Most of the time the cultures of Argentina and the UK dovetail quite nicely, heck we even share our sense of ironic humour, something which is completely beyond our friends in the northern hemisphere despite our (allegedly) shared roots. However, like dropping a magnet into a dish of iron filings, it is sometimes something quite small which causes our normally harmonious cultures to polarise completely, and serves to demonstate that we actually are on the other side of the world. Tomato-tomato… or in this case, rain.
The heavens open, the good Argentinean mother gathers up her brood, bundles them indoors, and adds three more layers of clothing “por las dudas” (just in case). The careless British mother says, “Hey look Joni, it’s raining, shall we go and splash in some puddles? … How about we swap your trousers and trainers for some shorts and sandels so it doesn’t matter if you get them wet…?” The good Argentinean mother brews tea and biscuits for her brood, now carefully arranged in front of the TV, while the careless British mother is at this moment outside and up to her ankles in muddy water, holding her son’s hand, and studiously ignoring the looks and occasional comments of the neighbours.
I’ve learnt that to answer “it’s fine, he’s never been ill yet” doesn’t actually lead to the neighbours realising that there is a link between allowing your child to develop some defenses, and therefore not getting sick, and the normal response is a whithering look, communicating “well you’ve been lucky then haven’t you….” One of my many questions about Argentina is from where was born the belief that the human body has no natural ability either to protect, or to heal itself; hence the cotton-wool treatment of kids so they don’t get sick, and then the rush to pump them full of chemicals at the sound of the first sneeze.
So, after all that, I was deeply grateful to the grandmotherly figure who smiled indulgently at us as Joni splashed past, and said “he’s healthy isn’t he!” I would have hugged her, but as I was soaked she might not have appreciated it.