Things I like about Buenos Aires

1. The fact that in the apartment next to me lives a practically master pianist and I can hear him playing the piano when I come home every afternoon
2. Parque las heras, about 6 blocks from my house, where I can go in the afternoons and watch dogs run around, parents walking their children home from school, friends relaxing and couples canoodling
3. That it’s not uncommon for me to see English Cocker Spaniels in the park that look just like the ghost of my first dog, Annie.
4. Public transport is unbelievably cheap (thanks, estado nacional!) and runs very frequently.
5. The fact that I can walk most places when I don’t feel like spending monedas (coins) on the bus
6. How pretty the 1 peso monedas are, even though there is a shortage of them
7. How passionate people are about futból (soccer), politics, or whatever they feel like complaining about
8. My internship, where I keep Julia (who I work with) company and learn how to prepare and appreciate and eventually become addicted to mate, the argentine tea of choice
9. Unlike in Nicaragua, I’m not a complete outsider for my blonde hair and pale skin
10. The high quality leather goods, including the adorable little purse and matching wallet that I bought recently for 20 dollars
11. The Recoleta feria (artisan craft street fair), aka the place where I bought the aforementioned purse and the only place I’ve been able to find cheap, good, street food
12. My little grupito of friends
13. The fact that I can walk to all of my classes and they only occur on Tuesdays and Wednesdays
14. Boquitas Pintadas (Painted Lips), the amazing book I just finished reading for my Spanish class. The funny thing is that in this class I happen to be the only one who even likes the book.
15. How completely one-of-a-kind and quirky the spanish is, with the unique pronunciation of the y/ll sound, as “sh” (which has been firmly incorporated into my Spanish) and trademark phrases such as “che,” “boludo,” “qué sé yo?” etc…
16. My primary language is now very firmly Spanglish and that I can say fairly comfortably that I am fluent now (although certainly not perfect).
17. The beautiful architecture, much of it in French and Classical styles
18. The political graffiti (as opposed to the gang signs in the U.S.)
19. The $2.50 pirated, but high quality DVDs you can buy anywhere on the street
20. There’s a never-ending amount of things for 20-somethings to do
21. The dulce de leche (like carmel) and helado (ice cream) is amazing, even though I refrain from eating them most of the time
22. The Onda Vaga concert I went to
23. My host mom buys me almost more fruit than I could possibly eat
24. Rules are more guidelines than anything (good and bad!)
25. There are cafes EVERYWHERE, and I can sit at them for hours and it’s perfectly acceptable
26. That I can get around with ease without ever feeling disoriented (unlike Nica)
27. Dogs are well-fed and well-loved, a contrast to the walking rib-cages that were considered pets in Nicaragua
28. I can have HOT showers! Oh, what a wonderful, wonderful luxury…
29. Different seasons exist! Not just hot & dry and hot & rainy
30. The frequency of feriados (national holidays). The Kirchner government has instated many supposedly for the purpose of promoting tourism within the country. There have been at least 3 or 4 four-day weekends since I’ve been here
31. Living here has rid me of any desire to have children anytime soon. Before, I had a great fondness for little kids, however, lately they have been nothing but an extreme annoyance for me. I will be sitting in a previously calm and quiet coffee shop (something that almost doesn’t exist anywhere in BsAs) trying to do my work when a mother will walk in with her three children. The children will then proceed to yell and run around and my peaceful environment will be gone. It seems like the concept of “inside voices” does not exist here. This also occurs on long, cross-country bus rides. So thank you, unruly, poorly behaved children of Buenos Aires, for convincing me that children are not cute, and in fact, are quite obnoxious. I am much better off with this opinion in the long run.
32. That when I finally when to the doctor after having a sore throat for almost a month, he takes a look at my throat, comments on how red and swollen it is, checks my breathing, and then prescribes me antibiotics right off the bat. “You don’t need a test?” I ask. “No, it’s only going to cost the both of us money and we’ll end up with the same result.” And as easy as that, I get my prescription.

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