How silly some expats can be

[Davidglen77]

When I first arrived in Buenos Aires, I worked at a US company that has an office here in Buenos Aires. I was the first and only yanqui working there at the time. After I arrived some others from the US started working there and some of them did such ridiculous things, I wondered if anybody else noticed these types of behaviors;

1) A thermos under their arm and mate day and night
2) Started wearing bombachas and alparagatas
3) The word "Quilombo" replaced any expressions that were formerly used to describe something that was complicated
4) Anytime papers would get stuck in a printer, someone would scream out loud "la concha de la lora"
5) Every morning, medialunas were devoured by the dozen
6) Girls suddenly got a mullet haircut and guys grew beards and let their hair grow long and unruly
7) Eyebrow and lip piercings
8) A jar of dulce de leche on the desk at all times
9) Instead of asking for "un favor" they asked for "una gauchada"

And another thing, if you pronounce your ll, y and j too much like a shhh it sounds awful. Pronounce those letters lightly like a zh sound and you will sound a lot better.

Example:

Frutilla
NOT Frutishhhha
Say Frutizha

Yo
NOT Sho
Say Zho

I am all for assimilating into a new culture, but when it's forced you look a bit ridicuolous. Anybody who is not from here will ALWAYS be a foreigner. People actually like the fact that you are different, so don't try so hard to be Argie if you are not!! And when you do be classy about it please.
Just my 2 cents.

 

[KatharineAnn]

Actually, the ll 'sonora' (voiced) has pretty much been replaced by the ll 'sorda' (unvoiced) in the Buenos Aires dialect in all but the oldest generations. If you are 20 or 30 years old and insist on pronouncing your ll's and y's as a voiced consonant, you might sound a little pedantic, and look even MORE forced than if you did otherwise (it would be most natural that you acquire the most common pronunciation, which is that of the 'sh' sound in Engish).

And I think it's wonderful when foreigners try to adapt, and it's very cute when they adopt Argentine phrases and expressions (of course, in moderation. we don't need to hear you say boludo every 2 seconds. we get it. you know how to use the word. good boy.)

I think the really strange 'expats' are those who refuse to drink mate, say quilombo, swear in Spanish, and devour those amazingly delicious sweets called facturas. At any rate, those are the expats who are going to be on here 10 times a day complaining about...Argentina!

 

[ctru]

maybe you should stop spending so much energy on how others spend their time.

Sounds to me that you are that kind of stuck up person that always have something negative to say about everybody else, while the one that really looks ridiculous is ......yourself.

 

[Davidglen77]

maybe you should stop spending so much energy on how others spend their time.

Sounds to me that you are that kind of stuck up person that always have something negative to say about everybody else, while the one that really looks ridiculous is ......yourself.

Hey CTRU.......lighten up a bit. One of the main purposes of this board is exactly that.......seeing how others spend their time. Your insult makes me laugh! HA HA

 

[Davidglen77]

Actually, the ll 'sonora' (voiced) has pretty much been replaced by the ll 'sorda' (unvoiced) in the Buenos Aires dialect in all but the oldest generations. If you are 20 or 30 years old and insist on pronouncing your ll's and y's as a voiced consonant, you might sound a little pedantic, and look even MORE forced than if you did otherwise (it would be most natural that you acquire the most common pronunciation, which is that of the 'sh' sound in Engish).

And I think it's wonderful when foreigners try to adapt, and it's very cute when they adopt Argentine phrases and expressions (of course, in moderation. we don't need to hear you say boludo every 2 seconds. we get it. you know how to use the word. good boy.)

I think the really strange 'expats' are those who refuse to drink mate, say quilombo, swear in Spanish, and devour those amazingly delicious sweets called facturas. At any rate, those are the expats who are going to be on here 10 times a day complaining about...Argentina!

I totally agree with the moderation part of your reply to my post. It's the expats who do all of the things I've listed within their first week in Buenos Aires I was making reference to.

 

[ctru]

I am glad I made you laugh and try to enjoy the beautiful day.

 

[Moonwitch]

I love the phrases and hand gestures. I do them all the time, now they come to me more naturally. Not a fan of mate, don´t think I ever will be. Fenret on the other hand is soemthing I have gotten used to.

 

[missveronica]

When I first arrived in Buenos Aires, I worked at a US company that has an office here in Buenos Aires. I was the first and only yanqui working there at the time. After I arrived some others from the US started working there and some of them did such ridiculous things, I wondered if anybody else noticed these types of behaviors;

1) A thermos under their arm and mate day and night
2) Started wearing bombachas and alparagatas
3) The word "Quilombo" replaced any expressions that were formerly used to describe something that was complicated
4) Anytime papers would get stuck in a printer, someone would scream out loud "la concha de la lora"
5) Every morning, medialunas were devoured by the dozen
6) Girls suddenly got a mullet haircut and guys grew beards and let their hair grow long and unruly
7) Eyebrow and lip piercings
8) A jar of dulce de leche on the desk at all times
9) Instead of asking for "un favor" they asked for "una gauchada"

I think the reason why many expats do these things is because they're so tight and "perfect" at home that when they come here they feel free to do certain things, I dont know much, but I dont think when you jam the paper in your company in the States you go screaming "This shit's fucked up again!" However, we do it here, and I suppose that to some ppl this country, as terrible as it might seem, gives them freedom...
Same with long hair, beards, piercings and tattoos, very few companies discriminate based on appearance...
About Dulce de leche, Medialunas and mate...well, who can resist them anyway???

 

[sesamosinsal]

When I first arrived in Buenos Aires, I worked at a US company that has an office here in Buenos Aires. I was the first and only yanqui working there at the time. After I arrived some others from the US started working there and some of them did such ridiculous things, I wondered if anybody else noticed these types of behaviors;

1) A thermos under their arm and mate day and night
2) Started wearing bombachas and alparagatas
3) The word "Quilombo" replaced any expressions that were formerly used to describe something that was complicated
4) Anytime papers would get stuck in a printer, someone would scream out loud "la concha de la lora"
5) Every morning, medialunas were devoured by the dozen
6) Girls suddenly got a mullet haircut and guys grew beards and let their hair grow long and unruly
7) Eyebrow and lip piercings
8) A jar of dulce de leche on the desk at all times
9) Instead of asking for "un favor" they asked for "una gauchada"

And another thing, if you pronounce your ll, y and j too much like a shhh it sounds awful. Pronounce those letters lightly like a zh sound and you will sound a lot better.

Example:

Frutilla
NOT Frutishhhha
Say Frutizha

Yo
NOT Sho
Say Zho

I am all for assimilating into a new culture, but when it's forced you look a bit ridicuolous. Anybody who is not from here will ALWAYS be a foreigner. People actually like the fact that you are different, so don't try so hard to be Argie if you are not!! And when you do be classy about it please.
Just my 2 cents.

I love your pronunciation lesson, mainly because no one says "Zho" or "Frutizha". haha. Hilarious. In fact, my boyfriend (100% Argentine) writes "Sho" instead of "Yo" sometimes to distinguish himself from other Spanish speakers in a funny way.

I think you need to get over yourself, bud.

 

[bloody_bloo]

"viví y dejá vivir"

It's kind cute expats try to imitate and enjoy our way life. I would prefer ppl to be themselves but it doesn't bother when someone tries to fit.