Some Observations

I've decided that it's important for me to keep you all up to date with what I've noticed so far in the topic of cultural differences. It'd be hard to write blogs in the future if there wasn't a good background of this type of information. I'll try to be brief, but the sad truth is any time I try to do so I still end up writing a huge long entry, so don't be annoyed, I'm doing my best. I'll limit it to 5 things that deserve mention:

#1: Maté
A drink made from a plant native to Argentina, maté is hugely popular around here. Like, huger than huge. Like, everywhere you go, anyone yo're with, anything you're doing, there's maté involved. It's similar to tea, but very strong.

When drinking maté, there's always a main person preparing it and serving it. They have a cup, usually large, that looks like it's been made from a gourd. Sometimes its a metal cup, but still. The person fill this cup most of the way with the crushed maté leaves, but they're still large enough to be recognized as leaves. Then, a little sugar may be put on top, followed by hot/boiling water. They put in enough water to see it above the maté. There's a metal straw, with a sort of strainer I guess at the bottom part, and a horizontal slit at the top to drink from. The maté maker hands off the cup of maté to a person, who drinks all the maté in the cup, and hand its back. The cup is then refilled with water, and passed on to the next person. This continues until the water runs out. (Note, everyone shares the same metal straw.)

So maté is everywhere. It's similar to how in the US, we'd say, "Wanna hang out?" Here, they say, "Wanna hang out and drink maté?" Sort of like, there's no definite plan, we're just gonna hang out and do whatever, and have maté while we're at it. Personally, I really like it, But definitely with sugar, because it's strong stuff.

#2: Dulce de Leche
If you've never had this stuff before, go and buy some right now. If you have tried it, you know why I say this; and you, too, should go and buy some right now.

Dulce de leche is similar in many ways to caramel. I personally am not a huge fan of caramel, so that's obviously not the best comparison, considering my love of dulce de leche (so don't let that comparison turn you away if you dislike caramel, trust me, this stuff's good). One of the amazing things about this product, is that it's even more popular here than peanut butter is in America. It can also be purchased and enjoyed in many of the same ways. You can find, for example, dulce de leche: in jars, in between cookies, covered in chocolate, in pastries, on toast for breakfast, on banana for desert, in ice cream, in muffins, in cakes, in every store and every household in Argentina.

I plan on bringing it back to America, oppening a pastry shop as the main special ingredient, and becoming a millionaire before I turn 25. (Seeing as it's unlikely I'll get the chance to do this, however, I'll tell you to. Just remember me when you're rich and famous.)

#3: Driving
Driving here makes Shoobies seem like they're worthy of safe driver discounts. Stop signs, driving lanes, turning signals, speed limits, seatbelts, are all entirely optional. My first day in Buenos Aires was mildly terrifying. If you've ever been on a missions trip to Guatemala, as I have, you'll understand the gravity of me saying the driving here is somehow worse.

#4: School
I don't have too much to say on this subject, ut I will say that it's much more relaxed than in the US, and you can get by without really much effort at all. After having Gradzi and Arsenis for two years, it's kinda bizzare to not constantly have work to do. It makes up for it lack of academic challenge, however, with the fact that it's in another language, and thus instantaneously taken to a whole new level.

#5: Greetings
Here, any person you meet is greeted with a smile and a kiss on the right cheek. I think this is wonderful, very friendly, so I got used to it quickly. It was a bit weird at first, though, since Americans are very used to their personal bubble of uninterupted space.

If there's less than eight or so people when you enter a room, it's natural to greet each one in this manner. When you leave, it's the same. It doesn't matter that you've just met, or that you probably won't be talking to them at all later, or even ever see them again. If you make eye contact or acknowledge their existence in any way, they get a kiss on the cheek. I think it shows a lot about the friendly and warm attitude people have here. They've all been really welcoming and kind.

So those are the five most prominantly different things I've noticed so far. There are others, too, but I won't write everything to avoid the risk of further boring you and because, quite frankly, I'm tired and don't really wanna write too much more.