“What the Mo Fo???!!!”

Spanish society is so... different. Spanish people are beautiful, warm, outgoing and they talk like crazy. They value collectivity and are refreshingly active in their communities. On the other hand, I have also found that many are offensively direct, almost filterless, and most politically incorrect; in words and in actions.

Being educated in the Toronto Public School system, we are taught “If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all”. We are taught to be conscious of and attentive to indiscrepancies that may occur in cultural translation.

I craved that sensitivity today when an international student approached the front desk on the brink of tears. When I asked her what was wrong they finally rolled down her cheeks. She swallowed hard and explained that the cashier who had just tended to her at the supermarket literally threw her change back at the counter.

Seeing her cry made me want to do the same. I may have proved a bit more tough-skinned in situations like this one, overlooking to southern Spanish aggressiveness which quite frankly bothered me too. Even so, I knew exactly how she felt.

Just an example of the uttermost importance that hospitality and manners hold. They make each moment. Also an example of why it is important to be open and tolerant. We don’t all share the same customs and we were not all raised in the same home. We were definitely not all educated in the Toronto Public School system.

Aware of this fact, one question has been pestering for a while...Can enough ever be enough for the consciously anti-cultural imperialist?

I often find myself puzzled, making grimaces in random places and mouthing “What the Mo Fo???!!!”