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 descent 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.

Seba Valdez
http://www.bloglingual.wordpress.com