Hola, amigos! Thanks for reading my column this week! Everything is going extremely well here in Argentina. I am starting to feel more at home each day, and every day seems more exciting than the next.
I am learning a lot about the culture and have even made friends with some porteños my age. So far, I have learned how to drink yerba mate, which I really like. It tastes pretty similar to green tea. The culture behind drinking mate is interesting and helps create a sense of community between the people that are drinking it. When drinking mate, someone pours hot water over the mate leaves that are in the traditional mate cup, and then they drink it and then passing it to the next person. If you’re germaphobic, you might not be too interested in this tradition, however sharing mate has brought me closer to the people around me and made me feel more at home.
Argentines have been super kind and welcoming. People I just met have offered to help me with anything I need and to show me around the city. They will help show you how to get to a place when you’re lost. My host mother refuses to let me wash dishes or do any cleaning, and she always insists that I have more dulce de leche after dinner (dulce de leche is a very popular dessert that is similar to caramel, and my host mother eats it like it’s ice cream). Before coming to Argentina, I had been told Argentines are not the friendliest people, and that it is uncommon to smile at strangers on the street, which some people do in
One important thing that I have learned recently is what it means to be an American. I have never really liked using the term ‘American’ to describe myself, as it’s a little vague. Whenever someone in my class refers to themselves as American, my professor corrects them and says that she is also American. Some Argentines call themselves Americans. Chileans can call themselves Americans. Anybody who lives in North, Central or South America can call themselves an American. This makes a lot of sense to me. In Buenos Aires, when people are referring to people from the United States, they call them
I apologize if that was a long rant, but I think it is a different perspective that is worth thinking about. The term ‘American’ is vague and applies to people from 55 different countries in the Americas. And, perhaps you have more in common with someone on the other end of the world than you thought.
Jessica Hill is a sophomore studying journalism and global studies. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What do you think it means to be American? Contact Jessica at jh240314@ohio.edu or tweet her @jess_hillyeah.
