Fire vs. Ice

Ok before I moved to South America, one of the main things and aspect I noticed about the latino culture from tv was their love for the rhythm of their music to the likes of samba or salsa. Music that just gives flavor and life the parties. That just sets in my head about the people that would ignite the wonder of how these people would to be generally in real life.

Technique I should know… I myself am latino of decent with both my parents being from Paraguay, a small nation in South America. But there is one factor here, I was born in Canada and lived there for pretty much my whole life, where my parents left me with little teachings on where I came and other kinds of things such as my family history or the full detailed aspects of the Paraguay culture, or latin culture in general. So you might say that I can be ignorant towards my peoples history, that is til one day I made a big decision that would change my life.

I moved in with my mom to Paraguay after my folks divorced and I was in my middle teens at the time. So here I am with a particular mindset and way of being vs. a foreign atmosphere where I had little education about it prior. Over the years I had many friends from being the locals, to some various exchange students over the time.

But one reoccurring theme as come to mind, despite the different in appearance was the difference in character traits.

To speak in a broad sense, the americans and even europeans has more of colder traits than the latino counterpart, over here for example would be a common known faux paux where if you do not greet one when you enter a group of people then the person in question would take much great offense than one would in a similar situation in a north american setting. The latinos are known to be considered a warm people where they greet someone, even if they don’t them very well they would greet them anyways with a more forward approach, so you can say that the latinos would be more friendly in that major form of human interaction. However you the reader wouldn’t be as colourful to others if you don’t know them very well. I am speaking in a general sense remember, I don’t refer you the reader as an individual but as a whole in the american, british canadian etc. population.

Life here in south america can have it’s advantages if you want to make alot of friends easily for instance the “clique” subculture seems to be virtually non-existent in their school systems and I have heard about many testimonials from the exchange students (nearly all of them) saying that it is def. easier to talk to people and have an overall great time down here and never want to leave.

Family is another very important aspect to the culture, whereas the sense of a true family unit is greatly more extended and reconized with a thicker sense of loyal to the family. That would be one of the reasons that I moved here since ALL of my family resides in this country, over the years I have learned to greatly appreciate them more so than ever, unlike from living in Canada where I felt lonely and was very far from my true family so I wouldn’t get alot of unconditional support I do here in Paraguay.

If you are one that ends up marrying someone of the latin race please keep in mind their strong affection for family and respect that by being respectable towards them. Should be easy since they are generally as I said a warm people would then see as truely part of family.

Other more common traits with the latinos can be how they are more comfortable with taking louder, exaggerated gestures and lots physical contact between each other, which contributes to their “fire” persona.

So we go back to their music, I say that the music is a great representation and reflection as a latin culture as a whole which tend to be warm and upbeat in nature mixed in other types and common traits like modesty for example.