What Strato are you and your wife-gf-amiga con derechos?

calipro says on Mar 24, 2006, 13:06:

In a nut shell... The difference between a strata 1 girl and a strata 5 (I don't think I've ever dated a strata 6) is this:

If you take your strata one girlfriend shopping for clothes she will buy something even she can't find anything that fits. Your strata five girlfriend won't let you buy her clothes that don't fit and sometimes she is so picky that she can't even find something that she likes so you don't even have to buy a thing.

That's about it;-)

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caulfield2 says on Mar 24, 2006, 13:16:

Hmmm...the funny thing is, the maybe 5-6 times in Colombia that I have gone shopping with different girls, the results were all over the board.

Mostly at Studio F, a few would just be happy with a blusa, and one was superconscious she could get 2 for 1, so she hunted up and down to find two that she liked.

My most recent girlfriend, she confidently strode right in and I didn't blink when she spent $280,000 on a blusa and a new pair of jeans. Jeans are VERY expensive at Studio F, lol. Of course, while this amount was probably the combined totaly of what I spent on 3-4 other girls, I was happy to spend it, and I have spent a lot more in the US. Of course, comparing clothing prices in NYC or Hawaii is kind of irrelevant...but my purchasing power is much better here than in the US, so I don't consider $125USD or so to be insane, just not an amount I would spend more than once every 3-4 months on her (at one time).

I actually used to take my amigas to shopping centers of 2nd dates to see where they would go and how much they wanted to spend...if they were very insistent and attempted to pressure me to buy something, that was usually our last date. My two serious girlfriends (before this last month), they pretty much refused to take any gifts from me...made an effort to pay for taxis and little things, usually they contributed about 20-30% of the cost of everything we did, which I thought was quite considerate, based upon the fact they made something like $2-3 dollars per hour.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Mar 24, 2006, 13:21:

Caulfield wrote My novia went to a public school and attends a public university, so her level in terms of family income was probably a 3 or maybe even a 4, but her level of cultural sophistication puts her around 5-6"

Strata don't buy sophistication and culture" your strato 6 student, you can see the level of culture they got and shallowness

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Mar 24, 2006, 13:27:

people are not "strata"! Only housing is.
Cheers,
Desi


Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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caulfield2 says on Mar 24, 2006, 13:35:

Well, obviously people more readily identify with a Strato here (I am Strato 5 by virtue of an apartment my school pays for) than people in the US say they're middle class (nobody, of course says they're poor)...in fact, much of the upper class in the US is sort of proud not to be considered rich, although they like to consider themselves quote upper middle class unquote.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Mar 24, 2006, 13:36:

did i said that tinto? jejeje

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JMOON87 says on Mar 24, 2006, 13:36:

Strata Well in the u.s. i have seen many people go from living in a Strato 6 to living in a Strato 1 almost overnight not sure how it works in colombia but the IRS and the Stock Market can control alot of Stratos here in the u.s. .... i would rather rank Stratos by someones personality and what they do to help others and by that Strato my wife is a 6 and i am a NEGATIVE -2 but she is helping me to get better , i hope to one day be half as nice as she is so that would put me at a 3 lol.

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Aji1 says on Mar 24, 2006, 13:36:

Material Girls My wife, from Bogota, came from around a 3-4. She is off the top of the scale based on character and heart. She will spend hours searching through Sanandresito's to find the perfect look and fit and then start to haggle the price down. I married a gem. I certainly would not settle for anything different for a long-term commitment. Maybe for a short-term thing, lol. This touches on one of the ugliest facts about Colombian society, the status conscience ways. Not saying that the U.S. does not suffer from it as well but it is just so in your face in Colombia. We all came into the world the same way, naked and crying. Your social economic level is due to your parents, no one did anything to deserve coming into the world on top. My wife knows it is so and it makes us both sad.

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JMOON87 says on Mar 24, 2006, 13:39:

Actually... Actually , i asked my wife she said she grew up in 3-4 but was living in 6 with her family when i met her .

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caulfield2 says on Mar 24, 2006, 13:40:

But even the likes of Michael Milken, Ivan Boesky, Neil Bush, Jeff Skilling, Kenneth Lay and Andrew Fastow would not be considered to be anything below Strato 5-6 in terms of their homes and possessions, despite being publicly humiliated...or someone like Martha Stewart, who was busted for insider trading. I don't think the average American in Peoria, Illinois, associates with her too much.

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scottiec says on Mar 24, 2006, 14:56:

Los Stratas... Aji,wonderful words. I live here in Mexico and here if you can afford a BMW or more ,its like you receive a blood transfusion and are no longer the same blood as the "other" people. It sucks,now after three years here,I kinda couldnt care less , what BMW comes out with....M3 or not. I like your words crying and naked,that pretty much sums us all up!!! I wish I could find a wife like yours,I am actually thinking about looking for a wife down there. Its the appearance thing as well as all the other things I read about them. Take care....................y holas a todos

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Christian88 says on Mar 24, 2006, 15:21:

I also asked my girlfriend about this, and she said that this thread is giving it more attention than it's worth. However, she said her family has lived in several estratos, depending on their luck over the years. She said you'll find materialistic people in both 3 and 6, just like you'll find good people in both estratos. Also, she's known very poor people who have lived in 6 neighborhoods, and (a little less commonly) vice-versa.

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verryrichinbucaramanga says on Mar 24, 2006, 15:26:

whats the diff strata 6 girls From Colombia are like trailer park ho’s in the US
They think the short fork is to scratch under their arms with

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caslug says on Mar 24, 2006, 15:50:

i notice that in GENERAL.. girls from upperclass have problem slumming to lower class areas, ie go down to downtown or other cheap places to hang out, drink or eat. While gals from lower class background had no problem hanging out in cheap area or nice areas.

Case and point, i took two upperclass gals to el centro medellin at night to meet a gringo buddy for dinner. parts of el centro is safe at night, yet the gals once we arrived refuse to hang out there and insisted we go some place nicer. Since i'm paying the bill, it seem a little unreasonable. However, i've never gotten complaint fr less well-to-do gals WHEREVER i invited them, they go and are happy to go. Another amiga of mine, upperclas works as a District attorney in MED, tells me she lives in Poblado, but she really lives in santa fe(right by the local airport). She has a car and apartment, but said she will not drive to Estadio to meet me(or downtown) whever we go out she always want some place nicer(poblado, envigado, laureles maybe Belen would be OK).

I found most upper class girls in COL are not very adventurous like in the US. A upperclass american gal will go to the museum or theater with you then head down to some cheap dive to eat dinner afterward. I suspect the the differences is because lower class areas in COL(on average) is more dangerous than lower class area in US. So people than can afford to live in nice areas, have no reason or desire to go to a lower class areas in COL. While in the US, folks fr Beverly Hill will head to downtown LA on a sat night to eat cheap, authentic chinese food in Chinatown. While in COL, people living in poblado have no desire to head to el centro at night for some good cheap food...

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Elbigie says on Mar 24, 2006, 17:56:

Strato sucks!! The way some people think of the whole strata sh*it sounds a bit like the mentallity of the Indian caste system. Isn't this social segregation?

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poco says on Mar 24, 2006, 18:10:

Have no fear, progress is near The way some people think of the whole strata sh*it sounds a bit like the mentallity of the Indian caste system. Isn't this social segregation?

Yes, The Colombian government is looking into purchasing busses to expidite the cultural exchange program between fruit vendors and financial advisors.

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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utopiacowboy says on Mar 24, 2006, 21:50:

"Another amiga of mine, upperclas works as a District attorney in MED, tells me she lives in Poblado, but she really lives in santa fe(right by the local airport)." What is her problem? There is nothing wrong with that barrio. I would punt her to El Poblado.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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Rubiazo says on Mar 24, 2006, 23:20:

In that case I would make that the litmus test for any potential soul mate! Take em to the nastiest divyest shithole you yourself can stand, and if she cant hack it, tell her to take a flying fuck at a rolling donut.

I personally feel more comfortable the lower the ESTRATO the area. I guess it has to do with growing up in a bad area myself.

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Desideria (Moderator) says on Mar 25, 2006, 06:42:

so. we're talking about neighbourhoods.... I'd love to have my strata 5 house lowered to strata 4 because we're paying way too much in utilities. Strata 4-6 may be a tad safer and a tad better illuminated, but you can't talk about stratas and people in the same meaning. I thought we had already talked about that matter and it was clear to everybody that strata is not the same as social class.

Most moneyed people would, of course, buy a home in higher strata areas, just because they can afford it, but far from all. There are plenty of people who actually prefer to live in strata 4 neighbourhood and save money in utilities, even if they could easily afford a strata 5 or even 6 home.

I've spent some time in a strata 3 neighbourhood here in Cali and there's a certain charm to it. People are much friendlier, help each other much more, there's much more cohesion in poorer barrios between neighbours and friends.

Cheers,
Desi


Embrace your uniqueness. Time is much too short to be living someone
else's life.

-Kobi Yamada

"When shall we three meet again? In thunder, lightning, or in rain?"(First Witch in Macbeth)

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MacGringo says on Mar 25, 2006, 07:31:

Rubiazo - "take a flying fuck at a rolling donut"
Help - I need someone to pick me up off the floor from laughing so much.
Nice one!

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MacGringo says on Mar 25, 2006, 07:32:

What strata is Av. Boyaca in Bogota classed as?

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juanalejo says on Mar 25, 2006, 07:38:

Av Boyaca Depending where in Av Boyaca it can be anything from 1 to 6.

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MacGringo says on Mar 25, 2006, 07:58:

Cheers Juanalejo, I'm not sure where in Av. Boyaca it is. Two streets back, on the opposite side of the road there is a lake, with walkways around it and areas to sit and eat outside.
Need some more laughs GringoD.....why don't you go and fuck a hole in a barbers floor!
hahahahaha

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MacGringo says on Mar 25, 2006, 08:07:

Maybe it doesnt have the same crazy image as the 'rolling donut' GringoD,
hope you werent taking my joke the wrong way, nothing personal.

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thur says on Mar 25, 2006, 10:37:

Bogotá map? For those interested, the next link gives a JPG image of 3.7 MB with the estratos of the city: http://www.dapd.gov.co/www/resources/dec200-04.jpg
Greetings,

~Sights & Sounds~
www.pbase.com/thur

- www.pbase.com/thur

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Piatt says on Mar 25, 2006, 10:52:

Strato Qualifications What are the qualifications in Colombia to merit each level. Like how much money would you have to make a year to be classified as strato 1,2,3,4,5,6? Please illustrate the salary in both pesos and the equal of of USD. Im an American and dont really know enough about the Colombian money to comprehend what it is in American dollars.

Sincerely,
Gordon Piatt

gordo

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poco says on Mar 25, 2006, 10:53:

Prepago's and education But even the likes of Michael Milken, Ivan Boesky, Neil Bush, Jeff Skilling, Kenneth Lay and Andrew Fastow

Your choice of examples indicates an ignorance that can ONLY be attained by years of experience in the educational system and Rhodes Scholars.

Another Microsoft Foundation?

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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caulfield2 says on Mar 25, 2006, 11:05:

Michael Milken has done a lot of good in recent years repairing his image, campaigning for cancer awareness (specifically, prostate cancer I think).

Probably my favorite example of a fall from glory is the story of the derivatives hedge fund detailed in WHEN GENIUS FAILED, about the rise and fall of Long-Term Capital Management Group...it was made up of some of the brighest economic minds in the world, including a few Nobel laureates.

Maybe I used too many Republican examples....the Democrats have plenty as well, Dan Rostenkowski and Mel Reynolds from Illinois being two that stick out in my recent memory. Bill and Hillary Clinton were actually in debt when he left office, quickly wiped away by a $10 million book contract and appearance-speaking fees that usually amount to $50-100,000 per appearance for meet-and-greet, photos and autographs, as well as a 45 minute speech he can give in his sleep.

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poco says on Mar 25, 2006, 11:14:

Not the reason Maybe I used too many Republican examples

Nope: Milken's foundation was started,, what? 10 years before he became the junk bond king. Plus, I doubt you know anything about Enrons history stretching back 20 years

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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caulfield2 says on Mar 25, 2006, 11:24:

You can blame all of Enron of Have you ever read Liar's Poker?

You can blame all of Enron of Fastow and Skilling and expiate Kenneth Lay as a dupe, I have read two detailed books about it so far...the thing that makes most Americans mad is the fact that middle management and below Enron workers were locked into their shares and even encouraged to buy more while the price was diving and the executives were dumping stock as quickly as they could. That's what bothers most about this story....not the accounting lack of oversight, the combination of consulting and accounting practices which ended Arthur Andersen as a corporation.

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poco says on Mar 25, 2006, 11:37:

Convenient I have read two detailed books about it so far

That's what I thought.

I'd bet you have also read:
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

"When you men get home and face an anti-war protester, look him in the eyes and shake his hand. Then, wink at his girlfriend, because she knows she's dating a pussy." Quote - General Tommy Franks

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cgs242 says on Mar 26, 2006, 16:59:

El Poblado just spent some time in El poblado, medellin. was wondering what strata levels are there in el poblado ? thanks.

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NewBoy says on Mar 27, 2006, 04:32:

cgs242 Mostly 5 and 6 in El Poblado.

There is some strata 4, but not very much.

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utopiacowboy says on Mar 27, 2006, 07:22:

How many times do I have I to post this? In my wife's barrio in Medellin they were going to reclassify the barrio from Strata 4 to Strata 5. They took it to the city council and fought it and won. So today the barrio remains a Strata 4 barrio. If the barrio had changed designations would this have meant that all the former "untouchable" Strata 4 people were now magically transformed into "desirable" Strata 5 people? It's ridiculous. To them all it meant was paying higher utility and tax bills, no more, no less. I think gringos put too much emphasis on the stratas seeing more significance there than exists.

Disclaimer: any comment I make is inane and is not to be taken seriously, and is so patently ridiculous that no one should take it seriously, even as an insult.

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kat1 (Moderator) says on Mar 27, 2006, 07:25:

well said UC ;)
What strata are U? JEJE
Now, when i used to live in Colombia the only time I heard about strata was when my mum used to fill some forms, like Impuesto predial or something like that, never heard people of my age saying so and so is from strata 6 or 5 or my parents, we used to said the People from the North and the people from south, you know for the people of the north we the southerners were "plebeyos" :)

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Blue says on Mar 27, 2006, 07:27:

She's definitely a looker...Irina that is.

Blue

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JMOON87 says on Mar 27, 2006, 07:51:

Same here ... I never heard of the strata status untill this post and i have been with my wife for a year and a half.The only time it was kinda mentioned was when i asked her what utilities cost and she said it was different prices for different neighborhoods ..her mother lives in a small apartment in strata 6 but it is no nicer than the houses she owns in strata 4 but she lives there because it is suppose to be more safe as she lives alone ...This reminds me of the mindset that all doctors and lawyers make lots and lots of money , i have been doing loans for all walks of life for 13 years and the small business owners are usually the ones making the most money of course there are many doctors and lawyers making alot of money but there are far more barely making 40k- 50k a year .

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rocinante says on Apr 29, 2006, 14:10:

Los pobres son lo mejor! Besides a few restaurants and malls I've never been higher than a 2 as my peeps are all in Robledo Miramar.

"World economic indicators point to a democrat winning 2008. It will surely be Obama. Peso 1400 by November" Feb 5, 2008

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aztec says on May 1, 2006, 08:30:

In Bogota, you can live in an apartment in strata 4 and across the street will be another apartment equal in quality but classified as strata 5. Strata is related to economics. Ostensibly, those persons living in higher strata's will be better able to pay a higher tax rate for utilities. The lines between the strata's can appear to be rather arbitrary so it sometimes does not make sense.

As a general rule, however, there is a correlation between upper class (wealth) and strata 6. Those people are better able to join the country clubs and send their children out of the Country to the best Universities.

Having said that, one cannot say that better people live in strata 4,5 and 6. As we all know good and bad people can be found every where.

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Rubiazo says on May 1, 2006, 09:07:

Kat its definitely different now I hear the estrato referred to a lot down there now.

In Bogota you can get real nice houses closer to downtown that are estrato 2 and 3 ans sometimes even estrato 1 even though they are gorgeous big houses, you can also get crummy cramped apartments in the west that are estrato 4 and 5. The difference is the crime risk. If you see a place that has a low estrato and the area is beautiful and nothing is wrong with the infrastructure you can almost be sure that it's a high-crime area!

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Mr. Hollywood says on May 1, 2006, 09:46:

Estrato and people Desi and others, you can say that estrato applies to housing not people, and you're technically correct, but the use of Estrato has shorthand began with Colombians, not foreigners. The use is not exactly literal; I know estrato 6 people who live in hip estrato 2 apartments in Candelaria, but almost nobody in Colombia forgets their class roots (and sense of entitlement).

I have a male friend who doesn't even NOTICE a pretty girl who is from the "lower" classes. It's just so ingrained that he's part of a certain group of people who don't "slum around".

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