in Argentina

General Aspects
Food and Water
Physical and Personal Safety
Money
Toilet paper
Drugs
Electricity & Measurements
Greetings
Police & Military
Smoking
Traffic
Machismo
Getting Around
How to use a Guía T
Vegetarian recommendations
Some Internet resources
Important telephone numbers
LANGUAGE
False Cognates
El Voseo
Time
Glossary
Common Slang Words

General Aspects
According to the 1991 census, 8.3 million people, more than a quarter of Argentina´s 32.3 million people, reside in Gran Buenos Aires, which includes the densely populated Capital Federal (with a population of more than 3 million) and contiguous suburbs in Buenos Aires province.
Buenos Aires can be divided into two sections: Buenos Aires City (the Capital Federal), a huge city composed of 48 neighborhoods, or barrios, which have their own characteristics that distinguish them from each other, which includes the compact downtown area, and Gran Buenos Aires, which includes both Capital Federal and the surrounding metropolitan area.
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Food and Water
Beef is the main source of protein in Argentina, specially among poor people. Most people who come to visit from the US and Europe are vegetarians and somehow survive... (see below for vegs. recommendations). It will be challenging, and your body might show you it is adjusting. We strongly recommend that you visit your doctor and prepare in advance for this visit.
Although people drink water out of the tab in Buenos Aires, when outside of the city and traveling out of Buenos Aires, the sources of water might be not so safe. It is advisable to buy bottled water.
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Physical and Personal Safety (thank you, Isaac!)
Like many cities throughout South America (as well as in the United States and most of the rest of the world), economic decline and increased poverty have led to a rise in crime in Buenos Aires. It is a sad fact that in these desperate times, some direct their despair, frustration, anger, (or greed, vindictiveness, exploitation, etc.) against their fellow community members and others traveling within the community--ranging from petty theft to violence. This is a reality that is intertwined with the overall inequitable and sytematically unjust situation in Argentina, Latin America, and in the US as well. While we realize that the most vicious and horrendous crimes are committed (on a mass scale) by the state and its ruling interests, we must be aware of our own safety while traveling in BA. As is the case the world over, police forces are designed to protect property not people; we must therefore be aware of our surroundings and the surroundings of our compañeros. When traveling in BA, use your wits (your "street smarts"). Be aware of where you are and who you're with.
Go with your gut...
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Money
It can be challenging to change traveler’s checks, so please also bring some US Dollars with you, which are easier to change. Make sure your dollars are not marked in any way, or broken (even if it’s a tiny tear). Even if you can use them in the US, nobody will accept them in Argentina. Bills marked with colored pencils, markers, or whatever, are rejected by the banks. You will have to present your passport when changing US dollars into Argentinean $ (pesos). If you have a credit/debit card and you are going to stay mainly in capital city you can use ATMs. There are plenty of them everywhere. Check with your bank/credit card company what exchange rate they will use.
The current exchange rate is: 1 US Dollar = 3.10 Pesos
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Important: Toilet paper!
Restaurants, the University, bars, etc., won’t provide toilet paper, so please carry some with you.
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Drugs
Buenos Aires is an action packed city. Please consider that you do not know the environment and could make mistakes. You put yourself at risk when you get involved in buying illegal drugs. The risks might be higher than those you might encounter in the US or Canada. Also, please do not use drugs or alcohol when visiting the movements or intern-shipping at the factories. What might be a recreational use of drugs in a middle class environment, is a very serious problem in poor neighborhoods, specially among the youth. The AAP reserves the right to cancel the student participation in an internship if these policies are not observed.
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Electricity & Measurements
Electric current operates on 220 volts, 50 cycles. For Weights & Measures the metric system is universal.
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Greetings
Argentines are more physically demonstrative than most of North Americans and Europeans, and regularly exchange kisses (on the cheek) in greeting –even among men. In formal situations, though, it is better to go with a handshake unless you are certain of the appropriate gesture.
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Police & Military
Sometimes, the police and military may be of more concern than common criminals. The Buenos Aires provincial police is the country’s single most notoriously corrupt force, though members of the capital’s Policía Federal are no angels.
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Smoking
Many Argentines are heavy smokers. However, restaurants, bars, cafés, stores, offices, local buses and the Subte are smoke-free.
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Traffic
Many Argentine drivers jump the gun when the traffic signal is about to change to green. They also drive very fast and change lines unpredictably. Be wary of vehicles turning right; even though pedestrians at corners and crosswalks have legal right-of-way, very few drivers respect this and will hardly slow down when you are crossing.
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Machismo
One thing you must pay attention to is that you will deal with a sexist society, in which misogyny is quite common and transcends every class boundary. It’ll be useful for you to know that many Argentines act in a chauvinist way, which indicates that they often believe in the superiority of men over women.
It’s not uncommon for a woman when she’s is alone and she is walking by on the street to receive verbal comments about her looks (see piropo at the glossary below). This never happens to a heterosexual couple. If you have to deal with such situation, the best you can do is to completely ignore the comments.
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Getting Around
You can travel around the city by:
Bus: Buenos Aires has a large, complex bus system serving the Capital Federal and Gran Buenos Aires. You can use the Guía T to know how to get around (see the explanation below). Buses have automatic ticket machines, which accept only Argentine coins but make small change. Many bus routes (but not all) run 24 hours a day. The price of the ticket is $ 0.80
Underground: The Subte consist of five lines, each identified alphabetically (Líneas A, B, C, D and E). Four of these run from downtown to the capital’s western and northern areas, while the other (Línea C) runs north-south, connecting the two major train stations of Retiro and Constitución. The price of the ticket is $0.70
Taxi: Buenos Aires’ numerous, reasonably priced taxis are conspicuous by their black-and-yellow paint jobs. Drivers do not expect a big tip (even for longer trips as to Ezeiza from downtown), but it’s customary to let them keep small change. Almost no drivers speak English. The price fluctuates depending on the destination.
Increasingly popular, remises are radio taxis without meters. They generally offer fixed fares within a given zone and are slightly cheaper than ordinary taxis. In fact, we strongly recommend to take wheter remises or radio taxis that you are able to phone, since you have less chances to get robbed or given fake bills as change.
Train: You should avoid using the train mainly because it normally doesn’t work properly (train’s transportation usually have problems to follow their schedules).
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How to use a Guía T
The Guía T is a city guide. It can help you out to find the better way to get somewhere. You have to follow these steps:

• Find the place where you are and where you want to go to (Pages 4 to 23: Alphabetical index of streets / Pages 24 to 95: City maps)
• Find the better way to get to your destination (search for the bus that appears both in your current location and in your destination)
• Check the bus route to be certain that it would lead you properly. (Pages 96 to 175: Alphabetical index of buses and their routes)

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Vegetarian recommendations (Thank you Nicole!)
So being a vegetarian is entirely doable here and vegans, well, somewhat harder. Here is a list of some useful vegetarian stuff here in Buenos Aires.
In Argentina you’ll eat lots of:
-pasta.
-pizza.
-empanadas de verdura (kale) or humita/choclo (corn) or calabaza (butternut squash)
-milanesas de soja (deep fried soy substance that doesn’t taste like anything but is pretty tasty “a la napolitana” which means with cheese and tomatoes)
-medialunas (choose “de manteca” and stay away from “medialunas de grasa” if you are strict about using meat fat)

Places to buy vegetarian stuff:
-Your local verdulería (vegetables-store).
-“Dietéticas” - health food stores that tend to have organic breads and sometimes tofu and a whole lot of dried fruit and grains.
-”Barrio chino” - lots of different markets and restaurants that all have at least some vegetarian, offering also the restaurant “Siempre verde” which has some pretty tasty fake meat in there. You can find barrio chino in the barrio of Belgrano right next to the train station located on Arribeños St., between Juramento Ave. and like three more blocks down. Buses that go there: 15, 29, 60, 64 and a whole lot more.
-Big super markets - maybe not your best bet politically but you can definitely pick up an assortment of frozen milanesas de soja and in some even veggie burgers or something like that.

Some places where they cook the delicious vegetarian food for you:
-Bio - gourmet organic and vegetarian. It’s kind of expensive but it’s worth going to at least one. It’s incredible food with nice organic wines. Humboldt 1899 – Palermo.
-Germinal – it’s like eating in your hippie friends’ house. Food is good and you eat it in a hammock. Mexico 424 – Centro.
-Krishna veggie lunch - super good with great music (bossanova and krishna chants). It’s also open for dinner. Don’t let their name fool you. Malabia 1833. TE: (011) 4833-4618.
-La Esquina de las Flores - not bad pretty standard vegetarian fare with three locations.
Medrano 632 – Almagro.
Av. Córdoba 1587 - Tel. 4813-3630.
Gurruchaga 1632 - Tel. 4832-8528.
-Ciboulette - tasty veggie tenedor libre that opens only for lunch. Sarmiento1802. TE:  4373-2178.
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Some Internet resources
Health Intormation: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/temsam.htm

International Travel Information by the Department of State- http://travel.state.gov/travel/travel_1744.html

Type the name of the street you want to find into the "Calle:" box, type the street number you want to find in the "Altura:" box and then click the "VER MAPA" button. http://mapas.terra.com.ar/

Underground subway map: http://www.ebc-tefl-course.com/travel/BuenosAires_subte.htm
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Important telephone numbers
Emergency Official Phone Number for Travelers: 202-647-5225
American Consulate: 5777-4533/34 extension 9. To report if any American citizen is in danger.
SAME (health emergencies): 107
POLICÍA: 101
HOSPITAL ALEMÁN: 5777-5555 (a domicilio)
HOSPITAL ALEMÁN: PUEYRREDÓN 1640, 48211-700
HOSPITAL ITALIANO: GASCÓN 450, 4981-5010
RADIO TAXI SIGLO XXI: 4633-4000
REMIS LE COQ: 4963-8532 (very convenient if you need to go to Ezeiza Airport)
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LANGUAGE
False Cognates: words that appear to be very similar but have different meanings in different languages. In some cases this can lead you to serious misunderstandings. Here are some examples:

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El Voseo
Spanish in the Río de la Plata region differs from that of Spain and the rest of the Americas, most notably in the familiar form of the second person singular pronoun. Instead of the tuteo used everywhere else, Argentines, Uruguayans and Paraguayans commonly use the voseo, a relict 16 th-century form requiring slightly different endings. Regular and most irregular verbs don not change internal consonants, but add a terminal accent. This is true for –ar, -er and –ir verbs, examples of which are given below, whit the tú forms included for contrast. Imperative forms also differ, but negative imperatives are identical in both the tuteo and the voseo.

Note that some of the most common verbs like ir (to go), estar (to be) and ser (to be) are identically irregular in both the tuteo and the voseo, and that Argentines continue to use the possessive article tu (¿Vos tenés tu lápiz?) and the reflexive or conjunctive object pronoun te (¿Vos te das cuenta?).
An Argentine inviting a foreigner to address him or her informally will say Me podés tutear (you can call me tú), rather than Me podés vosear (you can call me vos), even though the expectation is that both will use vos forms in subsequent conversations.
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Time
There are some differences that you should pay attention to whenever you have to tell time: Eight o’clock is las ocho, while 8:30 is las ocho y treinta (literally, eight and thirty) or las ocho y media (eight and a half). However, 7:45 is las ocho menos quince (literally, eight minus fifteen) or las ocho menos cuarto (eight minus one quarter). Times are modified by de la mañana (morning) or de la tarde (afternoon) instead of am or pm. Noon is mediodía; midnight is medianoche. Transportation schedules commonly use the 24-hour clock.
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Glossary
In the list below you can find some terms that could be useful.
Albergue transitorio: not to be mistaken for an albergue juvenil, this is a love hotel.
Argentinidad: a concept of Argentine national identity, may be associated with extreme nationalistic feelings.
Asado: the famous Argentine barbecue.
Bárbaro: slang term meaning ‘wonderful’ or ‘great’.
Barras bravas: violent soccer fans; the Argentine equivalent of Britain’s ‘football hooligans’.
Barrio: neighborhood or borough.
Bicho: any small creature, from insect to mammal.
Boliche: night club, or bar.
Bronca: anger, frustration; a very porteño term.
Cabildo: colonial town council; also, the building that housed the council.
Cajero automático: an automated teller machine (ATM)
Cambio: money-exchange office, also a casa de cambio.
Carne: though this is the general word for meat, in Argentina is used specifically for beef; chicken, pork and the like may be called carne blanca (white meat).
Cartelera: an office selling discount tickets.
Castellano: the term used in much of South America for the Spanish language spoken throughout Latin America; literally refers to Castilian Spanish.
Caudillo: in 19th-century Argentine politics, a provincial strongman whose power rested more on personal loyalty than political ideas or party affiliation.
Charlar: word meaning ‘to chat’.
Chimichurri: a spicy marinade for beef, usually made of parsley, garlic, spices and oil.
Chupar: to drink, usually alcohol.
Churro: long, fried doughnut-type snack, often filled with dulce de leche or chocolate.
Coima: a bribe; one who solicits a bribe is a coimero.
Colectivo: local bus.
Conventillo: tenements that housed immigrants in older neighborhoods of Buenos Aires and Montevideo; this survive in a reduced scale in Buenos Aires barrios of San Telmo and La Boca, and the Ciudad Vieja of Montevideo.
Cortado: a small coffee with a touch of milk.
Cuadra: a city block; see also manzana.
(los) Desaparecidos: the disappeared; the victims (estimated at up to 30,000) of Argentina’s last dictatorship who where never found.
Dulce de Leche: Argentina’s national sweet; a creamy, spreadable caramel eaten on bread or found in many desserts, snacks and pastries.
Edificio: a building.
Efectivo: cash.
Esquina: street corner.
Facturas: pastries, but also the term for a receipt.
Forro: slang term for condom or, when used to describe a person, a ‘scumbag’; to be avoid in polite conversation.
Genial: a word meaning ‘wonderful, great, fine’.
Guarango: coarse, rude, crude; also, a person with these characteristics.
Hinchapelota: a crude term for someone who bothers you a lot; literally, ‘swelled balls’.
Interno: extension off a central telephone number or switchboard.
IVA: value-added tax.
Joder: pull someone’s leg, bother someone (crude, but not as bad as in Spanish).
Locutorio: private long-distance telephone office; usually offers fax and Internet services as well.
Lunfardo: street slang of Buenos Aires (see a key list below).
Manzana: literally, ‘apple’; also used to define one square block of a city.
Mate: see yerba mate.
Medialuna: croissant.
Merienda: light afternoon teatime meal.
Milanesa: breaded steak filet.
Minuta: in a restaurant or confitería, a short order such as spaghetti or milanesa.
Ñoqui: a public employee whose primary interest is collecting a monthly paycheck, so-called because inexpensive ñoquis (potato pasta, from the Italian gnocchi) are traditionally served in financially strapped Argentine households on the 29 th of each month, the implication being that the employee shows up to work around that time.
Parada: a bus stop.
Parrilla: a restaurant specialized in parrillada (asado).
Parrillada: a mixed grill of steak and other beef cuts.
Pavada: an elaborated lie.
Piropo: a sexist remark directed at a woman, ranging from complementary and relatively innocuous, to rude and offensive.
Porquería: a mess, a fiasco.
Porteño/a: inhabitant of Buenos Aires (a ‘resident of the port’).
Proceso: short for El Proceso de Reorganización Nacional, a military euphemism for its brutal attempt to remake Argentina’s political and economic culture between 1976 and 1983.
Propina: a tip, for example, in a restaurant or cinema.
Remise: a taxi with a radio connection to a dispatcher; also remís.
Subte: the Buenos Aires subway system.
Trucho: bogus; a term widely used by Argentines to describe things that are not what they appear to be.
Villas miseria: shantytowns on the outskirts of Buenos Aires and other Argentine cities.
Yerba mate: Paraguayan tea, consumed by Argentines in large quantities as an important everyday social ritual.
Yuyos: aromatic herbs, which in northern Argentina are mixed with yerba mate.
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Common Slang Words
Birra: beer.
Bondi: bus.
Boludo: jerk, asshole, idiot; often used among friends to mean ‘hey stupid’ or ‘hey man’, but is an insult to strangers.
Buena onda: good vibes.
Chamullar: to talk idly, to bullshit someone.
Carajo: asshole, prick, bloody hell.
Chabón/chabona: kid; often used affectionately.
Che: hey.
Fiaca: laziness.
Guita: money.
Laburar: to work; often associated with the usual negative connotations.
Mango: one peso.
Mina: woman.
Morfar: to eat or pig out.
Macanudo: great, fabulous.
Pibe/piba: cool young person.
Piola: cool, clever.
Pendejo: idiot; young person.
Pucho: a cigarette or cigarette butt.
Quilombo: a mess or a house of prostitution.
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Common Slang Phrases
 Es una masa: something perfect, excellent or cool.
Diez puntos: ok, cool, great, fine (literally, ‘ten points’).
Le faltan un par de jugadores: the equivalent of the expression ‘He’s not playing with a full deck’ (literally, ‘He’s missing a pair of (fútbol) players’).
Me mataste: I don’t know/I have no idea; used when responding to a question (literally, ‘You’ve killed me’).
No le doy bola: I don’t give a shit.
Poner las pilas: get energized (literally, ‘Put the batteries in’).
¿Qué hacés fiera?/¿Qué hacés titán?: What’s up dude?.
Re interesante: very interesting; ‘re’ (very) can be used with any adjective; try to roll that ‘r’.
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