Buenos Aires addendum

B.A., etc.
Haha, an explanation of the FOTC reference in the last posting: I was walking to the bus stop in Buenos Aires at about 11pm after a great long visit with the Colombian former-roommates. We ate choripan and walked around the Sunday artesan markets and then went to the coastal reserve park, then I went to my favorite ice cream place. I also registered for the GREs - I´ll take them in BA on the 19th. I figured, why not? Since then I´ve been re-studying geometry and trying to remember how I did analogies on the SATs whenever I´m on a long bus ride.

Anyway, I was walking to the bus stop around 11pm, right? Well 11pm on Sunday night must have been Ask-Charly-for-Money-O´Clock because no less than six people came up to me and asked me for money. The first guy was nice so I gave him a coin. The second guy was a cortonero and those guys are making an honest living and I totally respect him so as he was walking by and asked for a giant sip of the Coke I´d just bought I let him drink it. He drank about half in one gulp. The third guy was about to say some intricate I-need-money story but I interrupted before he could start and gave him the rest of the Coke. The fourth and fifth guys I just told them no because my generosity was spent and this was already well outside of my normal amount of giving (sorry, I´m being real here - I´m not made of money). The sixth guy was a disabled guy who I asked for directions and when he asked for change he started by saying ¨with all respect, you don´t have to, but...¨ so I gave him the last coin I had. Buenos Aires has a coin shortage almost year-round so this was a stretch for me, but he had helped me after all.

Finally, at the bus stop, some blonde guy in nicer clothes than mine came over to me and asked me for 5 pesos. Wait, did I say six people asked me for money? I mean seven. By now my response was NO WAY! He kept asking and started getting pushy and it turned to ¨No!... NO, NO, NO BOLUDO!! If you want 5 pesos get a $%&/· job! You don´t know what poverty is!¨ He didn´t like this and kind of lunged at me but I took a few steps back and started yelling at him, so he ran off. (There was a cop half a block away.) I stayed at the bus stop, legs trembling a little since I hadn´t cursed out a stranger in a long time, and put my hood up. My students tell me that you can tell someone looks dangerous if they´re wearing a hat and have their hood up.

*A confession: after living in Honduras I have a potty mouth. I am trying to correct this. It especially comes out when I´m angry or sleepy. I was both.

When I got home at 4 am, I didn´t have time to write the whole story so I put up the song. I was still thinking to myself, ¨What happened? Have I gotten soft since leaving Honduras? Are my defenses down? ... Or am I just over-confident here so I think I can walk in any neighborhood at any time of day?¨ I think it´s the latter. I mean, Buenos Aires, and all of Argentina for that matter, is so tame! I know Argentineans who don´t lock their door!

Anyway, that´s the story of

Inner.
City.
Pressure.