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Health & Fitness

Argentine Culture, From An Exchange Student's View

A brief description of Argentine Culture and how it differs from ours.

Hi there. Today I'm going to talk about the Argentine cultural and how it differs from ours.

One thing I looked for when choosing my host country was a diverse culture like Argentina's. The official language of Argentina is Castilian Spanish. Unlike Spanish from Mexico, Castilian Spanish has various changes in words and a distinct accent. Some words are completely different such as picina (pool) in Spanish, is pileta instead. Also, the "tu" form for verbs, becomes "vos". For example, in Spanish, you say "tu piensas" or, you think. But in Argentina they say "vos pensas." The Argentine accent is very distinct also. It's a little complicated to explain with text, but basically the "ll" changes to a "j" sound instead of a "y" sound and it has a little bit of an Italian accent.

A daily part of Argentine culture is maté. Maté is a tea-like beverage that is an important part of Argentina and my exchange experience. Basically, it is a common beverage to drink and share between friends and family while talking, working or relaxing. To make it, you put a type of ground-up leaves, called yerba, into a specific mate cup, usually made of wood. Then you insert a metal straw, add hot water and enjoy. As easy as it sounds, it still takes skill to make. There are different types of mate as well. Many teenagers and younger people like it sweet, with sugar applied at the top of the straw. Another type of mate is called Terere, which subsitutes the hot water for juice. Personally, I prefer traditional mate much more. As an Irish tea drinker at home, I have adapted, and I now find it hard to imagine returning to a life without it.

Another typical part of Argentine culture is the famous "asado" or barbeque. The asado is a little different from the American BBQ. Every house in Argentina has an asado pit, where the meat is cooked. An asado is enjoyed with family or friends over the weekend on a nice day. The biggest difference is the way the meat is cooked. Unlike American BBQs, there is only one way to cook the meat, and that is cooked all the way through. Not once have I ever seen meat in Argentina with a little bit of pink in the middle. They cook it for a long time, and never marinate the meat before. Needless to say, it is DELICIOUS!

One of the hardest things I have had to adapt to is the time that they eat dinner here in Argentina. Instead of eating about 6 or so, in Argentina dinner is served around 10:30 to 11 p.m. It took me about three months to fully adapt to the new eating time. I was basically eating dinner in Argentina at the same time as my family at home, but Argentina is five hours ahead! My sleep patterns have also drastically changed: In the U.S. I usually wake up on weekends at 8 a.m., now I'm waking up at 11:30 a.m. People in Argentina don't go to bed on the weekends until early in the morning!

My next post will be about the many major differences in school life here in Argentina from those in the U.S.

Thanks for reading!

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