Buenos Aires for 40% Off? and One Month Status Check

Buenos Aires currently poses a financial conundrum that I cannot understand.  The official rate of exchange between the Argentine peso and the U.S. dollar is around 5 pesos per dollar; that is the rate I am getting when I withdraw pesos using my ATM card and credit card.  However, there exists a prevalent “blue market” on which dollars can be sold for 7 pesos.  That is a 40% spread–unbelievable!  In other words, if you bring U.S. dollars in cash and sell them on the blue market, you will get 40% more bang for your “bucks” than if you simply use your ATM and credit card.  I understand that this is somehow attributable to government-imposed currency controls, but if any of my international-finance-minded friends can explain this to me,  I would love to know.

My primary expenses here (apartment and Spanish lessons) were quoted to me in U.S. dollars and were required to be paid in U.S. dollars (now I see why).  So while I am only paying my incidental expenses at the lame 5 peso exchange rate, it still would have been nice to take a 40% discount on those.

As of Saturday it has been one month since my last day of work (aka, my first day of fun-employment) and as such, I thought it would be good to take a status check on how it is going so far:

Physical Health: Good.  No injuries or illnesses so far.  I hope that this bodes well for my future survival in the gastrointestinal nightmare that is India.

Mental Health: Good.  No panics or major stresses.  Mostly cheerful and peaceful.  A little over-stimulated by managing a second language, new surroundings, and the abrupt shift in my daily routine.  No great epiphanies yet.  Maybe these come later.

Fiscal Health: Ah, yes–this must be spoken for as well!  While I would love to report favorable variances, the truth is that I am going through an adjustment period–that is, adjusting to a smaller discretionary budget.  There is so much to do and it is hard to say “no, I just can’t do that”.  Furthermore, when it comes to transportation and accomodation, I can’t bring myself to brave the chicken buses and hostels that the young kids go for.  At least not yet, there may come a point when I will.  Suffice it to say I will have some budgetary catching-up to do after South America.  But like I have said before, making or missing budget in one month doesn’t matter–what matters is where you stand at the end of the year!

What’s Working:  (1) Living out of a suitcase – Although my fashion might be better described as “touristy” or “repetitive” rather than “stylish” or “hip”, I am making it work.  Costa Rica’s dress code was “beach casual” and I expect Brazil’s will be, too, in the parts I will be visiting.  (2) Living without a mobile phone – It should surprise no one that I haven’t really missed my flip phone that much (except as an alarm clock, I have barely turned it on in either Costa Rica or Argentina).  Clearly, I was never a power user of mobile devices.  (3) Mail Opening Service – Before I left, I set up an account with mailboxforwarding.com and changed my mailing address to one that they gave me.  It’s pretty slick–they receive my mail and scan the exterior of the envelopes.  I can select the ones I want them to open, and for those they scan all pages contained within.  I can read the scanned documents on line and download them as PDF files.  They can even deposit checks you receive (by adding your account number and forwarding them to your bank), as they did for me when I received a paper check from Seton for the cash-out of my PTO balance (BTW, thank you for that, Seton!).  (4)  Spanish lessons – I have been able to navigate some complex conversations and less and less often do I have to ask for clarification of a word or that someone repeat themself.  While I certainly make my share of mistakes, I think they are now limited to the more nuanced elements of the language.

What’s Not Working: (1) Grocery Shopping in Buenos Aires – While I would love to eat a huge steak and an ice cream cone for breakfast every day, budgetary and cholesterol constraints prevent me from doing so.  Meanwhile, the grocery stores here pale in comparison to even a humble H-E-B back in Austin in terms of selection, quality, and price.  The items that used to go into my grocery basket every week are just not there on the shelves; they have been replaced by aisles of crackers, pasta, and ham.  (2) Living without air conditioning – My modest homestay apartment in Buenos Aires has no air conditioning and this has been a struggle.  On many hot nights, I have faced the devil’s choice of sleeping with the balcony doors closed (sweltering heat) or leaving them open (loud traffic, devious mosquitos).  (3) Pandora – Sadly, it is banned in Argentina.  (4) South American e-commerce – I had to go to the bus station to buy bus tickets.  When was the last time you had to do that for tickets of any kind in the U.S.?

What I would bring back from Buenos Aires if I could: (1) culinary tradition centered around grilled meats, (2) gallons of ice cream, (3) random cool breezes on hot days (created by the narrow streets and tall-ish buildings, I think).

To draw a conclusion from the status check, I am pleased with my situation and will be pressing forward with my travels…

…which shall lead me in February to Brazil…for which I have planned an epic itinerary: Iguazu Falls (massive waterfall junction), Florianopolis (magic island of 42 beaches), and the Amazon River (guided tour including camping in the jungle).  For those of you hoping to see me in feathers and sequins, no, unfortunately I will not be in Rio during Carnival.  You will have to wait and hope for another appropriate occasion to arise.

[frame src=”https://www.tuckergoesglobal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Michael-at-Plaza-de-Mayo.jpg” width=”495″ lightbox=”off” ]