Argentina es así

Oh Argentina, como te amo...BUT we've got to work on a little thing called corruption...

Today, like all Thursdays, waking up early to go to my internship was painful. I went through my normal routine without thinking, and left to catch the train. Walking and nodding to the beat of my ipod, I reached the train station and dug in my bag to find my...nothing. Seeing as my big vintage tote is filled with my life and all its necesities, I figured I'd just have to dig around and search a little deeper. When I came up empty handed again, I was pissed at myself for leaving my wallet in my room, because retrieving it would surely make me late. But after tearing through my messy room, I came to the realization I had fought so hard to deny: my wallet was stollen!

After retracing my steps from the day before it only made sense. The last time I saw my wallet was when I pulled it out on the colectivo (bus) to pay for my ticket home yesterday evening. I stuck my wallet back into my bag, closed it and held it tight to my side. It was rush hour as usual in Buenos Aires, which meant that becoming very friendly with your neighbor was all but unavoidable and the idea of personal space was almost laughable. So the many times someone bumped into me, touched me or assumed a rather compromising position, I thought nothing of it. However, one of those touches was when my wallet was stollen.

After cancelling all my cards and ordering new ones, its unfortunate that there is nothing else I can do. Call the police? They won't care - too busy being corrupt. Call the colectivo company to see if perhaps it was turned in - they won't really care either. What it comes down to is this: as much as I love Argentina, there are certain things that are undeniable. It is a corrupt country. Every day things go missing and bad things happen, but the majority are pardoned and never given a second thought. Accused of something you actually did? Don't worry, it probably won't interest the police, unless there's the chance they can receive a bribe. Where's the government in this mess of corruption? Well, let's just say the police had to have learned it somewhere.

I guess, at the end of the day, its best to just refrain from counting your losses, say "ciao!" to the matieral things and think...Argentina es así (that's Argentina).

Besitos, B.