Ser argentino

Vamos Argentina!
Celebrating the semifinal win last night at the Obelisco. 

Last week, I wrote about what it means to be American (to me, at least...let's not get ridiculous and generalize, even on a tiny blog). But, after celebrating Argentina's Independence with a last minute World Cup WIN tonight, I figured I would compose a compilation of random generalizations, so that you too can cheer for Argentina on Sunday, and pray with them whenever. So, without further ado, an assortment of silly, serious, and celeste things I have learned about living among Argentines, 5 months into the adventure.

1) Argentines have impressive memories and attention spans. The popular football chant this year is longer than most modern worship songs, and is very contextual and specific to players and events decades ago. It goes something like this.

Brasil, decíme qué se siente                Brazil, tell me how it feels
Tener en casa a tu papá                      To have your papa home
Te juro aunque pasen los años            I swear even if the years go by
Nunca lo vamos a olvidar                   We'll never forget it
Que el Diego te gambeteó                   Diego ran circles around you
Y el Cani te vacunó                             Cani "vaccinated" you
Están llorando desde Italia hasta hoy   They're crying all the way from Italy even today
Al Messi lo vas a ver                           You'll see Messi
La Copa nos va a traer                         He'll bring us the Cup
Maradona es más grande que Pelé       Maradona is greater than Pele

Never mind that they can remember a game from 24 years ago (1990 Brazil-Argentina match in Italy)...they can recall all the words to this song in progressed states of inebriation. With gusto.

2) Said attention spans are very selective. Never mind that the city is still low on water or that the country is on the verge of economic crisis...they made it to the finals, carajo! Honestly, I think it's less a matter of awareness than the nuanced apathy of "things are difficult, and there's nothing I can do about them, so I might as well enjoy a good football game." Argentina's had a checkered political and economic modern history, and it's left them jaded. Pray for the government, the people, and especially my generation.

My favorite gesture: "what the heck?"

3) Porteños (from Buenos Aires) will tell you like it is. Forget almost every polite expression you learned in Spanish class; the courteous 'me gustaría' or 'quisiera' here is almost always a straight up 'quiero' (I want) here, and plenty of phrases that are definitely off-limits in other countries are a normal part of speech here. Combine this straight talk with Italian hand gestures and a dramatic accent...no lack of assertiveness here!

4) But they will almost always try to help. I have yet to meet an Argentine who cannot be approached for directions or bothered to share mate*.

5) Argentines are social. People, even in an isolatingly big city, tend to prioritize relationships over timetables. This can be incredibly frustrating when you're trying to meet with somebody or make plans (ever), but they have a knack for living in the moment, however long that moment may be. Digital technology hasn't yet supplanted face-to-face communication, either, which I appreciate. Pray that Jesus would be made known though these everyday social interactions.

6) Argentine thermoses are the best. Yes, this is random. As a nation addicted to mate*, no self-respecting citizen goes out without a thermos. I finally bought myself one, and it kept my water boiling hot for over 14 hours. I was impressed.

7) Don't tell them this, but Argentinos are not all that different from Americans. We (generalizing here) like our meat and potatoes, rock'n roll, beer commercials, professional sports, and nominal religions; we are proud of our nationalities and pray that God will guide and bless our countries. Al gran pueblo argentino- salud!



*How does 'mate' work?
Mate is a communal tea experience, with its own etiquette and vocabulary. To make it, you need:
-yerba (share-bah, green, caffeine-rich dried herbs bought in bags at the grocery store)
-a thermos of hot (but not boiling) water
-a mate (mah-tay- a cup of sorts, usually made out of wood, but sometimes metal, ceramic, or plastic)
-a bombilla (bom-bee-shah- a metal straw with a filter at one end)
-sugar (optional)

President Cristina and Pope Francisco
demonstrating proper mate sharing

-someone to share it with (like, say, the Pope. Or, more commonly, who ever is in the kitchen/dining room/studying/chilling).

The person who serves you the mate 'ceba' (which is the verb for such things) fills the mate with yerba (about 2/3), a bit of sugar, and more or less fills the mate with water. Then, s/he hand hands it to you. If you want it, you slurp all the water from the mate, and hand it back to the person who cebó. Then, they fill the mate with water and sugar again, and pass it on to the next person. If you don't want it, you say 'gracias', which still seems backwards to me.