Poopy Pants

Buenos Aires is definitely not a city that lacks creativity. One thing that I have been particularly drawn to has been the variety of fashions. There is no one trend here- it’s everything and anything. Although there are some people who follow certain looks, for the vast majority they make up their own unique style. One of our favorite pieces is our self-proclaimed “poopy pants,” which is a variation of a baggy pair of pants, but with a lot of extra fabric that falls around the buttox area (and literally appears as though they’ve got a poopy pair of pants). These pants are very popular here and we still can’t understand the appeal of this item because it is absolutely not attractive even on the skinniest individual. Besides that, there are a lot of people who would fall into the hipster category and sometimes I can’t help but admire their sheer ingenuity in fabricating something completely out of the ordinary. On the other hand, many girls here have a masterful sense of style. I often find myself doing a double take when a girl walks by with a sensational outfit far more than I do for guys. They are also blessed with either amazing genes or maintain very healthy diets because they are all stick skinny. I was very surprised to see how trendy people are here and it is definitely reminiscent of some European cities, rather than what I have been exposed to in parts of Latin America.

On another note, politics are starting to get a little chaotic here. Kirchner is now trying to control the free press, which has resulted in a wave of protests. They have also raided multiple areas of production for Clarin in Buenos Aires claiming that they are a monopoly and there were certain tax concerns. The government later issued an apology for their actions, but the act itself cannot be described as anything other than intimidation. The government further alleges that they are acting on behalf of the average worker by regulating Clarin’s role in the free press in Argentina, and thereby, allowing other companies to enter into the market. Recently, the Senate passed a bill that places new restrictions on television and radio ownership that will probably enable the government to buy out Clarin, which is one of their sharpest critics and the majority holder of Argentina’s radio, television, and cable licenses. From what I am able to make out in the papers, the government has remained silent to all the protests. They maintain it is to offer more opportunity in press coverage to others, but is this not just an example of a healthy, profitable company? Obviously, this is a facade for their real goal to hide the vast criticism that they are receiving, especially as Argentina sinks into a recession. It will be interesting to see how this pans out considering that Kirchner has another two years in office.

Most people I have met are largely unsatisfied by Nestor’s time in office, but they now proclaim that politics have reached an all time low with his wife. Cristina is being compared to the likes of Chavez and many people have told me their concerns that Argentina is slowly moving towards a dictatorship. During the couple’s time in power, they have far outstretched their control and many people worry the masks of democracy are being overused in order to feign some sense of legitimacy. There are fears that they are conducting private investigations to determine their major enemies and opponents to their regime. Many assert that Hugo’s example is spreading throughout Latin America and Argentina will be the next country to fall to widespread corruption under an illiberal democracy similar to that found in Venezuela.

We’re off to an asado and happy to say we can finally begin working on our tan. Used our terrace today for the first time and all we need is a little hammock and it will be the ultimate location to spend these hot days.

If you are interested in hearing about Dubai, check out Christina’s blog here. Absolutely love it and I am sure you will too if you want to hear about a different set of experiences on the other side of the world!