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Sunday, July 21, 2013

Pregnant Lady Priority

There are countless things that make living in Argentina more complicated.  The language.  The unpredictability.  The economic unrest.  The multiple stops needed to accomplish the same tasks as one trip to Target. 

One thing that seems (to me) to be easier to be pregnant here in Argentina.  Everyone here loves a pregnant lady, almost as much as they love a baby.  

Everywhere you go, you are given priority.  Start with parking.  Right behind the handicapped spaces, there are reserved expecting mother spots.  Not just at Babies-R-Us style places - malls, grocery stores, virtually everywhere that has a parking lot provides places for expecting moms.  It's fantastic.


Next there are priority lines.

Banks.
Airports.
Money Exchanges.
ATMs.
Grocery stores.

They all have a priority line for those expecting (and at times this includes families with young children).  Not the kind of line where if you use it everyone in the store glares hatefully your way.  It's the kind of line where people go out of their way to usher you to the front and clear the way when you walk through.

People stop me on the street and ask when I'm due.  They stay after class to ask if my doctor is OK with me taking spin. They give me their seat on the bus, hail taxis on my behalf, hold the door for me (with the exception of my doorman) and will mow others down to pick up something that I have dropped on the ground.

I gratefully accept all help, and walk to the front of all lines, knowing that as soon as the baby is born all of these favors go away.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank the lovely people of Argentina for making pregnancy so comfortable, even if everything else is a bit more complex.

4 comments:

  1. I love this information because 1) you're right that Argentina culture seems much more friendly to pregnant ladies than US culture and 2) no matter where you live, the special "pregnant lady" treatment goes away after you give birth. So true. I always laugh when I see parking spaces for expectant moms when there are not equivalent spaces in the same parking lot for families with small children. Like my doctor says, babies are easier when they're inside your belly.

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    1. I couldn't agree more. I would much rather speed through lines with a newborn!

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  2. Your still taking spin classes? I guess I'd be one of the ones asking too.

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  3. Congratulations Dawn on baby number two. Gretchen is getting so big, time flies. I've been searching teach English/volunteer abroad program and remembered you had a blog. The information on your site is fantastic. I'm seriously considering leaving DC for a few months and traveling abroad to Buenos Aires and then to Madrid for a few months, but looking for the right fit. Some of the programs are so expensive and I'm also nervous about staying with unfamiliar families, but I guess it's all a part of the process.

    If you have any additional information, please let me know. The more help the better.

    I'm glad you and the family are well -- sorry for the long e-mailish post. :)

    Nadia Feimster
    Nadiafeimster@gmail.com

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