A WONDERFUL opportunity to travel to Argentina started with a phone call last summer from Jim Jensen, manufacturer of Gentronics epilators. "Shirley, do you speak Spanish?" Jim asked.
"What am I missing if I say no," I replied.
"A chance to go to Buenos Aires and give instruction on the use of our company's newest Digital Combo epilator," said Jim.

Thinking fast, I said "No problem, Senor Jim. "Spanish isn't exactly one of my accomplishments but I figured that a little language barrier couldn't be that big an obstacle. A few ideas immediately flitted through my mind; like, maybe I could take a speed course in Spanish at Berlitz, or take my nephew along on the trip as my interpreter.

So, with tango music running through my head, I informed Jim that my husband Dan and I would gladly fly to Argentina and conduct classes on multiple-needle epilation. As it turned out, the Gentronics equipment had been sold to two Argentine medical doctors, Dr. Diego Schavelzon and Dr. Guilleramo Blugerman, both of whom spoke good English, so language was never a problem. The doctors translated our instructions to those in the class who didn't understand English, and in addition to that, Jim Jensen had the instruction manual for the epilator translated into Spanish. We arranged for my niece's brother, Gustavo Perico, a mechanical engineer from Adrian, Michigan, to do this. His engineering background assured accuracy in the translation of the technical parts.

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Departing New York's JFK airport on the chilly fall evening of Oct. 31, 1998, we arrived in Buenos Aires (10 1/2 hours later) to a beautifully warm, sunny morning. Sleeping on the plane left much to be desired in the way of rest, but we were anxious to take in some of the local scenery and we spent most of our first Sunday afternoon taking in the sights. It was springtime in Buenos Aires, and the streets of this charming, "very European" city were lined with trees already in leaf. Blossom was everywhere, particularly in the many neighborhood parks, which are nestled among high rise apartments. Everyone's balcony was adorned with flowers and cascading greenery.

For early spring, it seemed unusual to see the trees and vegetation so lush (Buenos Aires is approximately 36 degrees latitude in the Southern Hemisphere, which compares to Raleigh, North Carolina in the Northern Hemisphere). Many palm trees are used in landscaping, suggesting a sub-tropical climate. We were told that winters in the city are very mild and the season changes quickly to a hot, sultry summer, almost skipping spring.

Our wanderings took us to a lovely park where a fair was being held. Vendors sold food, works of art and crafts, and strolling musicians, jugglers, pantomimists and marble-statue impersonators demonstrated their talents. This park is also the location of Basilica de Nuestra Senora del Pilar and Recoleta Cemetery. The wealthy and powerful of Argentina are buried here: reposing in the grandeur of ostentatious mausoleums. It is a common saying (and after seeing the crypts, only a slight exaggeration) that "it is cheaper to live extravagantly all your life than to be buried in Ricoleta." In contrast, Eva Peron lies here in the modest tomb of the "Familia Duarte" (her maiden name).

City life doesn't begin until around nine o'clock in the evening. The restaurants offer a wide selection on their menus but we were told that the Argentinean barbecue was a must. (We were not disappointed.)

Everyone dresses up when going out in this very cosmopolitan city. Even during the day we noted the stylish appearance of its citizens. Of course their beautiful leather goods add to the elegance. The women pay great attention to their makeup and hair, with many women's tresses dyed in the latest popular color of auburn. The country's population is mostly of European ancestry, Spanish, French, Italian, English, German, Ukrainian, and Welsh.

Buenos Aires has an excellent public transportation system; with busses, subways and taxis (seemingly thousands of them) making it easy to go places. We had been advised not to rent a car in Argentina, and we were glad we followed that advice. Many of the intersections don't have signal lights or stop signs, and very alert driving is required to get around the city. Surprisingly there is very little horn honking, and although we saw a great many close calls, we didn't observe any accidents.

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On Monday morning, we took a taxi to the doctors' offices where we would be working. Instruction would be from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., with a two-hour lunch break (meat, meat, and more meat). Our class of nine was made up of five doctors, three staff members and Liliana Raffagnino, their staff electrologist.

Dr. Schavelzon and Dr. Blugerman are plastic surgeons who perform many procedures including hair transplants. They entered the field of hair removal a little more than a year ago using EpiLight, an Alexandrite laser hair removal system manufactured by the Israeli company, ESC Medical Systems, who have offices in Yokneam, Israel, and Needham, Massachusetts.

In Argentina, only doctors are allowed to use medical lasers, so one might well ask why Drs. Schavelzon and Blugerman are now buying needle-type epilators from Gentronics. It was explained to me that laser hair removal is dependent on the presence of melanin, and the system is not effective on gray, white or light blond hair types, which contain very little melanin. Hence the introduction of the multiple-needle blend epilator.

Our instruction focused mainly on how to set all the options and program the memory locations. Using the hands-on workshop approach, we also covered time and intensity settings, positioning, insertion techniques, and skills for manipulating the 16 wires. Our class of doctors and their staff showed excellent technical grasp and a proficiency in the actual use of the epilator on their patients.

Traditionally, waxing is the method used by Argentineans to be rid of hair. The very word, "electrolysis," has a bad reputation, thanks to the prevalence of electronic tweezers in the country over past years and all the false advertising that has been used to promote them. Even "thermolysis" is not well received. Thermolysis epilators are manufactured in Argentina (retailing for around $1,500), but there is little to no training on their use.

Over-treatment, resulting in pitting and skin damage, has made Argentine women wary of needle-type hair removal, and use of the word "needle" presents the same problems in South America as in North America. The Doctors' advertising for DepiLight (their business name for the EpiLight system) states, "Without Needles ‹ Without Risk." I was told that the acceptance of DepiLight has been overwhelming, with over 2,000 patients being treated since it was introduced at the doctors' four clinic locations in Buenos Aires a little over a year ago. How, I wondered, would they introduce the new Gentronics needle epilator to their patients? Our hands-on classes were conducted on these patients, and it soon became apparent to us that Dr. Schavelzon and Dr. Blugerman had their patients' complete trust. Not able to understand the Spanish assurances of the doctors, we could only observe total patient confidence, as they climbed on the treatment table. I don't think they'll have any problem using needle electrolysis. Advertising it may be a different matter.

At the conclusion of our class, the participants expressed satisfaction with the presentation and the accomplishment of their learning objectives. Much to our delight, the doctors invited Dan and I to a dinner party to meet the partners and their wives. The restaurant was elegant, the meal delicious, and the company most charming. Needless to say, it was very flattering to be included in this party.

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Buenos Aires is a city of over three million people yet has only 66 listings for "Depilation" in the yellow pages. Depilation, offered primarily by beauty salons, consists mostly of waxing. Approximate prices for this service are: Legs - $16.00, Upper lip - $3.50, Chin - $3.50, Bikini line - $4.50, Underarms - $4.50. The Doctors' charge for a 1 hour treatment of "permanent hair removal" via multiple-needle galvanic or multiple-needle blend will be about $50 -- with an additional charge for the needles.

There are no electrolysis organizations in Argentina; no licensing, no legislation, and almost no training courses offered. Liliana (the staff electrologist we worked with), received her instruction at the hospital in the dermatology department. Checking the Yellow Pages again, I found only one school of cosmetology that included "Depilacion and Maquillage" (i.e. hair removal and make-up).

Many jobs for women in Buenos Aires pay only $350 to $400 per month, but many "depilationists" work outside of beauty salons, setting up their own businesses and earning above average wages. The workweek is usually 45 hours, Monday through Friday and half day Saturday.

There are many similarities between the Argentinean economy and that of North America. The peso is at par with the U.S. dollar. Food prices are similar in the supermarkets and the restaurants. The same products are advertised and available; CNN is the major news channel (spoken in Spanish); the latest movie releases are playing in the theatres (usually in English with Spanish sub-titles). According to several of our tour guides, most Argentinean families have husband and wife working to support a family.

There is no unemployment insurance, no welfare, no food stamps and no government programs for the poor. Everybody works, we were told. Those who do need help receive it from their families, the church, and charitable organizations. There are also some that beg, and many who have talent or are very creative ‹ such as the performers in the park ‹ in providing entertainment for the coins of on-lookers.

A week is not nearly long enough to see and do the things one would like to when visiting a foreign country for the first time. There are many excellent tours that can easily be arranged through the hotels. Everything is offered; dinner and entertainment at a tango nightclub; horseback riding on a gaucho ranch; a boat trip to Colonia in Uruguay or a train ride to Tigre and the river delta islands. Perhaps, with a little luck, we may one day return to see some of the things we missed in the lovely city of Buenos Aires: a name that translates to "good air" or "fine outdoors," and so it is.