Latin Culture and my Personal Pariah Complex

Latin culture is a lot more like this than I was prepared to believe.

People here love doing everything in groups. And when they find something pleases them they get really excited. Like the kind of excitement provoked by finding George Clooney on one knee with a ring in his hand when you open the door to go get the mail. Or finding that you life story is being made into a blockbuster film and Natalie Portman is playing you, although you have done not much more than worked a mid-level job and wrote a drole blog.

But I mean this sort of excitement is delivered here when you ask them if they’d like to have a drink or maybe haven’t seen them in about 39 minutes.

I’m much more like this….

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I reserve my excitement for things that are truly exciting. Like when they called the election for Obama or finally seeing Tom Waits live.

I also like to do things alone, which is more than frowned upon here. (Not a big tango in groups on the street kinda gal.)

I’m not very sexy…there I said it.

Plus I enjoy one thing more than anything…being negative.

Complaining soothes my soul in it’s deep recesses. But people here think negativity is… well… negative. I see more as in taking out the trash so you can enjoy the few really good things around you. I mean how well can you appreciate the good if you can’t deliver on just how truly awful the bad is? And why not take a little fun out of what you hate by making a joke in it…what’s wrong with that?

Well so it seems it’s just “wrong” for no reason fully understood by myself. People here want you to be happy.    All    The      Time.

It’s exhausting.

Plus you always have to say you really love their city. As they all think it is the best, most fascinating and exciting place on Earth. You can’t like the city. You must love it. If not they take it very personally and are dead set on proving you wrong. Either by forcing aguardente upon you or extolling it’s unique profile.

I’m much more like yeah well….does it have ukulele’s, public parks, and independent movies? The answer to all three is “no”.