1. monedas and mcdonalds- the epic battle
   
   
   let me begin by telling you a little story.
   
   main character= me
   timing=second day in Buenos Aires
   setting=the corner of juramento and cabildo (imagine times square)
   conflict=monedas (coins)
   
   to ride the bus here you need coins. alright, not too complicated. or so you would think. but as it turns out there is a shortage. as in, the city of buenos aires does not have enough coins to meet the high demand of coins. so in a classic example of elementary economics, the people hoard their coins and only worsen the situation (note the stock market in the past year). So on my second day here I had no idea and after class I went to the nearest store by the bus stop and asked for change. of course they said they didn't have any. Thirteen shops later, I knew something was up. Finally a cute old man had pity on the poor foreigner.
   
   although this was a dramatic experience for me (visions of being stranded in Belgrano for the night), the battle is epic. the best way to beat the system is going to the bank, however like all banks, they have strange and inconvenient hours here so sometimes that's just not an option (and even so they'll only give you 5 pesos worth of coins at a time).
   
2. be prepared for a shocking statement.... mcdonald's here is actually not gross! when my friend came to visit, she really wanted to go. I really wanted some breakfast (not common here to eat out for breakfast or have a 'big breakfast') but leave it to mcdonalds to bring the breakfast sandwich to the world. i was impressed, not as greasy and tasteless as in the US. the 'mccafe' is popular here. as in business people will meet there. shocking. i had a chocolate chip muffin, apple, coffee (straight up), and a egg mcmuffin sandwich. MCNIFICA! oh globalization and capitalism... so appetizing