manhattan courtesies, latin passion

so like i'm comparing ny and miami. not totally fair. but hey, this is my blog.

one of the things i was taught by my sister is how courteous new yorkers are. they smile and say hello to each other. they hold the door for others. they say 'thank you' to the bus driver. totally new to us Filipinos to do that to complete strangers. its not because we are uncouth. i think it's simply our 'mahiyain' complex, something we share with other asians. unless we are properly introduced, we regard people as 'others'. and we keep to our own private spaces. perhaps also because of our colonial history. we were brainwashed to keep to ourselves and not speak out (look at what happen to jose, rizal that is. hehe). so it's a welcome surprise for me to actually communicate at this level with strangers. and they respond to it, not always warmly but it is certainly acknowledged!

miami south beach (the only area i know, haha) has a lot of latinos, particularly cuban. so you really feel that latin vibe around. (and curiously soooo many italian restaurants, too) the accent remains very thick. and i feel strong personalities all around. even as they serve you behind the counter, their voices are quite loud, enunciation is heavy. strong and assertive, and again that's a lot to handle for the mahiyaing Pinoy. Not necessarily combative, but just expressive. i guess its really latin passion, more than anything else. i like the way they proudly retain their cultural identity in the U.S. it also reminds me of my own sisters, who manage NOT to sound like americans when they speak in English. and i am proud of them for not super-assimilating the american culture.