Coming back from a long trip abroad, I was struck by negativity. People complaining. Prices have gone up again, the import restrictions are really starting to show, and after winter holidays it seems clear that it is virtually impossible for Argentines to get dollars to travel. What will the future bring? Is a question often asked. But also they ask me why I came back, or why we are still here, living in Argentina. The word ‘2001’, the year of the last crisis, is mentioned more and more. People seem to be preparing themselves or at least bracing themselves for bad times to come.
Maybe I am imagining things. After all I have spend about a month abroad, completely careless and relaxed, not having to worry about security, walking around with my camera in full view even in subways and in the dark. Away from the ‘world’. And in full summer.
And after all, Argentines have always liked to complain. Should we take them seriously now?
But the import restrictions are real. My husband being in imports we know how hard it is to get permission to import. A permission that has to be renewed for each physical import. My husband spends half of his time in the ministry of economy, or at least twice a week. He still gets his permissions, but many companies don’t, or they just get tired trying and sell their company or just close it down (like the luxury brands in avenida Alvear). And it is true that dollars are hard to get, at least at the official rate. But easy to sell at the blue rate (about 30 to 40% higher).
This week I got caught by the rain. My head still in the wind dreaming of my -seemingly long gone- holidays. I had forgotten to check the forecast and hadn’t even looked up at the skies when I left home without umbrella. After a couple of blocks on my way back home, I already started to feel the raindrops on my bare skin, under a few layers of clothes, when it started to really poor. I saw no other solution but to hop into a taxi as waiting for the bus would have soaked me completely. To my surprise the first cab I saw was empty. Usually, at this time of day, and in the rainy weather, all the taxis are full. The driver seemed ill, and he started to talk. He apologized for his state, but he had just come from the police office. He had been robbed by a couple who had put a gun in his waist asking for all his money. He then had to drop them off at villa 31 (one of the worst shanty towns). After that he had gone straight to the police station where they asked him to pay 20$ to open up a file. He told them he had no money, as he had just been robbed! And then the officer advised him to just leave it like that. If he would make an official statement they will just come after him and shoot him or steal his car. It’s better to just let go. The man was clearly still in a shock, and so was I, by his story.
My second shock I got when I looked at the meter. Almost 20$ for taking me 8 blocks to my house. Prices have certainly gone up.
Yes, things are definitely changing. Or am I really still suffering from the (summer-holiday) blues?
Things are definitely changing, but it is the people that suffer less that keep complaining the loudest and that is really annoying…. Here in mdp for example, the ladies complain because they cannot get their hands on foreign brands or accessories for their imported cars….. Arghhhhh what about the people that cannot get food every day?
Haha! Isn’t that typical?
I was indeed surprised how much fuss they make of the closing of Ralph Lauren and Cartier. As if that’s the place where the argentines buy all their clothes. Although I am sure that the sight of an avenida Alvear with most shops closed up won’t do tourism any good….
I really think you guys should move out from Argentina. This country is bad news. You don’t have to stay there, you have the chance to live in a better place. What are you going to wait for? Are you going to wait until something bad happen to you or to your family? Argentina is becoming like Cuba. And for the “argentines like to complain”. What do you expect from people when you live with a government ruled by corruption? I don’t like to complain, I’m jus tired of being abuse by our own government. Soon they will tell us what to wear and what to eat.
Thanks for your concern Pablo! The thing is that we actually have a life here. I am quite certain that if we would decide to leave now that my daughter would decide to stay here until she graduates…;-) We will certainly leave if it the situation would go out of hand. We will always have the option to leave, you are right about that. Medical treatment is what worries me the most right now. If one of us would get sick today and can’t be treated as we want here, we leave tomorrow!
But lets just hope that things will start changing for the good soon. For everyone.
My Argentine/Uruguayan friends here in the US have been saying similar things — that whatever they advised me a year ago about my idea of spending a year in Argentina teaching English, now is not the time. Their friends and relatives have been telling them that the economic situation reminds them of the way things were before 2001. It’s very sad, as is the story of the taxi driver. It’s a hard way to try to make a living.
Hey, Welcome! I was missing the posts of your blog! I hope you had a nice trip.
Thanks!!
I think that if there is a reason why you should leave the country is because there is a lot of people here that is really negative and creates that atmosphere of pesimism and self-fulfilling prophecy. That people also doesn’t have a little bit of pride of their own country. The place where they live. Actually i think that kind of people should leave the country. Not you.