Recently as I come to realize that we are moving to Latin America, close to the city I grew up (Buenos Aires), I am noticing things that I miss about that culture that I didn’t even realize it until I am approaching it again.
- The Argentinians talking! The casual tone, the dramatic effect, the passion, and the cursing, allllllll feel home and comfort. Example below from a colleague in my next job
2. The same feeling of familiarity, talking the some language (which is different than Spanish, Sofia keeps reminding me as she’s learning Spanish), not needing to provide context, because we know what we are talking about. I get this feeling of missing out that every time I talk to my BFF.
3. The drama, the politics, the friendly but grumpy taxi drivers in Buenos Aires.
4. The beautiful city of Buenos Aires, with pockets of poverty nested, reminding us that Buenos Aires was once a rich city. It still is but the glory days are long gone.
5. The cafe culture, the sweets, the kiosk for candies, the milonga, and so much more that I miss and can’t wait to introduce them to the family.
When I was living in the US, I had many Argentinian friends and other Latin American friends, so I didn’t miss it that much as I could still live through them. 7 years in Asia with completely different culture, I covered my need to connect with that culture, just to discover that are still there.
Finally, I get to go back and live it again, with the knowledge of missing it for so many years.
Reunion is the best, isn’t it? with old friends, city, and culture.
Our New Journey 
Ah, this is nice! I didn’t know that you grew up in Argentina.
I have about 20 cousins living in Brazil (Recife) and they love it there. If I remember correctly, there’s a sort of rivalry between Argentina and Brazil, right? Or was it Argentina vs. the other Spanish-speaking South American countries?
In any case, you will be familiar with the culture, so that’s great.
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Yes Argentinians think they are Europeans, so not liked by rest of South America.
Recife, I heard it’s beautiful.
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Oh my goodness I had no idea you grew up in Buenos Aires! How cool to be back on the same continent. And you speak fluent Portuguese AND Spanish? What can’t you do? This is incredible, Coco, I was already super impressed by you and now even more so. Wow, how many languages do you speak? I AM IN AWE OVER HERE!
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Thanks Nicole. I don’t speak Portuguese yet but should be easier to learn for a Spanish speaker. That’s what I hope. 🙂
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It will be nice for you to be back on familiar ground, even if it is not the same exact country. I feel the same but opposite way that you do. I am so happy to be back in San Francisco sometimes, especially when the city or culture that I have been to is a lot different than what I am used to. I embrace it while I am there, but also it is nice to be home.
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The cultural idiosyncrasies can be quite profound. So happy you get to experience Latin American culture again.
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