Neihbourhoods of Buenos Aires, Part 2

La Boca

South of San Telmo is colourful La Boca. It’s walking distance, but I’d only do it during the day as even then, it’s the only time I ever felt on edge in Buenos Aires. La Boca sits on the wharfs and despite being separated from the city by poor and neglected neighbourhoods, it’s the city’s most touristy place. We visited after about a month in Buenos Aires and had wondered where all the tourists were! The amount of them came as a bit of a shock, and so did the prices!

When I say colourful I mean literally! Brightly painted houses and restaurants line the streets and a small plaza. Guitarists and dancers perform and rope tourists into joining a tango (not us!). Most restaurants have a small stage for dancers, but avoid the crowds, prices and souveneir sellers and grab a table at a quieter tango bar around the plaza in San Telmo. La Boca is fun though and definitely worth an afternoon visit.

Once
Other than being the place to buy cheap electronics and other items from the dozens of street sellers, Once is Buenos Aires’ Jewish neighbourhood. Our visit was motivated by our desire for different food and we weren’t disappointed. There are many kosher delis and stores and, the world’s only kosher McDonalds! We didn’t partake.

Once is also home to Teatro Ciego; the Blind Theatre. We missed out on a show, but I think it would be a cool experience and it’s pretty cheap. It would help to have a fairly good grasp of Spanish though, as the theatre is 100% aural. I read that the room is pitch black and you eat your meal from shared plates with your hands. I think all the performers are blind too.

Chinatown

I was excited to visit Chinatown for a few reasons. Buenos Aires, like Argentina enerally, isn’t very multicultural (at least in the way I’m used to in Melbourne). There are Spanish and Indigenous Argentines, people from South America and a strong Italian influence (if not community), but not many other significant groups breaking through what is a mostly homogenous culture. So when we visited Chinatown I was looking forward to a different side of the city that at the same time, was familiar. More importantly, I went for the spices. Food in Argentina isn’t spicy even when it says so and having grown up and lived in Mebourne’s most Asian suburbs (Springvale and Footscray), I was in need of something hot!

If Chinatown was easier to get to, I would have gone more often to try more restuarants and shop at their markets. As it was, we went just the one time and had a slightly disappointing Chinese meal. Chinatown is not officially a barrio like the others, but the residents are campaigning for it and I think they’re pretty close. If you’ve been to Melbourne’s Chinatown or maybe San Francisco’s, Buenos Aires’ Chinatown will be a bit of a let down. If you’re from Canberra however, you’ll love it.

Near San Telmo…
Heading east from San Telmo one afternoon, beyond where the Sunday market ends, we felt a little like we were crossing to the other side of the tracks. There’s western style restaurants and a modern cinema complex where movies are cheap and usually dubbed. Melbournians will know what I mean when I call the area ‘Docklandsesque’. I got that same sterile, souless feeling as if I’d arrived in a ghost town or one that had never quite fulfilled the hopes of its developers and was now unlikely to. It turns out my instincts were accurate; my Spanish teacher confirmed that the area used to be industrial wharfs and that people only really like it for roller-blading and jogging et cetera.

The Forgotten Buenos Aires Files!

Thinking about my recent posts, it dawned on me that there was so much more to Buenos Aires than I wrote about and that surely I hadn’t been so lax. I hadn’t! I’d merely sequestered a file in a strange place. So here it is…

Neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires, Part 1

Buenos Aires is made up of many small neighbourhoods known as ‘barrios’, each with its own history and characteristics. I wrote about San Telmo earlier, but here’s a little about some of the other barriors.

Recoleta.
The fanciest and wealthiest barrio, Evita once declared that Recoleta should be bombed, which is ironic given it’s where she’s now burried. Home to a large cemetery that is the last home of many well known people, Recoleta is Buenos Aires’ cultural centre. Here you will find the opera house, art galleries and theatres, along with brew houses, Western style restaurants and a mega-cinema complex. It looks very European.

Evita’s final resting place.

It’s a bit of a walk from the nearest subway so compared to other barrios it’s not that easy to get to. We saw Fuerza Bruta in one of Recoleta’s theatre spaces; quite honestly the most unique and entertaining show I’ve ever been to. It’s touring, so check out their website if you like drums, acrobatics, aerial, dj’s, water and dancing.

Palermo.
Palermo is split into two barrios, Hollywood and SoHo. Unsurprisingly, it’s where many American ex-pats live and is probably the second wealthiest area. A give away is all the dog walkers! There are American themed bars, an Irish pub, some great Argentinian restuarants and funky clothes stores. Our spanish class was in Palermo, a short walk from the subway and past delicious looking bakeries.

Class was was also close to the nicest, tiniest bar/ cafe I found in Buenos Aires. I really enjoyed working on Spanish homework or my bog there while I waited for Tristan to finish his class (we took them separately as he’s at a much higher level than me). As well as a cafe, it’s a deli that serves food on wooden plates and red wine in (full) Stella Artois glasses. It could be a challenge to finish in an hour though, especially when I was busy writing.

At $7 for a glass and a large baguette with proscuito, smoked mushrooms and two kinds of cheese, I was set. I’m not sure that drinking wine immediately after class was conducive to retaining the Spanish learnt in the previous hour though… Sadly I never quite found out the name. It’s ‘Nueva’ something and on a corner of Calle Ministerio Carranza, a few blocks up from the main street the subway is on.

Florida
Buenos Aires’ main commercial strip is in Florida. It’s pedestrian road worth a short visit on your way to something else. Stop by Galleria Pacifico for artwork that’s more befitting a church than a shopping centre, and browse the stores for generic clothes and souveneirs. I walked through part of Florida on the way to work for Family #2 and we went a couple of times to exchange money.

Everywhere we went before Argentina, people were telling us to exchange US dollars at unofficial places as the rate is much higher. The problem was that in January, the government put a stop to withdrawing US dollars from ATMs as it was screwing over workers and the economy. This meant that after exchanging a couple hundred dollars when we arrived, we had nothing left to exchange and couldn’t take advantage of the much better rate of 10 pesos for $1 rather than 7.5 for $1.

It was a shame, especially as dividing by 10 is much easier than dividing by 7.5! When we exchanged the US dollars we withdrew in Uruguay we even got 11 pesos for $1. It was annoying as many places assume gringos or even slightly well-off people could magically obtain US dollars and get the good rate, so prices were high. Even my yoga place charged accordingly. How people got hold of dollars remains a mystery, and one the postal service may want to look into…

Patagonia in June

Patagonina is the region shared by southern Argentina and Chile known best for its glaciers, trekking, southern Andes mountain range and being ‘the end of the world’. While our income in Buenos Aires wasn’t near what we’d hoped and we were at risk of diverting from our original travel plans, we still visited expensive and far-off world of Patagonia. We’d decided to see what we could while we were in the area. Afterall, when would we be so close again? Probably never. If we ran out of money and didn’t make it to Central America, we would just hang out in cheap Bolivia and travel Central America another time.

Being winter, there were few tours. Usually I prefer independent travel anyway, but when I started researching how to get to Patagonia from Buenos Aires it became clear that a tour was probably easiest. Winter also meant that there were less bus services, and confirming which were running was near impossible. A bus from Buenos Aires to Patagonia took at least 44 hours and to get to the attractions, we’d need ferries that may or may not be running. So a tour it was, and we found a five night package online with 01 Argentina for $900 including flights, accommodation, breakfasts and tours. It still hurts to think of spending so much in such a short time, but it was better than the local travel agencies and the company had good reviews. Also, we were meeting Tristan’s mum in Peru on June 23rd so we only had three weeks and a tour was well worth the logistical comfort.

Farewell Buenos Aires!

Punta del Diablo, Uruguay

On the afternoon of our second day in Uruguay, we left Montevideo and took a bus and ferry to Punta del Diablo on the country’s north-east coast near Brazil. We arrived in darkness and were a little uneasy as our hosts said they’d meet us at the bus stop but didn’t show up. Nor did we have a working phone or were persuasive enough for a store to let us use theirs. We headed towards the lights of the busiest part of town we could see where a cafe owner happened to know our hosts. After some phone calls, we were finally picked up and dropped off at our very cute and well heated free-standing cabin.

It was almost winter and we were on the coast, so it was chilly and not ideal beach-going weather but it was nice nonetheless. The small, surf town would be even better in summer. We enjoyed the fresh air and walked along the beach accompanied by a dog we’d met not far from our cabin, and who waited for us when we stopped at a beach-front cafe for a coffee.

I lost my photos from this trip but had to show one, thanks google images!

Armed with a not-so-accurate map, we began walking to Santa Teresa National Park and its fort. For a couple of hours, along the beach and coast and dunes we went, wondering when we’d get to the park. Along the way, we saw one or two teenagers on bikes but other than that we were all alone. While that was peaceful, it was also a little scary. Especially as the landscape looked like the island in Lost.

After finally getting to the park and walking through it for around two hours, we arrived at a few colonial buildings and greenhouses. Sadly they were closed but it was nice to rest before continuing our journey to the fort. Eventually, after the landscape turned more agricultural and tourists more plentiful, the fort loomed ahead of us on a hill. These tourists were wise though; they were all in cars. It was cold and we were exhausted!

The fort itself is pretty cool. For a small entrance fee we could go inside buildings and wonder the grounds that in the recent past were used to host medieval, reenactment type events. After an hour or two, we were accutely aware of the encroaching clouds, impending darkness and at least a four hour walk back through a deserted park and beach that may or may not now be covered in water. Hrm…

The fort guides said there was probably a bus going along a main road, but it sounded unikely. We began asking people in the car park if they were going to Punta del Diablo and after about 20 minutes it worked out. A family didn’t have space in their car, but offered us a ride in the back of their ute. Not being in a position to decline, we accepted and it was a windy but fun half an hour ride back into town. Yay!

We had a late lunch at one of the beach-side restaurants and retreated to our cabin for a cosy night in. For our last morning in Uruguay we got up before dawn, walked to the sand dunes and watched the very pretty sunrise. After this calm morning, we began to worry about leaving on time for our bus and ferry back to Buenos Aires.

Our host had left very basic instructions for where he lived, but we couldn’t find his house nor call to confirm our pick-up time (the cabin was too far from the bus stop to walk with our bags). Luckily, his son arrived just in time and by evening we were back in our flat in Buenos Aires.

Before leaving Uruguay, we were sure to withdraw US dollars from an ATM (they’re not available in Argentina but can be exchanged at a high rate). The notes were so pristine and like Monopoly money, that in my distraction I walked off without taking my card. The ATM swallowed it back again, ironically to stop others taking it. No! The bank was helpless and no-one could be called to open the machine. It wasn’t the end of the world though. It was one of three cards I carried from different banks and Tristan had its twin, so we could still access the same, no-international-transaction-fee account (GE Money’s 28 degrees mastercard; both it and the bank were good to deal with; at least compared to others!).

Montevideo, Uruguay

Hello again! Well, it’s February 17th and I haven’t published in far too long. I’ve done a lot of writing though, so now that I’m back home in Melbourne and don’t need to spend my time applying for jobs anymore (hooray!) there’s no excuse. Sadly, for some reason I have zero photos of Uruguay other then those on my ‘good’ camera that I’m yet to access (still house sitting and not truly settled), so apologies for the lack of visual entertainment.

Just across the bay from Buenos Aires is a whole other country; Uruguay! For Australians this is a big deal. It’s really cool to be able to travel for a couple of hours and arrive in another country. Other than taking a flight to New Zealand, Australians can’t really travel internationally that easily. So, a visit to Uruguay was a must.

In mid-May 2014, I took a Monday and Friday off work and we headed to the port for an early morning, one hour ferry to Colonia. From there it was a four hour bus ride to Montevideo, Uruguay’s capital. Using AirBnB, we stayed in a flat in the centre of town with a good view from a rooftop garden. Our host, Edilson lived there with his partner Humberto. Both were lovely and spent time telling us about the city and how to get around. We could do most of it walking, so we headed off to spend the afternoon exploring.

Our first stop was a state government department building, as it’s roof has the best views and entrance is free. Montevideo a sprawling metropolis, broken by parks, churches and many small plazas. We walked along the Rambla; a mainly industrial an disappointing waterfront, strolled through some plazas and went into a small Anglican church perched on a hill. For dinner, we took some bread, salami and cheese back to the apartment. We’d heard Uruguay was expensive, but it didn’t really hit home until we bought the groceries, and earlier in the day we were charged $6 for one small coffee.

Edilson’s AirBnB ad said they accommodate two people, but it turns out this was an error. Tristan gallantly let me sleep on the pull-out couch, while he slept on its cushions on the floor. We had to ask for pillows and bedding and only a thin sheet wall seperated us from the kitchen / dining area. The flat was tiny and they really shouldn’t be offering space on AirBnB. Or, they should make it clear that there’s only a single couch practically in the kitchen, and charge less than $15 a night each. There was also no hot water. We were only there for one night though, and in the morning we gently spoke to Edilson about it. He gave us half our money back and changed the ad. So overall, I wasn’t too annoyed. On the other hand, we left some bananas there, which I really wanted. Sometimes when you’re backpacking, it really is the small things!

The next day we visited the Legislative Palace (from the outside), more plazas and had lunch in a barbeque smoke filled and delicious smelling market; a nice reprieve from the drizzly day. We browsed vintage market stalls and went to the Metropolitan Museum and a theatre. I’d been looking forward to seeing Montevideo’s Statue to Sexual Diversity, even though I’d heard it wasn’t that exciting. Turns out it’s elusive too; we never found it!

Maybe I didn’t give Montevideo a long enough chance or find the right places, but I wasn’t that impressed. It’s a very European city and very expensive, but reflecting Uruguay’s awesome President, it’s also very contemporary and open. For example, everyone gets free university education and work rights.

Nannying in Buenos Aires; a Tale of Two Families, Part 2.

There’s much more to say about this nanny job! In fact, looking at the word doc it’s five times as much. Sorry!

This job was also advertised on Craigslist, but that’s where the similarities end! Actually, even there, family #2’s ad requested a German speaker who would ensure a mixed variety of developmental activities, music, art, movement and language. All good things of course, but the tone was very different!

I met family #2 on 6 May, after barely catching a bus to their gated community north of the city, known as ‘countries’. The bus was no ordinary bus, but a special, un-numbered one that leaves from designated street corners that are often confusingly close to an actual bus stop. The buses make just a few stops on their way to Nordelta (the North) and are expensive. As such, they’re only used by rich people when they venture into the city. Either them, or lucky nannies like me whom their bosses wish to save from travelling on public transport. I didn’t mind normal buses, but these were definitely nicer.

When I accepted the interview, I was told their house was 30 minutes from the city. It was actually closer to 1.5 hours. I either walked or took the subway; 30 minutes, and then took the bus for an hour. They paid for my transport and I was happy to read and look out the window. More importantly, the job paid an improved $8.70 an hour (once I got there) and promised five hours a day, Monday to Friday. I was finally going to make some (comparatively) decent money, woo hoo!

I got the job at the interview and started that very afternoon. First I had to email Tristan about it as we had no phones. I still got home to a worried Tristan, as I finished two hours later because the mum; Carolina, didn’t get back when she said she would. It wasn’t a great start but I was happy to have a steady job. The mother-in-law was there for the interview and luckily approved. Both her and Carolina were surprised that I wasn’t scared living in San Telmo. They thought it was very unsafe to live in the city. Based on the television news I can see why, but the media is hugely sensationalist.

The kids were Francisco (Fran); 8, Valentine; 6 and Kirramaria (Kirra); 18 months. Fran was a mature, kind-hearted kid, Valentine was full of beans and Kirra was cute as a button and but threw a tantrum most days. I worked from around 12.45 to 5.30, but my day was three hours longer with the commute. My hours often changed, as some days Carolina would text for me to start or finish earlier or later. After a confusing and unnecessarily heated argument in week two, she re-agreed on minimum three hour shifts; anything less wasn’t worth the travel.

Once at the community and through security, I had to ride a bike which, depending on the state of the tyres, took between 10-25 minutes. I only got paid from when I arrived at the house, so I didn’t dilly dally. The bike belonged to the family and was a fixed gear rust bucket with barely functioning brakes whose tyres went down overnight. I almost quit one evening when it was raining and Carolina wouldn’t drive me to the bus stop. My glasses fogged up so I couldn’t see, I fell off the bike when a car came along and the brakes wouldn’t work and then I missed my bus. After waiting in the cold and spending the ride home in wet clothes, I got a flu and missed a day of work. I was not happy! The kept saying they’d fix the bike, but they never did.

Their house was a double-block, two-storey, empty feeling monstrosity with a big lawn, pool, spa and private pier to the lake. They’d only moved in five months before, so there were lots of boxes and unfinished lighting et cetera. I thought it odd that such a wealthy family hadn’t gotten around to finishing the house and the little furniture they did have wasn’t great. It was a stark contrast to the fancy cars and high-end fashion they all wore. Even Kirra’s wardrobe was 100% Osh Kosh Bigosh, Guess, Gap, Polo, Ralph Lauren, blah blah blah. I have to confess though, it was nice to doll her up for an outing…

The day the kid’s friends (also German-speaking), visited & I got them all grubby drawing with side-walk chalk. Mwa ha haa.

The German Factor.

The dad’s father was German and the family preferred to identify with that rather than being Argentine (I wonder who they barracked for in the world cup final?). Carolina had learnt German and the boys went to a German speaking school. I was employed as I speak German, but it felt odd to be liked so much for my ancestry. There’s a big German community in Argentina, and while it was interesting and sometimes nice, the strength of the preference was a little disconcerting. Especially as a lot of families descend from Nazi war criminals escaping trial. Hardly something I want to be associated with. Argentina also accepted Jewish refugees, which is odd politically but also socially; imagine running into each other at the supermarket on the other side of the world?

Speaking to and even teaching Kirra in German was fine; it was helping Fran with his homework that was a challenge. Back home I hate Google translate, but here it was a blessing! However, even that couldn’t help me with the maths homework. A calculator could though! Just as long as I didn’t have to explain how an answer was achieved…

Guille; The Cleaner.

I also used Google translate to help me communicate with Guille (pronounced Giji). As I didn’t start until 12.45, she cared for Kirra until I got there and worked 9-5, five days a week. The house did not get that dirty! After talking to family #1 (in San Telmo), they said that many families hire a full-time cleaner more for status than for need. So silly.

Guille also cooked dinner for the family, which must have been dry and unappetising by the time they ate it at least two hours later. I’d rather just cook myself! Guille also cooked lunch for Kirra and I, which we all ate together. It gave me a chance to practice Spanish, but at the end of the day my brain could hurt from speaking three languages!

After counting my pay in the kitchen one time, Carolina reprimanded me as Guille might see and get offended because in her words, they ‘pay her much, much less’. Hrm… When the whole house got sick, I did make Guille go home rather than stay, but I regret not also telling her to ask for more pay. She also cleaned for another family on the weekends.

Guille and I.

I think both parents worked at the family company (something to do with a flour mill?), so when the boys got sick they stayed safely at work while Guille and I cared for them. Inevitably, we both got terribly ill (Guille twice) and had to take more unpaid days off work, as did Tristan. Eventually the parents did get sick and I didn’t feel all that bad, especially as we suspect it was due to the water system.

The fake lakes had a green ooze on them, and family #1 had told me that the ‘countries’ sometimes operate off the books, so their utilities can fail. Serves them right for not only cloistering themselves from the rest of society, but for doing so in such a way that they don’t get taxed properly. I even heard that the government fly helicopters overhead to ascertain the population and assets.

In their defense, Carolina was helping Guille’s niece; Solange, into school. Sadly, her mum was a drug addict who came and went, so Guille often cared for her. Sol hadn’t started school because they needed her mum’s signature, which was also needed for either Guille or the State to take guardianship. At the time her mum wasn’t to be found… Sol joined Kirra and I for a few days and while she was a bit difficult to discipline, she’s a sweet kid.

Day to Day.

On an average day I arrived, tidied up some toys, woke up Kirra and had lunch with Guille. Kirra was making great progress feeding herself; I hope Guille or the next carer didn’t underestimate her. We’d play inside for a while (often with water or playdough), dance to music and spend at least some time outside. We either explored the backyard or walked to the playground or to feed the ducks. While the ‘country’ looked very pretty, going outside meant lathering yourself in bug repellant because the mozzies were fierce! I suppose it’s due to the fake lakes and that the area is essentially swamp-land.

The backyard.

Perfect ducks for the perfect (looking) lakes.

At around 4.30pm the boys would get home, get out of their uniforms and have a snack. One day the dad; Alfredo, was home and asked if I’d been putting sugar in their Nesquik milk drinks. Of course I hadn’t, but I was told that they all have 1-2 teaspoons of sugar, even Kirra! I wasn’t really in a position to voice my opinion. Alfredo also allowed the boys to put 4 spoons in their tea (yup, caffeinated), right before Fran had to do homework. Fran could barely concentrate and Valentin would not stay away, so we got little done. Poor Fran was so high it was actually quite funny. They were good boys though, and quickly decided to barrack for Australia in the world-cup! Not that we lasted long…

If Kirra was sleeping due to a late nap or was out for lunch with Carolina, I’d organise the playrooms. This meant spending countless hours sorting through lego. Inevitably, the boys would up-end the containers and I’d start again another day. Eventually Carolina got flatter containers and I managed to convince the boys to stop emptying them and use our system (eg, curved pieces in one, flat in another). I never thought I’d put so much thought into lego, or be blogging about it months later!

Each day Carolina would leave a list of things she’d like me to do. For example, listen to ‘Baby Einstein’ CDs (actually not bad), sort the kids clothes, sew name labels on school uniforms, fix a broken night-light, replace old shoelaces, make bread with Kirra or take her on their little boat. I never got around to the latter two, and I also failed my mission to fix a broken kids bike. You know, not being a bike mechanic and all…

Happier to be ‘The Help’.

My feelings toward Carolina weren’t great after our fight about shorter hours or her making me ride in the rain. However, to add insult to injury, when I used her fancy, age-customised scales I saw that she was three years younger than me. I’d nannied ten years previously and was already feeling a little down about doing menial nanny work again, so taking orders and being given obvious advice from someone younger, richer and more ‘settled’ than me kind of sucked.

In the end though, I don’t envy the life of family #2. For all their money, they’ve isolated themselves in a soulless, mosquito ridden gated community in a swamp. Taking the bus along the highway, I saw smelly swamp, gated community, more smelly swamp and another gated community. Other than a few superficial-looking ones by the entrance, there’s no cafes, bars, restaurants or shops (I think Carolina did a lot of online shopping). To receive visitors they have to organise a pass for them days ahead of time, or have them leave their car at the entrance and pick them up.

I heard that people are often hijacked in their cars as they return from work and make a bee-line for their community. It makes sense. Of course the ‘countries’ are targets for criminals, being, as they are, a concentration of wealth conveniently located in one place. There’s even a market for selling passes and the security codes to people’s houses. To get my pass I had to provide my passport details and the name and date of birth of not only my stepfather, but my biological father (not mother…, hello sexism).

The families really do put a lot of trust in their hired help. We know the codes, have access to their property and belongings, do their dirty laundry, are often left alone and generally, we know we’re being underpaid and working under often unfriendly conditions.

I suppose they know this though, because at the end of each day I joined a line of other domestic workers waiting to have our bags checked. I don’t know what they were looking for. Silver candlesticks? How do they know whether something belongs to me or the family? If I was stealing small items like jewelry they’d be in my pockets or deeper in the bag they only ever really glanced into.

I’ve come to the sad conclusion that the bag checks are more psychological than practical. Even so, I find it hard to believe people are so evil; would they check bags just to make workers feel like crap? Perhaps it’s just the security staff pacifying the residents. But then, the residents must be dumb enough to think bag checks actually do anything… For me, all the checks did were threaten to make me late for my bus and wait in the cold for 30-50 minutes… They sometimes succeeded.

Mistrusting the help might also explain why at least the house I worked in was totally bereft of ornaments, art, knickknacks, lamps or really anything nice. It could be because they’d moved in five months ago, but there was literally nothing. I didn’t even see a jewelry box or nice perfumes. Was everything hidden? What’s the point of owning nice things if you have to keep them out of view?

It was an interesting experience with family #2. I for one know that I prefer to live with culture and people around me, eat non-dried-up dinners, enjoy my garden sans bug attacks, drink virus-free water and feel safe enough to display my possessions and drive home from work. They can have their ‘country’ life!

Needless to say, I feel less guilty about leaving family #2. Carolina and Alfredo took the news well though and wanted me back if I returned to Buenos Aires. After only 3.5 weeks I was still sad to leave the kids (especially Kirra), and I made the boys promise to keep their lego containers organised!

Nannying in Buenos Aires; a Tale of Two Families, Part 1

On 9 April I met with Stefan and Eloise; a Scottish-Argentine couple I’d emailed about a babysitting ad they’d placed on Craigslist. They lived a two-minute walk away which was not only convenient but made me less resentful of being paid $5.30 an hour (plus, it went up a dollar as they quickly just started paying me 100 pesos each two-hour shift).

For 2 hours on Wednesday afternoons and Sunday evenings I looked after their two lovely children; Katia (4) and Elliot (18 months). Stefan worked from home as a property developer so it gave him a break to focus on work while Eloise did yoga after her international relations job at the State office of health (I think). On Sundays they went out for dinner and we often shared notes on good places to eat.

Their apartment was on the fourth floor and whilst pretty small, it was really nice. In fact, their similarly styled place in… somewhere-in-Eastern-Europe, was featured in a magazine. They lived there for a while and it’s where Katia learnt English. She would use Spanish words sometimes, but it worked well as we learned together. When playing board games, I’d read the instruction and have to trust her to interpret it fairly! 99% of the time she did, and I was a quick learner!

The living room, where I spent the most time (& sometimes played the piano, especially when Elliot was sick!).

View from their corridor window.

The family’s Eastern European apartment feature article (wish I could remember where!).

Elliot was usually sleeping, so I mostly played with Katia. I was proud that the parents were surprised I could (mostly) keep her from playing games on the tablet. She was going through the dinosaur phase almost all kids seem to go through, so we often played ‘mummy, daddy and baby’ with toy dinosaurs. Now and then I got her to play some spelling games, but it was difficult to draw her strong imagination away from the dinosaur family dramas.

I find it curious how many kids make-believe family situations. Each time, the mum got sick and had to go to hospital, the dad left the baby (always me) because he didn’t like him anymore and the baby had to ask for help and forgiveness. She had so much aggression playing the dad! I doubt this had any relation to real-life; the same aggression was there when playing with cars or pretending to be a mammoth or stag (her Scottish grand-mother had her hooked on them too!).

It could be a struggle keeping both kids entertained simultaneously, and I focused more on Elliot when he got chicken pox. A sick child is such a sad sight but he was a trooper! I thought of my mum, particularly as the only lullaby I really know is German; Elliot seemed to like it!

The only real down-side was that they owned two cats that I was quite allergic too; especially as Katia and I usually sat and rolled around on the floor! However, the family was nice, it paid well comparatively, was very close to home and I often got offered a glass of wine and some cake. Don’t mind if I do!

I worked with them until I left on 1 June, but only once a week towards the end as I got a job that needed me on Wednesdays. Of course, families prefer baby-sitters to stay for longer than that and I led them to believe I would. When I left, I told them there was a family emergency back in Australia. I’m probably going to feel bad about that forever, especially as they showed real concern and I considered them friends. I would have liked to stay in touch but I’m not sure it’s possible due to my big fat lie. In justification, all I can say is that I needed a job and knew I wouldn’t get one if I was honest about only being in town for two months; short-term nanny positions just didn’t exist. My last shift was really sad; it always amazes me how quickly you get attached to children!

Working as a cleaner in Buenos Aires.

We’d left resumes at Ostinatto Hostel around the corner and they were our one and only call back! While they had no receptionist or bar positions available, a cleaner was going on a months leave from mid-April and they offered us her job. The hours were 8am to 2pm, Tuesday to Thursday and we decided to job share. Our salary was a flat monthly rate paid in two lots, which came to $3.90 an hour. Ouch. Beggars can’t be choosers!

We put out breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, rooms and at least four bathrooms, changed bedding and swept, mopped and dusted communal areas. Each morning we started from the top floor terrace, bringing our trolley of cleaning goods, mops and brooms with us. It was nice starting the day with a view over Buenos Aires (cue singing from the Evita musical).

“Hello! Buenos Aires…”

It was a real pain in the arse if someone left the lift door open, as it meant climbing up to five floors of stairs to get it working again! The middle of the building was open air; like a big shaft with balconies on all sides. It made it feel nice and airy, but once I dropped a broom over edge and it smashed a big light in the reception area. Thankfully no one was hurt and my boss Barbara didn’t seem too mad!

Other than failing health and safety standards, the cleaning tools, cloths and chemicals weren’t very pleasant. The toilet bins were decidedly very unpleasant, as in many South American countries, that’s where you put used toilet paper…

Other than sneaking a coffee and some food while packing away breakfast, we had no breaks and in most shifts I didn’t even use the bathroom; I was non-stop for six hours, and believe me I moved fast! Tristan seemed to take more breaks though and usually finished on time or early, whereas I always worked past 2pm. On the first day I finished after 4pm; I guess I’m a bit of a perfectionist!

My back has never been as sore as it was after each shift and I feared I might be doing permanent damage (I didn’t). I really wondered how people older than me managed, especially if they had children to go home to and didn’t have the luxury of a 30 second commute and a partner to run you a bath and make lunch.

As I started another job, I only did six shifts. Tristan did more though, because we realised that we were expected to work for five weeks, not the four-week ‘month’ we’d planned. This of course brought the pay rate down even further… Luckily Tristan was able to negotiate some more money.

We also shared a shift at the hostel’s bar, serving a total of four customers, wild! Whilst boring, I did get to take home some cake and left over BBQ from a wine tasting event held on the hostel’s terrace. Ostinatto Hostel really was great and I recommend it. It was clean (of course!), the roof top terrace is nice (and clean!), staff are helpful and they offer discounts and free weekly yoga and Spanish lessons.

View from behind the hostel bar.

The job gave us a real understanding of the pay and conditions domestic workers in Buenos Aires (and probably many other places) have to deal with. Certainly the staff and guests weren’t used to seeing a cleaner who was (relatively) young, white and English-speaking and some questioned what I was doing there.

The cost of living did not make up for the low pay. Sure, it was cheaper than back home but not enough to bring balance. For example, I worked an hour to buy a coffee. On minimum wage in Australia you’d get around five coffees. Having said that, I’m sure there are ‘off the books’ workers in Australia getting by on similar rates too.

Looking for work in Buenos Aires.

Before I arrived, my plan was to find work as an English teacher, nanny or even better, as a copy-writer. If that didn’t work, I’d be happy working in a bar or café, as a cleaner or as life model for art schools. I gave up the latter idea after a quick and predictable look online and consideration of my Spanish skills. While I’d life modelled a little back home, it’s definitely one field where’d I’d very much like the comfort of fully understanding what’s going on (and being able to speak up should the need arise).

In the first week, we printed basic resumes in English and Spanish and distributed them to hostels, bars, cafes around Palermo and San Telmo. We also checked ex-pat websites and Craigslist Buenos Aires everyday and contacted anyone who had a job we thought we were remotely capable of doing. Months before, I checked and created a profile with some nanny agencies. The lack of them told me that nannies in South America are very unofficial. In terms of job vacancy ads, Craigslist won out in every semi-skilled, no-Spanish -required field I considered.

Tristan had an advantage in that he speaks almost fluent Spanish, and I spoke basically none! After about four weeks, this helped Tristan get a job as a waiter at ‘Complejo Tango’; a dinner and show place a half hour bus ride away and popular with tourists. Work was thin and he had to call and remind them he was available. Even then, he only worked six shifts at $10.70 a six hour shift, plus dinner and around $40 in tips. He also made around $15 going to three supermarkets, checking the price of certain items and reporting back to an interested online company. Weird, but comparatively lucrative!

Writing and editing.

My fantasy plan was to find some writing or editing work to add to my experience in communications before I head home and apply for a ‘real’ job. I gave my résumé to a few tourist agencies, posted a profile to Craigslist, followed up on job ads and contacted people wanting help editing academic papers.

I was very excited to receive an enthusiastic invitation to an interview for a copy-writer position at what looked like a big company. Sadly, I didn’t have the necessary work rights (I had no work rights!). The only other lead I got in this area was through a U.S.A based hip hop production company wanting a copy-writer for their website. We exchanged positive emails but they never skyped me for the interview. Oh well.

Teaching English.

A friend had taught English in Buenos Aires eight years previously for only $1.35 an hour. Even so, I figured that surely rates had risen and that the cost of living would make up for it. I intended to hit the Universities and put up ads to teach from home, thinking that schools wouldn’t take anyone unqualified or who would be leaving in two months (though this could always be ‘worked around’ via a sudden need to leave…).

I ditched this plan for a few reasons. 1) I’d feel bad taking on students only to leave shortly thereafter. 2) It’d take quite a while to build up enough students to earn the money I’d need. 3) I’d need the time and resources to prepare lessons. 4) If the student didn’t speak a little English already, my Spanish was basically non-existent so teaching would very difficult. With the help of our Spanish teacher, we considered working as English conversation group aids but by then had other jobs and were soon to leave.

Dog walking.

I loved this idea so much that I brainstormed business names (of course all pretty lame) and planned my flyer distribution. Hiring someone to walk your dog is probably a little dumb and it only really became a profession after the global financial crisis. I’ve worked for rich people before though, so it’s not as if I haven’t indulged their sometimes silly whims before. More importantly, I think dogs are great companions with underestimated therapeutical benefits and that as long as you treat them responsibly (for example by hiring a walker!), you can keep one in an apartment without being selfish.

The scale of dog walking in Buenos Aires means that as well as the dog getting exercise, they’re socialising. Every day I saw walkers with between five and twenty dogs each, and usually big ones! It was quite a sight seeing them walking around town and the dogs always looked happy and well-behaved. They’d pick them up from their apartments while the others waited tied to a pole below. Most walkers headed to the parks where they’d often let the dogs off their leashes; did I mention well-behaved?

Thinking of myself as a bit of a dog whisperer, I was keen to spend my days with various pooches, exploring the city and getting in some exercise. I didn’t even need to speak much Spanish! I would not be one of those few walkers I saw leaving their dogs tied up somewhere while they went off doing other things. I’d be a great dog walker!

This plan fell through because, like teaching English, unless one of the few small companies were willing to share their clients with me, it would take too long to build up business and make enough money. Even if I did get clients, the only information on rates I could find indicated that people paid around $7 to have their dog walked for four hours. Apparently it’s quite lucrative once you get going, but it would be very slow starting. No wonder people walk 20 dogs at a time!

Our apartment.

At around $11 a night each, our bright one bedroom apartment in the heart of San Telmo was perfect. It was all clean and well maintained, had its own laundry, everything worked and with an on site maintenance / doorman, it was safe. Although, Tristan accidentally locked the keys in one day and the cheeky doorman got in a little too easily with a credit card. We booked it on AirBnb and our host Hector was great. When he couldn’t be there when we arrived he had a close friend welcome us. Photos are here.

We had one key and no mobile phones, so logistics were a little tricky. We had to be home when we said we would so I couldn’t take up offers to go to lunch after yoga et cetera. Once we started working different hours we were lucky enough to be able to leave the keys at the hostel we’d worked at, which was a 30 second walk away.

Within minutes we had everything we needed or wanted. The well-stocked grocery store was directly across the road and something we got very used to if we ran out of anything (like wine). I even bought a shopping bag as a souvenir to remember it by, aaw.

Our standard Malbec ($2.50 a bottle!).

The building has 10 floors and we were on the fourth so it was a quick walk down. On our last day we finally remembered to check out the roof. We hoped for a parilla (communal BBQ), but found a clothes line and great view.

The block was a little noisy, but I got used to it very quickly. People sounded like they were beside me, especially when playing music (often horrible teen-pop!). Some days the dogs had barking wars that make me worry for their throats. I loved the tiny lifts; they shut via two iron expanding doors like you see in the movies. The building also reminded me of my grandparents place in Germany, so I was a little nostalgic.

View directly in front of our door. It says “Ssshh, neighbours are sleeping” because the windows above belong to a cool bar.

View down our street.