Two years. How many men?

Imagine living in Buenos Aires for two years. What would it be like? Would it be affordable? Would it turn out the way you expected?

Maybe you live here already. Remember the first two years?

Maybe you don’t want to live here at all, just wondering how it’s been for me, or how a visit might shape up. That’s cool too.

Two years ago today I stepped off my British Airways flight from London into pouring rain and the unknown. I had zero words of useful Spanish, five months tango experience, and a ninety day horizon… the shortest time I could possible stay in Argentina, to avoid returning to England feeling like a complete failure. Those numbers became nonsense before the ninety days were up: zero turned into an Argentine lover (NOT part of the original plan) and learning the lingo faster than an arrow from Cupid’s bow, in order to negotiate the ground rules; five turned into it’s quality not quantity that counts; ninety turned into it’s the journey that defines, not the outcome… just to have tried at all is enough.

Yet it’s always the numbers people ask about. How long have you been here? How much did you pay for your flat? What’s the price of a decent steak? So by way of answering a few of your questions and celebrating the highs and lows of the last two years here are eleven numbers that you might be interested in. I’d love to know which surprise you most. Do comment and tell me. Plus, if you have a question about a Buenos Aires number I haven’t mentioned, this is your chance to ask and I’ll do my best to answer. How’s that for an offer?

OK here goes:

At time of writing $1 USD = $3.63pesos ARS and 1 UK Pound = $5.12pesos

25: price this week in pesos of a 600g ‘Bife de chorizo’ (huge high quality rump steak) in the simple but excellent ‘parilla’ across the road from me. This beef is easily enough for two. They’ll do it takeaway and deliver it to the door hot and juicy. To put it in perspective, a Burger King medium combo for one is $19pesos. Think I’d rather have the steak myself. Argentine beef tastes in a way that British beef never did for me, unless it was ‘organic’ and outrageously expensive. Ditto for vegetables and fruit.

46: rough tot up of the number of different milongas I’ve been to in Buenos Aires. In any given week there are over 100. I’m not talking venues here because one physical place can be home to a milonga organised by a different host each night. These days I only dance 2-3 times per ’semana’ and I stick to the more traditional places with ‘entradas’ (entrance fees) of up to $15pesos, unless I’ve got visiting friends in town. The ‘tourist circuit’ night-time milongas now cost upwards of $18pesos. Want to see a reasonably comprehensive list of milongas in Buenos Aires? Caseron Porteño publish a brilliant bi-monthly Tango Map and Guide and both are available on line here. You can print them out before you leave your own country, for a head start.

3: times I’ve ventured farther than the outskirts of Buenos Aires. Travel, especially by air (comfortable overnight buses are the alternative),  is relatively expensive in Argentina. I’m passionate about travelling though and I’m not prepared to give it up. At this two year mark I’m researching options for ’service travel’: that is where you work in exchange for your accommodation and food, and only pay your transport costs. I want to see more of the country and this is a potentially affordable and rewarding way to do it. Interested? Check out the Enchanting Challenge website, where a friend of mine writes about some possibilities on the site’s blog. Incidently a return British Airways flight to London cost me $1500USD a few weeks ago and it has to be paid for in dollars, if the journey originates in Argentina, thus converting on the day to 1015 UK Pounds – ouch!

6: pairs of tango shoes bought, all within the first seven months. All Comme il Faut. 1 pair dead through overuse. 2 pairs worn regularly for two years. 3 pairs barely used because ankle back-strap gives insufficient support (for me) – beware choosing cuteness over practicality. November 2007 price $290pesos. Now could be as high as $450pesos. The next pair I buy will have a lower heel, more padding underfoot and will probably be Tango Brujo (playful sexy styles but feel like dancing on a cloud) if I can beat them down on the money. Greta Flora will run a close second if I can find a really comfortable pair with a delicate enough vibe. Until then the bottom line is 2: trusty pairs of tango shoes that take turns on my feet.

59000: the US Dollar price I paid for a studio (no separate bedrooms) apartment in Palermo in 2007. Just to give you an idea of how the plummeting UK pound affects Brits like me living in Argentina… When I bought the flat, the whole deal, including all fees, cost me 32000 UK Pounds. If I did the same deal today, buying the flat at exactly the same US dollar price, it would cost me 42000 UK Pounds without the fees. If I’d waited, I wouldn’t have been able to do it regardless of whether house prices here had risen. The ‘nothing special’ one bedroom flat I rented in Recoleta for six months in 2007 was $650USD a month; today it’s probably nearer 800, but even if the price had stayed the same, the plunging pound would have hiked the real cost way out of my reach. Exchange rates, I have found, become critical when you live abroad and depend on any kind of income from your own country. Rather naively I never really thought about it before I came here. At the moment American tourists passing through have it easier than the Brits in that respect (of course I’m well aware that everyone back in Blighty is suffering too). Gordon, for God’s sake, do something!

0: pesos spent on clothes in the last six months. After an initial spree on arrival back in 2007 I restrict myself to new sandals in summer, new sneakers in winter and replacement essentials when things fall apart. Luckily generous friends flying out, short on luggage space, leave their designer items behind for me. I’ve come to love wearing hand me downs, and feeling the spirit of my friends with me as I dance.

60 or maybe 65: the average age of my favourite Argentine dance partners (not including C.)… OK it’s a guess, but in general the owners of the embraces that I’d walk a mile for, are significantly older than I am. It’s not because of what they do with their feet, or their perfect posture, or how creative they are with their steps. It’s just because they hold me like I am the most precious gift they have ever been given, keep me duvet-safe, and let me feel the music they’ve grown up with, the way they do. I generally find my ‘boys’ in the more traditional milongas, but I always try to watch them dance first, plus I note the expression on the face of the woman in their arms. Not every Argentine is a joy to partner, as I know you already know… and neither is every foreigner. Wherever you dance in Buenos Aires, observe first to find what you seek, and thus avoid complaints. End of.

275: the cost in pesos of one month’s medical insurance with MEDICUS – midrange plan. Get’s you easy and speedy access to good doctors (physical and mental health – tried both), loads of great hospitals, dentists, opticians, every test you will ever need, operations (not tried yet), cover while abroad, home visits… oh basically everything. But beware, the price rises regularly. I got my deal through Expat Connection. If you know of a better one, let me know.

1.25: the maximum cost in pesos of my journeys on public transport from one side of the city to the other. Assuming you can get your hands on the ‘monedas’ for the buses and work out how to use the Guia ‘T’ de Bolsillo (bus route guide available from newstands), they are absolutely the way to travel in my book, and most run all night. The Subte is perhaps a faster alternative into the Centro, but you don’t see life above ground so I don’t like it. If I’ve got time, walking costs nothing, and there’s so much to find on the way that I never get bored using my feet. I don’t take taxis unless I’m sharing the cost because I’d rather choose a milonga entrada or a steak than fork out for the fare. The most fantastic news in the world is that we should be getting a card system for the buses by May… apparently. I’m praying.

Oh and this is my happiest number of all:

1: lovers I’ve had. Men I’ve kissed. Men to whom I’ve yelled, ‘How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t want a boyfriend!’ Men I’ve fallen in love with. Men who’ve fallen in love with me. And that’s not one of each, it’s just one. Never expected it. Didn’t want it. Couldn’t avoid it. The universe had its own plans. Carlos. Me. La Glorieta. The rest is history (And in case you’re wondering, yep he’s the dude in the hat).

Those ten numbers are mine. The eleventh would not exist without YOU, and it is:

153: the number of tiny chapters of my story you have read if you’ve followed Sallycat’s Adventures from the start. This is the one hundred and fifty fourth. Bloody hell! 1206 comments have been posted by you and me (spam only rejected). I love it when you comment and apart from a period last year when I was struggling horribly with the VOD, I have replied to you all (truly sorry if I left you out). From today, if you comment and you are a blogger yourself, you can choose to include a link to your own last post with CommentLuv. A nice idea I think. Like it? Let me know.

So that’s it. Have I included a number you’re interested in? I hope so.

Course, some things can never be quantified: how much calmer I am than the day I left the UK; how much less obsessive I am about tango and yet how much more I love it; how far I’ve pushed my boundaries and how much less afraid of risk I’ve become; how grateful I am that I was given the chance to start this journey at all… oh so many things that have made the last two years the most exciting and rewarding of my entire life. You guys know it hasn’t all been roses. Is life ever, wherever you are? But when I look back and ask myself the question, Any regrets? There’s only one possible number I can offer in reply and it’s a big fat ZERO. And I know that whatever happens, it always will be.

Happy 2nd anniversary to me!

Sallycat

PS. Here’s the latest Love Verb lowdown. Do check it out. Guys, you’ve been amazing. AMAZING! If you haven’t got a clue what I’m talking about then this is how you can do the Love Verb Thing and be AMAZING too! Thanks my friends.