The ''art ''of begging

I was thinking that writing about begging is a little difficult, some of you will think I am a stuck up bitch.

Anyway I saw the consumate beggar today while having my coffee. He smiled, made eye contact and came closer and indicated he was hungry and would appreciate something from your plate. He was quite skinny which you could tell through his coat but he had a nice look on his face.He was targeting the tourists, as all the other beggars do too. He found two suckers who kindly cleared off their plates onto the ground for him....yes he was a dog. As I left he was onto the next table!

The more likely beggars here are kids. While having dinner at La Sol the other night I was taken by one's style. She was girl of around 12 or 13 and stood ram-rod straight looking fierce with fire in her eyes. She was obviously proud and angry at having to beg off the well-heeled who were dining off the fat of the land. She strode up to each table and thrust her hand down, open on the edge of each table. She almost dared them to give. I started to think about her future and what it may hold? On my home that night around 1 am, she was outside the casino working the people coming out I guess. She stepped out from the shade and asked me for money. I said no as usual, and I got shiver as I walked away, as I thought she could be capable of going after me with a knife or something. A tough cookie, kinda reminded me of Tieka.

Usually while you are sitting having coffee, people come up and put cards onto your table and ask for money. I think some of the cards are so-called blessings from a saint? Men, women, children do this.
Others come up with socks, clear plastic bra straps, undies, little things in their packs, asking to sell to you. Guys go by with arms of blankets to sell too.

Then men and women come to you table and just beg. One yesterday had a printed sign saying she was deaf and needed money for her children. Who knows if it was true? Most of the Argetineans give.
There are other people with afflictions eg a blind man stands on San Martin and bellows he is hungry in a pathetic voice. A woman my age was sleeping in the doorway the other morning when I was walking to class.

Then there are the parking guys who have a small strip of the street that is their territory. They wave you into a spare park, and then offer to wash your car. For their protection you pay some coins. The taxi door closers are the most annoying,as you get into a taxi that you have flagged, they run over and grab the door and close it and then want to be paid for it!

I found it sad yesterday, when over my long lunch,a daughter with a blind dad came by all of the tables and he asked for the $. He had a strong voice and some pride.

The Chileans next door to me were really disgusted by the end of the afternoon. They said really loudly "hoy" meaning "today" or in these days. They got quite animated and did alot of shaking their heads, they are quite astounded at the poor standard of living of Argentineans compared to them. The Brazilians at another table were equally shocked.

At around 1am the little kids come by asking for food. Brothers and sisters, big and small. They smile and may already have say a piece of pizza in their hand (held carefully to take home) and are looking for the scraps off the tables. Of course this is when you must be most vigilant as they can use tactics to steal your bag, or knife into it etc. I always strap my bag to the table leg and usually have it between my legs. I met an Irish woman who had had her bag slashed the night before and she told me to watch out.

Well that will do for now. I will document other styles of begging as I come across them. Some of the young people on my course were doing volunteer work in the afternoons to appease their 1st world consciences. You can work in orphanages, or with street people etc.
One girl was off to Bolivia to do that. Others had helped in Peru.