A trip to the city

Let me tell you about my adventure in the big city. You see we don't go to Buenos Aires very often. We live near (20 minutes) but only go when we have to. There is so much traffic and never a slow time of the day, just rush, rush, rush.

Anyway, Annie and I made the trip to get our package yesterday. I mapped it all out and thought I knew where I was going. So as we start to get into B.A., on one of the main streets with about 6 lanes going each way, we come to a stoplight. I have my windows down just a little, the weather has been nice and springy. Anyway, I notice some beggers and I just happen to look, and he sees me looking (oh man, kick myself in the pants)! He makes a beeline straight over to my passenger side window. He doesn't just talk to me, but grabs ahold of the window, able to put his fingertips into the car, and starts asking for change. He is probably 20 years old and he is just going on and on, begging. I tell him that he speaks too fast. Then I scream! I guess his friend had seen him talking to me and comes to help him and somehow sneaks up on my side of the car, and starts the same mumbling and begging in my window. Well, that's where the scream came from, it startled me just a little. Then they start going back and forth (in Spanish of course)"c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'com" louder and more forceful each time. I am a little nervous at this point and think are they going to rob me or something. I ask "why" and then miracle of miracles--the light that seemed to be red for an eternity, changed! They pulled their grubby finger off my windows and I was off. I put the windows up for the rest of the trip.

OK, so we finally get to the part of town that I need to be in, but of course, I miss the street I need. So I am driving and trying to look at the map while Annie starts climbing out of her carseat (she does this a lot, but I had books and toys for her today and she stayed the 1st 20 minutes or so), needless to say, it was bad timing. There is a weird "rule" in Argentina about turning left. People don't like it! They honk at you, yell at you, all sorts of things, but I needed to go left. So after going off my course about another mile, I turned right, to turn right again, to right again, just to get LEFT! So after about a 20 minute delay (I was lost. but just a little) I found the post office. No parking! Always, they have tons of people, a million cars on the road, but no parking lots and no parking spaces. Crazy! So after going around the block, again, I find an area to park. A man is there to help me into the spot (although I don't need his help, I will have to pay him--another "rule" of theirs).

Annie and I go into the huge building--dirty and dingy, people smoking, babies crying, tons of seats, tons of lines--I really felt like I had walked into a movie about the communist period of Russia, like we were waiting in line for food or something. Anyway, I get a number and sit down. I ask the guy next to me how this all works. He says get a number (check), wait for your number to come up on the board (OK), then go to front and they will give you another number (OK), then go to the next room and sit and wait for them to call your new number over the intercom (WHAT), then go through that back door and stand in line to show your number (you've got to be kidding me), then go to the line they tell you where you will receive your package (finally), you'll sign for it then go to the next line where they will check your package and your number so you can get out the door (all that work for one package).

Let me tell you, this was a test of patience. Annie and I waited and played and ate snacks and she waved to all the half-sleeping people around us. I can't believe this is their system. Well, I guess I just will tell everyone don't send packages, it is too much work on this end.

So we headed to school to pick up Ginger. We got lost or confused a couple of times, but quickly found our way and made it to pick her up ONLY 20 minutes late. Poor teachers, they must hate me (plus I don't have a cell phone anymore, so they couldn't find me and I couldn't call to tell them I was on my way). But another exciting (maybe not in a good way) thing happened as we were driving. I saw an area of town, near the horse races, where there were taxis lined up forever, like 50 or more of them. Then I saw men standing outside, probably drivers, waiting. Normal, right? Then I saw 2 fat old men with their hands on each other. I thought they were buddies and maybe playing around. It didn't look like a fight at first. But then I realized they were fighting, but just at their age and weight, it was in slow-motion. By the time I got close to them, one man had the other by the throat, strangling him. I thought "he's gonna kill him, what do I do?" I thought maybe I should honk, like really long and loud to get someone's attention, but just then I saw 2 men running up to them, probably other taxi drivers. Crazy men! What makes people that crazy! It wasn't the 1st fight I've seen here (I have seen tons of roadrage, even people yelling and honking at me, I also saw a bloody fight in the Wal-Mart line RIGHT next us), and I am sure not the last.

Well, that was my adventure in Buenos Aires. Don't think that this was such a horrible day for me, these things happen to us all the time. We aren't quite used to it, but we are learning to deal with it. It sure makes us appreciate the calm life we used to have (and will one day go back to) in Oklahoma.