Woah...Paro

In Argentina, the word 'Paro' stands for strike, and it also is a conjugated form of a verb meaning to stop.  Today there was a Paro with the whole colectivo (AKA transportation system that everyone relies on).  MADNESS.  Imagine hundreds of thousands of people needing to get to school, work, home, appointments, ect, with no form of transportation except their own two feet.  This city is huge.  Your own two feet can get you far, but its going to take a while and probably start to hurt.  There are also taxis and remis (basically just green taxis that you can call ahead for), but they are significantly more expensive than the colectivo and today it was almost impossible to find an unoccupied one.


The strike began at 6pm yesterday and lasted for all of today.  I had no way to get to school, no idea in which direction to walk, and no one to ask for a ride.  Just about everyone else in Cordoba had the same problem.  I, luckily was able to hunt down a remi.  Mi abuela was so determined to find one, it was precious.  We were walking up and down all the streets for over a half hour before we finally found one.  Other people, however, were not as lucky and could not get to where they needed to be.  The collectivo system here controls everything.  When there is a Paro this city is chaos and that is exactly the point they are trying to make.  Even though the colectivo drivers get paid more than medics and professors and almost every other job, they still aren't content.  Today they had a problem with the safety of their job; who knows what it will be next time.  [You should hear mi mama and mi abuela go off about this; it's quite funny.]  Anyways, that pretty much described my day.  I got to school finally in a remi, was told the paro was over so I went to my colevtivo stop at the end of the day, it wasn't over, so after two hours of waiting at the stop I shared a taxi with a nice old lady and another girl.  The whole colectivo is a mystery to me, but this whole Paro just adds on another perplexing layer.


There are many things about this country and this city that I just don't understand and that make me laugh, so I am just going to go ahead and list them here.


1.  Colectivo-enough said about this.


2.  Cordobesas- If you ask a Cordobesa for directions, whether he/or she actually knows how to get there or not, they will tell you something and act like they know.  More than likely they had no idea, so after you've walked the 10 blocks they told you would get you to your destination, you realize the hard way that you are now more lost than you were before. (I learned the hard way, if you couldn't guess).


3. Platform shoes- Ladies please.  They aren't flattering on you or off you, and it's so painful to watch you try and walk.


4. Street Names- 9 de Julio, 27 de Abril, 27 de Mayo, Sol de Mayo,  Paraguay, Panama, Brasil, ect....this is why I'm always lost.


5. Driving- Don't worry about the street signs, or the pedestrians.  Drive as you please.  Even if you bump the person in front of you, that's okay.  No big deal here.  Just keep honking really loud at the pedestrians, so they can keep sprinting.


6. Public Restrooms- It's not a complete bring your own toilet paper gig, but close.  There is one roll on the wall when you walk in, and you better hope it actually has some, and you better hope you take enough.


7. Cell Phones- There are three different companies you can purchase a phone from- Claro, Movistar, or Personal.  However, each one of them have about 1000 different little stores throughout the city.  Whichever store you go into, is the wrong one to get an answer to the question you have.  They will ALWAYS send you to "that store that is down that way 6 blocks and then to the right another 3 blocks."  Yes, thank you very much for you're help.  I'll be sure to find that store right away.


8. "Cuadritos"- Another word for a smaller block. Often times someone will say that something is "four cuadritos away."  They are trying to say that it's four blocks, but the blocks are small, so you will be there fast.  LIE.  Mi abuela and I had a whole discussion on this.  "Cuadritos" do not exist.  People just use the word to make wherever you are going seem a bit easier to get to.


9. Policia- The police here really have me stumped.  Why do they stand in huddles of about 10, all with huge weapons, yet not one of them look like they are ready to save a life, or stop a robbery from happening, or even just help someone cross a street?  By what they are wearing they look so serious, but why how they act (or how little they act, I should say)  they just seem like a performance rather than the real thing.

10. Los chicos- The boys here.  Come on boys, whistling at me does not make me want to talk to you.  Calling me names makes me dislike you.  Talking about what I'm wearing ....like really I can hear you.  Walking up and winking at me, just no.  For my sake and your sake, no.  And let me be clear none of this has to do with me, or just happens to me.  This is the majority of the boys here and how they react to the majority of the girls. 


In all seriousness, I really am liking it here.  Everything mentioned above are simply things that I, as someone from the US have experienced that I just do not understand.  Every country and city has their own quirks.  It just feels good to name some of Cordoba's and laugh at the silliness of it all, and how different it is for me.  Now let's just hope this colectivo Paro ends so that I can get to school tomorrow.  Oh the uncertainty of this place...