Visionary Troubadour

“Yes, I’m British!  I love to queue, I want my tea and I need to go.”  I’m laughing at my young British friend’s retort to my teasing him about being so responsible.  He’s here in South America for 7 months, and he’s got a bunch of schedules he feels obligated to keep.  A beautiful kid.  Love how he connects with people.  He’s another teacher for me.  I interviewed him last night for my Visionary Troubadour podcast, coming soon.

I’ve been having good laughs here at the hostel calling all of the visitors who come and go by their country names, instead of the first names, and relating to them as if they are their countries and cultures.  Makes for great fun, and bringing the stereotypes out in the open and joking with them, I find, makes connecting beyond the stereotypes easier.

I’m having special fun bringing up all the inter-culturally taboo subjects, such as the Maldives islands and Falkland War, a subject my British friend might generally like to avoid, as the Argentines are still quite pissed at the British for it.  He gets asked what he thinks about the subject quite often.

I certainly don’t tame my criticism of American culture, and am challenging myself to express my views the same way no matter who is present.  In the past I often edited my expression to be extra considerate or honoring of those present, not wanting to offend those who might take offense.  I’m learning to express my views and experiences with the passion of standing fully in those views, rather than taming my expression as I learned to do growing up.  I love how expressive many of the Argentinian men here are, and the young guy who just bought this hostel is a teacher for me in this regard.