I arrived safely in Buenos Aires (Bs As) to humid 90 degree temperatures this morning and caught a barely air conditioned remise into the city with my new best friend Silvia, who spoke only a few words of English to go with my meager Spanish.
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In spite of this language gap, we managed to talk up a storm for more than 40 minutes on subjects ranging from "futbol" to politics as Silvia drove us into the city.
Silvia, who lives in a far suburb of glamorous Bs As with her parents, loves the Boca Juniors soccer team and Argentina's new president Cristina Kirchner (who was inaugurated this Monday). But she is also a big fan of Mauricio Macri, the right leaning Mayor of Buenos Aires who owns Silvia's wildly popular Boca Juniors team and is rumored to be considering a run for president in four years.
Macri and Cristina are natural adversaries, at opposite ends of the ideological spectrum. Silvia obviously sees no contradiction in supporting both, pro ving once again that most voters - in Argentina as in the U. S. - are moved by the symbolic perception of the person, not necessarily their policies or ideology.
On the other hand, Luz, the prosperous woman who owns the apartment I am temporarily renting in Palermo, "hates" Cristina and her husband, former president Nestor Kirchner, and eagerly looks forward to voting for Macri in four years because she thinks he will be a great president based on his success as a business executive.
Interestingly, Silvia and Luz - who come from opposite ends of the economic and political spectrums - are united in their dislike of George W. Bush, whom Silvia characterizes as "loco por la guerra." (crazy for war)
While Silvia and I were driving around Palermo looking for my apartment, I got three calls on my Blackberry, one of which was Office Depot trying to figure out a time when I would be home so they could deliver a filing cabinet I had ordered before leaving Los Angeles! Ha, ha.
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When we found the apartment building, Luz was at the entrance to greet me. I felt as if I already knew her from our numerous email exchanges and phone calls before I left Los Angeles, so I gave her a big hug. She immediately corrected my clumsy manners by illustrating the proper way to impart the traditional Argentine peck on the right cheek. Much more elegant than my bear hugs.
My dirt cheap apartment - for the month of December only - is just passable, but it is clean and in a great location, within easy walking distance of public parks, the botanical gardens, all kinds of great restaurants and even close to my Spanish language school.
I begin studying tomorrow. Lilian and Carina (who own and run the school, and with whom I have been exchanging emails for a year) have already emailed to check on me! They feel like old friends. I meet with Lilian tomorrow, and Carina has volunteered to take me shopping Saturday so I can get my bearings and buy whatever things I need.
It feels great to be here, and the ride in from the airport offered a rich variety of scenery and colorful neighborhoods, especially on the noisy traffic clogged streets of Bs As once we left the freeway, full of buses and trucks and autos as well as a mix of scooters, unpredictable bicyclists and speeding taxis, all practicing the trademarked Argentine style of freelance driving. Or so it seems coming from a nation where drivers rarely stray from their own lane.
These traffic styles doubtless offer an apt metaphor for fundamental social differences. Indeed, the U.S. State Department warns in their travel advisories that the two leading causes of death and injury to foreign visitors in Argentina are auto accidents and pedestrian fatalities!
The photos here start with the doorway to my new apartment and show two nearby restaurants. I apologize for not having photos of Silvia and Luz.
