Okay, I think this is going to be the last post I write today (meaning Sunday), and it’s going to be of a somewhat different nature from the previous ones; the reason that it’s separate is that it sort of falls outside of the chronological narrative structure of the last posts, focusing instead on random observations, incidents, thoughts etc. I’m trying to think how best to organize this. Maybe just bullet points? Here goes.
1) The city’s a lot too Americanized for me to love it. Starbucks. McDonald’s. All the music anyone listens to is in English. Basketball, for god’s sakes, playing on the big screen in that one bar. I don’t know where The Police and Queen are from, but they’re surely not Argentine. And I mean, of course the country oughtn’t be entirely self-centered and exclude outside influence, but this is ridiculous. I’ll concede that the tango versions of those songs were kind of cool. It was a neat idea, you know? But at the same time … I don’t know. Maybe I’m being overly sensitive, but it just bothers me. Do they have anything to call their own anymore? But I guess that’s only a foreigner’s perspective.
2) Awkward conversations I’ve had with my host mother:
(a)
E: Do you have a boyfriend?
S: Nope…
E: Do you know how to cook?
S: Nope…
E: Nobody’s going to want to marry you if you don’t know how to cook.
S: Haha, well, I’ll find someone who can cook.
E: Well, that’s rare. Does your dad cook?
S: Um…occasionally…yeah…
(b)
E: What religion are you?
S: Well, my parents are Hindu, but I’m not as …
E: Fanatical?
S: Well, they’re not really fanatical either!
E: Oh. What’s the name of your god?
S: Well, there are multiple…
E: Oh?
S: Yeah, I guess, and I mean, some of them serve different purposes, but I think some of them are just sort of gods in general…
E: And don’t do anything? Why do you worship them then?
S: Uh…
(c)
And there are just some other slightly bothersome statements, such as continual warning against leaving the house with wet hair, or repeated insinuations that other kids go out at night, why don’t I? Which, I mean, if you’ve read the last few entries, I clearly did at least three times in the past week, surely that’s sufficient? But no.
3) Audience participation time! What makes you like someone? Or, if you know that a lot of people like you, do you know why? Or, if you know that a lot of people dislike or are indifferent towards you, do you know why? Why is it that everyone loves certain people? Why is it that some people have so many others who actually approach them and like them from the start? Why is it that others must always force themselves on people just in order to be begrudgingly included in things? What makes someone an unpleasant person, and what makes someone someone that you automatically like? There have got to be some sort of universals; otherwise 100% of our class would not be in love with Diego, you know? But at the same time the idea that there are such universals strikes me as counterintuitive, because if only people with characteristics X, Y, and Z could ever be liked by most people, then the number of people who are in relationships and stuff like that would (you’d think) be considerably lower.
The following conversation ensued between Andrés and Aforementioned Girl last night:
Andrés: You smile all the time.
Aforementioned Girl: Is that bad?
Andrés: It’s very good!
And I already discussed the weighty unsociability of the Man with Curly Hair who Never Smiled and Rarely Spoke … is smiling in and of itself something important? What if you have an ugly smile? Or just perpetually keep a straight face, but are still really funny? Why should somberness be unattractive?
It’s just weird. I’m not sure why I’m even thinking about this. There’s something about this group of people that makes me ponder that sort of thing. It’s curious indeed.
4) I like living in a city. I do. I love that I’m able to get to places like the art museum (and the cemetery, which I have yet to visit, but I really really want to) by walking, or to just be able to go outside and wander and have a choice of directions other than just, you know, inside the neighborhood like at home. I like being able to take the subway from point A to point B. But the buses are a nightmare. I don’t know how I could ever get anywhere on time by taking them, ever know where I was going unless I’d traveled the same path a number of times. And of course, there’s the coinage problem. For the past several years my mantra has been “I’m going to get a job and an apartment and move to a big city and use public transportation,” but jeez, if I have to navigate a system like this? It’s going to be frustrating. Eventually doable, I’m sure, but frustrating nevertheless. And on an unrelated note (but since I’m complaining), the air is rather unpleasant, fraught with perpetual drifting cigarette smoke and other pollutants. I’m just not entirely positive the positives outweigh the negatives by enough for me to be super enthusiastic about this place…
5) I feel like their favorite vegetable here is spinach. That is quite all right with me. Also cafés tend to have super delicious smoothies/juice. Once again, I'm a fan.
1 comment:
For the record, The Police and Queen are both regarded as British bands, though it's perhaps worth noting that Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury grew up in India.
As for what makes people instantly and universally popular, I think physical attractiveness has something to do with it, but personality is also a factor. A pleasant personality can compensate for a plain appearance, and an unpleasant personality can undermine attractiveness. Perhaps some attractive people who weary of undue attention cultivate a scowl; it sometimes seems that way to me. "I can see by the look on her face, if I keep my mouth shut, I'll save some time." A pleasant smile will showcase both physical attractiveness and a pleasant personality; as such, it can be a winning combination.
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