great to hear from you!
Soundtrack: Mana, Revolucion de Amor
It´s a balmy autumn day in Buenos Aires, and the radio this morning forecast average temps of between 75-80 degrees F, a definite shift from last week in Boston. The park outside smells pleasantly of freshly-cut grass. I´m here for a couple days before heading south, where I´ll be for the next four months. I´ve come through Buenos Aires partly because it´s cheaper than Santiago and partly because I know the city and have friends here (I lived here for acouple months in 2003 and have been back five times since). After having been on the road so much, there´s a lot to be said for seeking out the familiar and a sense of home when you can find it. I can get that here, and I like it.
Yesterday was filled with errands and navigating among the sleek and stylish portenos (Buenos Aires residents) and the professional dogwalkers who walk upwards of 10 dogs at a time. The highlight of the day was tracking down Miriam, a woman whose gift for depilation (in particular, waxing) has been my primary reason for booking flights to South America through Buenos Aires for the past couple of years. Anyone who knows my (admittedly intense) feelings on the subject will know how delighted I was to see her again. It was good to catch up and, of course, shed some hair in the process.
Overall, things in the city seem pretty much the same as when I was last here in May. The economy seems to be getting slightly better (the exchange rate is a little lower, and my lunch - an Argentine classic of pizza with Roquefort cheese and hearts of palm - was a couple bucks more expensive). While there seems to be a stronger security presence in the downtown shopping area, fewer banks seem to be covered with the metal panels that had served to protect them from the daily demonstrations of hammer-wielding protestors whose savings had disappeared during the financial crisis of the last few years. It´s hard to say if things are getting better or worse, and the preponderance of high fashion on the streets (which extends to the fluffy, coiffed dogs) makes it difficult to gauge the current state of the country´s fragile economy. Most people I have talked to feel like things are at a standstill. They´re not as bad as they were, but they´re not really getting better either.
That´s the view from here. I´m going to try to get a map on this site so you can see where I´ve been and where I´m headed. And thanks for the comments - it´s great to hear from you!
1 Comments:
Hearts of Palm -- Tell me more about that some time. I have only had the preserved variety you can get here on the East Coast(otherwise known as the location of YALE, where you are coming for grad school. Right? right? Love and no real pressure, Maria
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