A Small World...

You may not be familiar, which I was certainly not prior to arriving to BA, but 'A Small World' is an exclusive, invite-only, social-networking site that I am not a member of, ha! However, my roommate, Laura, was special enough to have been invited by a close friend of hers, so I can be a member vicariously... Nonesense aside, it's a pretty well-established network, having met several people here who are also a part of it (they also happen to be friends, coincidence?, haha). Because of the exclusive nature of the site, it seems to be far more trustworthy and professionally managed, as the goal is to not drive volume, but quality of membership... They have professional services, events, apartment/accommodation listings, job offerings, etc... It was especially helpful to a friend who reached out before he moved to BA to meet a few people, and when he arrived, he was taken out, shown the city, etc to help develop his social network.

So, how does this have an impact on me... Well, I can't take any real credit for it because I'm not exclusive enough, apparently (yet), but, Laura was able to scour the site's apartment listings when we began having doubts about the apartment we were scheduled to move in to last week... Yes, it's a little overdue, but the drama that unfolded is a pretty ridiculous, comical, and otherworldly experience that can only be had in Argentina - for all the right and wrong reasons, I'm going to refrain from putting the entire saga online, so if you're interested, give a shout...

As it stands, foreigners traveling to Baires (that's another colloquial idiom for BA) are typically looking for short-term, furnished accommodations, on which locals capitalize on the rental rates they charge foreigners to occupy their residences. So, there's effectively a 60-75% markup on the rates charged to foreigners versus the rate that a local would receive for the same apartment... Needless to say, this is totally normal, and completely 'legal' (loosely defined, as are most laws regarding monetary exchanges and business practices), but provides an opportunity for foreigners to try and find the best deals possible...

This is where 'A Small World' comes in, as Laura was able to find a great apartment that has pretty much everything except a pool and a gym (I know, seriously!) that we wanted in an apartment/building. And even better, we're basically paying what a local would pay, which is even more ridiculous considering what we were going to be paying for a different apartment. I now know why my friends suggested just coming down here and winging it - which is effectively what we've done at this point...

We will miss our neighborhood, Palermo Viejo, but we're heading only 15 minutes (a pie - by foot) away to a new hood (Alto Palermo), and are looking forward to exploring a new area... So, today is moving day, and we're off...

It really is 'A Small World'...