Dr. Loser, how to you refer to Americans and the United States in South America? I remember from my high school Spanish (hace mas de viente anos), it is not sufficient to stay "American" because everyone in the Western Hemisphere is an "American" (I believe "gringo" and "norteno" are mostly terms used in Mexico). Similarly, "United States" is too broad a term since many countries could be the "United States of ....".