Rite of Passage: My First Spam From Argentina

The other day I got my first piece of spam e-mail from Argentina. I was actually pretty impressed. Whoever went to the trouble of culling the e-mail list did a good job, since the message was targeted towards English-speaking expats. Not bad.

The Spam

I would like to introduce my professional assistance. I am a BILINGUAL ARGENTINEAN PSYCHOLOGIST specializing in Cultural Literacy, Personal Development and Relationships. Fees are based on local standards. To contact me you can call me to my office: [number withheld] or you can send me an email to [email withheld].

Argentina and Psychoanalysts

Since we were talking about stereotypes yesterday, I thought it was very funny to share this little bit of stereotyping with all of you. If you don't already know, Argentina is famous for its psychoanalysts. There are more psychoanalysis per capita in Argentina than any other country in the world... similar to the situation with lawyers in the US.

I found it quite hilarious that I haven't even arrived in Buenos Aires yet, but already the psychoanalysts are after me! We always joke in the US about ambulance-chasing lawyers who are always after new clients. I wonder whether Argentina's psychoanalysts are always on the hunt for new patients? Maybe everyone in Argentina is already signed up, so they have to start looking at people who will be arriving within the next couple months and sign them up.

I've never had the need for psychoanalysis here in the US, so hopefully the huge demand for psychoanalysts in Argentina is merely a cultural thing. I'm hoping that Buenos Aires doesn't actually drive people crazy...