Franqueza, Viveza...

For the past 2 months (i've been here for TWO MONTHS??!) i have had eyes wide open in observation, shamefully a little judgment and comparison, and for the most part amazement. There's no describing what your brain and heart learn when you are actually swimming in another culture with a history, location, perspective, rhythm and soul all its own. As an outsider i at first was so preoccupied with finding my way home and staring at people to put my finger on the obvious differences. But after sitting with the confusion for quite a long time and looking back to the perspective from which i started, i really honestly and excitedly realize how a little Argentine is growing up in me! To put it some concrete analytical terms (if you can even begin to do that) the core Argentine values like frankness, spontaneity, warmth, street smarts, and trust account for the biggest differences between my birth culture and this one. As these make up the heart of what Argentines learn to be "givens," they can really easily be viewed as rude, immature, and downright mean from a U.S. point of view.

Franqueza (Frankness): one should feel free to express thoughts and opinions without self-censorship.
Negative perspective: Abrasive.
This makes soooo much more sense now when my host mom tells me i have the "brain of a little bird" when i don't wear socks or "it's my problem" when i decide not to buy a gym membership. Haha. And the interrupting, oh my gosh, i thought they were so rude to each other when even students would interrupt their professors. But it's almost like they expect it of one another, always welcoming a good fight.

Confianza (Trust & Closeness): Strong personal bonds in business and in the workplace are essential.
Negative: Biased and exclusive.
Everyone kisses each other on the cheek and talks about how each other's doing before any business starts. It's also not weird for teachers to have a coffee with their students.

Cariño (Warmth): Family and close friends are given utmost priority.
Negative: Clingy.

Viveza (Street-Smarts): High value is placed on financial savvy.
Negative: Swindlers.
No wonder i always felt like i was being tricked! Now instead of avoiding the salesmen i just meet them at their level.

Creatividad (Ingenuity & Spontaneity): Great pride is taken in the ability to react creatively in unexpected situations.
Negative: Disorganized and Unprepared.
Yesterday our prof was an hour late to class--we were expected to adjust and she walked as if nothing was weird. On our class trip last week, we spent a lot longer climbing a mountain than expected and were in the middle of nowhere with 60 starving kids and no food. So, the coordinators stopped at a gas station and bought a LOT of cookies to keep us full until our 5:00pm lunch. I see this on the colectivos (city buses) when they're speeding down the avenue with the doors wide open, in the nightlife when people stay out til 4:00 in the morning on a Tuesday because it's a nice night....Those are super slight examples but i'd say this is probably the most blatant value here--to me, everything seems like it's in chaos. But somehow everyone knows the rhythm of the chaos and manages to function anyway.

So....after knowing this is the mindset Argentines are born knowing as fact, IT EXPLAINS A LOT. Whether or not i adopt all the same values while here, at least i can have a love for how their brains were made rather than comparing how they're better or worse.