culture shock...zzzzzzz

I went to the gym today and was approached by an Argentine woman walking into the elevator. She asked me if I was American. I said yes. She said she can spot them a mile away. I asked, how? She said she just can.

We stepped into the elevator and continued our conversation.

She said she's been living in the US for years now (Florida, but in BA for one month) and because her son goes to school there she has to go back, but wants to stay in Argentina, she loves it, it is her country, her home. In America, she said, all that people care about is money, there is no time to enjoy life. Here, she said, you don't see people eating on the street.

We stepped off the elevator. I was pretty much just nodding and saying, hmm, hmmpf, oh.

In America, she said, there's a Starbucks on every corner. Here, you order a coffee and you get mineral water and a little cookie (yes, this is something that I love, so elegant). She said there is no style in America. There is so much style in Argentina and the people are beautiful (here she took off her sunglasses and revealed extremely puffy eyes lined with heavy dark makeup) and so friendly. NY has style, but people are cold, no one talks to you. Here, she said, people take the time to have a conversation.

And then at this point, she was approached by an extremely muscley man wearing a tight tank top. They exchanged greetings and we said goodbye. I didn't quite know what to say, I sorted of mumbled, have a good trip. I had been a target for this woman's American cultural dumping ground.

These past few days, as I've been detoxing from my travels, I've been thinking, a bit obsessively, about how much healthier it is at home, or how much easier one can have a healthy lifestyle (I just can't seem to give up my qualms about eating non-organic produce and my extreme exposure to air pollution); today I was dreaming about having an organic farm in Vermont . . . so then why the heck am I in Argentina? Well, as I believe that you attract what you need at the moment, here I received a rather hostile reflection of perhaps my own thoughts. As this woman went on and on with her rants, I just kept thinking how wonderful America is, it's the greatest place on earth! And that's because it's home. And perhaps that's what she was telling me. Argentina is not my home, but I'm here for now, so enjoy it!
And I am enjoying it, don't get me wrong! But culture shock is real, and I have been experiencing it (even though I thought I'd be immune by now after living abroad before).

I came across some useful info on culture shock here:
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/cGuanipa/cultshok.htm

Symptoms:
Sadness, loneliness, melancholy
Preoccupation with health
Aches, pains, and allergies
Insomnia, desire to sleep too much or too little
Changes in temperament, depression, feeling vulnerable, feeling powerless
Anger, irritability, resentment, unwillingness to interact with others
Identifying with the old culture or idealizing the old country
Loss of identity
Trying too hard to absorb everything in the new culture or country
Unable to solve simple problems
Lack of confidence
Feelings of inadequacy or insecurity
Developing stereotypes about the new culture
Developing obsessions such as over-cleanliness
Longing for family
Feelings of being lost, overlooked, exploited or abused

It's a funny thing what happens when you take yourself out of your comfort zone. But I suppose that was my point all along, as I've found that getting too comfortable can become quite uncomfortable, no matter how much I might long for my comforts at this moment.

P.S. a great sound to run to: 'Pump It' by the Black-Eyed Peas