I find it hard to believe that I have been here for almost four months now. I have become well versed in protecting myself from the local scams. I no longer feel badly about having a taxi driver hold up a 50 peso bill he is about to give me in the light to make sure it is real. My personal space boundaries have gone away after hundreds of subte and bus rides that are so packed, you often miss your stop because you cannot move to the door. My shoes have developed radar systems on them- sensing that I am approaching dog poo- and creating the appropriate maneuvers to keep me from stepping in it. It no longer amazes me that there are more people in the lines at the grocery stores than food in the isles. The strange fashions no longer give me the giggles, and I have even considered buying a pair of leggings and neon shoes (not quite there- but closer). Many would even be happy to know that my patience levels have also increased drastically- in most situations anyway.
However, the one thing that I would love to figure out is if we treat foreigners with the same disdain as they are treated with here. I have learned that we do charge citizens of certain countries large fees to enter the US. But do we try to over charge them for things, purposely try to rip them off and take pleasure in doing so, or have separate prices for natives vs. tourists?
Restaurants here try to add things to your bills or charge you for a more expensive bottle of wine than you ordered. When Greg and I were looking for airline tickets- the prices for non citizens are two times what they are for citizens. So- is it a tit-for-tat thing? Do we impose Gringo taxes?
While I do love many aspects of Argentina, it is a bit insulting to always feel as though people are trying to scam you. It is as if they are saying "Go back to your country- we don't want you here- but leave your wallet and send checks to support our economy". I now accept it as part of life here- but I would be a bit dismayed to find out that we also treat other foreigners this way. I would love thoughts and comments on this subject..... and will just assume that we are not that low in the States for now.
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I don't know what cab drivers do in the US, but I'm fairly certain that stores and restaurants charge everyone the same price. It's possible that stores in poor neighborhoods tend to charge somewhat more for the same goods than stores in wealthier neighborhoods. And I know that people of wealth, or with the appearance of wealth, feel that they're likely to be charged substantially more for services like yard maintenance or plumbing, if they're not vigilant, than people of more moderate means.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog,
Larry (a friend of Libby's)