Xavier saves the day!

Xavier finally finished up his classes in Santa Cruz, Bolivia and withstood the 36-hour bus ride to visit me in Buenos Aires and discover a new city. Without having communicated about this before his arrival, he arrived with his CAMERA!! That means we could make up for some of my lost time, and he was particularly eager to take photos of things they don’t have in Santa Cruz. Like the subway (aka Subte) And an old retired sailboat in Puerto Madero.
And murals of world-famous soccer teams (in the Boca).
Also some images of my daily life in BsAs, like my studio apartment at Fray Santamaria de Oro 2705.
Friends and couples dancing at the weekly Sunday San Telmo feria.

Porteñisms III

Che - basically means "hey," like "che, can you pass me an apple?" but it comes across more friendly than harsh. Not recommended for use with elders or in formal situations.

Como andas? - literally means "how do you walk" but is commonly used as an alternative way of asking how you are doing or how things are going.

Todo bien? - means what you would think, "Is everything going well?" and is also commonly used as a way of asking how you are doing. You can also answer this or the previous question with "todo bien" as a declarative.

Dale! - used to mean "okay" or "got it!" when you're accepting a plan.

Niño/a - means "kid" but I've heard many adults use this as an endearing term to address each other: "Niña, can you help me translate this document?".

Big city, small world

Last night the young couple who owns the apartment I am renting invited me to a little cocert of the band Madre Maravilla in the basement of Bar Imaginacion (Bulnes x Guardia Vieja) because the boyfriend plays the drums in the band. Before they started playing, the girlfriend introduced me to Chris, an American guy who used to live in the apartment. When I told him where I go to medical school, he asked if I know a guy who just graduated, named Matt. I didn’t know many of the 4^th years, but happened to be shadowing my preceptor on Labor and Delivery one night in the fall when Matt was there for a rotation. It was a slow night, and at some point I told him about CHMP, the clinic outside of Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He was interested in doing a rotation down there, so I gave him the contact information for people at the clinic. He spent about 3 weeks there in April, and Chris had gone up to visit. In this big city with zillions of apartments, this guy with whom I have a mutual friend, lived in the same apartment as me! (he had moved out to be in a different part of town)

The band played electronic rock and wore funky uniforms under flashing colored lights. They had good synergy, and used some typical latin beats behind dissonant melodies, and it was a fun show and a great bar. I couldn’t find photos or videos anywhere, but you can hear a couple of their songs on their website or myspace page.

Things I will miss. And not miss.

Realizing that I am embarking on my last week here, I have started to take note of the things I have most enjoyed here in Buenos Aires and will therefore miss. Here’s my list:

1. Verdulerias every other block that sell all sorts of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as packets of freshly shredded carrots, beats, lettuce and cabbage--a HUGE salad for 2 pesos. Or a big bunch of arugula for the same price. And a couple of mandarinas for dessert.
2. Colectivos, the local buses that go everywhere in the city for 1 peso (~$0.33). My pocket Guia T maps out all the routes and has by far been the most useful 8 pesos I’ve spent.
3. Dividing all prices by 3 (the approximate exchange rate)
4. living within 3 blocks of tons of bus stops, a subway stop, 4 grocery stores, a handful of pastry shops, video rental stores and lavaderos (where they wash a load for $3), and more than a dozen restaurants
   
5. Dulce de Leche
6. San Jose – the local bakery near work where they sell fresh pasta, empanadas, and shelves and shelves of pastries
7. dog walkers—BA is the only place I’ve been where I see well-fed and groomed dogs on leashes and cats living on the streets. These photos were taken here, although clearly during a different season—a few of the dogs usually have jackets!

That all being said, there are certainly things I’ll be happy to leave behind, namely:

1. the short days and dreary weather (although there have been exceptions, this has been the rule)
2. the constant struggle to wrestle enough change out of vendors so that I can ride the bus
3. all the shit on the sidewalks – it’s a rare sight to see someone carrying a plastic bag as they walk their dog
4. indoor smoking, even though it has been banned