Ok I've said it, I do, I miss home and people and American things.
My friend Emily and I are the only ones in Mendoza this week while the rest of our program is off galavanting around Argentina, because we decided that financially it would probably be better to do more shorter excursions later in the semester than to do just do one big trip to some place that would be more expensive in the long run. So for our plan this week, we have included, hang gliding, wine and bike tour, piercing, dancing, and at some point going to the largest boliche in South America which happens to be very close to Mendoza.
Last night after a lovely day at a Fashion show in the Museum of Contemporary art and after getting holes pierced into our ears at a tattoo shop Emily and I decided on a relatively low key night at the Irish pub for just a couple of beers and some great conversation.
At some point in the evening we got onto the topic of American culture vs. Argentine culture and basically how we just miss almost everything about the U.S. of A. Under normal circumstances if someone were to ask me what I thought of the U.S. prior to this trip, I would probably come up with a bunch of reasons why are government has failed and how our education system is a wreck among other things. However, being in a new country in a new culture has opened up my eyes to just how amazing our country truly is; and I suppose that may be the point of these immersion programs- to provide opportunities of reflection upon our own home country.
So here are a few of the things we have noticed:
- Diversity or the lack there of in this country, we came to the conclusion that although Argentina is known for its immense number of European immigrants, none of those cultures are truly recognized here, whether it is by the examples of restaurants, or clothing stores, or anything really. In the U.S. we are the stereotype of a mixing pot but every culture is represented in some way throughout the culture, whether it is the overabundance of Chipotle's or Thai food, Chinese food, Vietnamese food, Ethiopian food, we have something truly for everyone. If you came to Argentina with any taste for spicy food you will be sorely disappointed.... it is as if they decided they wanted nothing to do with central america so they banished any sort of spice from the country.
Also on the point of diversity, there is truly no racial diversity here, I come from the D.C. metro area where literally no one looks the same there is such great, beautiful racial diversity there, but here everyone looks the same or looks like someone else, the styles are almost identical (I will have to put up a montage of the current ridiculous pant styles that are here), it was as if one person said this is how everyone should look and they do.
-Family dining: Emily and I seem to have identical expectations for what family dinners should be. Anyone who has ever come to my house for dinner knows, that your cell phone will be put away, we will never answer the house phone, and the television will not be on during the time we are eating together. Family meals are for family time, you eat and talk and laugh and do ridiculous things, it is the time where you can just sit down and hear about what everyone did that day. Here the television is placed so that they only place you are able to watch it is from the dining room table, it will always be on during meals and everyone will have their phones on the table, and furthermore, proceed to answer them during the meal. One thing I miss more than anything from home is probably our family dinners, they are just the most ridiculous things in the world we end up just peeing ourselves from laughter half the time or talking about whatever current plans we have to change the world or current political issues. I tried to do that here once and it just fizzled out. Half of the time my family doesn't even know what's happening in their own country or near to it.
-Independence: In the U.S. it is typical after high school you will go to a college semi-close to your home but far enough where you would have to live on campus with a bunch of strangers you have never met, after college it is perfectly normal to begin to look for an apartment that you may share with roommates or friends until you have the money and the courage to live on your own. Here it is abnormal to see an adult leave their family's home until around thirty or so, there is really no such thing as a college "campus" with "dorms" or apartment style living, because everyone goes to school and lives at home. Furthermore, spending time on your own is queer I will find myself in the plaza just reading a book and I will be the only person not sitting with a huge group of my peers. Emily's mother will ask her several times in a row who she will be hanging out with, or why she isn't going out with friends, or why she is sitting and reading by herself. The idea of independence here is practically nonexistent. I personally love the ability to just have ME time where I can sit and enjoy being around nobody but myself. In the states it is normal to be practically independent by 20 or earlier.
This may have something to do with diversity but I just miss the food we have in the U.S. I miss having options every night for what I feel like eating that day. Here you have choices of a limited sort, tomatoes with lots of salt, potatoes with lots of salt, some type of meet with lots of salt, pasta with lots of salt and butter or quiche type things called tartas with lots and lots of salt. I think my sodium levels are probably off the charts at this point and it might be part of the reason that I am so dehydrated every day. However, there is great food here, they do know how to cook meet really well and have it so full of flavor but most everything else pretty much tastes the same, even their salads have lots and lots of salt on it. I don't understand but I would love to just have some plain vegetables, raw, with nothing on them.
Don't get me wrong, I am loving Argentina, and there are so many incredible things here. This will be my venting post where I just express how much I miss home and how freaking great America is, truly I will appreciate everything so much more when I come home. I suppose it is about time after more than two months of being here to start to miss home.....a lot.
Look forward to my next postings on hang gliding, and wine and biking... should be an interesting and slightly dangerous time!!
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