All of the girls love him, all of the guys want to be him! Sophomore Sebastian Salazar, a business administration major originally from Lima, Peru, is celebrating Latin American Heritage month with the Brackety-Ack by giving us a peek inside his culture and how he differs from American men in the scope of dating, romance and the importance of the little things.
Chillier in America
“In Latino culture, we are known to be very romantic. Coming to the US, I’ve seen men date girls and it’s just different. From my point of view, at least, they seem to be colder, not as romantic as we would be!”
Why Do Fools Fall in Love?
“Us Latinos, we do stupid stuff for the people we date. For example, I used to sleep next to my ex and she would sleep on top of my arm, and in the morning I would wake up and I wouldn’t feel my arm because it would be numb! But to me, I didn’t care. It was worth it. Those are the little things that we might do that someone else wouldn’t. I’ve talked to my American friends and none of them are willing to do that.”
Stand Out From the Crowd
“Some people have told me straight up that because I’m Latino, they’re into people like me. I wasn’t used to it back home, because no one would come up to me and say ‘Oh, you’re Latino,’ because obviously, I’m in my own country. Here it’s different. It kind of makes you stand out from everyone else.”
Suave, Sealed, Delivered
“A lot of people get us confused with always being flirty with a girl when we’re just being nice. We are usually very welcoming, very caring.we don’t come in straight up saying “hey, what’s up, give me your phone number. We like to get to know them first, joking around with them, making sure she smiles and make sure she’s engaged in the conversation. It’s something we have within us that makes us stand out I’ve heard the word suave so many times. If you approach an American girl, then you make sure she knows about and is interested in your cultural background and stuff like that, so it makes the conversation more interesting.”
A Ladies Man?
“My friends sometimes see me talking to a lot of girls, and just talking on a friendly matter! Simply because I’m Latino, just because I talk to a girl doesn’t mean that I’m going to proceed and take it farther! My friends straight up will tell me ‘You look like a player because you’re talking to all these girls’ and I’m like, ‘Can I not have friends? Damn!’ That’s just the way Latinos are, in comparison to other people!”
Oui, Oui?
“The only competition we really have is with Frenchmen! Besides that, Americans ain’t got nothing on us! It’s just not the same!”
Chivalry is NOT Dead
Be kind. Some of these people here, they just wanna have a one night thing. Even if you don’t, you still have to be kind to the girl. Do little things! Open the door, talk to her, smile at her.
I’ve done this so many times: If a girl is coming with her hands full to sit down, pull the chair out for her. Let her sit and then push her in. It’s the little things that matter.
Everyone Likes a Laugh
Be a friend. Be funny! Have a sense of humor! You don’t have to be serious and straight up and give them your number. Don’t do anything through text if you can do it face-to-face. She’s gonna remember that more than just a single text.
Just Dance
This is an advantage we have: we can dance! Spanish music, that’s a big advantage. You can take any American girl and they are going to be amazed. I’ve done it, it works! You gotta learn how to dance.
The Little Things
“If you’re dating someone, that person becomes your everything. That’s how it is for us, in my culture. Take a girl on a date, not necessarily to a really fancy restaurant. Go on a walk, give her some flowers, it’s the little things. For people here, it might take some practice, but little things matter.”
