I consider myself the quintessential 10 hours a night of sleep girl. In fact, leading up to my study abroad, I depended on it. A girl’s got to have her beauty sleep right? Well apparently here in Argentina you don’t.
Firmly integrated into the Porteño culture is the lifestyle of being a night owl. And no I am not just speaking for the youth, people my grandparent’s age are up till
2:00 a.m. eating and strolling around the city.
My host mom typically does not even serve dinner until around 10:00 p.m., at which point my stomach has begun to make strange noises, growling in hunger.
After dinner sometimes I’ll go out with my friends, which essentially means making the commitment to walking through my front door just as the sun is rising. This is not entirely by choice either – rather it’s just that bars and clubs don’t open till the wee hours of the morning, and if you want to go dancing, then well, you have no other choice.
Here in Buenos Aires things in the city don’t really come alive till around 11 a.m., when most businesses finally open. That’s if they decide to open; I cannot tell you how many times I have showed up at what one would think were standard hours to find places closed, frustrating doesn’t even begin to describe it.
I have concluded that the Argentines operate on their own clock that is not prompt or punctual.
For instance, there is no such thing as a bus or train schedule here. Busses arrive simply when they arrive, making you wait anywhere from 5 to 45 minutes. Lets just say there is no shortage of excuses for your tardiness to work and class each day.
While at times I question the Argentina concept of time and admittedly get annoyed, I have adjusted my lifestyle to it. In doing so, I have realized that the Argentine’s have put value in taking their time and enjoying it.
Dinners at restaurants can last for hours without the waiter rushing you and trying to turn your table. Making evenings with friends all the more delightful.
Since moving here I have had no shortage of a cultural experience. Although I find myself longing for bars that shut down at 2 a.m. rather than open, I have begun to love the leisurely lifestyle of the Porteños.
When I think about it though… it’ll be nice to return home and get back to my beauty sleep.