Billy Pilgrim
Tuesday, 10:34 am
Something wasn’t right when I got to Spanish class today. I walked in the door a few minutes late, as is the custom here, but the rest of the students were already seated. The teacher was familiar, but the students – there was something wrong with the students. I pondered the situation, frozen in the doorway: Had I gone in the wrong room?
“Jeremías,” said the teacher, “it’s only 10. Class starts at 11.”
I stood there a moment longer, absorbing this fact. Then, with my view of the morning appropriately shifted, wondered over to the Plaza de Mayo to enjoy my bonus hour.
(It’s a perfect morning, about 75 degrees with a slight breeze. The grass is being watered and small groups of tourists are taking turns photographing themselves in front of the House of Government.
“Look,” says an Argentine woman, point at the Central Bank, “that’s where the corralito was.”
Her friend sounds unconvinced.)
Time has been giving me trouble lately. Yesterday I walked up to the Teatro Colón to see if I could get tickets to Tosca. The “sold out” sign disappointed me immediately, until I realized that it was for a different opera; Tosca is on in May, not April.
And a few days ago I commented that my upcoming trip to the US would come 2 days after Argentina’s elections. Hours later, I realized that my trip will actually come a month and 2 days after the elections.
previously there was monday morning coming down
afterwards you have Voting in Buenos Aires
"Hours later, I realized that my trip will actually come a month and 2 days after my trip."
Maybe true. But your trip (at the end of May) will come right after the second elections ('ballotage', the argentine run-off election). If Menem works fast, maybe the dollar will be 1-1 by then? Better buy some pesos, just in case :) [submitted on 26 Apr 03]
And if he wins there will be some very upset people. In argentina, when there are lots of upset people they tend to do things.
Incidentally, lots of people are calling all the campaign polls (the recent ones putting him in front), as many of the pollsters are paid by various candidates. One source said he suspects the polls at least try to be moderately accurate only -just before- the elections, so they keep some amount of legitimacy. So maybe the recent polls are right? We'll find out sunday, i guess. [submitted on 26 Apr 03]
Jeremias has come unstuck in time.
I've never thought of Mr. JP as the Billy Pilgrim type. Trafalmagorian, maybe. Are you really shaped like a Coke bottle?
And you all got a page for this year's Bridgefest? I wanna write a ditty for it like I did last year. I'm in a writin' mood. Not that you'd know that from the long list of homework I'm not doing. [submitted on 28 Apr 03]
By MICHAEL T. LUONGO
THE NEW YORK TIMES
April 29, 2003
Buenos Aires has long been considered a city that does not know where it is. It consciously rebuilt itself at the turn of the last century in the image of Paris. Walking along the Avenida de Mayo, lined with Belle Époque buildings, you would think you were in France. Adding to the confusion are young fashion plates who seem to have spacewarped from Milan.
But under the glamour is the chaos. William Palau moved from London to become an accounts manager for the British-Argentine technology company Rower International. "The taxis drive like crazy here," he said. "Where there are three painted lines, in London there are three cars. Here, there are seven."
Business has also been chaotic since the December 2001 devaluation of the peso. Once equal to the dollar, the peso is a third of its former value, hurting profits but aiding exports like grain, beef and leather. Buenos Aires is also a regional insurance and financial services center.
Despite recession, international tensions and fears of severe acute respiratory syndrome, the city is in the midst of a tourism boom that fills restaurants, cafes and tango halls with gawking foreigners.
You can read the full story on http://www.nytimes.com/2003... [submitted on 29 Apr 03]