So, I've just gotten back to the US from a year in Argentina and I'm surprised at the things that are surprising me. They are things that I took for granted before I left and then didn't exist in Argentina. Now that I'm back and things are supposed to be normal, these differences are stopping me in my tracks.
Things that don't exist in Argentina, most specifically in Buenos Aires
Diversity - culturally and racially
An entire aisle of cereals at the grocery store and a 1/2 aisle of granola bars
An abundance of vegetables
Large distances between shopping locations (ex. the strip mall)
Back yard trails
I will continue this list as I continue to discover new examples of reverse culture shock.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Insecurity
My first surprising realization about robberies in Argentina is that it happens more often to Argentines that to tourists. When you ask an Argentine if they’ve ever been mugged or robbed, they’ll start by telling you, “Well, the last time I got robbed it was like this.” Unfortunately, it’s not a once-in-a-lifetime event, but something that has to be dealt with more often that should be normal.
From what I’ve come to understand is that there are several bases to the problem of insecurity, as it is called. They are the similar to the problems you find in any developing country: poverty, drugs, alcohol, and a lack of education. The issue that makes the problem worse in Argentina is the lack of punishment. There is no penal system for minors, so any crime committed by a minor goes unpunished. This leaves victims and their families fuming with rage without receiving any justice for the crimes committed. It is hard to believe that a 15 year old who robs at gun point and even kills someone, can continue to walk the streets because they are not of age. And even when punishments are issued, they can often be lessened with bribes to the right people.
Most of the young people committing these crimes, which often happen at gunpoint or knifepoint, come from shanty towns or villas in and around Buenos Aires. The residents and the villas themselves are generally ignored by the government, so police enforcement is minimal to non-existent. However, they are provided with electricity and water free of charge, and since they are not technically allowed to live there, the residents do not pay rent either. These areas are hot spots for violence and breeding places for drug usage and criminal activities. Encouragement to study and get ahead in one’s studies is minimal, leading to few opportunities for employment later in life.
This cycle of active ignorance of the problem of ongoing insecurity by the government has led to an increase of the problem. If you can make more money stealing than you can working a normal job, why would you put in the effort to get a job if there are very few consequences for the first choice. In my opinion, a youth penal system needs to be established with severe consequences if the situation of Argentine security ever hopes to improve. I don’t think the villas will ever disappear because the residents gain more benefits by living there than by paying for all of their services. The government needs to put in the effort to enforce its laws and the entire society needs and deserves to have a justice system that they can believe in. How to make this change? I can admit to not having any idea how to do it, but somehow, maybe with a new wave of politics it could happen.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Living with Economic Uncertainty
Over the past seven and a half months living in Argentina, my awareness and understanding of how Argentines weather their daily ups and downs has grown steadily. In my first few days here, I thought that everything was the same, only in Spanish. Now as I have begun to better understand the individual and collective Argentine mind, the range of the differences between my home country and my new home surprises me. While I have yet to fully understand how the Argentine government works, I have begun to start putting together what my everyday observations mean. It has struck me is how Argentines are so used to economic uncertainty; they take inflation, devaluation, and robberies in stride.
Americans have lived in a world of stability and predictability for many political administrations. Now with the economy reeling, they are having to understand how to live with an unsteady economy. In this respect, there is maybe something Americans can learn from Argentines. The trend of an economic downturn roughly every ten years has instilled in my new neighbors an attitude of problem solving in order to keep their earnings as safe as possible. The monthly challenge of what to do with your pay check: whether to change it to dollars and put it in a safe or leave it in pesos in your bank account is a dilemma that North Americans don’t even consider. With the current devaluation of the peso, it is a pressing question that has due right to be at the top of any salary earner’s mind. I have seen my salary in pesos drop dramatically in relation to the dollar, but the money that I have saved in my US bank account becomes more valuable every day. In this aspect, I am the lucky foreigner, but it makes me realize why imported items such as digital cameras, laptops, and personal cars are such a luxury. Americans change their car every eight to ten years, while the average Argentine car is from dates from the early 90s. There is a visible gap of cars from the years of the last crisis: most cars being from the 80s or 90s or new within the last five years. Saving up the money to buy a new car simply isn’t a luxury that the average citizen has, so they pay for repairs and continue driving their 1989 Fiat. Here, having your money in dollars is like investing in the stock market; you’re not exactly sure what will happen to it, but in the long run, it’s probably a safe choice. However, the memory of the 2001 crisis is still fresh in most Argentine minds, and they know that even converting your money to dollars isn’t always enough to save your savings. With the global economy on the downturn, I find my American friends beginning to panic, while my Argentine friends are bracing for another of the many financial dips they have seen in their lifetimes.
With currency devaluation often comes inflation and the current situation is no exception. I have watched the price of a café con leche and three medialunas (a laté and three croissants) which is the traditional porteño breakfast in a nice café rise from 10 pesos to 12.50 in just a couple of months. My daily Diet Coke in a kiosko has gone from $3.50 to $4 and I am waiting for the day when I will have to reach for another bill. With the farmers on strike again we are waiting until the supply of daily staples such as meat and milk tightens and the prices begin to rise. A recent article on CNN analyzing the G-20 countries put Argentina’s inflation rate at 22%, higher than any of the other participant country’s . My Argentine friends take this all in stride because they have seen it happen. I am doing my best to do the same and not grumble too much when I have to change my monthly budgets.
However, the fear of losing your money comes from many different threats, only the two of which are devaluation and inflation. Argentina has been plagued by a high rate of robberies for many years. Robberies here come in many different forms, as they do in all cities: pick pocketing, store or bank hold ups, house break-ins, and muggings. All of these are prevalent in Buenos Aires and punishment is minimal, often even less when the all so common bribe is involved. In one week alone, there were hold ups in a supermarket and a McDonalds across the street from my apartment. There was no publicity of the events and very little police presence after the events, making them seem unimportant and routine. The only advice I was given was to walk with a friend and stay out of the bad neighborhoods, neither of which would have helped me if I had gone to pick up some milk at just the wrong moment. A normal ride in a taxi or on the subway can cost you much more than you expected due to fake money swaps and pick pocketters. The things that surprised me the most were that Argentines are targeted almost as much as tourists and that there is almost no social conscience to say something if you’re a witness. Thus, I have learned to hug my bag while on the overcrowded subway and pay with the smallest bill possible in a taxi ride, and hope that my luck holds up.
The youngest generation of Americans do not remember the economic recessions of the 1980s, 70s, and the depression in the 30s. While our parents and grandparents remember the hard times that were faced, we have lived in a climate of economic security. However, in Argentina, the young people lived through the crises of 2001 and that of the early 1990s. Thus, they have grown up very aware of their economy. This acknowledgement of uncertainty has made Argentines resilient in the face of the current economic downturn. I hope to learn to embrace this attitude and bring it home with me when my tenure as an honorary Argentine ends.
Americans have lived in a world of stability and predictability for many political administrations. Now with the economy reeling, they are having to understand how to live with an unsteady economy. In this respect, there is maybe something Americans can learn from Argentines. The trend of an economic downturn roughly every ten years has instilled in my new neighbors an attitude of problem solving in order to keep their earnings as safe as possible. The monthly challenge of what to do with your pay check: whether to change it to dollars and put it in a safe or leave it in pesos in your bank account is a dilemma that North Americans don’t even consider. With the current devaluation of the peso, it is a pressing question that has due right to be at the top of any salary earner’s mind. I have seen my salary in pesos drop dramatically in relation to the dollar, but the money that I have saved in my US bank account becomes more valuable every day. In this aspect, I am the lucky foreigner, but it makes me realize why imported items such as digital cameras, laptops, and personal cars are such a luxury. Americans change their car every eight to ten years, while the average Argentine car is from dates from the early 90s. There is a visible gap of cars from the years of the last crisis: most cars being from the 80s or 90s or new within the last five years. Saving up the money to buy a new car simply isn’t a luxury that the average citizen has, so they pay for repairs and continue driving their 1989 Fiat. Here, having your money in dollars is like investing in the stock market; you’re not exactly sure what will happen to it, but in the long run, it’s probably a safe choice. However, the memory of the 2001 crisis is still fresh in most Argentine minds, and they know that even converting your money to dollars isn’t always enough to save your savings. With the global economy on the downturn, I find my American friends beginning to panic, while my Argentine friends are bracing for another of the many financial dips they have seen in their lifetimes.
With currency devaluation often comes inflation and the current situation is no exception. I have watched the price of a café con leche and three medialunas (a laté and three croissants) which is the traditional porteño breakfast in a nice café rise from 10 pesos to 12.50 in just a couple of months. My daily Diet Coke in a kiosko has gone from $3.50 to $4 and I am waiting for the day when I will have to reach for another bill. With the farmers on strike again we are waiting until the supply of daily staples such as meat and milk tightens and the prices begin to rise. A recent article on CNN analyzing the G-20 countries put Argentina’s inflation rate at 22%, higher than any of the other participant country’s . My Argentine friends take this all in stride because they have seen it happen. I am doing my best to do the same and not grumble too much when I have to change my monthly budgets.
However, the fear of losing your money comes from many different threats, only the two of which are devaluation and inflation. Argentina has been plagued by a high rate of robberies for many years. Robberies here come in many different forms, as they do in all cities: pick pocketing, store or bank hold ups, house break-ins, and muggings. All of these are prevalent in Buenos Aires and punishment is minimal, often even less when the all so common bribe is involved. In one week alone, there were hold ups in a supermarket and a McDonalds across the street from my apartment. There was no publicity of the events and very little police presence after the events, making them seem unimportant and routine. The only advice I was given was to walk with a friend and stay out of the bad neighborhoods, neither of which would have helped me if I had gone to pick up some milk at just the wrong moment. A normal ride in a taxi or on the subway can cost you much more than you expected due to fake money swaps and pick pocketters. The things that surprised me the most were that Argentines are targeted almost as much as tourists and that there is almost no social conscience to say something if you’re a witness. Thus, I have learned to hug my bag while on the overcrowded subway and pay with the smallest bill possible in a taxi ride, and hope that my luck holds up.
The youngest generation of Americans do not remember the economic recessions of the 1980s, 70s, and the depression in the 30s. While our parents and grandparents remember the hard times that were faced, we have lived in a climate of economic security. However, in Argentina, the young people lived through the crises of 2001 and that of the early 1990s. Thus, they have grown up very aware of their economy. This acknowledgement of uncertainty has made Argentines resilient in the face of the current economic downturn. I hope to learn to embrace this attitude and bring it home with me when my tenure as an honorary Argentine ends.
Monday, September 15, 2008
TEFL classes and pictures
Well, I've been slacking and I know it. But I'm going to try to be responsibile with this, so here goes. I've finished my class and now I'm working on finding a job. I learned a fair amount about teaching English, which as I have found is quite different from teaching anything else. You have to talk as little as possible so as not to confuse the students. This has been a challenge for me, but I think I've gotten better. The solution seems to be being very prepared and using gestures and pictures. They have taught us to teach only in English and not to speak any Spanish, because it will seem like a crutch to the students. During the class we got to practice teaching to real English learners. I taught 6 lessons, 2 with a partner, to all 4 levels that we offered: Low beginner, high beginner, low intermediate, and high intermediate. It was impressive how much the ability level changed between each level. Low beginner was working on past tense verbs (ex: buy/bought), low intermediate was working on modals (You should have...), and high intermediate was like a conversation class. Some of the classes were difficult because of the students and others because the page in the book I was supposed to teach didn't give me much to go on. Either way, I got my certification on Friday and I'm good to go! I can now use that to teach anywhere in the world. That's a pretty nice job prospect.
This is about 2/3 of the class and most of the teachers at breakfast
This is about 2/3 of the class and most of the teachers at breakfastI had a good time with the other students in my class, which is a good thing because we spent a lot of time together. When all we had to do was plan lessons, we got a little silly at some times. On the last day we had breakfast at one lady's apartment and then the program took us out for a fancy graduation dinner.
Today started the job search process. I spent the afternoon in a cafe looking into several institutes that had been recommended to me and crafting a cover letter to them in Spanish. Once I get this email done, I hope that I'll be able to send it out to several companies. Tomorrow I'm going to work on crafting a classifieds ad for the paper to get private lessons.
Here are some pictures of my friends here:
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
First few days are going well
Hello, Hello...
Reporting in from Buenos Aires! My classes have begun and everything is going well. Let's see what all has happened since I last wrote. I've settled in quite nicely. Everyone in the dorm is very nice and I've been able to speak a lot of Spanish, which is wonderful for me. I've enlisted a few friends as my Spanish teachers, so that makes life fun. Julio (from Peru) is constantly for mixing up pensar/creer (to think), ser/estar (to be) and saber/conocer (to know). It's confusing because all of those pairs mean the same thing in English, so I have to work extra hard to differentiate when I need to use one over the other. I can already tell that I'm getting better and he tells me that I'm doing well, so at least we're making progress.
Today I started my class and after a bunch of difficulties with the program that I'm in, I got it all worked out. My program (GIC Argentina) sends its TEFL students to the TEFL International classes, but they never told me that or where to go or when. It's all sorted out, so no need to worry about me. The other people in the group seem to be very nice. As far as I can tell the daily routine is classes from 10-1, lunch from 1-2, then classes from 2-5. The school is about a 25 minute walk from my dorm and is pretty much a straight shot. There is one Argentine and one Brit and the rest are Americans in my 14 person class. There are 2 older women (in their 40s-50s probably), 2-3 people in their 30s, and the rest seem to be in their 20s. We went to lunch together in several different groups so it was nice to get to talk to a few people then. It seems that the last bit of the day is set aside to prepare the lesson that we present the next day. So basically, they teach us one way to teach vocabulary/grammar/etc and then we create a lesson to give to the class the next day. The lessons seem boring to me, but I guess it will all work out.
It looks like I might be getting an apartment with 3 other people from my dorm, which would be wonderful. They are the 3 people that I like the best here, so that would be awesome. They are Katherine (from England), Francisco (from Columbia), and Julio (from Peru). We've just started the search, and once we get some things figured out between us and figure out the system, it should work out well.
That's all for now. I'll post some pictures soon!
Reporting in from Buenos Aires! My classes have begun and everything is going well. Let's see what all has happened since I last wrote. I've settled in quite nicely. Everyone in the dorm is very nice and I've been able to speak a lot of Spanish, which is wonderful for me. I've enlisted a few friends as my Spanish teachers, so that makes life fun. Julio (from Peru) is constantly for mixing up pensar/creer (to think), ser/estar (to be) and saber/conocer (to know). It's confusing because all of those pairs mean the same thing in English, so I have to work extra hard to differentiate when I need to use one over the other. I can already tell that I'm getting better and he tells me that I'm doing well, so at least we're making progress.
Today I started my class and after a bunch of difficulties with the program that I'm in, I got it all worked out. My program (GIC Argentina) sends its TEFL students to the TEFL International classes, but they never told me that or where to go or when. It's all sorted out, so no need to worry about me. The other people in the group seem to be very nice. As far as I can tell the daily routine is classes from 10-1, lunch from 1-2, then classes from 2-5. The school is about a 25 minute walk from my dorm and is pretty much a straight shot. There is one Argentine and one Brit and the rest are Americans in my 14 person class. There are 2 older women (in their 40s-50s probably), 2-3 people in their 30s, and the rest seem to be in their 20s. We went to lunch together in several different groups so it was nice to get to talk to a few people then. It seems that the last bit of the day is set aside to prepare the lesson that we present the next day. So basically, they teach us one way to teach vocabulary/grammar/etc and then we create a lesson to give to the class the next day. The lessons seem boring to me, but I guess it will all work out.
It looks like I might be getting an apartment with 3 other people from my dorm, which would be wonderful. They are the 3 people that I like the best here, so that would be awesome. They are Katherine (from England), Francisco (from Columbia), and Julio (from Peru). We've just started the search, and once we get some things figured out between us and figure out the system, it should work out well.
That's all for now. I'll post some pictures soon!
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Arrival - check
So I'm here and fairly settled in. Everything on the airport end of things went very well. No delays, I had an extra seat to myself and I was able to get a decent amount of sleep. I'm getting to know some of the other kids at the dorm and they seem very nice. Apparently, I'm going to go with a bunch of them to a local amusement park tomorrow. It's about an hour away and we're going to take the train. I'm not a huge amusement park fan, but hey, I need to meet people, so why not.
I ate lunch and dinner at the dorm. There is a supermarket right across the street and several more in the area, which is very nice and convenient. I didn't get too exotic off the top, just a turkey sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner, but it worked. I was curious to see what everyone else does and there seems to be a wide range, but the general consensus is that its a lot cheaper to eat in, so they do it. I've watched a lot of TV today. The TVs are in the kitchens, so that's where people tend to congregate. There is a lot of American TV and English movies, but all have Spanish subtitles, so that's really helpful because I can hear the English and read the Spanish. The people have a wide range of Spanish abilities. About half of the residents are native Spanish speakers, mostly from Argentina and Colombia from what I can tell. The rest are mostly Americans and I've met one British girl as well. I've been able to follow a good number of Spanish conversations, even catching a few things and having to help some of the other Americans, so that's a good sign. The accents are definitely different and young people talk fast, so those are both barriers that I'm going to have to learn to deal with. The dorm's website is: http://www.azul-residencia-universitaria.com/ and there are pictures there. Here is a picture of the building. I'm on the top floor.
Things went pretty slowly today. I went on two little walks around the area, just searching out what's here. I also took two naps for a total of 2.5 hours, which was wonderful. My bed is comfortable and has a really soft fleece blanket that makes me want to curl up and go to bed every time I sit on it. It's chilly here, but not really cold. When the sun went down and the wind started to blow it was brisk, but after walking around I warmed up enough to take off my scarf again.
Apparently this is a party dorm, so we'll see how that goes. Some people were talking of going to Palermo (the hip district) tonight, but that won't happen til midnight probably. This is why afternoon naps are key according to my roommate. I did have this really weird feeling when I woke up from my first nap that I had forgotten where I was. I figured it out quickly, but it was funny. There is enough English spoken here that it feels a lot like a hostel. Everyone is here to have a good time, they just hang around more and cook more.
I've written a lot now, so I'll stop, but I'll be sure to update after the amusement park adventure.
I ate lunch and dinner at the dorm. There is a supermarket right across the street and several more in the area, which is very nice and convenient. I didn't get too exotic off the top, just a turkey sandwich for lunch and pasta for dinner, but it worked. I was curious to see what everyone else does and there seems to be a wide range, but the general consensus is that its a lot cheaper to eat in, so they do it. I've watched a lot of TV today. The TVs are in the kitchens, so that's where people tend to congregate. There is a lot of American TV and English movies, but all have Spanish subtitles, so that's really helpful because I can hear the English and read the Spanish. The people have a wide range of Spanish abilities. About half of the residents are native Spanish speakers, mostly from Argentina and Colombia from what I can tell. The rest are mostly Americans and I've met one British girl as well. I've been able to follow a good number of Spanish conversations, even catching a few things and having to help some of the other Americans, so that's a good sign. The accents are definitely different and young people talk fast, so those are both barriers that I'm going to have to learn to deal with. The dorm's website is: http://www.azul-residencia-universitaria.com/ and there are pictures there. Here is a picture of the building. I'm on the top floor.
Things went pretty slowly today. I went on two little walks around the area, just searching out what's here. I also took two naps for a total of 2.5 hours, which was wonderful. My bed is comfortable and has a really soft fleece blanket that makes me want to curl up and go to bed every time I sit on it. It's chilly here, but not really cold. When the sun went down and the wind started to blow it was brisk, but after walking around I warmed up enough to take off my scarf again.Apparently this is a party dorm, so we'll see how that goes. Some people were talking of going to Palermo (the hip district) tonight, but that won't happen til midnight probably. This is why afternoon naps are key according to my roommate. I did have this really weird feeling when I woke up from my first nap that I had forgotten where I was. I figured it out quickly, but it was funny. There is enough English spoken here that it feels a lot like a hostel. Everyone is here to have a good time, they just hang around more and cook more.
I've written a lot now, so I'll stop, but I'll be sure to update after the amusement park adventure.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Receive Blog Posts by Email and Skype
I figured out a way to receive blog posts by email that I wanted to pass on to you. This way, you won't have to check the blog to see if I've posted. It will be delivered directly to your in box.
I'll outline it in a few easy steps:
1) Go to the bottom of the page to the link that says "Posts (atom)". Either right click on it and copy the address, 0r click on it and then copy the address (URL) for that page.
2) Go to http://SendMeRSS.com
3) In the box that says "RSS Feed URL" paste the address from my blog
4) Enter and confirm your email address (and click that you agree to the terms)
That's it! The posts will be delivered directly to your inbox!
Also, there is a great online phone service called skype that is free and will be a great way to keep in touch with me while I'm in Argentina. My friend Alli has just left for a year in Israel and she posted very specific instructions for setting up skype on your computer. Go here to see her instructions: http://allichatool.blogspot.com/2008/08/s-is-for-skype.html. Then you can search for me by my name "Stephanie Berman" or by my skype name "waterat901." Then we can talk just as if we were chatting on the phone.
Hopefully that will help us keep in touch while I'm away!
I'll outline it in a few easy steps:
1) Go to the bottom of the page to the link that says "Posts (atom)". Either right click on it and copy the address, 0r click on it and then copy the address (URL) for that page.
2) Go to http://SendMeRSS.com
3) In the box that says "RSS Feed URL" paste the address from my blog
4) Enter and confirm your email address (and click that you agree to the terms)
That's it! The posts will be delivered directly to your inbox!
Also, there is a great online phone service called skype that is free and will be a great way to keep in touch with me while I'm in Argentina. My friend Alli has just left for a year in Israel and she posted very specific instructions for setting up skype on your computer. Go here to see her instructions: http://allichatool.blogspot.com/2008/08/s-is-for-skype.html. Then you can search for me by my name "Stephanie Berman" or by my skype name "waterat901." Then we can talk just as if we were chatting on the phone.
Hopefully that will help us keep in touch while I'm away!
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