I am no stranger to island living. However, life in the island of Manhattan is quite distinct from life in the island of Puerto Rico and I embrace the differences. For starters, strangers actually greet each other here. The other day, when I was at the dentist's office, I found myself saying "buenos dias" to every person walking through the door. This is something I enjoy tremendously about this place, in general, people are just very warm and friendly. In New York, people don't even look at each other!
Needless to say, I've been breaking a lot of the social behavioral rules I followed from my days as a New Yorker. These days, I talk to strangers too... (gasp)! I suppose the local people find it fascinating... a chinita (translation: Chinese girl) who can speak Spanish without much of an accent. So, I am often approached by people who are simply curious. They usually ask me how long I've been living here, if I own a restaurant and if I have children. Oh, how I love defying stereotypes! People often look at me in awe, or perhaps they're just a bit disappointed. I suppose that's just one of the quirks of being me...
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