Among their many peculiarities, Argentines are known for speaking Spanish like Italians (ciao bella!), their supposedly sexy 'shh shh' way of pronouncing y's and double l's (say eh-sha for 'ella', ca-shay for 'calle' and sho for 'yo'), and their prolific use of local slang. One particular word, ¡che!, is so ubiquitous that my porteño friends don't even hear it as it's thrown around. (It's similar to us Californians and our use of 'like'.) So far, it hasn't failed to delight me every time I hear ¡che!--be it in animated arguments on the street, in hushed conversations in the subway and of course amongst friends, porteño and extranjero alike.
In November 2009, I set off for an extended backpacking trip through South America. The plan: in six months, travel from Rio to Bogota, visiting old friends and exploring new sights along the way. Three months into the journey, and still in Brasil, my original idea (and return flight) were scrapped, and life set free in this great big world began.
Among their many peculiarities, Argentines are known for speaking Spanish like Italians (ciao bella!), their supposedly sexy 'shh shh' way of pronouncing y's and double l's (say eh-sha for 'ella', ca-shay for 'calle' and sho for 'yo'), and their prolific use of local slang. One particular word, ¡che!, is so ubiquitous that my porteño friends don't even hear it as it's thrown around. (It's similar to us Californians and our use of 'like'.) So far, it hasn't failed to delight me every time I hear ¡che!--be it in animated arguments on the street, in hushed conversations in the subway and of course amongst friends, porteño and extranjero alike. 
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