Man Kisses and Other Cultural Musings

We are getting accustomed to the culture and people in Buenos Aires. I have been very pleasantly surprised since I’ve been here. I didn’t come with any expectations (bad or good) and I have been happy with everything. The people seem to have many similarities to the U.S. in terms of taste in music, personality, and their sense of humor. It has been very easy for us to relate to people quickly. I walked by a book store and saw in the display window anthologies of Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones, and I was like, “Alright, these people are probably pretty cool.” My team at work has been great also. The whole team is excited and ready to learn and work hard. I have been nothing but impressed with them and am really looking forward to what we can accomplish over the coming months.

There are also many differences that are a lot of fun. Part of/most of the fun of going to another culture is to experience those differences. At work, the people are very friendly in that they go out of their way to introduce themselves to you and start up a conversation. I feel like there is more emphasis on that here, and I appreciate it. Also, kissing on the cheek is the way most friends greet each other. I knew this coming down and was ok with it. I’m not so concerned with the weirdness of doing it, I am more just worried I’m going to do something wrong and freak people out. My first experience with it was with a dude, which was kind of like jumping into the deep end at swimming lessons, but I pulled it off ok. You don’t actually kiss, just kind of touch cheeks and make a kissing noise. It is different, but interesting to become a part of different cultural norms than I am used to. I’m sure my “man-kisses” will become better with time and practice.

We’ve only been here a little over a week, so we’ll see how we feel when the “honeymoon” with Argentina is over. However, right now we really love the culture, people, exploring the city, and are looking forward to continuing this experience. It has been so great for Terri and I to go somewhere and be able to focus totally on a new culture and each other.