Surf and Rebirth

No matter what culture or language we come from, we all love celebrating new beginnings and rebirth. I wanna begin the new yr off by telling a story of how making friends with someone in Argentina changed their life and caused the hope to become restored. Some of you know that betrayal is unfortunately something deep within Argentine culture. People can give you a charming smile one day and two days later shut you out cold.

When I first started to hang out with some genuine Argentines, they would always say to me "Angelina, we love you.....NEVER CHANGE"  And they kept emphasizing that they hoped I wouldn't change and I would stay the same sweet person. It seemed odd to me for them to keep telling me not to change, until I found out about this part of the culture. I realize I was growing on the girls and they really wanted to trust me and believe I was a good person.

Thats why they kept telling me not to change, they had seen it so many times in their culture when  seemingly nice person flips all of a sudden and you've been voted off the island friendship wise. In reality what they feared would happen was always impossible with me. I'm not Argentine and there is no way I could be super friendly one day and super cold the next day. It would be impossible.

The Walking Dead: Skyfall

In Buenos Aires, american fast food chains aren't the only import from the northern hemisphere that has taken off. Popular american t.v. shows like "The Big Bang Theory" or "The Simpsons" have been a hit with Argentines. One of the shows that the city is crazy for is "The Walking Dead". For those of you who don't know, it is about the story of Rick Grimes, an officer who was shot while on duty and wakes up in a coma 9 mths later to find that the zombie apocalypse has happened. The series follows him and a group of survivors as they attempt to make their way in a world overrun by zombies.

All of us who are preparing for the zombie apocalypse (which means the rest of you all are SCREWED) know that there are two things that get their attention.....noise and the sight or smell of living flesh. The smell of fresh living flesh stirs up a frenzy as a mass swarm of zombies descend on whatever unfortunate living creature happens to be around for their version of "brunch"

But the real phenomenon is that this zombie-like behavior seems to manifest amongst Argentines in certain circumstances. Argentines have certain things that seems to trigger off this zombie-like behavior. One of these has been at the sight of american USD. Argentines have been known to descend on the carrier of american greenbacks accompanied by zombi-sh noises that when properly translated almost sounds like the offer of a trade from the ailing Argentine peso.

Inner Beauty....Outer Beauty and Everything in Between

Luisana Lopilato @ Ele Multiespacio (Photo credit: Bruno Belcastro)

While spending time at the house of my friend on New Years day, an interesting conversation burst forth about weight, clothes, and what beauty means in different cultures.  My friend was born with dark hair, and like me she has a belly, a bust, and a roundish face.  She is the farthest thing from the stereotyped idea of what Argentine women look like.

And she has the same problem as me here in this culture buying clothing is a nightmare for her. Most clothing shops have clothes for sizes 2-6. Recently the gov't passed a law saying that all clothing shops are supposed to carry a variety of sizes. But walking into any one of those clothing shops and you'll realize that the law and its impact is one big joke.  Katie Alley of Seashells and Sunflowers tackles this subject on this article she wrote on her blog:  On Being Fat in Argentina

"Cacerolazos", Cacophony & Community

Last week I did a blogpost around the theme of the spanish word "Solidaridad" meaning "kinship" or "fellowship" Solidaridad is something that can happen to you spontaneously but when you are abroad there are little things you can do to create a sense of community and rapport.  A few things happened in Buenos Aires that increased the tension of living in the city. The government began putting restrictions on the influx of foreign cash particularly american dollars.

To make a long story short, you can change your foreign cash into pesos but you cannot change your pesos into foreign cash. A desperation for USD began to develop. And it was in that moment that I found out what a "Cacerolazo" was. A "Cacerolazo" is when Argentines take pots and pans from their home and take to the streets banging them in a peaceful protest.  Understand that Argentines aren't the stereotype of what you imagine Latin American countries where they get violent. No, they don't get violent..........they get NOISY.

Dodging & Fudging the Issue of Death and Dying

Cementerio de la Recoleta - Buenos Aires - Argentina (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

During my stay with a local Argentine couple, there were two occurrences of deaths that happened within the family. The first time, I didn't ask too many questions but assumed that they deal with death the way we do in North America. But the 2nd time around, a brief interaction with the girl that lived in the house led to a startling revelation. The conversation went like this:

"My grandmother passed away yesterday"

"Oh, I'm sorry to here that"   (me)

 "Thanks....yeah we are gonna go bury her today"

I walked away for a few brief minutes and then the conversation sank it and I went back to my housemate and asked her if when someone passes away in Argentine culture, it seems as if the funeral is the next day. She confirmed to me that in their culture, burial is very quick and can even happen on the same day.

Madonnas Sticky & Sweet Tour: Live in Buenos Aires

"I don't know if everybody knows about my history with Buenos Aires and Argentina. It's been 13 yrs since I have been here. I have an incredible relationship with this country.  There is something magical about this place and it's not tangible."     -Madonna




Dec 6th 2008, Madonna returned to Buenos Aires but this time for a performance that was bound to draw alot alot less protest than when she portrayed Eva Péron in Evita. 3 hrs and one day of presale was all it took for 70 000 tickets in River Plate Stadium.  The overwhelming response to Madges return to Buenos Aires prompted them to add another show date the very next day on Dec 7th.

The Law of Scarcity

Español: El asado mas grande del mundo 2011 en General Pico. (Argentina) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At first glance, it may appear that the Argentine gov't and the Argentine Serpentine may have nothing in common. One is the gov't of a nation who spends their time pissing off countries like Spain by expropriating national oil companies like YPF. While the other is a seductress who wakes up every single day of her life scheming on how she can make a career of being a puppeteer........with me as her puppet of course. But there is a tremendous secret that both the Argentine gov't and the Argentine serpentine knew of, a secret that almost guaranteed success in their ventures to overthrow just about anything. And that is knowing the Law of Scarcity. The Law of Scarcity dictates that when there is less of something, its perceived value increases.

The Culture of Argentina Beyond the Boundaries of Buenos Aires City

Cityscape to the south of Cordoba, Argentina. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 




The culture of Latin America is often associated with the words "friendly"  "open" and "hospitable". At times those three words seem synonymous with one another. Being friendly and open automatically means being hospitable too.....right? After extended experience here in Buenos Aires and multiple conversations with expats that have lived here, I want to challenge that idea.

First lets define "hospitality" or "hospitable". The dictionary defines it as actually welcoming guests or strangers into ones living space and hosting them well. It's more than simply being nice to someone in the grocery store.  Hospitality denotes creating an environment for someone where they feel loved and taken in and I am not so sure that definition really accurately describes Buenos Aires.