Live Uncomfortably

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Could you survive in a country that completely shuts down on Sunday? Shops, grocery stores, just about everything closed. Argentina is a virtual ghost town on Sundays.

The life in Argentina is very slow. And it’s very apparent that even while on my extended holiday, my life is still run very fast in comparison.

In Argentina, the:

• People walk slow

It’s difficult for Clay and I to navigate the streets. Groups of family members casually stroll the sidewalks and block the way for the fast walkers.

I don’t feel like I’m rushing when I walk, but I’m sure it looks that way to others. I speed and dart past people, sometimes straying off the sidewalk into the street to get by.

• People Are Slow Getting To Appointments

It’s difficult for Clay and I to navigate the streets. Groups of family members casually stroll the sidewalks and block the way for the fast walkers.

I don’t feel like I’m rushing when I walk, but I’m sure it looks that way to others. I speed and dart past people, sometimes straying off the sidewalk into the street to get by.

• People Are Slow Getting To Appointments

This slow walking might be one of the reasons why most everyone is late to appointments of any kind. I’ve set meetings to look at apartments and never had a person show up on time. This can be very frustrating.

• Service is slow.

Grocery line checkouts are a nightmare for a Westerner. The cashier is also the bagger. For some reason, customers will not help bag their own groceries. Even if you want to grab just one item, you better be prepared to stand in line for 5-10 minutes.

Restaurants can be painfully slow also. I’ve had to ask for the bill 3 times before the waitress brought it over. People really take their time while eating. I envy that. I’ll usually walk into a restaurant and sit next to people that have been there for hours. I’ll finish my food, grab the check, and leave before they’re even thinking about going.

• Slow to Get Out

Argentines aren’t leaving the house for dinner until 9 PM. Clubs don’t open until 2 AM and they don’t fill up until 3 AM. But they probably wake up later, right? Nope. Most people have to work at 9 AM. You’ll be dancing in a club next to someone who has to work in 2 hours.

I am not judging either way here. I’m just comparing.

The Western lifestyle is comparatively fast. But look what we’ve created with this lifestyle. Incredible engineering feats. Medical breakthroughs. Advanced sanitation systems. People are living longer and more healthy lives.

On the flip side, we’ve also created a lot of stressed people. Lots of people have trouble relaxing. What’s considered relaxation for a Westerner is considered work for an Argentine.

The solution: schedule time to relax in your own way. If relaxing means vegging out in front of the TV for a hour, do it. If relaxing means jumping out of a plane, do it. Learn from the Argentines, slow down at least a little bit each week.