It’s true confession time here at Latin Travel VIP. I have been REALLY stupid with some of the chicas I have had dealings with over the years. And it wasn’t just once, it was multiple times. Luckily for me, my mistakes only cost me money, and did not result in physical harm or jail time. Nevertheless, realizing that I have been and still can be quite an idiot bothers me. Thus, for what it’s worth, I’ll try to pass along some advice that I wish I had taken many years ago.
[rau]
I used to think I was a pretty good judge of character. I found out the hard way that I WAY overestimated my abilities. In some respects, I think I WAS a good judge of character, but ONLY regarding my fellow gringos. I usually spotted the bozos and posers very quickly. Ah, but with the chicas, I didn’t do nearly as well.
One part of me knew that there was a gulf of language, culture and finances between me and the chicas I was associating with. I tended to trust the instincts that seemed to work well in detecting worthless gringos and mistakenly trusted them in my dealings with the prepagos.
First of all was the language problem. Although I spoke functional Spanish, it’s a far cry from being a native speaker. The subtleties in English that I was unconsciously using to judge my fellow gringos was missing in my dealings, in Spanish, with the chicas. I didn’t grow up in poverty, either, like a majority of the working chicas did. They may dress well, and they may be well-mannered, but they are often going home to a place you would consider a slum.
Bottom line: You aren’t in Kansas (or Florida) any more. Don’t rely on your instincts. It’s a JUNGLE out there. Beware. Use your BIG brain.
Your instincts don’t apply.