Time Change

Plaza San Martin, No one's in a rush

If there were one aspect of the Buenos Aires culture or lifestyle that struck me as most different from the states, it would be their organization of time. In New York one rarely has class before noon and nothing is even open until 10:30am. You have class mostly during the day; maybe take a light nap in the early afternoon (3-4pm or so), and sleep and night.
In Buenos Aires, things are a little different. While I appreciate that everyone is up and stores are open by 9:00am every day (I might be the only college student who is a morning person), I cannot get used to how late everything else happens. For starters, Argentines are not big breakfast eaters. In fact, they don’t seem to be very big lunch eaters either. If one does decide to grab a bite in the morning, the only thing available is some kind of sugary desert pastry. Lunch is not stressed as a core meal, but drinking an afternoon “mate” or tea (usually accompanied by another sugar infused pastry) is a must. “Afternoon” in Buenos Aires, however, does not pertain to those hours immediately following 12pm, but pertains more to the hours between 5pm and 9pm. I recently encountered someone who told me he was going to play soccer with his friends “this afternoon.” When I asked him for details, he told me they would be meeting at the futbol club at 11pm to start the game. A majority of the population also takes a “siesta” every day anywhere from 3pm to 8pm. During any point during these hours any store could be closed for an unspecified amount of time. Dinner is served no later than 9:30pm. Bars are empty until at least midnight or 1am, and no one hits the clubs before 3am. It is not uncommon for me to encounter exhausted and haggard looking youths staggering home from the club at 8am while I am on the way to class.
In addition to their we-never-sleep-and-only-eat-late-at-night routing, Argentines have a greater appreciation for the way they spend their time. While Buenos Aires is a huge city, the attitude in the air is not one of anxiousness, hurriedness, or stress like that in NYC, but rather a calm and happy one. Down here people don’t seem to be in any rush and just let things happen naturally as they unfold. There is no pressure to be somewhere half a second before an appointment and no impulses to yell red-faced at the cab driver that won’t run a stop light during rush hour. People here are more than happy to actually USE their time and spend it in good company rather than wasting every minute checking their watch and contemplating what hasn’t been done yet. This appreciation for camaraderie and relaxation is so deeply engrained in Argentine culture that it is near impossible to find a coffee house that had to-go cups. Every meal, including a cup of coffee or tea, is respected and given ones full attention. You rarely see people munching on snacks while crossing the street or sipping a cappuccino while shopping because people here are patient enough to do one thing at a time. If you go for coffee you take as much time as you need, and don’t get up to leave the second you drain your mug, but remain

until conversation is exhausted. In fact restaurants don’t even bring you the check until you hail the waiters attention (easier said than done) and ask them for it.
While this may seem to some like a waste of time I took right to it. I dread the rushed feeling I get when I go for coffee and start talking and telling stories like an auctioneer for fear of not finishing before my friend’s cup is empty. Why does everything have to happen “ASAP”? Why is everyone so obsessed with personal advancement that they don’t spend time getting to know and listening to other people? Everyone says that these worries and concerns are the key to a happier life in the future, but from my experiences here it seems like people don’t have to go through hell in order to find happiness.