Argentina

I just paid twenty bucks for the worst sandwich, but I’m happy I at least ordered a glass of chocolate milk to make up for it. I have five more hours until my flight and the only thing Buenos Aires Airport has is this crappy Tango Bar. Great.

Buenos Aires is one hell of a city. In retrospect, it sounds like America: the people here are very proud, love meat, and love to party. I thought Americans loved to drink, until I came to Argentina. In Buenos Aires, they don’t go out to the clubs until 2 in the morning and then they dance until the sun comes up. Personally, I couldn’t keep up. I’m not really sure how anyone functions the next day or goes to work. Chad nearly missed his flight today because we were so hungover and slept until an hour before his flight. Maybe that’s why Argentina is still considered a developing nation; everyone is too god damn hungover to work the next day, so they simply don’t.

Aside from this crappy sandwich I just ordered, the food in Buenos Aires has been fantastic. I don’t even like meat, but in Buenos Aires I do. Last night, Chad and I went to the best buffet. Buffets here are not like American buffets, which are cheap and full of people overweight. No this was much more gourmet. Imagine: a limitless amount of tender steaks cooked right on the grill in front of you, sausages, papas fritas, salad, grilled vegetables, and ice cream. Better yet, each person gets their own bottle of wine or pitcher of beer. I can’t even explain how amazing this place was, and unlike the states, it was filled with classy couples. The upper class, with their fake boobs and gucci purses (yes, they love designer brands here, which I was surprised about as well). This buffet was not filled by large food loving savages, but rather by fine diners, who stopped by in their suits after a long day of work.

For a country that mocks everything Americans do and secretly admires them, I have never felt so unwelcomed as an American myself. In conversation, people were always shocked that I was from America. “But you’re not fat” or “You are way too beautiful to be American, I thought you were Brazilian” is what they would say to me. Every now and then, I would get, “Of course not, you’re American. You wouldn’t know that”. Well that’s just fantastic, the rest of the world not only thinks we are proud assholes, but we are fat and ugly as well. It’s unfortunate, our reputation. I can understand why people may think Americans are ignorant. As a generalization, we kind of are. The German kid knew more about Barack Obama and his policies than I did, and sadly enough, I didn’t know England was an island either. Brazil owes Gisele Bundech a hell of lot; thanks to her, the world thinks all Brazilians are drop dead gorgeous and look great in a bikini. And thanks to George Bush, everyone thinks Americans are ugly idiots.