Attention Getters

Here's a post that will be full of random facts that have nothing to do with anything in particular but everything to do with anything at all (and also continually updated). After all, if among the sensory overload the city causes me these pieces of information stuck out, they must be kind of interesting... . So here.

-In class: Teacher says, oh you remember that time there was the cholera outbreak here..... (everyone nods)..... What?!

-Men in children's bodies: There were two men at the zoo, waiting outside with these miniature horses to give rides to kids, and they had a water fight. Except, it wasn't water: They chased each other around with soda bottles and sprayed the soda on each other. Guys in their late 40s or 50s.

-Riding the bus back from Mar del Plata was incredible for a reason other than the fact that we were going about 40 on the highway - there was a huge lightning storm across the entire horizon for about 5 hours. I felt like I was in the middle of the African grasslands, except on a coach bus in Argentina...

-The snoring man that is sleeping 3 feet from you in a hostel that you wish you could just push.

-We've heard of the persistent Argentine Man. The one that doesn't go away, where you, as an uninterested party, must READ THE WARNING LABEL that is DISGUISED AS HARMLESS FLIRTING and EVACUATE YOURSELF AND ALL ASSOCIATES from the situation. They come on hard when you least expect it, so be ready. And at all times, remain in the public's eye. It doesn't matter your situation: if you're single, if you're not, if you're going home soon, if you're staying out, if you're drunk, if you're sober, if you're touring, if you're studying abroad, or if you're living with the guy's friend. Alertness, just as for situations of crime is critical.

-Buenos Aires was useful to explorers for pretty much no other reason (in the early times) than it being an easy port to transport Bolivian Silver back to Europe by avoiding the trans-Panama trip and Caribbean Pirates.

-Una Película Pochoclera is a funny and light movie. 

If: Película = movie

And: Pochoclo = popcorn

Then: Película Pochoclera is a "Popcorny Movie"

-When the construction workers, taxi drivers, and people on the street hoot and holler at the ladies, many times the comments are about meat. But like, they call you a nice cut of meat. I have yet to distinguish really what these chamuyos say to me, as they prefer to mumble and whistle or cat call more. Here are some common (and really good) piropos - pick up lines - that my teacher revealed to us:

"¡Qué lomo que tiene!"

"What a nice ass you have" (BEST cut of meat from a cow)

"Me gustaría ser papa frita para acompañar ese lomo"

"I would like to be a french fry to accompany that piece of meat."

"...carne de exportación."

"...meat for export." (Argentine's do not actually eat the best part of the cow - they have that cut of meat shipped for export to mainly Europe; so again, the men call you an excellent cut of meat from a cow. Thanks, che.)

[Caveat: USE COMMON SENSE IN A CITY YOU ARE UNFAMILIAR WITH]

The Diplomat from the United States Embassy came to talk to a group of students and kindly informed us that "Buenos Aires has the HIGHEST crime rate that the State Department can give a place, save for an ACTIVE WAR ZONE. 

-basically it's important to follow advice and not go where it is recommended you not go AND follow common sense... .