Making Change

Math is usually something I´m good at... two plus two is four, the square root of negative 1 is i, and the integral of 2x is x squared. but, simple math here confuses me so much! Mostly, its due to the money sytem. Like the US, Argentina uses bills for $100, 50, 20, 10, 5 (called pesos). But, they have a $2 bill and "monedas" (coins) for $1 peso, and for 50, 25, 10, and 5 centavos (cents). So, for example, something costs $12 and you pay with a $20... You´re going to get $2 and $5 bills and a $1 moneda or two for .50. Similarly, if something costs $9 and you pay with $10, you´ll get back a moneda for $1. It suonds simple, but I tend to forget, and try and find my $1 bills, which don´t exist!

To make things more complicated... monedas are highly coveted objects. You need monedas to pay for the colectivo, the buses that you use to travel around the city. In addition, when you buy something that only costs $.75, people tend to get annoyed if you don´t use your monedas, and pay with a bill to try and get back change. Clearly, that is what all of BA is trying to do, so that they can get on the colectivo! According to somebody I met, there is actually a shortage of monedas, and this is what is causing all the problems...

That´s all for today! Today´s moral: count your change and save your monedas!