Friday at Freddos

Friday, February 10^th, 2012

TGIFF (you can figure out that extra ‘f’ I’m sure). While Friday’s class was actually functional, it was an even longer day than Thursday, as we had our “cultural orientation” with a guy from the US embassy as well as a talk with a psychologist who has strong roots in BA and the US, so she actually understands how we feel and the cultural discrepancies.

The presentation from the embassy was exactly what you’d expect. Lots of Q&A about the foreign service. On a side note, everybody I’ve ever met in the foreign service always talks about how complicated and nearly impossible it is to get in---yet they’re always the “average Joe” kind of guy and say, “I dunno how I got in!”. Maybe I should join the foreign service, because it seems like all the narcissists obsessed with how smart they think they are about politics, foreign culture and diplomacy (see my entries from NYC last April…) don’t actually get in.

Something else that struck me about the presentation, however, was how much emphasis was placed on how at risk we really are to be mugged. Every slide was basically a reinforcement of our risk and what we needed to do in that situation. I was already horribly terrified because everything you read about BA makes huge note of the fact that you’ll probably get pickpocketed at some point either directly (“mustard trick” and “See the knife? Now give me the money”) or indirectly (you weren’t paying attention on the subway). I’ve “traveled a lot” and despite all the horror stories I’ve heard, I’ve luckily never had to deal with any of that anywhere I’ve been. But I think BA really has the potential to change that. Crimes against tourists have increased 30-50% in the past 6 months alone. Not to mention that BA still just isn’t a huge tourist destination. You can’t blend in with other tourists the way you can in NYC or Paris. They seem to not want tourists to come here. On that note (sorry to tell you this, mom), a French tourist resisted when he was being mugged and he was stabbed and died on Wednesday of this week as a result of his injuries. Luckily 95% of incidents are non-violent here. The embassy emphasized that resisting in an economic crime is never worth it. And while this only gives criminals more power (if you knew your victims were highly encouraged to submit to your whims, wouldn’t you get a little more ruthless?) it gives some relief to know that most people really only want your wallet—they’re probably not going to rape and kidnap you for an outrageous ransom.

But the thing is, you can’t really predict what you’d do in a situation where somebody was mugging you. In theory I’d of course give up the wallet and be terrified, but at the same time, I think everybody’s first instinct before that is to resist a little. Also, there’s the fact that resisting can be OK sometimes. A few girls noticed they were being followed by a man, so they went into a store while he was waiting for them outside. The girl made a really bold move and told him to f--- off and he ended up leaving right then and there. The same girl got accosted at a bus stop, and her roommate yelled “levantate!” (which means “stand up!” in Spanish, and clearly is not what you’d say to somebody robbing you) because she was so freaked out she messed up her words, but he actually ran away. Said girls have been here for a month and they’ve already dealt with this problem twice…And in these situations, it’s hard to say what could have happened had they not taken a stand. I’d like to think I would have pulled off some slick move, but I probably would have just panicked. And while both men and women are victims of this behavior every day, being a small, foreign female makes me a huge target and I hate that because of factors I have no control over I’m automatically at risk. Even using the buddy system is no guarantee. All I can do is be vigilant, try and blend in and minimize attention drawn to me (that’s why I dyed my hair brown). That being said, I really hope nothing will ever happen to me, or if it does, it’s the kind where I get mugged without noticing—because were someone to pull a knife on me, I wouldn’t get over it for a long time.

The discussion with the psychologist was a good one, as we voiced our concerns and asked questions to understand what to do or feel in situations we’ve encountered here. Additionally, she responded in a really straight-up and informal matter, so it felt like specific, honest information instead a bunch of vague mumbo-jumbo. Much of what I learned from this discussion was expressed in my entry, Notes on Porteño Culture #3. Read it if you’re interested.

Fiiiiiiinally, after hours of feeling absolutely terrified, we reluctantly took to the streets to walk to Freddo, an “authentic” Argentine ice cream parlour. After we figured out the somewhat confusing menu (ok, we still didn’t really figure it out, because I have no idea what their policy on toppings is) we ordered. Mine immediately started melting and I made a fool of myself—especially because it was double chocolate. But I didn’t mind having to lick it off my hands and fingers because it was really delicious. Argentine ice cream is in this happy medium between gelato and American ice cream. It’s not totally squishy and soft like gelato, but it’s not icy and hard like American ice cream. I gotta get a gym membership if I wanna keep eating this shit…HOW ARE ALL YOU ARGENTINES SO THIN!? And there’s literally 10 things to eat here so it’s not like “oh, eat some empanadas in moderation”. Every meal seems indulgent, especially when it comes to sweets. I’m walking a lot and I hope that will be enough until school starts and I can play some sports…

Angela and I parted ways and once again I had errands on Cabildo for Tupperware and flip flops. After an incident where both my yogurt and peach spilled all over my backpack, I decided it was time to invest in some lunch materials. I still have yet to encounter sandwich bags, plastic wrap and tin foil so Tupperware it is! But before I bought the Tupperware I had to get some flip flops. After dishing out $12 USD for some  Havaianas (I don’t care if they’re Brazilian—they’re FLIP FLOPS and there’s nothing special about them at all. At least put some rhinestones or something on there), I stopped at a kitchen store. I had to put my backpack in a locker and after I paid, I got my backpack and continued up Cabildo. Something didn’t feel right…THE FLIP FLOPS!!! The bag they came in was red just like the locker, and because I’d owned them for exactly 5 minutes, they didn’t register in my “things that I should be carrying” checklist. I’d already walked 3 blocks, but I turned around and ran back to the store, knowing there was a 100% chance they’d be gone. Argentines steal from you directly, so why the hell wouldn’t they take flip flops sitting in a locker? I said a breathy hello to the security guard “nos vemos de nuevo” I saw that #8 was unlocked, so maybe nobody had used it in the time I’d been gone. I opened it and THE FLIP FLOPS WERE THERE! QUE SUERTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That seriously never happens. Even in the US, you’re usually SOL if you do something like that. I was pissed off at my own stupidity and forgetfulness (good thing my head’s attached to my body…), but so relieved that they were still there even though I resented them. I’m one lucky pretend-Porteño!