A Battle of Testosterone

Photos above were obtained from www.endi.com

This morning, as I was reaching for the newspaper, I just couldn't believe my eyes. The front-page headline read as follows: "Como Heroé" (translation: "Like a Heroe") and it was accompanied by the second photo you see above. Here in PR, this past weekend, it was all about boxing. In fact, for two days in a row, the coverpage of all the local papers has been about boxing. This most recent match took place in New York's Madison Square Garden, and it was between the American Shane Mosley and (as you probably would've guessed by now) the Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto. As it turns out, there was no knockout. So, the judges had to decide the winner and they unanimously proclaimed Cotto as the winner. It was, by most accounts, an "excellent" fight.

Boxing, along with baseball and basketball, is extremely popular here. Personally, I just don't find boxing interesting. Inflicting pain on someone, and basking in the glory of it, is not something I enjoy watching. However, I think the popularity of boxing has to do with something more profound. Latino men are often stereotyped to be the macho type. From what I've seen, although there are always exceptions, I beg to differ. On the contrary, I see women as being more dominant and in control. Most of the gentlemen that I know are very attentive and loving to their wives/girlfriends and their mothers too! So, what to do with all that testosterone? Naturally, when they are amongst other males, they tend to talk a lot and they refer to their significant other as "mi mujer" (translation: "my woman").

The second outlet for Latino men to release their testosterone is through boxing. Perhaps, it allows them to maintain a sense of manhood. Sure, the men here are more aggressive and flirtatious. However, beneath that facade, you'll encounter a lot of love and tenderness.

Musical Implications

The image above is from www.grammy.com/latin

I am embarrassed to say this, but my first concert ever was to see Menudo. For those of you who have never heard of Menudo, believe me, you're not missing out on much. They were very popular in the 80's, a teenage boy band from Puerto Rico. Interestingly, Ricky Martin began his career as a Menudo member. Needless to say, Ricky has certainly moved on to bigger and better things. Latin music has also evolved over the years. As demonstrated by the 8th Latin Grammy Awards, which were held last night in Las Vegas. Most importantly, it is an example of how important the Latino population has become in the U.S.

According to the latest statistics published by the U.S Census Bureau, in 2006, Latinos comprise 14.8% (roughly 44.3 million) of the U.S population. Thus, making this the largest (and the fastest-growing) minority group in the U.S. Growing up in New York, many of my Latino classmates were Nuyoricans (New Yorkers of Puerto Rican descent). Unfortunately, although they spoke Spanish, we only spoke to each other in English. Thus, last night, when Ricky Martin urged young Latinos not to lose the ability to speak their language, it struck a chord in me. I have numerous friends and acquaintances, whose parents immigrated to the U.S from other parts of the world, that can't speak their parents' native tongue. Obviously, it's not entirely their fault. However, I think it's a shame when we focus too much on being "American." There are many who strive to assimilate into mainstream society, to be accepted, which means to focus on speaking English only. However, I think last night's awards ceremony illustrates the conscientious effort of those who realize that you can be both Latino and American.

The Latin Grammys is a wonderful celebration of the beauty of Latino music in the U.S. It also goes to show that things in life are not necessarily always in black or white. The definition of being American can be very difficult and complicated, and it comes in many different layers. Instead of considering the U.S as a 'melting pot', I've always preferred the 'salad bowl' description, and this is one of the things I love most about the U.S. By the way, since this is my blog, I'd like to congratulate a friend of mine who worked on the Calle 13 album. He won a Grammy last night!! Woo hoo! Congrats!

Invading the South

Pictures of Guayama's town center

Being the coffee lovers that we are, I wanted to go visit Hacienda Buena Vista, which is a working coffee plantation located near the city of Ponce. It is the second largest city in Puerto Rico, and is located in the southern part of the island. So, my Mother and I hit the road. Driving around the island is something my family and I have always enjoyed. We love road trips. Amazingly, we rarely carry a map around with us. After all, we're in an island, how lost can we get?

Well, as it turns out, we got lost. We never made it to Hacienda Buena Vista. It certainly didn't help that the highway, which was newly constructed, didn't have any signs posted anywhere. We asked several people, but they just pointed us in the wrong direction and it also started raining quite hard. To make the most of our trip, we decided to visit Ponce instead. Unfortunately, we didn't find anything interesting. We started heading back to San Juan, when I saw a sign for Guayama, which is a small city not too far from Ponce. I was curious, and feeling a bit adventurous, so we just took the exit. We drove around this small city and came across various local bars and the town center. It was practically deserted, but I thought it was really pretty. Unfortunately, these days, most people prefer to visit the local shopping mall instead of taking a stroll in the plaza. What a shame!

All in all, it was great getting out of San Juan. We didn't end up at our intended destination. However, it was a fun and spontaneous road trip. Nevertheless, I'm going to purchase a map and put it in my car.

The Quirks of Island Living

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...