Berkley Center

In what seems to be a lifetime ago, the first time I went to a café here in Argentina I ordered a coffee para llevar (to go), and the waitress looked at me incredulously. To me, the thought of having to sit down, to wait for my order to be served to me, and to drink my coffee out of a glass cup was such a foreign concept at the time. To be truthful, I was still in my Georgetown mindset, in which leisure time was nonexistent, days were scheduled from morning to night, and where coffee always came in a to-go, almost-instant plastic Saxby’s cup.

But now as I sit here from a café just around the corner from my barrio in Buenos Aires sipping my coffee out of my glass cup, I have realized that maybe the Porteños are doing it right. Starbucks, though present here in the city, cannot compete with the Italian-style café culture (thanks to the large number of Italian immigrants) that is almost like a refined, lingering art here in the city. It is common to sit down for hours at one’s local café, unhurried and passing time, in stark contrast to my life at Georgetown.

It is just not in the cafés either. This unhurried, sit-down culture is ingrained into every aspect of everyday life. I remember when I was first introduced to the public transportation system to get around the city. I was surprised to find that the colectivos (what they call the public buses here) didn’t run on a timed schedule, like the ones in Washington, DC do. “They show up when they show up” my host mom told me nonchalantly. Being accustomed to DC’s strict schedules and planning according to arriving on time, it was beyond frustrating at first to wait at a bus stop not knowing when it was going to show up, if at all.

Sharing maté (a traditional South American drink prepared with yerba mate and hot water) is another very important aspect of Argentine culture. It is considered a social event, in which it is meant to be shared, and it is common to spend hours drinking maté with a large group of friends. It is done slowly, but it focuses more on the conversation than on the activity, which is again a contrast from Georgetown’s culture that lacks in carefree leisure time to solely converse with friends.

Furthermore, the asado (a traditional barbeque with all the amazing Argentine meats) is long and drawn-out. You may not have dinner until midnight, even if you started preparing the meat at 8 p.m. It purposely puts a strong focus on the family and the conversation with a sense of community and belonging.

Now that I have become almost too accustomed to “Latin time” (where arriving late is equivalent to arriving on time), I have found that Buenos Aires and Washington, DC, though similar in being huge, important cities in their respective countries, could not be more different. The culture here puts an emphasis on taking your time, stopping your day, and having a conversation. That is definitely something that I have honestly come to appreciate.

Leisure time is treasured and rooted into everyday life, and in my opinion, I believe people are closer because of it. One isn’t constantly checking his or her e-mail, or asking what the time is, or avoiding long hours of conversation. It is in Buenos Aires where I’ve learned the beauty of taking one’s time, of resting, and of appreciating the little things in life—like this great glass cup of coffee that I just so happened to finish.