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Can't we all just get along?

I'd like to say hi, I am a 20 year old male from Miami, FL of 1/2 Cuban, 1/4 Peruvian and 1/4 Colombian descent. Most of my life living in Miami I've really only known the Cubano side. I am tired of this. I have met some of my South American family and have really started to want to learn more about these two great cultures and am planning a trip to both countries in the next few months. As you can probably assume, the reason why I haven't been as close to the South American sides is because of the way that the Colombian/Peruvian sides constantly fight over who is better and because of this I have only become very close with the Cubano Side who don't have the whole "South American rivalry" going on. It seems to me like the Peruvian side is more willing to be friendly with the Colombian side, but the Colombian side seems to think they are much better, you know what I'm getting at. I'd also like to say that my Peruvian family come from San Isidro, a nice district of Lima, and are all very light. My Colombian family is all from Bogota, also very light, but I don't know as much about them because I haven't seen them very much growing up. I really want to be a uniting force. We are all Latinos living in America, we share the same language regardless of how "different" each country speaks and outside of Miami no one cares enough to distinguish us from the "Mexicans". I just want to know what most of you think of Peru, and if native Colombians are really as stuck up as I've grown to believe.

any input would be great. thanks.

By style305 on Sep 11, 2005, 18:21 in Friendly Talkzone.

kernow62 says on Sep 11, 2005, 19:20:

I think they might be as stuck up as Miami Cubans.

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toneloc24 says on Sep 11, 2005, 20:52:

Shiny Happy People??? Yeah right. It would be a valiant thought/effort on your part. And I could definitely understanding you wanting to try. However, you might be in for a rude awakening. Esp. in trying to unite Colombians with Peruvians. That cultural war's been going on for many years.

I've extensively been around people from both countries. This might be a complete generalization, but in my experience, the Peruvians are way more friendly and humble than Colombians. Less pretense all around. They tend not to shy away from their indio roots. However, if you call someone indio in Colombia, be prepared to duck. LOL!!!

Good luck with your experiment. If you head to Bogota and find it a bit too pretentious, you can always check out Barranquilla one weekend. It's hot as hell, but they party like nowhere else in the country. And the people are generally less pretentious.

Funny you should write this. I'm actually in the middle of debating where to head to on my next trip, back to Barranquilla or down to Lima. I know San Isidro, but will probably stay in Miraflores.

"Don't tase me, bro!!!!"

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tomtom33 says on Sep 12, 2005, 06:35:

I feel your pain. I'm half Norwegian and half Swede.

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zair says on Sep 12, 2005, 07:10:

we are not that bad! I come from a Colombian decend. I would not trade it for any other culture in the world. It is not that Colombians are stuck up, we are just extremely patriotic. I live in St. Cloud Florida and a born Canadian. My parents are both Colombian and I have been in the US most of my life. As you can see I also have gotten a taste of different cultures and got the pleasure of interacting with many peruvians when I lived up North. (that being NJ)In my experience the peruvian people I knew were kind and like everyone else thought that peru is the best place on earth. I think that the rivalry between the two is that when it comes to sports (soccer) both countries battle to see who is the best. I think we are both very lucky to live in a country with so much diversity. Is there rivalry? yes! will it ever go away? I don't think so. Every person will shoot for what they can relate to more. In my case I think the dialects are different when you call someone an Indio in colombia it might be offensive but I am sure that there are words that we use that to Peruvians are also offensive. I don't think that Colombians are as bad as they sound. There are all kinds of people everywhere. So it depends how you look at it. I love peruvian food and cuban food. So there! I hope one day I can go to peru and see all of the beauty that this country has to offer. I invite you to go to colombia. You will fall in love not only with the country but also with the people. Believe me I know.

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kernow62 says on Sep 12, 2005, 07:17:

So Zair did you manage to get to either of the Colombian fiestas in Orlando?

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Caballista says on Sep 12, 2005, 09:32:

Wellcome to Colombian Life. In Colombia we love everybody, and we respect everybody, and we have open doors and hearts for everybody. I'm not going to debate here, I just want you to feel comfortable with your roots from Cuba, Colombia and Perú. From Cuba you have that caribean blood, and passion; from Colombia, you have the indian blood, (malicia indigena) to survive everyway and everyhwere, and from Peru, I'm sure you have many good things too. I love to go there and learn more about that wisdom. I love peruvian food, music, and nice quiet people that I meet in New York. I love cuban food, my favorite music is from Cuba and have many good friends from Cuba (Silvio Rodriguez, Tatica, Virulo,) etc. ANd from Perú I love the ceviche, and the music too. And I'm pretty sure they have more good things to be discovered I hope, not every body like those places, so we can keep them the way we made them. Thanks and good Luck.

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Rubiazo says on Sep 12, 2005, 16:13:

Best chicken in NYC La Casa del Pollo de Perú on Roosevelt between 86th and 87th St in queens, right by the train station. They close stupidly early though like 8 or 9.

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style305 says on Sep 12, 2005, 21:53:

i agree with you guys, thanks. Well...I do gotta say, I think Peruvian food is better than Colombian. Or Cuban, or any Latin American food I've ever had. As for uniting the two cultures, its probably impossible.

toneloc - i agree with you, the Peruvians seem to be among the friendliest people in the world.

Caballista - you are right, the indian blood comes from both sides, not just the Peruvian. I've noticed that higher classSouth Americans, even if they are from Bolivia, usually don't have much indio. Its just that in Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia we have so many that the mestizos get overlooked.

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Elbigie says on Sep 13, 2005, 04:02:

"In Colombia we love everybody, and we respect everybody, and we have open doors and hearts for everybody". IS that true??.

Anyway, I'm Colombian and have lots of Peruvian and Colombian friends. We're all latinos, brothers in my opinion, with similar problems and aspirations. There are a few Colombians who think they're better than Bolivians, Ecuadorians and Peruvians or anything slightly Amerindian. I despise this people (specially some "arribista" middleclass).Overall Colombians are friendly and down to earh. If you have the chance visit both countries, sure you'll have a good time.

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