Berg Blog

After going to Barracas to teach English for the morning, I stopped off at the international post office on the way home. My mom had sent me two GMAT study books and I ignorantly thought I’d pop in and out of there and be on my way to take the train home. I could not [...]

Yesterday the Argentines showed up at the polls (obligatorily so) with the opportunity to bring in a new party, but pretty much the same government. Or they could stick with the party and elect the prettier half of Kirchnerism. They chose the latter and elected the wife of President Nestor Kirchner to assume duties on [...]

As a foreigner in another country, there are cultural phenomena that, try as I might, I cannot explain. A custom or way of thinking may appear different or blatantly erroneous but I cannot explain why because of my cultural ignorance. For me, one such instance is the inability of many Argentines to assess the country [...]

Coming in a distant second after soccer, rugby is a very popular spectator sport in Argentina. The national teams is Los Pumas and uses the same white and sky blue colors as the Argentine flag. The popularity of rugby, like polo, comes from the English influence in the early settlement of the country. Thus, the [...]

The city of Buenos Aires held a mayoral election today. I accompanied Vanesa downtown to her voting location. It looks like everyone will have to return to the polls in a few weeks because the winner must acquire 51% of the vote. Since there were three candidates, with the winner Mauricio Macri showing about 45%, [...]

People back in the U.S. frequently ask me about the prices of goods and services here in Argentina. One of the reasons I chose Argentina over Spain is that, for foreigners, it’s much cheaper. Before the economic crisis of 2001, the Argentine peso was pegged to the American dollar at a ratio of 1:1. Now [...]

At the ripe old age of 25 one starts to realize the world isn’t always the idealized place they once thought it was. The cheating, stealing, conniving, lascivious, lying nature of the world becomes more apparent every day. One’s pleasant upbringing can shelter them from much of the harsh reality that eventually hits everyone in [...]

Vanesa came over today after work and we relaxed and watched a hilarious movie named Scoop. After talking for a while, with both of us ravenously hungry, we went to Xalapa for some hard to find Mexican food. We were both tired and a little quiet after having talked quite a bit earlier. This changed [...]

ATMs are everywhere here, but sometimes cash is a different story. While credit cards are widely accepted, many more cash transactions take place than in the first world. Welcome to a country rebounding from an economic crisis and where credit is almost impossible to obtain. Time things wrong and it may be impossible to get [...]

I don’t know if it’s available in the US, but if you can find Dasani Balance, give it a try! It’s flavored water that is much better than just about any flavored water I’ve tried. I like Propel and Powerade water too, but this is more subtle and not quite as sweet. Only 15 calories [...]