Our Apartment

At the end of December, we signed a 6 month lease on an apartment located pretty centrally in Palermo. We're paying $500 USD a month for a one-bedroom apartment plus a comission. In order to get a $50 a month discount, we agreed to pay all of our rent up front, which was quite a hassle to figure out and a little scary to carry all of that money around. Argentinians, however, are not really phased by the idea of carrying $4000 USD in hand into a meeting. Since Argentina's currency was devalued by 75% in 2001, most Argentinians are weary of using banks. This means that most people store their savings somewhere in their home- hiding it in books, dvd cases, cookie jars, and under floorboards- and that most real estate transactions are done in cash. People literally carry hundreds of thousands of dollars into a meeting and sign the paperwork. So our landlord thought we were pretty silly for folding all of the money up tightly and stashing it in a money belt, but it gave us a little comfort. Carrying all that money around felt very sketchy, and we almost felt as if we were doing something illegal.

If we had ever questioned how present the machismo is here, it's annoying presence was confirmed by the actions of our landlord. He showed up an hour late to sign the contract and didn't apologize to Jill, Sara, or Sara's mom. As he showed us around the apartment again, his rude demeanor became more and more offputting. At one point, when Jill asked how the washing machine worked he brusquely replied "I don't know, ask a girl." As we were wrapping things up, Sara's dad and brother arrived to help move things in. Immediately, the landlord's whole tone changed. He firmly shook hands with both of them and began apologizing profusely to them for being so late that morning. He then introduced Sara's dad to our Portero (doorman) without introducing the Portero to either of us. It was pretty impossible to not pick up on the machismo, and Sara's dad even brought it up once the landlord had left.

Although moving in was a bit frustrating, we're really enjoying living in our new place. The place is spacious enough for us, gets plenty of sunlight, and is in a great location. We're a block away from a subway stop and a million bus stops, a 10 min. walk from parque 3 de febrero (this city's central park), a 15 min. walk to Palermo Soho (a trendy area with boutique shops), 2 blocks away from Jumbo (Argentina's version of a walmart supercenter + target + home depot all in one store) and in the center of a ton of the city's most diverse restaurants.

Come visit, and you can crash on our comfy couch.