Is it any wonder that living in the United States, especially in the Midwest, can be a culturally isolating experience?
We only need to speak one language, and we don’t even need to speak it very well. TV news only seems to care about other countries when there’s a war or disaster. Newspapers began delivering less foreign news 20 years ago, in part because corporate owners realized how much they could save by eliminating reporters and focus-groups convinced managers no one wanted to read it.
I recently had the privilege of spending July and August in Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru. To help counteract this American focus inward, here are 10 ways North America is different from South America, as I saw it.
1. North America is kind of Catholic. South America is CATHOLIC. The Virgin Mary graces many dashboards in Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru, especially in buses and taxis.
(You can never be too careful.) But Catholicism and Christianity are flexible: a centuries-old painting of the Last Supper hanging in a Cusco, Peru, cathedral features a main course of guinea pig, a local delicacy.
2. Good cheeseburgers are difficult to find, largely because of the absence of stateside-style buns. But chicken is always good, especially in the roasted-chicken restaurants that use large ovens to cook several chickens at once on spits rotating over hot coals or wood.
3. Every time you order juice in South America (pineapple, apple, orange, etc.), it is fresh-squeezed, never from a can or bottle. Sometimes you get it mixed with soy milk, which is not bad. Maybe this is partly because freezers and refrigerators are expensive devices and far from universally owned.
4. There are many more security guards in South America than North America. They watch over banks, large stores, small corner groceries and even richer people’s houses. Regular police officers tend to guard the banks, but, like teachers, are paid very little for their work — maybe $50 a month. But a local river rafting guide for wealthy, adventurous tourists can make $200 in a day.
5. Buses are not just secondary public transportation in South America; they are muy importante — and inexpensive. Without them, most people couldn’t get anywhere. It costs about $1 an hour to travel from city to city in the three countries I visited. In the cities, taxis, combis (mini vans that travel designated routes), and trufis (the same, but with cars) are important, especially in La Paz, Bolivia.
6. North America is very wealthy and well developed. By comparison, much of central South America is poor, with fewer paved roads, especially in Bolivia. If you’re a poor or unemployed American and think this country is a tough place to make a living, visit the high Bolivian desert or the Peruvian Andes, where there often isn’t even a steady source of drinkable water.
7. In South America, children are free to play, dance and hurt themselves much more than in North America. But their economic or family situations also often force them to work as shoe shiners or street vendors, for example selling postcards in Cusco, Peru’s main plaza.
8. Culturally speaking, women take a back seat to men. Couples often date one person and marry young. I received slightly weird looks when I told people I was 29 years old and single.
9. There are many, many more stray animals — especially dogs — in South America, but they’re not threatening; you really only have to worry about the territorial dogs that are guarding property. Nor are these animals neutered or spayed.
10. Time is relative — just as Einstein said — in South America. Although North Americans are often terribly upset at the unexpected loss of five minutes, South Americans are often more tranquilo, meaning roughly that if it doesn’t happen today, it will happen tomorrow. It’s an acceptance of the fact that not everything works exactly as planned. Perhaps because of this attitude, things seem to have a way of working out in South America: flat tires and engines get fixed, and people eventually get where they have to go.
This article appears in Sep 12-18, 2001.