I left work around 4 o'clock in the afternoon yesterday. As I began walking in Microcentro, a cluster of narrow and busy streets, heading towards Avenida de Mayo, I noticed something very strange. I had no one to rub elbows with or dodge out of my way.
BA becomes a ghost town of sorts in January since everyone is at the beach either in Mar de Plata, or Villa Geisel, or everywhere else really. It'll be so weird, and perhaps, kind of nice to have half as many people in this small, but very congested city. No more hour long bus rides from downtown to my Villa Crespo neighberhood? I hope so.
I am hoping to get some images up once I buy a USB cable for my camera!
Besos,
Syl
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
The 'to-go' Morning Ritual
My mornings resemble any which one in New York City. I scramble out of bed, woof down a piece of fruit on my five block walk to the Dorrego stop of the B subte (subway) line and try to keep cool on a muggy ride to downtown Buenos Aires. I walk a couple of blocks down Corrientes, an avenue full of theaters, restuarants, and bookshops, similar albeit not as glitzy as Times Square, and make a turn on Talcahuano.
I am at work by 8am - one or two hours earlier than when the typical work day begins here. Usually getting very little shut eye on any given night, I am a night owl by nature, the café con leche (or latte) waiting for me at a local resto-bar (think diner) named El Bautista consoles me. For 7 pesos or $1.75 every morning, I get a rich cup of espresso and frothy steamed milk, that unlike the coffee they serve at your average resto bar, is actually good. They serve La Virgina´s, a tea and coffee brand in Argentina, new signature line of espresso made particularly for resto-bars.
Required to be on call at my desk, I take my cup of joe to go every morning. This means that around 8 or 9 in the morning, you can usually spot me balancing a large tea cup, saucer, and spoon, intent on not spilling any, as I make my way around the corner and to the second floor of my building. I am pretty sure I have warranted some curious stares, but I never care too much as I concentrate on keeping my cup intact.
Living alone and making more thoughtful choices about the food I eat, I often ponder about that old saying: you are what you eat. But what's more is: you are what you eat and how you eat it. Typically only larger coffee chains, such as Café Martinez or Havanna offer to-go coffee options, which are usually served in somewhat outdated stayrofoam cups. And of course, the notorious Starbucks has made its way down here as well, serving their drinks in recycable materials. But in many traditional café settings, the act of taking your coffee to-go because you can't drink it on the spot is somewhat obscure.
During my first stay in Buenos Aires, I was immediately attracted to its coffee culture, and the buzz that came with it, realizing only later that I was drinking espresso-based drinks, not drip coffee. Going to a café is usually a wonderful pick-me-up. They serve you whatever you asked for, plus a small glass of carbonated water, and a little nom-nom, like small cookies or an alfajor. It is not far fetched, I think, for people to simply take a break from their work day to sip on a freshly made cortado, or espresso with a touch of creamy milk.
Buenos Aires is certainly a hustle and bustle kind of city. However, like many cities at a stage or another of modernization, you can feel a pull between time-honored traditions and the demands of a new society. The city's obvious sanitation problems, it is not uncommon for garbage mounds to form on street corners and along avenues depending on the day and time, indicates a need to reconsider certain aspects of fast culture. This sentiment, as times continue to change and more countries join the pack of modernized nations, is pretty global and perhaps at the heart of our current struggle with climate change. It's a matter of our way of life.
I am at work by 8am - one or two hours earlier than when the typical work day begins here. Usually getting very little shut eye on any given night, I am a night owl by nature, the café con leche (or latte) waiting for me at a local resto-bar (think diner) named El Bautista consoles me. For 7 pesos or $1.75 every morning, I get a rich cup of espresso and frothy steamed milk, that unlike the coffee they serve at your average resto bar, is actually good. They serve La Virgina´s, a tea and coffee brand in Argentina, new signature line of espresso made particularly for resto-bars.
Required to be on call at my desk, I take my cup of joe to go every morning. This means that around 8 or 9 in the morning, you can usually spot me balancing a large tea cup, saucer, and spoon, intent on not spilling any, as I make my way around the corner and to the second floor of my building. I am pretty sure I have warranted some curious stares, but I never care too much as I concentrate on keeping my cup intact.
Living alone and making more thoughtful choices about the food I eat, I often ponder about that old saying: you are what you eat. But what's more is: you are what you eat and how you eat it. Typically only larger coffee chains, such as Café Martinez or Havanna offer to-go coffee options, which are usually served in somewhat outdated stayrofoam cups. And of course, the notorious Starbucks has made its way down here as well, serving their drinks in recycable materials. But in many traditional café settings, the act of taking your coffee to-go because you can't drink it on the spot is somewhat obscure.
During my first stay in Buenos Aires, I was immediately attracted to its coffee culture, and the buzz that came with it, realizing only later that I was drinking espresso-based drinks, not drip coffee. Going to a café is usually a wonderful pick-me-up. They serve you whatever you asked for, plus a small glass of carbonated water, and a little nom-nom, like small cookies or an alfajor. It is not far fetched, I think, for people to simply take a break from their work day to sip on a freshly made cortado, or espresso with a touch of creamy milk.
Buenos Aires is certainly a hustle and bustle kind of city. However, like many cities at a stage or another of modernization, you can feel a pull between time-honored traditions and the demands of a new society. The city's obvious sanitation problems, it is not uncommon for garbage mounds to form on street corners and along avenues depending on the day and time, indicates a need to reconsider certain aspects of fast culture. This sentiment, as times continue to change and more countries join the pack of modernized nations, is pretty global and perhaps at the heart of our current struggle with climate change. It's a matter of our way of life.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
High Risk, High Return
¨High risk, high return. Low risk, low return¨ is what my now investment banker friend once told me when explaining a little bit of what she does with her clients.
In retrospect, what I am doing now, whatever you may call it, was certainly a high risk venture, but I question whether it will have a high return in terms of my personal growth? One hundred and one cliches enter my mind as I try to explain and give logic to this past month and a half, in which I have focused on settling in. But the biggest obstacle has been mental rather than a physical one - adjusting to a completely different reality. Sometimes, I can`t help but think that I should have stayed in New York as I encounter the hurdles of making my way in a new city, and in this case, a new country, culture, and way of being, leaving behind many of my familiar comforts that I pine for every now and then.
I have opened up new possibilities, new projects, and initiated new friendships all with the potential to go somewhere, however, it is up to me to give it that final push. All the while, rising inflation (the 1.5 liter of bottle water that cost me 4 pesos last week is now 4.25) continues to devalue my 2000 pesos salary and threaten my steadily decreasing bank account.
Despite my normal fears, I recognize that I have a lot privilege. I live in a decent neighberhood, with a fixed income, and I can afford to eat. I am never in lack of my basic necessities, but I am realizing that the Latin American reality is not easy. It becomes apaprent when passing by Retiro on your way out of the city, where a hidden impoverished community or villa is nestled behind the bus terminals, or even Corrientes and Dorrego, a bustling avenue where I take the subte (subway) every morning. Poverty is all around: people sleeping in banks, setting up beds outside in the street, or small children selling gum and other knick knacks in subway cars.
Buenos Aires is different to other Latin American countries infamous for their staggering poverty rates because this Southern city also contains a charming aspect seen superficially through its nightlife, many high end restuarants, and businesses, which all seem accessible. However, poverty and economic instability is very much an issue. Even then access is not spreadout as evenly as it might seem to me, an outsider. With my 2000 pesos and change salary, there are not many luxuries that I can technically afford, but they are just that, luxuries. It makes me think twice whenever I go out with friends on the weekend knowing that whatever I splurge on, I will probably pay for it in due time.
After speaking to a friend native to Buenos Aires, we both concluded that this is not the place to come and become financially stable if you are a young person. You will find that many young people choose to live at home with their parents until they have finished their education because it is a financially sound decision. In many ways, this life is not sustainable for this wander-lust kid suffering from what I have now dubbed ¨Study Abroad Syndrome¨ and I wonder whether my plans were somewhat short-sighted. The truth of the matter is, I got loans to pay, and my grace period is up (hehe).
However, as another friend pointed out, this is life and I am living it.
In retrospect, what I am doing now, whatever you may call it, was certainly a high risk venture, but I question whether it will have a high return in terms of my personal growth? One hundred and one cliches enter my mind as I try to explain and give logic to this past month and a half, in which I have focused on settling in. But the biggest obstacle has been mental rather than a physical one - adjusting to a completely different reality. Sometimes, I can`t help but think that I should have stayed in New York as I encounter the hurdles of making my way in a new city, and in this case, a new country, culture, and way of being, leaving behind many of my familiar comforts that I pine for every now and then.
I have opened up new possibilities, new projects, and initiated new friendships all with the potential to go somewhere, however, it is up to me to give it that final push. All the while, rising inflation (the 1.5 liter of bottle water that cost me 4 pesos last week is now 4.25) continues to devalue my 2000 pesos salary and threaten my steadily decreasing bank account.
Despite my normal fears, I recognize that I have a lot privilege. I live in a decent neighberhood, with a fixed income, and I can afford to eat. I am never in lack of my basic necessities, but I am realizing that the Latin American reality is not easy. It becomes apaprent when passing by Retiro on your way out of the city, where a hidden impoverished community or villa is nestled behind the bus terminals, or even Corrientes and Dorrego, a bustling avenue where I take the subte (subway) every morning. Poverty is all around: people sleeping in banks, setting up beds outside in the street, or small children selling gum and other knick knacks in subway cars.
Buenos Aires is different to other Latin American countries infamous for their staggering poverty rates because this Southern city also contains a charming aspect seen superficially through its nightlife, many high end restuarants, and businesses, which all seem accessible. However, poverty and economic instability is very much an issue. Even then access is not spreadout as evenly as it might seem to me, an outsider. With my 2000 pesos and change salary, there are not many luxuries that I can technically afford, but they are just that, luxuries. It makes me think twice whenever I go out with friends on the weekend knowing that whatever I splurge on, I will probably pay for it in due time.
After speaking to a friend native to Buenos Aires, we both concluded that this is not the place to come and become financially stable if you are a young person. You will find that many young people choose to live at home with their parents until they have finished their education because it is a financially sound decision. In many ways, this life is not sustainable for this wander-lust kid suffering from what I have now dubbed ¨Study Abroad Syndrome¨ and I wonder whether my plans were somewhat short-sighted. The truth of the matter is, I got loans to pay, and my grace period is up (hehe).
However, as another friend pointed out, this is life and I am living it.
Friday, December 10, 2010
The Skinny
The hardest part upon my return to Buenos Aires is encountering many hurdles in my job search. Prior to graduating school in May, I looked up every job portal available to me looking for the golden, coveted position in Buenos Aires that would guarantee me some kind of security. After sending many applications to student travel tours, travel agencies, NGOs, the embassy, and marketing firms, I realized many things. First of all, with the exception of a random mix of internships that have given me some minimal experience, I have no real expertise that I can boast. Secondly, the market is fierce. Therefore, teaching English soon enough became my best bet.
In New York, I deliberated over obtaining a TOEFL certification that would setback my savings back by a $1,000, if not more. Although it would certainly guarantee me better paying jobs, the average English teacher in Buenos Aires makes anywhere from 30 to 50 pesos, which amounts to anywhere from $7-12 dollars per hour. Scared by the certification price tag, I reasoned that it would only be worth it were I going to a country where it actually pays off to teach English, like China, South Korea, or Japan. Feeling frustrated, I halted my job search in the states, hoping to figure it out once I got here.
Two weeks and half went by before I found employment. I wrote to about a few dozen English schools, receiving only three responses. My first response told me that although she would possibly interview me next week, I have hit the low season for hiring English teachers. From what I know, the city shuts down after the Christmas and New Year holidays, half of Buenos Aires leaves on vacation in January making the city a pleasant oasis. I felt a bit dumbfounded by this piece of information that I hadn’t come across in my planning at all.
Feeling desperate I hit the streets of Palermo with my retail CV in hand and left it at any cool looking cafe or restaurant. A few places took interest, however, my status here immediately came up. One or two owners asked if I had a CUIL/CUIT or DNI, essentially a number that allows businesses to pay taxes for their employees. Obtaining either is hard, without a DNI or permanent visa, you cannot get either. I then began to attack job portals like ZonaJobs and others in addition to checking Craiglist at least three times a day everyday. Finally two weeks after landing here, I received my first positive response after answering a Craigslist ad looking for an English teacher to teach online courses. Skeptical, but desperate I answered, and interviewed immediately the next day. As it turns out, a couple of teachers in the company were leaving, therefore they needed people asap, even an inexperienced schmuck like me. I got the job realizing that it was a matter of luck and timing, and some experience. Many people applied for the job - in fact the teacher who hired me told me what I had already known, people, even established English teachers, were desperate to find a job right now because English schools are probably letting people off as things wind down. What’s more many English teachers save up money so that they can ride these next couple of months out.
At the moment, I am making 2,000 pesos, which is the equivalent of $503 per month. Upon landing the job on the spot, I was ecstatic and felt as though things were certainly looking up - I was lucky to find this at least. However, the reality begun to sunk in. I am paying $1000 pesos per month equivalent to $251 per month. Essentially, half my pay goes to rent. Not to mention that the position is already full-time, Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm. Although I enjoy the comfort of having a position and knowing that I will receive at least something within the first few days of the next month, I am making about $100 pesos a day, or $25.18 a day or even worse $3.14 an hour. Honestly speaking, the work is not at all grueling or tiring; however, it is far from the $30 peso rate I imagined would allow me to keep my savings intact and live comfortably.
In fear of exhausting my savings, I have taken yet another part-time job that I will begin next week as a telephone operator for a new delivery service. They will pay me $12 pesos to begin with, $3.02 an hour, and $14 pesos, $3.52 after a two-week trial. When I asked my recruiter if this was the minimum wage, she said there really was no minimum wage, but that perhaps the more minimal paying jobs start you at $10 pesos per hour, or a mere $2.51 an hour.
All these figures would be fine in the Buenos Aires that I remembered over a year ago with delightfully cheap services, food, and living. However, things are changing in the city, and prices have certainly increased exponentially. The national government denies growing inflation, but the people know this is not the case as they feel their pockets pinched more and more.
In New York, I deliberated over obtaining a TOEFL certification that would setback my savings back by a $1,000, if not more. Although it would certainly guarantee me better paying jobs, the average English teacher in Buenos Aires makes anywhere from 30 to 50 pesos, which amounts to anywhere from $7-12 dollars per hour. Scared by the certification price tag, I reasoned that it would only be worth it were I going to a country where it actually pays off to teach English, like China, South Korea, or Japan. Feeling frustrated, I halted my job search in the states, hoping to figure it out once I got here.
Two weeks and half went by before I found employment. I wrote to about a few dozen English schools, receiving only three responses. My first response told me that although she would possibly interview me next week, I have hit the low season for hiring English teachers. From what I know, the city shuts down after the Christmas and New Year holidays, half of Buenos Aires leaves on vacation in January making the city a pleasant oasis. I felt a bit dumbfounded by this piece of information that I hadn’t come across in my planning at all.
Feeling desperate I hit the streets of Palermo with my retail CV in hand and left it at any cool looking cafe or restaurant. A few places took interest, however, my status here immediately came up. One or two owners asked if I had a CUIL/CUIT or DNI, essentially a number that allows businesses to pay taxes for their employees. Obtaining either is hard, without a DNI or permanent visa, you cannot get either. I then began to attack job portals like ZonaJobs and others in addition to checking Craiglist at least three times a day everyday. Finally two weeks after landing here, I received my first positive response after answering a Craigslist ad looking for an English teacher to teach online courses. Skeptical, but desperate I answered, and interviewed immediately the next day. As it turns out, a couple of teachers in the company were leaving, therefore they needed people asap, even an inexperienced schmuck like me. I got the job realizing that it was a matter of luck and timing, and some experience. Many people applied for the job - in fact the teacher who hired me told me what I had already known, people, even established English teachers, were desperate to find a job right now because English schools are probably letting people off as things wind down. What’s more many English teachers save up money so that they can ride these next couple of months out.
At the moment, I am making 2,000 pesos, which is the equivalent of $503 per month. Upon landing the job on the spot, I was ecstatic and felt as though things were certainly looking up - I was lucky to find this at least. However, the reality begun to sunk in. I am paying $1000 pesos per month equivalent to $251 per month. Essentially, half my pay goes to rent. Not to mention that the position is already full-time, Monday through Friday 8am to 4pm. Although I enjoy the comfort of having a position and knowing that I will receive at least something within the first few days of the next month, I am making about $100 pesos a day, or $25.18 a day or even worse $3.14 an hour. Honestly speaking, the work is not at all grueling or tiring; however, it is far from the $30 peso rate I imagined would allow me to keep my savings intact and live comfortably.
In fear of exhausting my savings, I have taken yet another part-time job that I will begin next week as a telephone operator for a new delivery service. They will pay me $12 pesos to begin with, $3.02 an hour, and $14 pesos, $3.52 after a two-week trial. When I asked my recruiter if this was the minimum wage, she said there really was no minimum wage, but that perhaps the more minimal paying jobs start you at $10 pesos per hour, or a mere $2.51 an hour.
All these figures would be fine in the Buenos Aires that I remembered over a year ago with delightfully cheap services, food, and living. However, things are changing in the city, and prices have certainly increased exponentially. The national government denies growing inflation, but the people know this is not the case as they feel their pockets pinched more and more.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The background story
"The truth is that all of us here have won the lottery of life," Kristof added. "The fact that you are graduating from a great college in America means that you have won the global jackpot. And, when you do, then the question becomes, how do you go about discharging the responsibility that comes with that? What will you give back and how?" - Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, Middlebury College Commencement 2010
Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, two NYTimes journalists that among other things have covered the Tiananmen Square democracy movement, made those concluding remarks to an audience consisting of the Middlebury Class of 2010, and their family, friends, teachers, supporters, and allies. My family and I formed a part of that crowd, a truly an exciting day for all us after four years of driving up and down from Brooklyn to the little town of Middlebury nestled in the rolling hills of Vermont. After a week of very little sleep, a slew of events, and many good-byes, those words struck me, and made me realize that I truly have a lot to be thankful - despite what I had initially thought about my stance in the U.S. I was truly lucky to have won a piece of that global jackpot. However, with such privilege comes due responsibility, and quite frankly, giving back has marked my college career and overall goals until most recently, when I have been most confused.
In fact, it seems that most young people feel this way on some level after graduating into a bleak economy. Although things are certainly looking up, we’ve had to truly learn the ropes, or take what we could, a fair move in these unsettling economic times. But on the other side of the coin, many young people have decided to take off and explore now while the getting is good. This means not taking that entry-level job many thought they would have upon graduating and taking this time to do something different. I am one among those many.
After studying abroad at La Universidad de Buenos Aires during the Spring of 2009, returning to Buenos Aires was a no-brainer. I fell in love with the city’s energy, way of living, and accessible culture, understanding the whole time that my financial aid package definitely contributed to that experience.
Thus, after working for six months as a barista at a busy New York coffee spot, I have finally returned to my land of milk and honey to encounter a totally different experience. The city continues to face inflation and as my former host-mom put, “much of the same” exists in the labor market. I’ve created this blog with the intention of putting my story out there, and making sense of this experience, a study abroad kid coming back to yes, perhaps, the real Buenos Aires.
Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, two NYTimes journalists that among other things have covered the Tiananmen Square democracy movement, made those concluding remarks to an audience consisting of the Middlebury Class of 2010, and their family, friends, teachers, supporters, and allies. My family and I formed a part of that crowd, a truly an exciting day for all us after four years of driving up and down from Brooklyn to the little town of Middlebury nestled in the rolling hills of Vermont. After a week of very little sleep, a slew of events, and many good-byes, those words struck me, and made me realize that I truly have a lot to be thankful - despite what I had initially thought about my stance in the U.S. I was truly lucky to have won a piece of that global jackpot. However, with such privilege comes due responsibility, and quite frankly, giving back has marked my college career and overall goals until most recently, when I have been most confused.
In fact, it seems that most young people feel this way on some level after graduating into a bleak economy. Although things are certainly looking up, we’ve had to truly learn the ropes, or take what we could, a fair move in these unsettling economic times. But on the other side of the coin, many young people have decided to take off and explore now while the getting is good. This means not taking that entry-level job many thought they would have upon graduating and taking this time to do something different. I am one among those many.
After studying abroad at La Universidad de Buenos Aires during the Spring of 2009, returning to Buenos Aires was a no-brainer. I fell in love with the city’s energy, way of living, and accessible culture, understanding the whole time that my financial aid package definitely contributed to that experience.
Thus, after working for six months as a barista at a busy New York coffee spot, I have finally returned to my land of milk and honey to encounter a totally different experience. The city continues to face inflation and as my former host-mom put, “much of the same” exists in the labor market. I’ve created this blog with the intention of putting my story out there, and making sense of this experience, a study abroad kid coming back to yes, perhaps, the real Buenos Aires.
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