Recently, I've been part of two different conversations with native Spanish speakers that have surprised me a great deal. I knew none of these people all that well.
In the first conversation, I learned about how this person had had an long-term affair with a married man. In the second conversation I listened while a wife complained to everyone that she couldn't have children and that she was pissed at her husband (who was present for the conversation) because he had a child from a previous relationship and didn't want any more.
At one point during the second instance, everyone noticed I was sitting there dumbfounded with my mouth wide open and asked if I could follow the conversation or if they were speaking too quickly. I could follow the conversation just fine, but did I understand it? No. The thing is, these conversations would NEVER have occurred in English. I was surprised in both instances by how openly these people were speaking about VERY private things. In the States, these things are saved for close friends. We do not tend to air our dirty laundry with strangers.
Claudia has confirmed that this is how Latinos (and apparently Spaniards) work. Got something on your chest? Just let in on out! I guess there's good and bad to both approaches. In the States, we often hold things in when we shouldn't. However, that doesn't mean people need to know all of our drama. Sometimes conversations turn a little too heavy when you're being completely honest.
No comments:
Post a Comment