Random thoughts and observations

This is that post that Ive been promising forever.  Its just going to be a bunch of random thoughts and observations that Ive made over the past month.  Holy crap, Ive been here for a month.

-People walk really really slow everywhere.

-People are very into piercings and tattoos here.  Its pretty trashy.

-Motorcyclists dont like to wear helmets.  At least 20 times a day I see somebody ride by on a motorcycle with a full-face helmet...on their arm. Like arm hooked through the helmet as they weave through traffic at 40mph.  Can somebody attempt to explain this to me?

-If you go to a fruit stand, you cant touch the fruit or else the guy will scream at you.  You need to wait in line for him to get whatever you want for you.

-Public buses travel in packs.  You might wait 20 minutes for a bus (a long time here) and then 5 of the same bus will come by at once.


-People dont pick up after their dogs, and it turns sidewalks into obstacle courses.


-The only vegetables Argentines believe in are lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes, and occasionally carrots and onions.  Ive resorted to Centrum for nutrition.


-Peanut butter? Whats that?


-If you want a nice big cup of coffee to start your day, order 6 coffees.  The average mug is about 3 shots of coffee.


-The music is 15% popular salsa, 5% classic Argentine music, 60% old American classics (like Sugar Ray, Nelly Furtado, Build Me Up Buttercup, etc), and 20% old cheesy American rap songs (DMX, Ja Rule, etc).  Unless you take a cab, then its 100% 80s pop (See here).


-TV shows are local news channels and dubbed and/or subtitled American shows and movies.


-I havent yet seen a car with an automatic transmission.  Including buses and coach buses.


-The banking system is an insult to organization everywhere.  Yesterday Dave and I spent 2 hours trying to find a bank/atm to get pesos.  We went to about 10 banks, none of which would even let us use their atms because "Its 3pm, you cant use it now", even though we had been searching since 2pm and none of the atms were working then because of "a technical issue".  Eventually we waited outside a Citibank until it decided to reopen (about 330-345pm).  We then had to search for an exchange house that was still open at 4pm because banks wont change pesos for dollars.  We were so tired after the ordeal (by the way, this was the third time this exact process has happened) that we skipped the gym and napped for 3 hours.


-If you dont like soccer, you dont have a soul.


-There is a coin shortage.  Let me repeat.  There is a coin shortage.  I remember how in every country Ive ever been to, its a pain because I always have so much change.  Here, you have to go to a kiosk and search for something oddly priced so you can overpay for it and receive coins as change- just so you can take the public bus.


-Theres an unwritten social law that prohibits any Argentine from enunciating anything.


-If you go out before midnight or come home before 6am, youre doing it wrong.


-There is a LOT of child exploitation.  The economy is really struggling and unemployment is real high, so parents walk around with their adorable children dressed in crappy clothes and the kids ask you for change.  Also, there are a lot of "cartoneros", whole families that spend the night searching through garbage to find recyclable goods or things for their own use.


-People are constantly scamming or trying to make a quick easy buck.  At traffic lights, street performers do a quick 30 second show and then walk around asking for money from the stopped cars.  And dont be surprised if the guy walking past you asks for a bite of your sandwich.


-Check your money, its probably fake.  You stupid American.


-If you dont take 2 hours to eat lunch, youre doing it wrong.


-Napkins are made of a material very similar to wrapping paper.  As a friend pointed out, they make you dirtier because they dont absorb anything and just smear whatever it is all over your face.


-Water is expensive.  If you ask for a glass of water at a restaurant, theyre probably going to get mad at you and make you buy a bottle.  And make sure you know the difference between "sin gas" and "con gas" is.


-Even if you speak in perfect Spanish, your accent makes you impossible to understand and people will either speak English with you or give up listening.


I had a bunch of other things to say, but I cant remember them now.  This was a fun post, Ill do it again later with more thoughts.