I was talking with my 3 close girl friends over a "goodbye lunch" this afternoon at one of our favorite cafés, Natural Deli. Natural Deli is an all organic restaurant and organic foods store in my neighborhood, an anomaly in Argentina. They have the most delicious scrambled eggs I've ever eaten that are served over a large slice of baguette toast and drizzled with basil pesto, yum. The girls and I were talking about the opinions that locals hold of "Americans". Opinions are mostly positive but a huge problem many people in South America have with citizens of the United States is that we refer to ourselves as Americans. I had never thought of this as wrong or offensive until arriving in Argentina, talking with locals and taking classes I've learned to watch my language.
My Geography of the Americas class here in Argentina showed me that the term America refers to North, Central, and South America; the term extends to 35 different countries, 35! America occupies the space from Canada to Belize, through Panama, islands off the shores of Florida and Guyana, in to Colombia and ends at the most southern tip of Argentina. With America being so vast, for citizens of the United States to refer to ourselves as American is perhaps globally patriotic in that we are referring to the entire land mass known as America but more just obnoxious. The television network TNT is broadcasting a new TV series called "Real American Cowboys" which will also be airing in Argentina. In the subway, I watched as someone scribbled over an advertisement for the show, he wrote in "North" making the advertisement read "Real North American Cowboys", he was offended and didn't want to be associated with the United States. When I think about it, I can see how people would perceive this as rude, we don't speak for all of the Americans in America, just the United States.
I realize this is nit-picky and that the United States of America is the only country in America that has "America" in its title, logically we are Americans, it is the name of our country. People in Argentina are called Argentines, what are people in the United States supposed to be called, United Statesians? No, we are Americans. Unfortunately, the rest of America hates this. Food for thought.
I'm gonna get back to stuffing suitcases. Homeward bound tomorrow, so excited. Cross your fingers that I don't have to pay overweight baggage fees. God Bless America (for clarification, I do mean the United States of America)!!
Love,
Raquel
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