Because the g-word is (1) too loaded to serve as my moniker, and (2) I am more American than I care to admit.
Some reader is probably wondering, ‘Isn’t it incorrect nowadays to use the term American when referring to someone from the United States? Aren’t all people from South America Americans as well?”
Well, yes, for a long time that is what I thought, too. However, since moving to Lima, I find myself frequently referred to by Peruvans as the Americana (female American). The word appears to be synonymous with North American down here. Further, I haven’t as yet heard a single Peruvian identify herself (or himself) as an Americana or Americano.
As long Peruvians continue to call me an Americana, I’ll keep the name on this blog.
But if anyone wants to buy me this cool t-shirt from Latin Laundry, a “Pan-Latino” clothing company in New Jersey, they’re welcome to do so. Like the lollipop.
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11 responses so far ↓
1 Larry in Miami // Feb 24, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Hola, American in Lima.
“Americana”? Yes, it is politically incorrect, but here in Miami, you wouldn’t be an “Americana,” you’d be an “Anglo.” That’s the Cuban Miami way.
2 Teresa // Aug 13, 2008 at 9:55 pm
As long as they don’t call you an “estadounidense.” Ugh. That’s just so contrived and clumsy sounding, don’t you think? I think I’d rather be called a gringa than a united statesean:-)
3 Barb // Aug 13, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Teresa, I can’t even pronounce “estadounidense.” What a mouthful. Too contrived, as you say.
“Gringa” is not the nicest word, but it’s short and easy to say. So many words in Spanish have six or seven syllables, and I stumble all over them in conversation. At least when I use “gringa” or “Americana,” people know what I’m talking about here.
4 Miguel Fuentes // Nov 15, 2008 at 7:17 am
Well, I always say “estadounidense” which literally means United Statesian
In my family, we would never say words like “gringa”, “negro”, “chino”, “cholo”, “indio”, etc, we have always avoided that.
Anyways, it’s funny, I always thought that we Peruvians referred to people from the US as estadounidenses.
5 Barb // Nov 15, 2008 at 11:23 am
Wow, “estadounidense” is a mouthful for me. I will have to work on that pronunciation.
Yea, I hate all the ethnic/racial labels that people use here. They are very common.
6 Miguel Fuentes // Dec 1, 2008 at 12:08 pm
I know pronunciation must be very bad for English speakers because it’s a very long word with many syllables.
About the ethnic/racial labels, most people say it in a non despicable way, and it’s mostly a cultural way to describe someone with certain traits. So mostly it’s not racist.
But, like everywhere else, there are also people in Peru who can be racist, and this people can be Caucasian Peruvian, Hispanic Peruvian, Amerindian Peruvian, Afroperuvian, Asian Peruvian. and mixed Peruvians.
7 Miguel Fuentes // Dec 1, 2008 at 12:09 pm
So I pretty much everybody. And, there are also people like me and my family who prefer not to use those words as well
8 Sarsparilla // Dec 26, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I hate that word gringo. Equally, my (peruvian) partner gets really rattled if I call him ‘americano’, and refuses to be included in the category.
Mind you, seems the only status nationalities in peru are german and swiss. A reflection of foreign investment?
9 Barb // Jan 2, 2009 at 7:32 pm
Mind you, seems the only status nationalities in peru are german and swiss. A reflection of foreign investment?”
Maybe. I do meet a lot of Germans in Peru, and many of them are involved in good, forward-thinking projects. It seems that Germans have been in Peru for many decades…
10 Gabriela // Aug 20, 2009 at 10:22 am
My canadian husband gets called “gringo”as well. He hates it!
Even though “americana” is not geographically appropriate, I would keep it if I was you , “estadounidense” or “gringa” wouldn’t sound very well.
11 Nano // Oct 1, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Saying that people from the US are the ‘real’ Americans and that the rest are either Central Americans or South Americans is rather insulting, as if we were some kind of backyard. We’re all Americans. Americo Vespucci arrived in Venezuela. America is the New World, as a whole.
Gringo, at least in Peru, is not an insult.
Cheers!
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