Colombia Forum

themedellingringo
Joined 2016
Posts: 194

6 years ago

"But I'm with her..."

6 years ago

Elevators and Planes!

So we are mostly Americans and Englishmen on this site and we all have been accustomed most of our lives to enjoying our space and and organized lines etc.

We all live here or have travelled here to Colombia and other Latin nations and the disregard for other peoples space and the complete lack of organized lines, formation of a line, waiting in a line is just not very important to latinos.

It's not there culture, I get it. SO, being a guest in Colombia I respect their culture and try not to let the space invaders and line ditchers get to me. (And this is really my only complaint here as I love living here)

After 3 years I still have my days where it can get to me. AGAIN, I am a guest of Colombia and therefore I play by their rules, as most of all do, I am assuming.

That said, as I do not return to the USA much, I did just recently. One of the things I was looking forward to is organized lines and respect for my space, you know, that "invisible 2-3 foot radius" that Americans give while walking, standing, or in a line.

On the plane, as YOU ALL know, Latinos on the back of the plane try to exit the plane before the passengers in the front can even get their bags from the overhead and exit themselves!

I don't get this and I never will.

Logic. Don't Latinos have any logic?

Does it make sense for anyone, of any ethinic group, to try to exit a plane before the people in front of you can exit? I mean, if you have to physically make contact with another human being to move 6 inches ahead, is that really logical?

So I'm about 11 rows back and as I exit my row, a Latino man slams into me and his oversized suitcase with still caster wheels slams into my f ing knee.

I tell him "Tranquillo!, There's a line for a reason." He spoke English and said "But I'm with her" as he pointed to the Latina who slammed and smashed her way through ahead of him knocking people out of the way only to be stopped in her tracks by an American man who laid into her for her actions. Ridiculous.

So I told the man that slammed into me that when I'm in your country, I respect your rules and chaos - you are in the US now, so get used to orderly lines and space and RESPECT it. "But I'm with her..." is all he kept saying. I mean, was this man going to melt and die if he wasn't 4" away from his girlfriend??? It's been 3 days and my knee is still sore from this idiot slamming hi suitcase into my knee.

The same goes with elevators. They try to get on the elevator before people can get off. I mean, when I am on the elevator, I purposely stand with my nose 1" from the door so I can't get off the elevator before Latinos entering the elevator try to push me to the back preventing me from exiting the elevator. I'm not a small guy either and they will still try to walk right through me, or others.

It's interesting, about 2 years ago the news started showing demonstrations about space, lines, and how to get on the Metro train and how to get off, how to form lines, how to give people space etc...it didn't really catch on. I haven't seen this in the news at all lately.

I/we, can't change the culture here but damn did it feel good to hit US soil and feel organization in the air.

In a fews days I'll be itching to return to my host country. Ironically, it's the disorder that attracted me to Colombia in the first place lol. But, I'm human, and sometimes the elevators and planes filled with Latinos can get to my last nerve.

Cheers!

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