Lessons from South America

Things I learned in Buenos Aires

*Subways are crowded. There are people on the subways who will gladly stick their hands in your pockets or purses if you do not stick your own hand in your own belongings as a safeguard. Also, when one cannot reach something to hold onto, using TaeKwonDo stances allows one to maintain at least a small sense of balance. Sadly, the same trick cannot be used while standing on the public bus.

*Mate is an acquired taste. I have definitely acquired it and will miss it greatly when I leave. I plan on buying one of the mate cups and taking it with me, even though the metal straw does burn my lips (yes, they drink hot tea from a metal straw). It's that awesome.

*I honestly sometimes can't resist the urge to call people "gringos." For example, when a member of the group is walking a few paces ahead of everyone else calling over their shoulder in English about things like how many dogs there are or what the buildings look like. My response: "Please quit being such a gringo!"

*People in Argentina love futbol (soccer). When Argentina plays in a World Cup game, the entire city stops. Shops close, restaurants turn on the sound to their TVs, and the population as a whole cheers for every goal, save, and good play. I personally am not a sports person in general, but being surrounded by such passion is invigorating! And the sheer energy after a win is enough to knock you off your feet (quite literally if you get close enough to the inevitable mosh pit)!

*There is no true stereotype that fits every single taxi driver. Every single taxi that I have been in has been different from the others, in either good or bad ways. I actually have a new appreciation for taxi drivers. They have to put up with sour natives and sometimes idiotic gringos tourists on a daily basis. Also, if a story begins "This one time when I was in a taxi cab," ten-to-one it's a story worth listening to.

*Don't take the bare minimum amount of money suggested by the trip leader. Eating out everyday (plus not being able to drink tap water) makes providing for oneself slightly more expensive than normal. Thankfully, I saved up enough to hopefully be able to feed myself and still buy some cool stuff while I'm here. (And everyone who wanted a souvenir says, "Hallelujah!")

*Knowing the words of a language isn't enough. To really thrive in a culture, you have to know every aspect of the culture. You have to know the meanings behind the utterances, not just the denotative superfluities that you can learn in a textbook. Yes, the language allows for a bridge of communication, but without knowledge of the traditions and passions of a people, don't expect to ever truly understand the complete language.

*Being homesick and missing home are two completely different things. I can miss the people back in Tennessee and still love every moment of the place where I'm at. Yes, I wish they were here with me, but my life at that time may dictate that I be away from them. And my life continues in spite of their absence. I used to rely on the presence of certain people to truly complete my life...and I got hurt pretty badly because of that. As much as I love the people in my life, they're not always going to be able to be there, but they're with me in my heart, and that's what really matters.

*PDA on the streets of Buenos Aires is almost as frequent as the dog poop on the sidewalks (and let me tell you, there is a lot of caca in this city!). Honestly, I have mixed emotions about this. The first is disgust because that's how I was raised to react. The second is a little bit of jealousy because, yeah, I'm definitely single as single gets. The third, though, is the one that I choose to contemplate: the idea that I'm in a culture where showing love(whether by making out with someone on a park bench or greeting everyone with a kiss on the cheek) is not a taboo . I wonder if their divorce rate is lower here...

*There will forever be a fight between the city and country in me. Having lived in the country my whole life, I dreamed of living in the city with all the hustle and bustle of the "fast lane." I loved visiting Nashville and Chattanooga, and moving away to college has been an awesome experience. Now, having lived in Buenos Aires for a month, I can see both the pros and cons of the city life. I love the convenience of hopping on the subway or taking a taxi to hundreds of beautiful and historic places or being able to just people-watch in the shopping district when I lack something to do. At the same time though, I have a new appreciation for country life, as well: clean air, wide open spaces and roads that I actually feel safe driving, to name a few. I've concluded that no matter where I live, a part of me will just have to compromise.