The Accent and the cooks

Hey,
So, life in Minneapolis is going pretty well. I'm living with 9 other people in a huge campus house. It's a pretty fun situation, with everyone adding something to the unique mix of people. Work is going well, and I hopefully will become a salsa bartender before the end of the summer. I was recommended by a current salsa bartender because she is looking to cut back on her shifts. They want someone young, good-looking, with bartending experience and spanish speaking to take over for her shifts. I fit the bill.

However, this post is about something else, the Porteño accent and the cooks from work.

I was really worried that the cooks from work wouldn't respect me because of the Argentine accent that I speak with. It's a well-known fact, throughout the Spanish speaking world, that the Porteño accent is the cockiest, most arrogant accent to have. The reasons behind that are a whole other post, but either way, it's just a very well-known accent.

Well, all my fears were completely unfounded. The cooks at work are so cool with me. I've become "El Argentino" when they want to get my attention or talk to me. They make light jokes about my accent, to which I rebuttle with jokes about their use of "Oye guey!" and "Chinga (fill in the blank)." They also respect the fact that , a year ago, I left the restaurant speaking horrible gringo spanish and I came back speaking almost like a native. These guys, the majority of which arrived in the US with absolutely no english experience, know how difficult it is to learn a foreign langauge. Lastly, I actually have real conversation with them. So many people just know spanish swear words or other vulgar phrases that they think are funny to use. I'm sure the cooks get sick of always hearing these gringo-ed phrases and enjoy having a real conversation once in awhile.

It's pretty cool.

Interesting Statement

So I've been talking to a lot of people about my time in Buenos Aires lately. The usual questions, but it's still nice to talk someone's ear off about a city that means so much to me, and why I enjoyed myself there so much.

However, I've gotten similar responses from a couple people when talking about my plans for moving back down there after graduation. As most of you know, I hope to graduate in May 2010 and get back down to BsAs by Christmas 2010. On more than one occasion, people have asked/told me, "So, you think you really want to live down there? How do you know that's the right city? Where else have you been to know that's the right place to go?" To which I think, "Hmm...I did spend 13 months in Buenos Aires. This isn't some irrational tourist saying they want to move there after spending two weeks in the city."

I must say, this was not the response that I was looking for. Hearing it from these people, it almost came off as an insult, something along the lines of, "So what makes you so special that you can just up and leave the US and move back to Argentina?!?"

I just found it really interesting that these people would somewhat verbally attack me for saying that I planned to spend another year or so in Argentina. Maybe it should be chalked up to jealously, but I'm really not sure.

Thoughts?

-Patrick

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

In La Crosse

So I've had a great weekend so far. Ian, Holly's old bf and family friend, graduated today. I had originally planned on taking the Amtrak on Friday morning to La Crosse. However, at the last minute, the price went up from $31 to $52 dollars for the one-way trip. Seeing as I'm a penny pincher, I decided to just take the Megabus to Chicago, which costs $25. I got out of work at 11pm on Thursday night, packed my bag, and jumped on the bus for Chicago at 11:45. At 8am I arrived in Chicago and Lindsay came to pick me up. We had some food, hung out for a bit, and then went to pick Adrian from work. We left directly from his work and drove up to La Crosse for the weekend. So, instead of a 3 hour train ride, I spent about 12 hours driving, but it was worth the drive up to hang out with Lindsay and Adrian on the ride up.

We had a fun night last night hanging out with Vicky, Bob, Jen, Kim, and Todd, and then we went out to the bars for the night. Today we went to graduation...at 9am!, and then Adrian and I hung out with Bob and Vicky for awhile. Currently, I'm hanging out in Ian's house with everyone, getting ready to hit up the town.

Don't worry, those important posts will soon be posted.

Patrick

All Well

Life is going great right now in Minneapolis. I just finished up my training shifts at the Loring and tonight was my first night serving. Had a good time and got to see a lot of old familiar faces. I've got some posts I've been thinking about that I'll put up sometime this week. Also, I'm planning on writing the post on Argentine poverty that I was going to write a while back.

Patrick


ps- if you have any ideas that you want me to write about, let me know by leaving a comment.

The Loring Surprise

Last night was incredible. I was finally able to surprise all of my coworkers from the Loring Pasta Bar. A little backstory, I worked at this restaurant for 2.5 years before I left for Argentina. During the last three months before leaving for Argentina, I was practically living inside its confines. I worked a number of 15 hour days, absolutely crazy, but I made good money and all the work allowed me to live, on my savins, for 14 months in Argentina. The smell of the restaurant is like home to me.

Anyways, last night, I just casually walked into the restaurant and surprised everyone that was working. It was great to see so many familiar faces. Seeing as I worked so many hours, these people were basically my family. Lots of fun was had, and many plenty of strong cocktails were drank. The highlight of the night was when I was talking to one of my bartender friends. As he was making a drink for someone else, a server who I didn't recognize came up to me and said, "So, you must be the Patrick that I've heard so many good things about." It's great to think that in a couple of weeks I'll be back working with all my old friends again. So many stories to tell!

Minneapolis

So I've made it back to Minneapolis. I couldnt have chosen a better time of the year to come back. Yesterday was about 75 and sunny, and today, equally as beautiful. Blue skies and a light breeze. I'm really happy that I came back to the US during Spring. I can't imagine having come home at the start of a cold winter, having left Argentina at the start of the summer. I left just when it was starting to get chilly there, and I arrive in Minneapolis at the start of summer. Everyone has told me about how miserable this last Winter was, and now, with the warmth, the trees starting to sprout leaves, and the birds chirping and flying around, you can see the happiness and joy in the faces of everyone you pass on the street. I'm looking forward to a very productive summer, and I'm sure I'll have stories to pass on. Well, I'm off to go biking. Tim loaned me his bike and I'm going to give it a workout.

Being Back Home

It's about time I actually finish this post. I had the intention of writing it a couple days ago, but got sidetracked and wasn't able to fill in the text. Hence why it was just a blank post with a title.

A little rundown of the past few days. I landed in Chicago on Wednesday morning and, after a bit of confusion, found Lindsay. She was expecting me in the international arrivals gate, but I landed in Washington DC first, and was therefore on a domestic flight. Seeing as I was completely helpless, without any US currency and no cellphone, a nice women at the gate let me use her phone and call Lindsay's cell.

Spent a couple days in Chicago with Lindsay and Adrian, and I was lucky to be able to see my good friend Mitchell. He studies in Chicago and we were able to work it out so that we could hang out for a little bit. It was really refreshing to not be questioned about Argentina, how I felt, what it was like to be home, etc. He understood the fact that I was still processing everything, so we all just hung out and talked.

Lindsay and I made it back to Chilton on Friday morning. After getting out of the Chicago traffic, we switched seats, and I took over driving. After 14 months without the slightest contact with a steering wheel, it felt good to drive again. Given, I'm still nervous driving around town, in Chilton. My depth perception for cars isn't what it used to be, so the people behind me probably suspect that a grandma is driving in front of them, nice and careful.

I went to a friends wedding reception on Saturday, and it was there when everyone asked me what it was like being home. Then, and still now, it still really hasn't hit me that I'll be in the US for quite a few months to come. In my mind, it's like I'm on vacation, and I'll return to Argentina in a short while. Once that mindset wears off, I think I might start missing it more. Right now, I'm just enjoying the time with my family, talking/chatting with my friends on Skype, and just kind of relaxing.

No worries about the blog being left behind. I have plans to keep it up for quite some time. I'm sure I'll have just as many new and interesting thoughts and perspectives about the US as I did about Argentina.

Patrick