Women from South America in Pictures
SUMMARY: Pictures of women from Peru and Colombia.
Alternate Title: Stop Asking Me for Pictures of Latinas!
Chicha: An Ode to Peruvian Cumbia
SUMMARY: This post is my tribute to Peruvian cumbia, chicha, with some embedded videos and a breakdown of why the music is so cool.
Chicha is Peruvian cumbia, and it’s among the most beautiful music I’ve ever heard. It’s addictive; I can’t stop listening to it. The gringo ear, if not acclimated to Latin music, may not appreciate these songs on the first listen. Unfortunately, many Peruvians don’t like or even hate Peruvian cumbia. It’s seen as a lower-class music, but it’s apparently gaining popularity compared to a generation ago (as it should).
American groups, from rock bands to hip hop acts, typically have four or five people at most. Salsa and cumbia bands bring out the whole neighborhood: trombones, trumpets, guitars, various percussion instruments, leading vocals, backup vocals, etc. The horns are the key that differentiates salsa and different types of cumbia from gringo music. Once you come to love the sound of the horns, you’ll be addicted too. … Read more
Aprovechadores vs. Those in Need
Alternate Title: Readers Attack – ‘Dumb american’ doesn’t care about ‘those in need’!
SUMMARY: I respond to my first hate comment in a rambling post about Latinos who take advantage of gringos, “those in need” in Colombia, and info and links about Colombia’s victims of internal displacement.
I don’t know what took so long, but below is my first hate comment.
Mike de Arequipa:
You really seem to care about those in need. I like how you handled the situation in the run down hostal in Cusco. It seemed to me that they were in need of a little cash but you were unwilling to forfeit a 150$ train ticket Aguas Calientes. You managed to frighten them, do more damage then the damage you had already done, and then flee the scene to blog about it in a jokingly manner. Bien Hecho! Do you have a name for this type of helping the poor. You are making a mess from city to city in your redneck fashion. Thanks for helping the generalizations about dumb Americans, you represent well! Can’t wait to hear more about your generosity.
Latinos’ Awful Writing Skills
SUMMARY: I explain that Latinos’ writing skills are horrible, with plenty of examples. I conclude with what I believe to be the root cause of this weakness.
Disclaimer #1: Of course not all Latinos’ writing sucks. Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mario Vargas Llosa have proven they can spell. Spanish-language journalists understand the utility of punctuation. And if you’re a Latino reading this, then you can probably write well. Maybe. But the majority of rank-and-file Latinos including white-collar professionals SUCK. This is not debatable. It’s fact.
Disclaimer #2: Remember that I love Latin culture. My decision to live down here, to spend most of my time with these people, and to create a new life here — my actions speak louder than words. However, you can’t expect someone to embrace every single aspect of a new culture. The shitty writing will never grow on me.
Disclaimer #3: I want to fully admit and take responsibility for how Americans have butchered the English language. Assuming Jamaican patois isn’t even English anymore, American English is the worst in the world. I apologize for that, especially to my Limey readers, but it doesn’t make Latinos’ writing any less shitty.
On to the evidence! … Read more
Taxis in Colombia vs. Peru
SUMMARY: I discuss the risks and rules of taking taxis in Colombia and Peru. Sections include Peruvian Rules, Peruvian Horror Stories, Colombian Rules, Colombian Stories (no horror), and Conclusion.
American taxis are generally safe. The worst thing to happen is getting “taken for a ride.” Taxis in Latin America can be dangerous. The worst thing that happened while I was in Peru was a tourist getting robbed, raped, and murdered.
There are rules to taking taxis down here. I’m going to explain them, then contrast the Colombian rules with the Peruvian rules. Then I’ll explain why, ironically, I prefer the Peruvian rules. … Read more
Alcohol and Sensitivity in Latin America
A Facebook friend currently in Buenos Aires recently updated with:
Movie “Hangover” is titled / advertised in Argentina: “Que Paso Ayer?” which literally means, “What happened yesterday?” Subtle difference.
I commented on his update:
The word for ‘hangover’ is different in almost every Spanish-speaking country.
Mexico: estar crudo
Peru: tener resaca / estar resaquiado
Colombia: tener guayabo / estar enguayabado
And those are just the regional variations that I’ve learned. Spanish is like that for a lot of words. Pain in the ass if you ask me.
And then some dude commented this:
Or it simply could be that they found the word “hangover” offensive as a title and changed it so that it still reflected the theme of the movie.
I’m not going to argue with some dude I don’t know on a friend’s Facebook update. But that comment indicated that there are some completely uninformed people about Latin culture out there. I thought of all the things I would say to him in explaining exactly how wrong he is. And I realized that these might be interesting stories for the blog. I hope so. … Read more
