¡Qué chivo va' vos!

When adapting to a new culture, some things are easier to get used to than others. I talk to strangers in the streets with joy. I don’t mind kissing on the cheek. I’m totally okay with crappy buses and traffic jams. I use a lot of vulgar words back home in Sweden, too. So, what has been most difficult for me to adapt to since I arrived in El Salvador almost three weeks ago?

Perception of time. For a Swedish, Uppsala student like myself, “4 a clock” means 4.15. If you know you’ll arrive later than that, you call or send a message. Here, “4 a clock” means everything between 4.20 and 5.00. “Two minutes” means at least fifteen. And when you’re waiting for someone to make a decision, “Monday” may very well mean Wednesday or the week after. It’s frustrating, not least when you depend on someone else to get a ride or give you a permit.

Local expressions. The “Salvadoreño” is quite different from the “Madrileño” or other accents of the Spanish language. It took me about two weeks to begin to understand everyday talk over lunch between locals. I still have to concentrate quite hard, and I guess I will never get it all. But at least, I’ve gotten used to saying “vos” instead of “tú” (both means you, and it’s a bit hard because the verb is also changed with vos), I’ve learned that “mara” is not only a criminal gang but also means “people” and I use “chivo” (cool or great) frecuently myself. When someone calls you a “bitcha”, don’t feel insulted, because here it simply means “girl” (or in Swedish “tjej” more properly). "Perro" (dog) is substituted bye "chuchu", and when you’re drunk you’re usually "bolo" and not "borracho". Another difficult thing for me as a Swede is knowing exactly when to use "Usted" (formally You/Ni) and when it’s okay to switch to "vos" (you). The distance I feel when using "Usted" is also very strange to me.

Class society. In El Salvador, everybody is simply not equally treated. Of course, that goes for all societies in the world, but here it’s more visible than in Sweden. All families from lower middle class and upwards have servants. Either the servants come cleaning and cooking etc. regularly, or they live together with the family. It´s very hard for me to accept the fact that some people don’t have lives on their own but live to serve others, and that a vast majority of the grown up population never cracked an egg in their whole life. Also, respect for authority is extremely important in El Salvador. You don't get into an argument with your boss. You don't become friends with him or her, either. Powerful people are called "don" or "doña". For a Swede, this is a tricky part of social life. Whatever you do, remember that in El Salvador money and education means everything and everybody is NOT equal!

Religion. Catholicism is everywhere. In ads. On the walls inside buses. On cars (as on the one in the photo, quoting the Bible). In newspapers articles. In the language. Sometimes a bit annoying for me as an atheist, but most of the time I choose not to comment on it. If I do, I know I will get into a discussion. However, Salvadorans are in many ways quite liberal when it comes to religion, more liberal than many Americans (or “gringos” as you say here, since “American” is in fact everyone from the American continent). Furthermore, people have very different opinions regarding religion. Some go to church everyday, some don't. Some are in favor of abortion, some are not. Some want to marry, some don't.

Drink and drive. In this country, it’s simply not possible to avoid being in a car with a drunk driver. Refusing that would mean isolating yourself from your social life. Here, when I ask the driver to “please drive more carefully because you’ve been drinking”, he answers “don’t worry, there’s no police in this area at the moment”. And I feel so much safer…

Being socially limited. I’m used to being around a lot of friends, talking a lot and being able to express myself completely. Here, the language puts limits on me. My Spanish is good, but in a group of Salvadorans chatting away with each other, I obviously need to put a lot of effort in understanding all the details and being able to contribute to the discussion. Also, I’m more or less dependent on friends with cars to get around, since the bus system basically sucks. Another issue is that, because of lack of security, you cannot walk the streets or catch a bus at night, and some areas are best avoided all together. All this means a huge difference in lifestyle for me, and has been the biggest challenge so far.


In my opinion...

... Salvadoran "winter" is totally ok.
... no one should live more than an hour from the sea.
... Sweden have far too few ice cream shops.