The Shitty Side of Buenos Aires

Living in Buenos Aires can feel like a roller coaster sometimes. You're up, you're down, you're elated, you're exhausted. One thing I've noticed is that when everything is going swell, you really see the beauty of the city and notice all of the amazing details that can get missed amidst all the chaos. But when you're down, you not only see the chaos, but also all of the unavoidable ugly things that you first saw when you got here. Over time, some of the things may not be as shocking as they once were, but some things are hard to get over.

The one thing I just can't get over is all the shit.

What I am referring to here is dog shit. It is everywhere. On the sidewalks, on the grass, on the streets, lodged into holes in the broken sidewalks, smeared into grotesque trails along the sidewalks where someone has been unfortunate enough to step on it and take a little slide, lying in the sun with flies buzzing around it. It is NASTY. I have stepped in it one too many times to have a good attitude about it. Don't get me wrong- I am a lover of dogs - I just don't understand why people do not pick up after them.

Dog shit on the sidewalks is a very common conversation among expats. The new ones or visiting ones just can't believe it. The more seasoned expats, while having grown weary of all the shit, simply sigh in defeat. I am one of the sighers, but things do get a little more verbally aggressive when I step on it.

I just about stepped in it the other day, and remembered that I have long wanted to take photographs of it. After nearly injuring my ankle in one of the many ubiquitous sidewalk holes, I whipped out my blackberry and took a couple of shots. And readers, for the record, these are very gentle shots taken in a very nice neighborhood, but there are some shitty things you can't avoid in any neighborhood.