8 The Argentinean Community

There are many communities within the same country, state or even city. Each community has its details and stories which are worth paying attention to and researching. It is within my interest to present this text as research on the community I belong to: the Argentinean community within the DMV area. In the research done on this community, I have adapted three techniques on how to obtain information about the Argentinean community located in the DMV area.

The first technique is the form of storytelling. In this qualitative method of investigation, I asked an Argentinean woman named Roxana Arias to tell me her story here in the United States since she moved to this country from her homeland. The second way of obtaining information was through an established interview with a set of questions that were answered by the interviewed person, who is an Argentinean man called Gustavo. He responded to four questions and expressed how his life has been here in the US and how he is still connected to Argentina. Finally, the last method I used for increasing my information about the Argentinean community was through ethnography. This means observing actions, customs, patterns, etc. that the members of this community repeat. The observations were made during a soccer game between a group of Argentinean friends in Urbana Maryland where they played the sport for 90 minutes and ate asado (or barbeque) afterwards.

My main goal of this activity is to inform the readers about how Argentineans are on a day-to-day basis and provide some details that not every person knows about regarding this community. This is because few people know much about Argentina or its people, and I believe that by providing that information in this text is a fantastic way to contribute to that community that so many people lack knowledge about.

Storytelling

Storytelling is a technique that has been useful to researchers as a way of how individuals that are studied understand the world: in other terms, the perspective a certain person has about how the world is constructed. This technique focuses on the story an individual has and the researcher can collect data from this individual through narrative. This technique has been used for many generations by the indigenous peoples of the Americas and is remarkably interesting because of the effective results it brings researchers. In my assignment, I have used this technique to ask one of the people I interviewed to unlock some of the most important aspects of what it is like for Argentineans to live here in the DMV area.

The results clarified that many Argentinean practices and traditions were still practiced here by what Roxana (the person interviewed) commented regarding how she lived here in the United States. One of them is the custom of drinking a tea-like beverage called mate. Many people from Argentina drink it throughout their whole lives, no matter the place or time they find themselves in. Roxana mentioned as well that the people from Argentina here in the US are quite united. She expressed that there is a school where they teach you certain important aspects about the culture of Argentina here in Washington D.C. and even organizations that operate here in the US designated to help other Argentineans out. With these comments, it is conveyed that the community is united: she even got married to someone who is from the same community here in the United States through a social media group of Argentineans.

Furthermore, Roxana mentioned that the people of Argentina speak in a unique way than other Spanish-speaking countries: Castellano, a mix between old Spanish and Italian. This is configured that way since there is a lot of history of Italian immigration arriving to the country in the beginning of the 20th century and mixing with the Spanish- speaking Argentinean population. Finally, it is important to express that Roxana encountered another aspect Argentineans are passionate about, and that is soccer. Many Argentineans are huge fans of soccer and their passion for the sport is very high. People in the country would stop working to see a match of their favorite teams, especially if it is the national team playing.

Interview

The second technique used is the interview. An interview is a technique used in research to recollect data about specific topics of interest to individuals. It is a qualitative method of research, and some set of questions can be established by the person who arranges the interview. The person interviewed, therefore, must answer the questions asked by the interviewer. For my community, I interviewed a man named Gustavo.

He portrays that some customs he had from Argentina are still being practiced, even though he prefers his life here in the United States. He mentions that even though he has been here for some time he does not forget about his culture. One of the cultural aspects of being identified as Argentinean that Gustavo highlights, just like Roxana did, is soccer. He plays soccer, one custom he has practiced since he was a child. Moreover, Gustavo mentioned the importance of food in Argentinean culture. The Argentinean cuisine consists of many Spanish-style meals and Italian-style foods and of grilled meat, known as asado. This cuisine and soccer are the main aspects that keep Gustavo connected with other fellow Argentineans in the area.

Finally, the person interviewed explains the importance of family and friends for the people of Argentina and how they share a strong bond with each other. Just as Roxana also expressed, Argentineans are a remarkably close and united community and it is one of the most important patterns repeated within the community. Gustavo mentioned that nowadays, thankfully, it is a lot easier to communicate and stay connected with family and friends back in his homeland. He mentioned the use of WhatsApp and videocalls, which replaced payphones which were expensive methods of communication. He shares an optimistic perspective regarding this change in technology.

Ethnography

The final method I used to recollect data about this community is through an ethnographic study on a group of Argentineans. For this technique, I was invited to participate and observe their interactions with each other. During this moment, I observed many characteristics that I took note of.

To begin with, I saw the gestures they have with their bodies repeated. Some of them used a lot of hand movements to express the way they feel; another one was the faces they made based on how they feel about certain comments made. I realized that people in this community use body language and movements to express their feelings. Another pattern was the use of sarcasm, highlighting the sense of humor that Argentineans have: especially between friends, members of this community use this to communicate with each other.

Furthermore, just like it was mentioned in both interviews, I observed that the people of this community were drinking mate and grilling meat (eating asado). This pattern was repeated by everyone (or at least mentioned) I interacted with during the collection of data. Finally, another aspect I observed that Argentineans have when they interact with each other is the music they were listening to. All the musical genres that were played were either by Argentinean singers/bands or were Argentinean genres such as Cuarteto and Chamame.

To conclude

After using these three techniques (storytelling, ethnography, and interview), the data depicted was quite interesting. I was able to retrieve information about the Argentinean community that was unique and enriching. One of the main points that surprised me was the fact that food played a significant role in culture. The asado is an important aspect that brings many members of this community together. Drinking mate is as important as the asado as well, since many drink it and share it. It is, in other words, a way of uniting friends and family: the fact that it is being shared depicts the key role it plays in social gatherings.

The other main point that all Argentineans share is their passion for soccer. This sport is vital for them and is one of the many aspects that unites them no matter their age, gender, or social class. This is one of the observations that I noticed as I was doing ethnographical activity.

In addition, a key aspect that I found quite interesting about this community is how united they are. Many could have differences between each other, but the fact they share the same culture demonstrated their cultures and traditions bring them together. Some ways this happened were through sharing mate, playing soccer, listening to music, and sharing food at occasions like in asados.

Transcripts for storytelling with R

E: So, for the research done to my community, which is the Argentinian community here in the United States. Today I am interviewing R in the form of storytelling. Hi. R: How are you doing?

R: I’m great. How are you?

n: I’m doing great, thank you. So I’d like to ask you to tell me your story of how your life has been here in the United States.

R: It’s been great. I came here when I was 14 years old. My parents brought me, I’m an only child, and I went to high school here. I don’t know if you knew, but there’s an Argentinian school in the area that I went every Saturday. It’s the Argentinian school. I really used to hate it because, you know, going to school on a regular basis Monday through Friday and going on Saturday. But it has helped me so much. When it comes to finding a job, I learned Spanish. I learned the Argentinian history, literature and geography. This, I graduated back in 89. I’ve been very close to the Argentinian community.  I have participated in this group called CEDA. My mother was the treasurer as well as the vice president at one point.  I always helped out. I consider myself to be very lucky. Um, I guess in a way I found my prince charming that is also from Argentina. For me, my culture it very important. I wanted to continue with my traditions, my customs were so particular when it comes to drinking mate in the morning, watching soccer games every Sunday. And since, you know, I was raised that way. I was looking for somebody to be part of my life and lived the same way with the same expectations and to speak the same. Every little details of everyday things were very important to me. So, I found, and I met somebody online.

We had a group of Argentinians throughout the United States, and he lived in New York. I lived here in the area. Six months after we wrote to each other, we decided to meet. This was 26 years ago. This year it’s gonna be our 25th anniversary. So I guess that really worked very well for us.  And I believe it has to do with the fact that I mentioned to you before that, you know, we drink mate in the morning. We like to keep our traditions. We speak Spanish to our kids. It’s actually, you know, Castellano, which is like the old Spanish mixed with Italian. And one of the other things that I believe has helped my marriage is traditions. We in Argentina are very advocated to family customs, to be together with friends. We value friendship in a different way than in here. And that’s why most of my friends, even though they come from different times, they have come to the, to the United States. But most of them are from the same country. So we have a lot of things in common. Even though we’re not so many in the community, we are very close.

Transcripts for interview with G 

E: So for my class of PPIA408, I was established to set an interview about a community, which in this case, the community being researched is the Argentinian community. I am here today with Gustavo, and I will set an interview to get as much information as I can about the Argentinean community. Hi G. How are you doing today?

G: Hi, E. Good. I’m good, thank you.

E: Okay! How long have you been living here in the United States?

G: I’ve [been] living [in the US] for 20 something years. First New York, then I moved back to the Washington area. Very happy, very good life, different country, different culture, and even though I don’t forget about mine, I’m very comfortable with the culture from the United States.

E: All right. Thank you very much. And what do you value most about your connection to Argentina, and what do you, uh, do about it?

G: Value the most. I’m trying to be very aware of what’s going on there because I have family and friends, but in the details that we can call, such as food and soccer, I’m trying to be connected with them. Not maybe daily, but yes, I’m very connected with them in the culture way of life because of soccer. I think it’s sports and it’s a way of culture, and the food that is kind of part of culture too.

E: Okay. So this is actually connected to the next question. What customs do you practice here in the US that you still have from Argentina?

G: That’s the barbecue we call asado. And [I] try to do it with my family as often as I can. And of course, playing soccer. That’s sports that I play since I was very young. And no more than that. I think that that’s the, the rest belongs to the United State way of life.

E: All right. Thank you very much for that. And one final question: what do you do to feel closer to your homeland?

G: Trying to be connected with my friends. I think that technology helps a lot. This is not the same thing that when came here for the first time, that the only connection was a phone call from a payphone. Very expensive. Now, technology allow[s] us to be connected daily in the daily matters, such as WhatsApp, video call or whatever. So, that’s the way I found very positive in this part of technology is very positive, you know?

E: All right. Thank you very much for your interview today. It’s been a pleasure.

G: My pleasure. Thank you very much for being here and for asking me all these questions.