Don’t Cry For
Me Argentina
By Paul
De Barros
Often hailed as the (Paris of South
America), Buenos Aires is becoming a new
expat favorite thanks to the low-cost peso.
You might remember Argentina as that country
with the famous blonde, actress-turned-
politician-turned-saint, or as the country
with the catastrophic 2001 economic
meltdown. Long swamped with political
turmoil and economic instability, this
diamond in the rough has long been covered
by, well a lot of the rough.
You may think seeing that Madonna movie,
famous for the song (don’t cry for me
Argentina) gives you a grasp of Argentina’s
struggle throughout the 20th century.
Not even close
Let’s just say the low-point came during the
1970s when more than 30,000 citizens were
swept off the street and never heard from
again. Known as the Dirty War, these
disappearances were not perpetrated by a
foreseeable enemy or an evil outsider, but
rather by their own government. Imagine the
sweltering fear and confusion running
rampant when your own government, your very
own police officers, are the very ones
perpetrating state-sanctioned terror.
Suffice it to say, Buenos Aires is seeing
brighter days. Today, the city is pulsating
with progress, culture, and life. It has an
inexplicably simple feel, as if a twirling
breeze greets you, lifting your feet off the
ground if only for a moment. Here the city
streets are lined with cafes, pizzerias, and
local bars. At night the streets bump with
action and excitement, even late into the
morning the city sings with locals and
foreigners packing the table-lined
sidewalks.
Americans, Australians, and Europeans are
all slowly finding this to be a superb
cosmopolitan city with a living cost far
less than what their accustomed to. With
more than a 3-1 current exchange rate
between pesos and dollars, you can do
anything you want for a fraction of the cost
– and I mean anything.
There’s actually a bar called Jobs that will
let you do your best Robin Hood impression,
wielding your bow and firing arrows while
your friends mock and taunt you.
YES they’re real arrows. And NO you’re not
allowed to shoot your annoying friend…they
ask that you keep em aimed at the targets at
all times.
Besides the tasty food, worldly feel, rich
history, and nightlife like no other, the
best part about this city has to be its
people. Friendly, warm, and resilient, you’d
never guess they lived in a nation owning a
tortured past. While the unemployment rate
remains high and the value of the peso stays
low, the people are having a mighty good
time. It’s as if they realize and accept
these problems, but refuse to be
overwhelmed. They prefer to celebrate life:
to laugh rather than cry, enjoy rather than
mourn, and party rather than stress. The
name doesn’t give this city a breezy feel,
the people do.
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Paul De Barros is a contributor to Inside
Costa Rica
You can contact Paul at:
pauldebarros@yahoo.com |
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