mendozanow
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- Joined
- Mar 3, 2009
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Pasted from message tinight I got from a friend:
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SSSShhhhh....
Okay, I am only writing this, most reluctantly, because the liitle angel on my right shoulder has been nagging me (the little devil on my left shoulder is saying:"...aww f&*^^k it, lettem findout fer themselves....). That, and the copious amounts of vino malbec this evening. Could be nothing, but thought I would quietly issue a little possible caution.Queitly, because I greatly love the Argentineans I live amongst, they are great people and it is a great land, that is why I live here.
The usual rhetoric from la presidenta Cristina. yunno, the Malvinas (i won;t use theparallell "F" word here, don' twanna raise too many hackles about that stupid little w#r). Usual, especially with the election coming up, easy political hay. However, with added fire of the comments from the PM from yunnowhere, there has been a subtle, yet perceptible shift in the ambience. Could be the added stress of the volcano and other things as well.
Anyway, an Argentine English teacher colleague, an anglophile, comes into school yesterday wearing her Union Jack jacket, never had a problem before other than a few harmless jokes, said that several people shook their fists at her, and one women stoped her in the street and told her not to wear that, anger masked as concern. She phoned her boyfriend in the teacher's room asking him to bring another jacket by the school.
Stupid talks shows let fn the tube on the side of the room last night while visiting some friends.. Stupid but denigrating jokes about the British and the US in general. Harmless in themselves, but they never did it themselves. This morning , some political talk shows on the radio and television, a little more strident, insulting Brits and Yanks in a subtle way.
At noon, listening to my favourite stupid local comedian on local Mendoza TV, again insulting anglos, never did this before.
Today, friends subtley nudged , suggesting I be careful with my English on the streets. Gentle concern, not overdone, but that has never happened before.
With Copa America, there should be a warm welcoming spirit, and there will be for the most part. However, there could be opportunities for triggers. Argentineans are not xenophobes like many nations, they are quite tolerant. However, they are very nationalistic and proud, like many peoples. In Mendoza, the normally unprpeared locals are going to be shocked in about 2 weeks with the arrivals of a minumum of 25,000 (conservative probaly closerer to 35,0000). No love lost between the Argentineans and the Chileans, going to rub many the wrong way (tho Argentineans love the Brazilians, no problem there). But the nerves will not react towards the Chileans, there will be too many of them. They may be focused on the fewer number of gringos.
My advice to all those here and coming , most of you savvy anyway, to try to be a little less conspicious, especially those who might have wanted to sport UK or US emblems anywhere. And maybe turn the foreign languages, epseically the inglés, a few notches down for the next few months. Could be nothing, and I could be paranoid. As Billy Joel said, "I may be wrong, but I may be right". People who are experienced travelling in other cultures know it is always better not to be too flashy about showing where you are from anyway. And Argentina is still a relatively safe country, especially compared to most others in Latin America.
Don't mean to appear alarmist, and I probably am, but feel I have to write this anyway.
Saludos!
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SSSShhhhh....
Okay, I am only writing this, most reluctantly, because the liitle angel on my right shoulder has been nagging me (the little devil on my left shoulder is saying:"...aww f&*^^k it, lettem findout fer themselves....). That, and the copious amounts of vino malbec this evening. Could be nothing, but thought I would quietly issue a little possible caution.Queitly, because I greatly love the Argentineans I live amongst, they are great people and it is a great land, that is why I live here.
The usual rhetoric from la presidenta Cristina. yunno, the Malvinas (i won;t use theparallell "F" word here, don' twanna raise too many hackles about that stupid little w#r). Usual, especially with the election coming up, easy political hay. However, with added fire of the comments from the PM from yunnowhere, there has been a subtle, yet perceptible shift in the ambience. Could be the added stress of the volcano and other things as well.
Anyway, an Argentine English teacher colleague, an anglophile, comes into school yesterday wearing her Union Jack jacket, never had a problem before other than a few harmless jokes, said that several people shook their fists at her, and one women stoped her in the street and told her not to wear that, anger masked as concern. She phoned her boyfriend in the teacher's room asking him to bring another jacket by the school.
Stupid talks shows let fn the tube on the side of the room last night while visiting some friends.. Stupid but denigrating jokes about the British and the US in general. Harmless in themselves, but they never did it themselves. This morning , some political talk shows on the radio and television, a little more strident, insulting Brits and Yanks in a subtle way.
At noon, listening to my favourite stupid local comedian on local Mendoza TV, again insulting anglos, never did this before.
Today, friends subtley nudged , suggesting I be careful with my English on the streets. Gentle concern, not overdone, but that has never happened before.
With Copa America, there should be a warm welcoming spirit, and there will be for the most part. However, there could be opportunities for triggers. Argentineans are not xenophobes like many nations, they are quite tolerant. However, they are very nationalistic and proud, like many peoples. In Mendoza, the normally unprpeared locals are going to be shocked in about 2 weeks with the arrivals of a minumum of 25,000 (conservative probaly closerer to 35,0000). No love lost between the Argentineans and the Chileans, going to rub many the wrong way (tho Argentineans love the Brazilians, no problem there). But the nerves will not react towards the Chileans, there will be too many of them. They may be focused on the fewer number of gringos.
My advice to all those here and coming , most of you savvy anyway, to try to be a little less conspicious, especially those who might have wanted to sport UK or US emblems anywhere. And maybe turn the foreign languages, epseically the inglés, a few notches down for the next few months. Could be nothing, and I could be paranoid. As Billy Joel said, "I may be wrong, but I may be right". People who are experienced travelling in other cultures know it is always better not to be too flashy about showing where you are from anyway. And Argentina is still a relatively safe country, especially compared to most others in Latin America.
Don't mean to appear alarmist, and I probably am, but feel I have to write this anyway.
Saludos!
I know I need to work harder at learning the language and really getting to know the culture and people better - but even without a lot of effort that is sort of naturally happening anyway. It may sound strange but I believe that in a short time here I have made more real friends than I did in the last few years back home - and they are genuine friends who are really there for me.
