Missing Buenos Aires (or Not)

Although I have moved out of Buenos Aires and am currently spending the summer in England and Wales, I am not done with South America and certainly not finished with the precipitous learning curve of dealing with 'love'. (Novel/screenplay of Argentine/expat love affairs currently in production). I simply could not cope with Buenos Aires for another instant. WHY? Are the people really more unpleasant there than they are anywhere else in the world? The answer quite quickly became yes.

Apart from the fact that for someone who loves mountains. Buenos Aires may possibly be the worst place in the world - humid, low, flat and not one speck of nature for hundreds of miles all around, it is also full of people who really couldn't give a damn.

Portenos are arrogant. Okay many Mediterranean races are termed arrogant but none seem quite so lacking of any reason for the characteristic as those native to Buenos Aires. The violent body checkers swarming the streets of downtown are the worst offenders. Portenos are phoney. I have heard expats from other nations say that at least in their own country they know when someone hates them. Here they pretend to be your best friend, promise the world and then bitch about you to everyone you know. All that kiss-kissing and fake politesse is simply a cover up for how misanthropic they really are - It goes with the jealousy.

Oh yes - Portenos are jealous. Schadenfreude is alive and well and growing like a weed in Buenos Aires. Portenos are greedy - In a world economic crisis when the first world countries are lowering prices to remain economically viable, Portenos are aggressively raising prices daily. My rent went up 20% and my expenses 100% - the landlady expected me to pay for the maintenance to the old building. When I gave notice - she tried, is trying, to sue me and 'reported me' to the British Embassy. These people want it all their own way. Take in the good times - take more in the bad times.

Argentina seems angry that so many expats are now living in their country, taking advantage of low prices. They seem to forget that without us living there, their economy would not have recovered so quickly - or maybe they really just want tourists - so much easier to steal from, no questions asked. Many people applying for residence permits are being refused now. They created the 'rentista' category and you only required 2400 pesos (about £450) per month of income earned from outside the country in order to qualify. Now people with tens of thousands in the bank are being refused because they aren't property owners 'earning' rent. Portenos are stupid - or maybe it's just irrational. Nothing they do makes any sense.

After having my most treasured possessions stolen by customs, having to pay fortunes for a residence permit that needs to be renewed every year, having to pay fortunes to bring a few more possessions into the country (which also needs to be renegotiated every year), having to wait more than a year for the privilege of an identity card (something sane people are strongly resisting in the UK) and having to find someone to guarantee your rent in order to be allowed to live in an apartment not valued in US dollars - Buenos Aires, a city that barely functions and has become as expensive as Europe, Simply was not worth it any more.

Argentina outside of Buenos Aires is a completely different place and the people are a totally different race. And they have beautiful mountains.

Comments

[Pablo]

bueno veo que no la pasaste bien en Buenos Aires, vivo en buenos aires hace 30 años y soy Argentino, y como si hay gente mala (gente de mierda) tambien hay muy buenas personas, personalmente me iria a vivir a la polinesia (French Polynesia) jejeje
en resumen, trata de relacionarte con gente copada no se donde mierda habras ido, con tantos buenos lugares capas terminaste en la 1 11 14 jajaja
bueno saludos desde Buenos Aires Argentina

[Agustin]

Well I don't know how I end up here but being and Argentine Male and Porteño I desire to Help on this matter.
First YES people in Argentina now is quite angry towards the Hypocrital Goverment we have and everything is more caotic than ever, really.
Regarding Arrogance...I dont know who you talked to There are Arrogants and Friendly ppl EVERYWHERE in this World. For example just because I talked to an arrogant new yorker I wont consider the yanks to be arrogants. It depends who you talk with...
Then you talk about Dating and how you were cheated or no consider the way you wanted to. Again what kind of men you like? It's the same that you kiss and the pretend them to change? You have Love issues in B.A. but in the rest of the World things are much more easy? (Tell me where maybe I can go there too...)
You find difficult the Migrational issues? Yes! I didn't know they were that way but I know that the English ones are Harder for the non english/europeans. Same Shit Everywere!

Anti Capitalism! Who told you that? Unfortunally in todays Argentina the ones that scream all the time and make noise are the leftiest that whant to share someone else money (not theirs) as always. Argentina it's not anticapitalism maybe all the contrary so many economic crisis make you what make some money sometime, not loosing it all the time. But it's sad and you are right the Prices are rising (It's inflation what we have now, nothing personal)
So...If you dont like dont wanna be in BA is OK. There is a city and place for everyone in this world and we have to try until we find it. Your opinion is acceptable but it is a subjective opinion as my. A Pity you just saw it's dark side (every city and country have one)

Regards from Buenos Aires!
Agustin

[suzy vegas]

I think Sergio you will find that the Spanish have a much bloodier history than the English dating back past the Inquisition. Pero bueno you have your fantasy like all the Argentines who know nothing of the real world. Where would You and the rest of the empire be if the ENglish had not brought railroads and good management to the country.

Englisht bankers? I think you will find that began in the new empire of the US - Do research your facts

[Sergio]

Encuentro su actitud hacia los Argentinos que patronizan y que atierran y que vienen de un Englishwoman más aun .
Usted es la raza más sanguinaria que el mundo ha visto nunca y es la causa para los conflictos más humanos en guerra de hoy soaken el mundo. La raza inglesa ha violado y ha pillado más tierras que cualquier otro imperio en la historia de la humanidad. Ahora usted habla con nosotros sobre morales y avaricia y todos estos desperdicios.
Dígame inglesa qué sobre los banqueros de Londres que han causado el colapso financiero en el mundo. ¿No son codiciosa e inmoral? Usted no es aquí raper agradable y desdeñan al pillager y a los ingleses especialmente en Buenos Aires para su actitud codiciosa y maneras arrogantes.

[Jean-Pierre]

Hmmm, I have some thoughts on this discussion of alleged bad choices. A lot of thoughts, so much I might have to write a full blog post.

If you're lucky, the guy will do something stupid and sleazy right away so you know to move on. If you're not, he waits till after the getting to know you period, when you two are already involved. That's when its especially painful.

The media never shuts up about women's sexuality and the choices we make, and especially freaks over the choices young women make. But nary a word is ever spoken about the choices men make. Women are expected to be the moral guardians of our society, as if men aren't responsible for their actions.

I read some statistic recently... in the US, 4 out of 10 babies are being born to unwed mothers. That's 40% of women are choosing to have families without a husband.

Now that text messaging is more popular, I've been getting a lot of booty texts from guys that I've never given any indication that that would be welcome. Its insulting, and it makes me wonder, where did they get the idea that this is an ok way to treat/approach women? Its unbelievable.

[suzy vegas]

Interesting comment Ce - Maybe it is my 'poor choices' that determine my opinion regarding Argentine men in particular. The question then becomes - Why does virtually every single extranjero have the exact same experience. Why does every Argentine woman I meet tell me 'Don't date Argentine men - they are chanta/attorante/rotten'.

It is sad to know so many women in their twenties who have given up on dating because men are so difficult.

The hardest thing is that the men don't want to open their minds. They are like some 19th century cowboys on the look-out for sex at the saloon and then back on the horse and riding off into the hills. Argentine men have not kept up with the changes in women over the past twenty years and our new desires and needs.

They imagine they are still dealing with their Mothers

[ce]

lamento que te hayas encontrado con gente tan desagradable, los "porteños" venimos de muchos lados (yo vivo desde hace 10 años en buenos aires, soy de la provincia)y no creo que la falsedad sea una caracteristica generalizada. hay gente "phony" y gente honesta capaz de brindarte su amistad. como en cualquier parte del mundo.
tendrías que analizar el porqué de tus malas elecciones con respecto a las relaciones tanto de amistad como amorosas con argentinos.
y el delivery boy!! si sos una mujer con una mente abierta no se entiende que te hayas relacionado con un tipo semejante. asi cualquiera considera a argentina un pais llena de chantas machistas.
si volvés intentá relacionarte con gente que tenga los mismos valores que vos, como seguramente hacés en europa.
y con respecto a las estafas cotidianas, nosotros los porteños lamentablemente también las sufrimos pero muchos (aunque te resulte increible) actuamos con honestidad y respeto hacia el prójimo.

[suzy vegas]

I so agree Jean-Pierre - Tourists don't appreciate it - its facade of European glamour blinds them. A friend once said to me, as I crawled past my one year of actually living. that he observes in so many that the romance starts to wear off at the one year mark as you see all the ugly warts of the city and it was true.I in turn warned a friend as she passed her one year and rented her own place (the hassles this entails is a great contributor) and it has come to pass.

The point is that there are few of the redeeming qualities that other cities in South America have. It certainly is not anti-capitalist apart from the few Che-wannabees living in Dreamland. I know - the Delivery Boy was one - exisiting in some Chekhovian delusion.His answer to everything was KILL THE RICH.

[Conor]

Possessions stolen from customs? Was it a case you didn't pay the, whatyamacallit, coima/bribe? Buenos Aires is a great city to visit. I spent about a year there on and off between late 2004 and mid 2006. It was pleasurable but I heard about the pain of relocating there. I don't understand how they can never do things more efficiently. You would loose years off your life in time and stress doing the most mundane things, especially queuing. I can understand the ripping off of tourists. I love the audacity of saying the $ sign is in fact dollars and not pesos.
I love Buenos Aires. I love visiting (I am back in 3 weeks time) but I could never live there.

[Anquises]

Las migraciones producen tanto beneficios como perjuicios a las dos partes involucradas (nativos y extranjeros). Confío en que Europa le devolverá el confort que Vd. perdió en la Argentina, Sra.

[Jean-Pierre]

oh yes, i had a bunch of tech difficulties, switched my blog to another url, http://lazingarina.blogspot.com/, then my computer died, so i have not updated in a long time.

[Jean-Pierre]

I was only in Buenos Aires for two weeks, not long enough to form an opinion, but about a month ago I came across an article by Naomi Klein, where she talked about Argentina's awesome anti-capitalism. At that moment my entire respect for her body of work dissipated. Buenos Aires, this grand old sprawling city of wealth and commerce that makes Canada's capitals look dowdy, frugal and modest... is ANTI-CAPITALIST? What a load of horseshit. Naomi - don't mistake a handful of idealistic students with too much free time for the ethos of a nation.

But that's the curious thing about B.A.; tourists don't really experience it, it acts as a screen to cast their fantasies of what they think its like. Be it the "passion" of tango, the politics of Che Guevara, the intellectualism of Borges, whatever.

I suppose that's true of every tourist mecca to an extent; except other places are known for more tangible attributes, e.g. in Costa Rica, the sky really is that blue, and the beach really is that sandy.