Yanquis

The origin of the term Yankee is blurry.

If anyone cares, some claim Yankee was a derogatory term the English slapped on the Dutch in the early New England days. Another theory has it that the indigenous population pronounced “English”, as Yengis, and eventually Yankee stuck. Some claim it’s a variation of the French word anglais…

Whatever the origin, the use of the term Yankee (or yanqui as it’s spelt down here) is common place in Argentina and has one unmistakeable meaning: a US citizen.

Note: since Canadians are always confused with Americans, they often fall into the yanqui category. Since the term is not derogatory and I don’t have any serious reservations about being mistaken for an American, I have come to accept being mislabelled as a yanqui-argentino.

Most Argentines, myself included, generally enjoy the growing presence yanqui expats or at the very least get great laughs from mocking the stereotypical yanqui tourists. Many of the expats I’ve met down here are well-educated, cultured, and have embraced Argentine society with a passion I have never witnessed.

My opinion of the gringo community in Costa Rica was not so positive. During my year in Ticolandia, I quickly learned that San Jose is a giant casino and brothel for thousands of degenerate Americans, who flock from such cultural bastions as Tampa Bay and Key West, Florida.

Degenerates aside, most people visit Costa Rica for its natural beauty. The result is that the tiny paradise of biodiversity is overcrowded, overflowing with tourist traps, and the locals are left with an image of the American population which is not too encouraging.

While Argentina does have its natural paradises, most foreigners come for the cultural activities - which thanks to the latest economic crisis are available at bargain prices. Visitors are almost always pleasantly surprised by the passionate porteño way-of-life, the crazy nightlife, the huge cuts of steak and Italian delicacies, the fútbol fever, and the rich tradition in tango, music, literature, arts and cinema.

While there are countless tourist traps and sex tourism businesses, Buenos Aires is so large and offers so much more, that it is not in danger of becoming a 1950s Havanna or a modern day San José.

The expats I have met and befriended in the past few months provide some anecdotal evidence for this generalization.

In the social sector, I became good friends with the director of HelpArgentina, Lloyd Nimetz, as well as a various inspirational members of the team. The organization provides a fundraising bridge between the international donor community and the Argentine social sector.

Although it is a relatively new organization, they have undertaken the ambitious mission of connecting over 30 hardworking, yet often isolated and financially constrained nonprofits with the global philanthropic marketplace. By becoming part of HelpArgentina’s network, an NGO is certified as a transparent, efficient and ethical organization. This certification in turn leads to greater credibility and visibility in the international donor community.

This past month I attended their award ceremony titled Social Ambassadors 2005, Solidarity without Borders. I watched five people working overseas to help the Argentine social sector receive recognition for their work.

Picture: Here are members of the HelpArgentina staff after the award ceremony.

Two weeks later, HelpArgentina held their first annual International Solidarity Night. The event mobilized 1200 people to participate in 80 dinners in 24 cities, in 11 countries, in order to raise money for 26 different social organizations in Argentina.

My family, along with Lloyd, hosted a dinner to support Los Piletones neighbourhood council. My grandfather, who has been volunteering in the barrio for a few years now, has always pointed out that a huge obstacle to development is the lack of sustainable funding for vital infrastructure. He was pleasantly surprised by how such a young, expat-led organization, such as HelpArgentina, could demonstrate such a strong sense of international solidarity.

Picture: My family, along with Lloyd from HelpArgentina (standing far right) and Monico Ruejas from Los Pilotenos (sitting down, far left) at the International Solidarity Night.

My father, who lives in Toronto, also held a dinner for the same cause by inviting about 20 of his Argentine friends to a typical Argentine dinner at his house.

Buenos Aires’ social scene also has its share of yanqui movers and shakers. YesBA, aka Young Expatriates' Society of Buenos Aires, provides an online bulletin for expats to get together, find someone to practice their Spanish with, find roommates, etc. On the first Thursday of every month, YesBA holds a wine tasting/art gallery gathering for expats to mingle.

Through the blogosphere, I have kept up with several interesting expat journals.

Robert’s line of sight covers a broad array of topics, from a insightful post on the Cromañon tragedy to photos of the latest stencil graffiti. I had the chance to meet Robert and get to know his Urban Explorer walking tours first-hand when he took me on his Recoleta Cemetery tour. His knowledge of Buenos Aires history is impressive. I highly recommend him to anyone wanting to know more about Buenos Aires, particularly off-the-beaten-path.

A couple of more expat blogs which have caught my eye are: GoodAirs and Buenos Aires, City of Faded Elegance. At GoodAirs, Ian and Cintra cover a wide variety of contemporary issues from an inquisitive, and often humourous, journalistic point of view. At City of Faded Elegance, Jeff, a librarian by trade, always provides a thoughtful take on literary Argentina, as well as covering other themes.

Lastly - as I realize what time it is - I have Monday night soccer games with a group of American and European expats. The level of play is surprisingly competitive. Not quite as cut throat as playing with a bunch of Argentines, but at least the sportsmanship means that we can all enjoy post-game drinks and pizza without holding any game-time grudges…