My Life in Argentina and Beyond

December 20, 2007: If I haven't written in a while, it's because I have been travelling back to the US. It was a long, hard journey, full of tribulations, but here I am. Everything is changed, but it's also the same. Almost 3 years in Argentina have made me see things in different lights and they are all interesting in their own ways.

Thursday, December 13, 2007: In South Puerto Madero there are carritos, where people can buy choripanes, sausage sandwiches. And there are also small barbecue stands and stands that say: Hot Dogs and Cold Drinks. South Puerto Madero has a lot of empty lots, but I have a feeling that will soon change. There are some buildings in construction with names like Townhomes. English is the A List language.
Unfortunately, the stray dog problem is in Puerto Madero, too. I saw nice looking dogs, none scruffy or in bad shape. Their eyes followed people waiting for the colectivo numbers 2 and 4, but no one paid attention to them.

Friday, November 2, 2007: Buenos Aires has become the gay capital of Latin America. There are several gay-friendly hotels in the city and there are plans to make the city even more attractive to tourists willing to spend money on 5 star accomodations.

I appreciate the beauty of Buenos Aires, especially the old-fashioned homes still remaining in parts of the city (like in Belgrano around Calle Ciudad de la Paz). They’re so beautiful and interesting that I would buy one of these homes and furnish it as if it were fit for a queen, if I had millions of dollars right now. These old-fashioned houses with their balustrades and balconies and colonial roofs are authentic as well as a part of the history of this city. I look at them and I can’t get enough of them.

Sunday, September 30, 2007: It is estimated that 10 tourists per day in Buenos Aires are robbed by thieves. This information has come out after F.F. Coppola´s house was broken into the other day. The tourists make complaints to the police and the Tourist Protection office.

Tuesday, July 3, 2007: Yesterday afternoon, on the bus number 152 going downtown, a young blonde American woman sat next to me. She was talking to a man, also young, and very hip. His hairstyle was half rapper, half something else. I dared not speak to them, though I am not sure why, so I tried to listen and listen hard. I made out the name of Francis, then something about the people of Buenos Aires being very intriguing. He also talked about a movie he had made. All this, especially the American accents, were an unexpected gift.

Saturday, June 2, 2007: Tigre is way out in the North part of the provincia de Buenos Aires. There is a great, long island with beautiful palm trees on the main Avenue, Avenida Libertador. The houses are beautiful, some very traditional a la California, others are huge old houses, two or three stories high with triangle-shaped roofs and large gardens. But late at night Tigre is not a good place to be. There are tall trees and not enough street lights. Waiting for the colectivo, like good old number 60, is risky. The bus goes practically everywhere, but usually doesn´t bother to stop, even if it is very, very cold and the only person waiting is a freezing woman.

Wednesday, May 23: Barracas, Constitucion, San Telmo: barrios in the southern section of Buenos Aires. The buildings are old, some run down, quite a few signed by their architects. Most of the buildings have something called character.

Monday, January 29, 2007: The neighborhood of Palermo was always special. But now, in the first part of the 21st. Century, it is even more so. Real Estate people have divided it up into more slices. In the old days, there was just Palermo Chico and Palermo Viejo. The new names of the other neighborhoods of Palermo are: Palermo Soho, Palermo Hollywood, among others. More tourists are visiting the area and home prices have gone up.

December 7, 2006: Jenna Bush is still in Argentina. Her sister Barbara has already left to go back to the United States. The other day Jenna visited La Cava, a large villa miseria in Beccar (located in the northern section of the provincia de Buenos Aires). People asked what she was doing there. Why shouldn´t she go if she is working with UNICEF? La Cava has a bad reputation even among other slums. Been around for years and years.

Jenna has acquired an Argentine boyfriend. He is 25 and involved in marketing. Another reason to remain in the country.