Who's With Me? (You Gotta Read Till the End...)

10 Things I Love About Buenos Aires

10. Public Transportation: Trains, buses, and subways, oh my! The city is big, and there's simply so much to explore it's a crime to stay home. Enter the amazing system of public transportation. There are buses and taxis aplenty, and subways and traintracks galore. They usually drop you off a few blocks away from your inteded destination, at worst. At best, they leave you at the door. Added bonus--there's never a need for a DD.

9. The Food: It's fantastic, wonderful, amazing. There are baked goods like you've never seen. And the meat.....oh sweet Jesus the meat. You have not had a barbecue until you've eaten here. I'm serious. Matter of fact, why don't you all plan a field trip down here for next weekend and we'll all go out for an asado?

8. The Fact That The Dollar Currently Goes So Far: Okay, so this one is really selfish of me. But it's true. You can have a 5 course meal for $40. The busses and subways cost about a quarter and cover the whole city. Granted, there are definitely things that are jacked up so much in pesos that they end up costing the same--or more--than they would in the States. But the rest....

7. The Culture: Since most Argentines have European ancestry, Buenos Aires is very much like a European capital would be. The architechture, the organization of the city, the very day to day life, is quite similar. There's so much to do! There are free concerts in the park year-round. There are free art history classes at the local museum, (which I'm enrolled in!), a theatre community that rivals Broadway, and state theaters that offer tickets for $5 to some really amazing shows. So here's to exposing the public to art, music, theatre, and history from all over the world, sometimes for free. Here's to Tango Bars, where couples dance in crowded bars as though they were all alone. Here's to clubs that host local musicians as well as traveling bands from all over the world. Here's to the Teatro Colon, the theatre lined block of Corrientes, and U2 at the River Plate Stadium.

6. It's Spirit: Argentina, like most countries, has been through quite a bit in its short history. It's about as old as the U.S., which in terms of global history, is a toddler. And yet it's managed to see several military regimes take over the government, a bloody and horrifying war with England over the Falkand Islands Argentina never had a chance in hell of winning, and an absolute economic collapse just a few years ago. But it's still here. Not just here, but alive and kicking. Despite everything, there's hope in the hearts of all its citizens that things will get better, that democracy will remain, and that tomorrow will be better than today. I am amazed daily at the heart of this city, and the soul of the country.

5. The Nightlife: This is legendary. There are too many clubs, bars, and pubs to count. Every kind of music to be spun, every kind of decor to be viewed, every kind of alcohol to be savored. The legal drinking age here is 18. So many clubs have a matinee, an early time reserved for the 15-18 year olds to attend, where alcohol is not served. Wanna know the designated early times? 9pm-1am. After that, the clubs close for an hour to straighten up and restock the liquor, and then open up to the over-18 crowd at 2am. Just about the time everyone is LA is hearing last call. The clubs are all open until 7 or 8 the next morning, at which time you can see hoards of beautiful young people streaming out the doors and heading home to crash. Bars are usually open until 4 or 5, and coffee houses are also open until at least 4. It's amazing to be out and about at absolutely any hour of the day or night, and see LIFE on the streets.

4. The current "natural is beautiful" trend: As opposed to Los Angeles, where even 12 year old girls are getting acrylics and learning to properly apply coats of mascara, Buenos Aires is currently on the "no makeup is needed" bandwagon. And I couldn't be happier. Girls wear lip gloss and style their hair--and that's enough. Boys seem to like them just the same, if not more, and innocence can last just a few extra years. At least on this front.

3. Soccer, rugby, and polo: I've never been a huge sports fan. But you have not lived until you've been to a soccer match here. The screaming, the insult hurling, the rabid fans, the chaos. It's fantastic. And the other major sports here, rugby, polo, and crew, just appeal to me much more than baseball and football. Call me elitist, but there's something about these activities that reminds me of the east coast, of England, of high society. And I love it. The combination of that with the grumbling havoc of soccer matches could turn me into a sports fan yet!

2. Free college: Unlike the U.S., anyone who would like to attend college here can. There are private universities that require entrance exams, but the national universities are just as good, and just as prestigious. Add that to the fact that the public universities are free. FREE. Not cheaper than the private ones by a few thousand dollars, but free. And I don't just mean undergraduate studies. Graduate programs, Masters, PhDs, law school, MBAs, all of it. I'm seriously considering coming here to get my MBA.

1. The people: I don't know if it's the fact that individualism and independence are not the sole focuses of the society, or the fact that the culture of relationships is bred so differently here. But the truth is that I have met some of the most amazing people I know here. Lifelong friendships are fostered, and relationships are, on the whole, far deeper and more meaningful than I usually experience in the U.S. It's not so much the people, I've realized. Because there are definitely amazing people in the U.S., and horrible people here. It's the way friendships are defined, what is expected of you as a friend, as a wife or husband, as a family member. The ties are so strong, I feel like I could move to Bangladesh and they'd still be there. There's no "3 feet of personal space to be respected" rule, and hugs and kisses abound. And my heart fills up to the brim. I wish I could take this back with me to the States. I wish I could institute this new kind of relationship, where I could hug and kiss everyone there hello and goodbye, and nobody would think it was odd. I think the whole country could use a little more TLC. I know I definitely could. Come to think of it, you probably could too. Yeah, you. So soon as I get back, I'm instituting this huggy, kissy, show your friends and family you love 'em policy. Who's in?