And Here I Write of 12 Weeks of Language Observation

Before I get into my original thought, I gotta say that only in South America would you learn that a soccer team won the game not by watching the news or listening to the radio...but by all the cars that start honking to a beat outside! To officially confirm it, I opened the window and heard the occasional "Dale Newell's!" Many things I'll miss about this country, and enthusiasm is definitely one big part. I think in the states a lot of us are afraid to show emotion out of embarrassment, shyness or courtesy to avoid making others feel uncomfortable or whatever else it may be. I think I'm guilty of that sometimes. Here it is embraced and I think that's cool. Gotta respect it.

Anyways, what inspired me to blog today was a video that one of my friends found and I immediately thought had to share it. It had me laughing quite a bit at the reality of it. I realize that if you don't speak Spanish, especially Spanish from Argentina specifically, it won't make much sense, but it may be entertaining to you nonetheless. Or at least informational to get an idea of what I repeatedly hear here with the language! Just like the tumblr page from one of my other recent posts, this is SO TRUE. I thought it was just stuff that we as a study abroad group picked up on, but apparently this guy and an audience of over 1 million viewers watched and probably thought the same. Before you watch and waste time staring and wondering like I did, yes, I think he's wearing a wig. 

Here it is: Things that Argentinians Say According to a Yankee (what they call people from the U.S., although I've tried to tell the Argentinians that we don't really identify with Yankee unless you're from New York. But hey what do I know? No matter what I say isn't going to change the mind of everyone here that uses the word.) Whenever we meet new people, they go on calling us "Shawn-keys" as they pronounce it. Whatever :)

Explanation of Highlights/The Whole Thing in Which We Died Laughing:

• "boludo" direct translation is idiot, but it essentially means asshole. You can say it nicely in a joking manner with friends, like "Ché mi boludo!" (Hey my asshole friend!) but of course in a mean way it can be an insult. 
• "Escúchame" over and over and over again ("listen to me"...one of those conversation fillers)
• "esteeee..." another conversation filler that I probably hear the most of anything else. It's our version of "ummm.."
• Freaking out during anything soccer related or anything that interferes with it...like a commercial on TV. Going along with that are the expressions "Dale!" (Let's go!") and "la concha de tu madre!" in soccer.
• All the hand gestures and the drama in his voice throughout the video is spot-on.
• Me entendés?= "do you understand?" Yuppy is a frequent user when she's trying to explain something to me.
• "Ya fue" means "forget about it, nevermind" and it's yet another common expression
• The sipping noise with the metal bombilla (straw) in the mate (traditional drink)
• "Ojo/Ojito/Ojitito"all mean "look out." Whenever you add "ito" or "itito" to a word, it means making it smaller. For example, ojito=look out a little and ojitito=look out an itty bitty bit. It makes sense for more material items like a reloj=relojito (little clock) and not so much in this case, yet all Argentinian's use all 3 forms. I think that's what makes it funny--all essentially mean the same. The pulling down on the eye is essential if you're gonna say this to someone, like our culture topics professor Stela does to us on a daily basis.
• Pasa por acá- "it happens here" or "pass here"...hard to explain this one but I hear it a lot
• Que bárbaro- "How fantastic!"
• Talking about leche=milk. It's all about the carne (meat), leche, azúcar (sugar), café (coffee), pan (bread) and anything of that sort here! An expression I've invented that I think should be implemented more here is "la panza de pan" (bread belly)...rolls off the tongue for both languages, doesn't it? Thank god I found a gym here, and I say that in the most unsure/insecure way possible as I prepare to come back for the summer swimsuit season..yay... In my defense, trying to be healthy only goes so far when you don't have much control over meal choices :/ For which reason I give you these:

Replace cupcake with alfajore and call it golden. I'm bringing those back as gifts so you'll soon understand.

• Sos/Vos= verb usage that only exists in Argentina and occasionally other South American countries. The vos form means tú, which means "you." Sos is the form for eres, which means "you are."
• Nene/nena/pibe- babies/kids/children 
• Tranqui= short for "tranquilo," which means calm.
• Buena onda= cool, good-looking, getting along with someone. Lots of meanings.
• "No, por favor"= "No, please" an expression you say to someone to be polite. The use of "Pooorr favorrrr" super dramatically is used as well and always makes me laugh. For example, I went to the top of the flag monument with my conversation partners a couple weeks ago and they had binoculars to get a closer look at the all the surrounding buildings. One of the girls, Florencia, saw that there was a pool on top of one of the roofs and said "Mira eso! Cómo pueden pensar que es necesario?? Porrrr favorrrrr!" and shook her head. ("Look at this! How can they think that this is necessary! Pleasseeee!") It's like us saying, "Puhhh-leaseeee" and rolling our eyes at a situation, but they always use it in such minor situations that they get super worked up about which makes it comical.
• "Noo, esa es una mentira!"="No, that's a lie!" isn't usually used literally, mostly when you can't believe something someone is telling you because it's so outrageous.
• "Un beso"= "a kiss" as a salutation. Yuppy always says to me or anyone she says goodbye to on the phone "Chau, chau, un beso, suerte, suerte, besos" and I am not exaggerating. Suerte means like good luck with your day. Little things like that make my day!

Woofta, too much learning for you all? I think I like to analyze a lot. When I'm an outsider to a foreign language, it's all I have to pick up on sometimes! Okay sorry, I think I need to get the rest of the word usage stuff out of my system since I've been here. Hang in there! This is more for my benefit although I'm not sure it entertains any of you :/

The Never-Ending Lunfardo (Slang) of Rosario/Argentina

As fun as it is to learn, it's difficult because there sometimes is no direct translation so we have to learn more about the use of it in everyday contexts. Also, other Spanish-speakers in the states will have no clue what I'm talking about when I use it...but oh well.

• •                Okay this isn't really slang, but as graffiti we've seen D10s written in a few places (Dios=god with the number 10 in it). Our conversation professor Karina explained this relates to fútbol, which I should have known. #10 is like the sacred jersey--a number reserved for the "Gods" of soccer. For example, Messi and Diego Maradona, who was like the earlier Messi from Argentina back in the day.
• •                In addition to "que lindo," which is the most popular phrase here, there's also "que hermoso" which all essentially mean how cool, awesome, fantastic something is.
• •                "Hacer el aguante" can be used in many different contexts, but from what I understand it means "to have an interest in something" or "to support someone." Yes, those are completely different meanings, which is why learning slang is so difficult! Google translate gives me the following for the verb aguantar: to support, stand up for, endure, put up with, etc. I think it means you either won't put up with something or that you will endure a hardship with a friend, meaning "I'm here for you."
• •                "laburar/laburo"= to work, job. Usually trabajar/trabajo is used in Spanish, but Argentinians use this verb/noun instead. With the English word "labor," obviously this one isn't too difficult to understand or remember.
• •                "Dinero" is used rarely for money and more frequently I've heard "plata," "guita" or "cash."
• •                Instead of "cigarillo," I've heard "pucho" or "faso" for that nasty habit that practically everyone has here...
• •                Calling someone a "mina" is a piropo, or flirtatious compliment. The word is closely related to mining for precious stones, so the translation I came up with is our use of "what a gem" to describe someone.
• •                "Buen mozo" means a good-looking man, but "mozo" also could mean a "waiter" at a restaurant, so use that one with caution?
• •                 "Mira vos"= "look at you" in the semi-sarcastic sense when you do something cool. We use it more sarcastically I think because I've realized sarcasm doesn't really exist here.
• "Pobrecito!"="you poor thing!"

• "No me digas!"= "you don't say/you're kidding me!"
• el facha- good-looking. There's so much slang for talking about people's looks!
• Nada que ver- "nothing to do with/they didn't correspond"
• Qué sé yo- instead of saying "no sé" this is a common filler for "I don't know." Yuppy uses it a lot!
• Por la duda- Yuppy always uses this to tell me each night that she'll leave breakfast early in the morning for me. "Por la duda, dejaré el desayuno en la mesa" meaning like "I don't know what time you'll wake up for class, but I'll leave breakfast on the table.." which is almost always a piece of fruit that I take, bread with butter/dulce de leche/jam, and coffee with milk.

FOOOOOODDD!

Gotta say, something I majorly cannot wait to get back to is our American food. There's such variety and flavor! Part of me wants to come home and just gorge myself on all the food I've been craving and go absolutely insane and feel no shame. However, I would like to be in decent shape for the summer and not be mistaken for a beached whale so I'm a little torn, hence the above images from before. I'll have to manage to find a happy medium I suppose. For the record, what I would potentially consider selling my soul for right now:

-bacon

-waffles

-syrup

-cheddar, parmesan or bleu cheese

-corn on the cob

-oatmeal

-avocado

-frank's hot sauce
-these are not in any particular order, and if someone mixed all of it together, I'd probably try it. That's the desperation level right now.

 I don't know what came over me last night, but I literally sat on pinterest for hours torturing myself and pinned about 50 new recipes I found. I sat in my bed with a frown on my face, my tummy rumbling and uncontrollably salivating. I wish this were a joke but it's not. My pins ranged from quinoa salads, butterfinger cake, spaghetti squash alfredo, lemon blueberry bread, apple almond fudge, spicy crab stuffed cucumber cups, garlic mashed cauliflower, avocado/spinach grilled cheese, bacon/jalapeno deviled eggs and red wine/garlic mushrooms--I DON'T EVEN LIKE HARD BOILED EGGS OR MUSHROOMS! And I would still eat them right now! 

Don't get me wrong, Argentine food is good, but it lacks variety and flavor which is exactly what I miss from home. All of this that I've been eating is all tasting like the same old bland stuff. I like that Yuppy mixes it up quite a bit for dinner though. Part of me wants to get more into cooking and baking when I return to the U.S. Maybe take some classes? At the very least I would like to cook more recipes on my own. A girl's gotta learn! I think it's fun to do, too, I just never dedicate much time to it but I want to make an effort from now on. Someone hold me to this!

I'm going to leave you all with that for tonight. It's now less than 2 weeks that I have remaining in this country. Already talked to my dad about my flight times and him picking me up from the airport today--craziness! My good friend Bianca is leaving a week early on Friday and has to take all her finals early this week. She said she's getting sadder and sadder that less than a week remains for her--she is returning to New Jersey for 1 day to pack up/say goodbye to her family and boyfriend, and then she's off to start an amazing internship for Macy's in Pennsylvania the next day. I'm going to be sad to see her go! I've gotten really close to her and Alecea since we've met here. Luckily us 3 lived close by and always planned together with cabs and such. I think us girls in the group are going out to dinner/wine on Wednesday to say goodbye, and also an unapproved picnic on the roof of the school is planned for Friday morning to wish her off.

I don't know if I'm ready for these goodbyes! To the country, the other Americans, my host mom, the Argentine students we've met, etc. At least I'll be taking quite a bit back with me from what I've learned, but I think an itty bitty piece of me will remain in this country I've called home for 3 months too. Going to live it up while I can though!

Besos,

Mackenzie