Donate

Our vendors: Luis (Hecho en Bs. As., Buenos Aires, Argentina)

By Luis Andrés Molina, Hecho en Bs. As.

This interview begins with a question from the interviewee:

“Are you going to record me? But if you record me, I can’t answer all your questions…”

“But you can take your time”, replies Andrea, the journalist.

“Time annoys me. Ah! Are you recording me?”

“Yes.”

I sold Hecho en Bs. As. from 2004, October 2004, until February 2007. I stopped working with the magazine at that point because I got a job in a bar in Recoleta, near where my pitch had been. And then I left, but I didn’t wander off elsewhere. I always knew myself, where I was going, who I was. I have never changed the way I express myself to people or my feelings.

I started selling HBA again in September 2013. Now I feel that the magazine gave me the opportunity to see who I was from another perspective. I feel gratitude towards HBA that I can’t explain. I am a more complete man, and I have continued to grow while selling the magazine because for me, it is something very important. I am never going to change the way I am either. It has given me so much and until now, I have been very happy. I have met a lot of people through selling the magazine, and I am still meeting people.

They bring me happiness, because every time they buy it, they look at me in a way which is very different from what I see around me, the problems or setbacks that every reader has in their daily lives. Despite being out in the street with their problems, they are always smiling. What I like most about selling in the street is seeing happiness. It’s as if I’m on holiday when I’m selling HBA. That’s what the magazine is, like a holiday, but I’m earning money and I truly have a great time.

I think that my best quality in terms of selling is my honesty. One look into my eyes is enough for people to know me. I don’t want to be rich, or a millionaire, I’m just a free man with a lust for life. I would like to send a kiss and a hug to anyone who is reading this interview. Actually, better still, a lot of kisses and a lot of hugs!

Translated from Spanish by Louisa Devine