I´ve thought that line a couple of times this week. It´s from Joan Bob - Swan Princess, just in case anyone thinks I´m insane. Mildly so, but not enough to tip off the people in Argentina.
So this week, I thought I´d give you a bit of the low down on some of the people and the culture. Things that I have noticed, how people interact. Generals. There may or may not be stories.
So, some random things that I have noticed this week. 1) Latinos have very short eyelashes. That and their eyelashes are very straight. This has nothing to do with my or their eternal salvation. But I thought it was interesting. I know this because I look people in the eyes when they are talking. Which is a good thing and a bad thing. Good because eye contact is good. Bad because then they think I actually will respond to them when they are talking. What they don´t realize is that I´m spending so much time and effort concentrating on what they are saying, there is very little brain room left to respond emotionally or physically. Oops.
2) Latinos talk a lot. About everything. They are also very touchy/feely/huggy. I have been kissed more here then probably 3x the amount before the mission. And sometimes it´s the French side cheek kiss, and sometimes it´s an actual kiss on the cheek. And sometimes it´s a kiss and a hug, sometimes just a kiss. Very touchy feely. But that´s cool.
3) They don´t have mops like they do in the United States. A mop here is a thick rag and a very large squeegee. Which works, I guess. In the hygienical side of things their toilets do flush in the opposite direction and the handle to flush is about 3 feet about the toilet in the wall and is a button you press in, not a handle you press down. I know this is really important to your life. Which is why i´m telling you now. The only fun story I have about this has nothing to do with a toilet. Last week I had probably the worst cold I´ve ever had in Argentina - aka the only one - and I was super confused, groggy, couldn´t breathe. So we go to this member´s house where I´m fighting not to fall asleep. And fail. So I wake up and ask to use their bathroom hoping the walking around will help wake me up. Go in, use the restroom. There´s really no problem until we get to the point where I have to leave the bathroom. I remember locking it. But upon trying to leave the bathroom I can´t remember a) which way to turn the key to unlock said bathroom and b) how to turn the door handle to open the door. I was stuck in the bathroom for an additional 5 minutes trying to quietly open the door and not cry so no one would know my shame. Good news, sometimes door handles are the same in different countries (just push down). And sometimes you just have to try a couple of times to unlock yourself from the bathroom. I´m pretty sure my companion doesn´t know.
4) Everything comes in plastic bags. Everything, their milk, their mustard, ketchep, mayonnaise. Everything. They also have a brand name of ¨Dánica¨which I thought was cool. So, Dani, everyone in Argentina loves you! The barbeque sauce in your name isn´t that awesome though. Don´t eat it.
5) The junkfood to eat here is alfohors. Essentially it´s two cookies squished together with some type of cream. Usually dulce de leche, which really is just liquid caramel. Nothing over the top. I actually don´t eat much of them. I prefer to go home and eat club crackers. When I tell this to people they think I´m weird. They also don´t understand why I don´t eat food when I watch movies/tv. Some people just don´t. And I´m one of them. Oh, that´s another thing. The people here eat ALL the time. We usually get offered something, at least a drink whenever we go inside. The food is delicious though.
The people are fantastic. And the sure know how to cook. Most of the people in our ward are Peruvians. We have a lot of Peruvians, Colombians, Bolivians, and then a smattering of Argentinians. They´re all Latin so it´s okay. And they all talk a lot. It´s hard because as much as I love butting in to conversations, and over riding people when they are talking, I just don´t do it a lot. So, everyone here either thinks I´m retarded or mute. Mostly mute. I´ve had three investigators tell me I need to talk more. And one start giving me advice about having confidence and looking people in the eye when I talk. Guess what my biggest weakness is right now. Plus, I have a super talkative, outgoing companion. Mostly I just haven´t found it necessary to talk. She´s doing more than enough talking for the both of us, and neither she nor the Latinos stop to breathe (seriously, longest sentences of my life. They can go through a whole story in one breath!). So, usually I just sit back and enjoy the conversations, until my companion looks significantly at me and then I bare my testimony. Good times.
In essence, Argentina is a great but very different country, and right now, I sure am a white American. Super white.
Next week will be better. Maybe. We do have a baptism this weekend, and a baptism the week after. The church is true.
Hermana Reed
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