TangoSpam:La Vida Con Deby

"There's nothing better than being yourself."

These are the words of our new president Christina Fernandez de Kirchner.  In an interview, Christina (as we call her here) does not want to be compared to anyone - including Hilary Clinton and Eva Peron. Formerly the first lady and now the President Elect (with 46% of the vote) Christina is constantly compared to both women.   Of Hilary Clinton she says "Hillary and I have few things in common: We've both been senators, lawyers and wives of presidents, but not much else."  All first ladies here tend to be compared to Evita.

This was my first real presidential election here.  I was here when Nestor Kirchner was elected president. It was before I was officially living here.  What impressed me most about the way a campaign is done here is the grass roots mentality.  There are no million dollar ads blaring at you 2 years in advance.  There are no TV ads period.  No documercials heavily disguised as campaign ads.

Instead you have people on street corners talking to people.  Lots of flyers.  Lots of town council type meetings.  It is a meet the people rather than blast the people approach.  There are always the television analysts, the interviews.  They are much less intrusive than in the U.S.

The other thing that was absent was dirty politics and mudslinging.  The candidates talk about what they see as wrong.  They talk about what they want to do.  True it is done in Political-speak, but it is much more refreshing than someone digging up dirt on a relationship that might have happened 30 years ago.

It was generally agreed that Christina did not do as much campaigning as the others.  She spent more time traveling to Europe to meet with heads of the governments there.  Here she met with the business community, foreign investors. On one hand you could say that she was pretty much a shoo-in for president.  She was getting a running start on her foreign policy.  Others of course pointed to her as a "special interest" candidate. 

What I found most interesting is the attitude of the people I talked to about voting.  People were always interested in who I would vote for if I could vote.  I cannot vote in presidential elections.  I will be able to vote in local elections once my visa is permanent.

I am not sure who I would have voted for.  I like Christina.  I think she is strong in her own right.  She is a very smart woman.  She is not afraid to speak her mind.  Many think she will be similar to her husband but more conciliatory.  He tends to govern with an iron fist, she tends to be more team oriented.

I also liked Roberto Lavagna.  He is credited with turning around the economic policies of Argentina.  He has been most often compared to Alan Greenspan.  Unfortunately for him, he is not all that charismatic. He came in 3rd after Elsa Carrio.

When I would speak to my friends about the elections, it was interesting, many people did not want to vote for Christina, they did not want to vote for any of the candidates. (Of which there were many) Some people felt that Christina was being rammed down their throats.

Several of my friends voted for Elsa Carrio.  Not because they wanted her as president.  Here in Argentina if there is less than a 10% difference between the first two candidates, there must be a run-off vote.  They did not want Christina to win on the first ballot. Well someone must have voted for her because she got over 46% of the vote to Elsa Carrio's 23%.

It will be interesting to see not only how Christina fares as president, but how attitudes towards women will fare.  Perhaps this will be the beginning of a new era in more ways than one.

Fools Rush In......

Sherry and I were at Club Gricel.  Monday was a holiday and the place was a disaster.  Holidays bring out every Argentine who either has not danced in awhile, never danced, or has fantasies about dancing tango.  Because I got there late, they gave away my table.  Not a problem - or so I thought, because I was immediately led to another table near the front.

There were 3 other people at the table.  When we went to sit down there were coats and a purse on the seats.  I politely asked the woman if these were her things.  She said yes, and that she was not going to move them.  She was Argentine.  I had never seen her or the other 2 people in the milongas before.

I explained to her that we were going to be seated at this table. "No, you are not" she said rudely. "My friends are coming and I am saving these seats for them."  The place was a mad house, and this woman thinks she is going to save seats.  I explain to her that tonight there is no saving of seats.  That this is a holiday, that my regular table was given away.  "Too bad" she informs me.

Then the man at the table surprised her. He was American and says to her in Spanish "We only reserved 3 seats."  She was furious.  They were 3 and they had their table.  Because this woman is not a regular she does not understand the tables are only held to a certain time and then they are given away.  She reluctantly removes her things.

After we are seated she leans over to continue scolding me.  She looks like a storybook witch.  She has long hair and a hook nose.  I ignore her which makes her madder.  She calls me a "boluda". (Asshole) I look at her with my death look.  It isn't worth saying anything to her.  Poor Sherry is in the middle and clueless.  She has no idea what is going on.

I get up to go greet my friends.  The place is a madhouse.  Not only that, they are continuing to let people in.  The people nearest to my table want to know what is going on at my table.  I explain about the hook nosed witch.  Most people don't understand why my table was given away in the first place. After once around the room I go back to the table.

The witch refuses to let me pass to my chair.  She tells me she does not want to move.  I just go all the around the other side.  What an idiot.  I am not interested in arguing with some stupid woman.  It is a shame.  She is the stereotypical Argentine.  She is the type that gives Argentines a bad name.  She is arrogant and rude. 

I know what she is thinking. She knows I am foreign, so she thinks I am here on vacation.  She is trying to impress her friends that she is "someone" in the milongas. That she is in the "know".  She has no idea that I am a regular here and she is the fool she is trying to make me.  I watch the dance floor.  I have no intention of dancing. Too many crazy people.

One of the friends of the witch arrives.  The witch tells me that I have to leave.  I tell her I am going no where.  She starts to tell her American friends crazy things about me.  They are uncomfortable.  They don't understand her thinking.  They know their reservation is for 3 and that it is obvious you cannot save seats on a night like tonight. 

The friend of the witch goes to get Patricio the organizer.  He comes to the table.  When he sees me, he shakes his head.  They told him I took her seat.  "Que pelatudas.."  I think.  I tell Patricio that Adri sat us here because my table was not available.  I tell him how they had a reservation for 3 and that the witch was trying to save two more seats and did not want us at the table.  Patricio knows when we entered.  He tells the witch and her friends that he is sorry, but on a night like tonight there is no saving seats. 

The witch is furious.  She leans over once again to say something to me.  I tell her to save her breath. I am not interested.  It is amazing that someone could be so stupid and so rude.  I see Felipe come in on the other side.  He looks gorgeous.  I love when he wears a suit.  So do all the other women.  I run to greet him. This man is way too good looking to leave alone. He gives me a hug, looks around, and tells me, "I am going to have a beer and then leave.  This place is a disaster."  We make our way to the bar. 

MIguel comes to join us.  He is talking about his 5 milongas that he hosts.  He knows Felipe through a  mutual friend.  I dance a few times while they are talking. I am standing between Felipe and Miguel. I watch the reaction of the people who see me with Felipe.  People are always watching.  Even when they say nothing.

After they finish their beer, Felipe tells me he is going to leave.  I walk him to the door, we go outside. He kisses me and jumps into a taxi.  "You are crazy to stay in that place." he tells me.  Probably he is right.  I everytime I go to dance on a holiday I think the same.  Except on the last holiday, I met him. So dancing on a holiday cannot be all bad.

I go back inside.  The floor is less crowded.  I dance with a few friends.  I do not want to stay until 3 so I can really dance.  I have students early in the morning.  I make my way back to the table.  I politley say to the witch "permiso" so I can pass to my chair.  She folds her arms and looks at me smugly.  She raises her haughty hook nosed face and tosses her hair "No."  I am not about to be deterred.  She does not realize how many people are watching this little piece of theatre. 

I try again "Permiso, por favor."  She refuses to budge.  OK, I decide.  If she can be the rude stereotypical Argentine, I can be the rude sterotypical agressive American. I push myself between her chair and the other tables.  I make sure push her side and not the other. She lunges forward spilling her bottle of water.  She is furious.  "Que lastima" I say to her smiling.

Too bad she doesn't melt.  She is furious calling me every name she can think of.  She turns to the Argentine at the next table to continue her rant against me.  She is calling me a stupid tourist, a jerk, etc.  Ricardo turns to her and smiles "Eso es Deby.  Ella es tan famosa." He hesitates gauging her reaction, "y una de nostros."

The witch says nothing.  Too bad there is not a tango version of "Fools Rush In...."

Tomatoes por favor?

This morning I walk Roxie.  On Sundays Juan doesn't come to walk her.  It is "our time together."  Normally I walk her for 2 hours or more.  This morning I have a bad cold, so the walk will be short.  We are a real pair.  Her with her constant sniffling and me with my cough.

I stop at the Fruteria.  They are just starting to open up.  I ask if they are open.  Not everything is out.  Although it is Sunday, everything still looks fresh and delicious.  "Las frutillas?  Cuanto vale?"  I ask. (How much are the strawberries) The young man smiles and tells me 6 pesos for a kilo.  I ask for 1 kilo.  I love strawberries.  I buy 2 heads of butter lettuce and 3 bananas.  He tells me $9.80. (pesos - about $3. USD) The first thought to pop into my head is that he made a mistake adding, but then I realize that is correct.  I hand him a 10.

I remember when 10 pesos would buy me enough fruit and vegetables for the week.  Now it buys almost nothing. The Argentines continue to joke that it is too expensive to be a vegetarian.  It is cheaper to eat meat. I haven't bought tomatoes for more than a month.  A  year ago tomatoes were $3.50 for 2 kilos. (1 kilo is 2.2 lbs) Now they are anywhere from 10.00 - 15.00 pesos for one kilo. 

I open my expenses or what are called the Homeowner's Fees in the U.S. Another shockaroony.  Now they are $497 pesos.  I scan to see what caused them to go 50 pesos higher this month.  Electricity, gas, the portero's insurance.  2 years ago I was paying $265 pesos. In January I was paying $325.  It is not only my building, it is happening all over the city.  My friends are complaining about their expenses as well.

I shudder to think of what my electrical bill will be.  I have signs posted discreetly in my apartment for guests to turn off their lights.  I am amazed at how many people leave rooms with the lights on.  Worse than that is when they leave the heat on.  They don't seem to understand that it is expensive and a waste of energy.  One has to wonder if they do this at home.  I feel like the electrical gestapo constantly following my guests and turning off lights; the kitchen, living room, bathroom, and their rooms when they leave. 

While the tourists and longer term visitors still see Buenos Aires as bargain heaven, those of us who live here 1 to 1 are struggling.  A guest and I went to eat dinner at a parilla. Large portions of chicken, french fries, salad, and wine.  47 pesos, or $15 USD.  She laughed when she saw it.  "Oh, allow me." she said grabbing the check.  It was a joke for her.  The same dinner last year was under 30 pesos.  I thanked her, for me the 25 pesos I would pay for my half is one English class.

This is me, and I do alright.  What about the rest of the people.  How are they living?  One thing I have seen is the use of credit cards proliferating.  During the crisis most places suspended the use of credit cards.  Now everywhere takes them again.  Worse than that, everything is quoted in payments rather than the price.  You have to look closely to find out the actual cost of an item.

My cleaning lady asks to "borrow" 100 pesos.  I tell her no.  I do not like to lend money. This leads to a conversation about prices.  She tells me that her family has stopped buying potatoes.  Potatoes used to cost less than a peso for a kilo.  They now cost 4 pesos.  I ask her what they are eating these days.  She tells me eggs.  A little bit of meat.  Empanadas.  Pizza. Hamburgers.  Comida chatera.  Junk food.  No wonder she loves to eat at my place.

I just gave her 4 huge bags of clothes I don't use anymore.  She was overjoyed.  We are about the same size.  She feels like a millionaire.  I am a confirmed clothes-a-holic.  I know how to look good for cheap.  Just like when I lived in the U.S., I have my favorite haunts here.  I have never spent a fortune on clothes, I just look like it.  Now my cleaning lady feels like she hit the lotto.  There were clothes I bought in a mad moment, that I never wore.

She worries about buying clothes for her 10 year old daughter. Her daughter keeps growing out of her shoes and jeans.  I tell Mabel to feed her more.  That way her daughter will be the same size as us and be able to wear her clothes.  She laughs.  It really is not funny.

My cleaning lady is a widow.  She is a wonderful person.  I adore her.  I feel lucky to have her.  She never cleaned apartments before.  She raised 4 children.  Then her husband died.  She was pregnant with her last child when he passed away.  She has a small widow's pension.  It was more than enough for her to live on until this year.  Now she needs to work to supplement it.

At her age never having worked before, living in a small town in the province, she didn't have many choices.  Cleaning apartments seemed to be the only option for her.  She feels happy to find me as well. It was frightening to her to think about having to work the first time in your life at age 51.  Especially cleaning houses.

I am starting to notice something new happening.  Before when a business moved out, almost immediately a new business moved in.  That does not seem to be happening these days.  On Paraguay, the block I live on, there are several storefronts for rent.  Santa Fe still seems to rent rapidly.  The backstreets are slowing down.

They are still building apartments like crazy.  The majority of the ones that have already been built are empty.  They are too expensive for most Argentines.  With the foreclosure crisis looming in the U.S, most do not want to put their money outside of the country.  The cheap prices no longer exist.  Yes, prices are still cheaper than they are in California.  But they are no longer cheap.  The tower apartments a couple of blocks away are selling a 35 sq. meter (about 375 sq. ft.)  apartment on the 4th floor, with a view of a building is selling for $85,000. The higher up you go, the more expensive the same apartment is.  The construction is not that great.  I could never buy my apartment today.

You have to stop and wonder what is going to happen.  Will prices continue to skyrocket?  Will this crazy economy top out?  I don't know.  I just want to buy tomatoes.

¿Como Anda Roxie?

Lots of you email me from time to time to ask about the Roxinator.  This month the Gorda turned 12.  I cannot believe we have been together that long.  I got her when she was 6 weeks old.  What a history we have together.

If you have been following her health problems then you know she has had bouts of bad health for a year. Her nose never seemed to really clear up.  It got significantly better but never completely better.  About 2 weeks ago we started with a new vet.  This vet recommended we go outside the city to have a new endocscopic procedure.  In her opinion this doctor was one of the best in South America.

So there we went.  In a remis for dogs.  The clinic was big and modern.  It seemed out of place in this dusty rural town.  The doctor attending her had many degrees.  He took us on a tour of the place.  Jeesh, I would like to be a patient there.  A month later I was sent the results of her tests.  Roxie has cancer.  The tumor in her nose is malignant.

I was frozen.  How could this be?  There was no cancer before.  What happened?  What should I do?  This is my best friend, my daughter.  But she is also 12 years old.  I was not about to spend 1000s of pesos on an old dog no matter how much I love her.  I was given the name of a doggie oncologist.

Yesterday we met with Dr. M.  Roxie adored her the second she met her.  Roxie adores everyone.  It seemed she adored Dr. M. a little more.  Maybe she knew Dr. M. was going to try and help her.  Her constantly drippy nose could not be much fun. 

After reading all her reports, looking at the lab work, Dr. M. told me I should not be worried.  All things considered Roxie is a very healthy dog.  The only thing we need to do is make sure the cancer is contained in her nose.  She recommended another type of x-ray and some additional lab work.  If everything is OK here, she can have doggie chemo which is done with 2 pills 21 days apart.  The charges for everything will be less than 500 pesos.

Roxie in the opinon of Dr. M. will hopefully live another 2 years.  So next week, it is off to more doctors, more tests.  More new words in Spanish for me.  I have become an expert in doggie veterinary Spanish.  It is amazing the things one learns when one has to.

Last night Felipe was thrilled to hear that Roxie would make it.  He hugged and kissed her, and gently wiped her nose.  This morning when my cleaning lady Mabel came, she teared up. Her dog walker Juan broke into a big grin.  Everyone asks about Roxie.  She is a dog who has touched many hearts.