Culture Shock

In the international scene, saying you were from Argentina triggered all sorts of replies. The most common included the mention of a talented, albeit notorious, former football player. Others registered an element of surprise: apparently it is that hard to believe that one of us should be a proficient English speaker. Granted, at least they knew English is not our mother tongue. Some others proved ignorance is a global problem by asking where Argentina was. For others, words were unnecessary (yes, mimicking the smoking of pot will definitely get your message across). I was offended when I was asked if we’d been blessed with the gift of electricity, and flabbergasted when asked if we had literacy.

Admittedly, most people got over their prejudice once they started talking to me and realized that a) I was not illiterate and b) that not only do we have electricity back home, but also cell phones, computers, iPods – the works. Yet my dear Australian acquaintance Lawrence, apparently more informed about my country than the other foreigners I encountered along the way, made no comments, asked no silly questions and passed no judgment. He had nothing but a simple request: “Argentineans, stop kidnapping people: it is not a job.”