A little close to Peru: where I'm from
A little close to Peru: where I'm from
Even though I’ve never been to Peru yet it’s always been a part of my life to hear about this fascinating country because I was born and raised in Buenos Aires Argentina which is one of Peru's neighboring e are also both a part of the Mercosur which is a South American political union similar to the European Union..
Peru has always been on my bucket list because of the famous Machu Picchu and I’ve had many friends who’ve been there and they assure the adventure is fascinating. But let me tell you a little bit about my life in Argentina.
Argentina has a very particular accent. Within the country, each region has a different accent and some even have a particular dialect. Those who grow up in Buenos Aires are called “porteños”
Because of it’s proximity to the port and we have a very specific way of speaking different from the rest of the country. People from Uruguay have a very similar accent to us as well. Uruguay used to be a part of the country before he became a country and then they got independent. But that’s for another time.
Even though I’ve been living in the US for 15 years there are many things about Argentina that I miss dearly and that I love about its culture. Growing up in Buenos Aires was being close to a lot of family and friends who live walking distance. We only had to walk a few blocks to hang out with our best friends with no reason other than to be together and drink some mate, our traditional drink. It’s a loose leaf tea made of yerba mate put into a gourd and drank with a straw that filters the leaves. You can see people drinking mate all over the country, but now due to Covid, we don’t get to share it. Normally it gets shared around in a circle round the table or anywhere when there’s an occasion. You see people at a park sitting in a circle having a picnic, there are even restaurants that serve a teapot with hot water and everything you need to create a mate experience.
That is one of the many things that makes Argentina unique. There’s also dulce de leche, and a big Italian influence due to many immigrants coming during World War II. It is said that the country is at least 83% European. My great grandparents were Italian, Spanish, and Yugoslavian from my dad's side there’s some German as well, so you can see Argentina is a true melting pot. The food is very Mediterranean-based with touches of Spanish flavors, Italian pasta, and lately, they have been opening up to other areas of the world like Asian fusion, Caribbean cuisine, and Mexican food. Buenos Aires it’s a fascinating city. They used to call it the South American Paris because of its architecture and its sort of New York City because of how conglomerate the downtown area is. There is a street lined up with bookstore after bookstore and there is the most beautiful bookstore in the world called the Ateneo Grand Splendid. There’s also a gorgeous opera house called Teatro Colón. You won’t be bored that’s for sure. At the moment, I am visiting my home country to stay for a season or two. I can enjoy differently all those things made Argentina unique. Family closeness, the good and the bad, the delicious food, and so much more. Let me know if you’d love to know more about my stay here in Argentina