The Manliest Girl In Colombia

If I told you that the manliest girl I met in Colomba as a Colombian/American girl, would you beleive me? Earlier this year I spent 6 months in Colombia and during that entire trip one girl really stands out in my memory…

My home base in Colombia was Barranquilla, and I often took trips to Cartagena for a week or weekend. Sometimes I would go with friends, sometimes I would meet friends in Cartagena. I was about 4 months into my trip and 3 months into my coastal stay. I had already spent tons of time out in bars, clubs, malls, beaches, not to mention Carnavales and most of women I’d seen were average Colombian women. Colombian women in general can range from attractive to smoking hot. But it’s not just their looks. Colombian women, like many other women from all over Latin America take extra time to fix themselves up, even if they’re on a tight budget. If I had to draw an example I would say it’s the equivalent of how guys in the U.S. who spend all their money on their cars. They might still live at home with their parents, or live in a crappy apartment, not pay their bills, but they’re driving around in nice cars with 20 inch chrome rims. Those of you who go to Colombia will probably notice that you’ll find a lot more women attractive, and thats one of the reasons, because the women like to dress up and take care of their looks.

So I was out on one of the Main strips in Cartagena doing some window shopping with my friend. She was going to buy a bikini to go to the beach the next morning, and were hoping from shop to shop. We ended up going into this one shop where two girls greeted us. As soon as I saw the second girl, I knew she wasn’t really from Colombia. This girl was dressed up in baggy pants, with a big baggy t-shirt, she had a ton of tatoos and her hair was a little sloopy. Immediately I thought: “A Colombian girl wouldn’t be caught dead, out in public looking like this girl”. It’s the truth. You don’t know how many times I’ve heard Colombian girls mention that they can’t go out because they haven’t gotten their hair done, or becuase they’re waiting to do their nails, I love it. I love women who take care of themselves and their appearance.

So this very manly girl working in this store greeted us in Spanish, she didn’t say much so I couldn’t pick up an accent but just by her looks I was certain she wasn’t from Colombia. My friend was browsing some outfits, and my curiosty was driving me crazy so I asked the girl if she’s from here and struck up a conversation. It turns out she was of Colombian decent, but she grew up in the United States. How come I wasn’t surprised? We kept on with the small talk, but the whole time I was thinking in the back of my mind: “What the hell is it that makes women so manly, in the United States?” I mean feminism plays a big role but it’s something about the etire country that really changes most women. This particular girl seemed like a nice enough person, but she dressed like a guy. Maybe she was a lesbian, but even the lesbians in Colombia are a lot more feminine.

I know it doesn’t happen with all women, but it happens a lot more often that anywhere else. And it doesn’t just span one cultural niche in the country, it spans everything from blacks to whites to latinos. This girl was the manliest girl I’d seen in all my time in Colombia, and not just the past six months, and she happened to be from the U.S. She had that whole west coast mexican “chola” look to her. All she needed was a bandana. In case you don’t know what that look is like, it looks something like this:

Who would you rather take on a double date with your budy? The girls above or a pair of regular Colombian girls that look this regular Colombian girl:

Latin Women Dating Tips: Tip # 2 Food

Tip #2: Food – The way to a Latina’s heart

One of the best conversational tools you can use with Latin women is: Food. Every culture is defined in part by it’s food. And Latin America is no different. Although the dishes and foods throughout Latin America have many similarities, each country and even each region within a country has it’s own specialties and even different names for what may be the same dishes. There’s a million things you can ask about the food from her country and region.

A conversation on food can lead to many places. Does she know how to cook? If she does, she might have to cook for you sometime. What’s her favorite dish from her country? Does she know any places that have good typical dishes from her country/region? Suggest a nice dinner at the places she mentions.

I know dinner dates have lost their glitter in the eyes of many. But dinner doesn’t always have to be in a restaurant. You can ask her to come over, go shopping together for all the ingredients, and help her make a typical dish from her country. Add a bottle of wine (or some other alcoholic beverage) and some music and it not only makes for a small little adventure into the super market and the kitchen, it makes for a great date.

There’s just something about eating together that creates intimacy. That intimacy gets even stronger when you’re both making the bread you’re going to break. If you think about it, most major world religions have some sort of a traditional ritual feast. Breaking bread together just brings people closer to each other.

I’m sure you’ve heard that “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” Latin women take this very seriously, but now you can use her stomach as a way to build rapport, setup great dates, and add some interesting topics into the conversation.

Tips For Dating Latin Women: Tip #1

Tip #1: A Little Spanish or Portuguese Goes a Long Way:

Whether your dealing with a Latin women at home or abroad, you can use your lack of knowledge of her language to your advantage. This particular tip is especially useful if your dealing with a Latina at home where you both speak English or if your interacting with a Latin girl abroad who knows English. I’m assuming you’ll both be communicating mostly in English, but you’ll need to use the little Spanish or Portuguese that you know to add some flirtation and fun into the interaction.

One important thing to remember is that you don’t need to be fluent in either Spanish or Portuguese to make a good impression. Like the tittle states, a little knowledge of the language goes a long way. In fact you probably know some common phrases already, like: “gracias”, “como estas?”, and “estas muy bonita” (you are really cute). I bet you knew or have heard at least two out of those three phrases. If you put a little effort into it you can probably learn 20 to 30 phrases in a weeks time.

Most latina women will find your knowledge of her language very endearing. They may asked you where you learned that? Or compliment you on your knowledge of her language, even though it may be very little. You might get a chuckle because you pronounce something wrong or because you mixed words up. The point is to make your use of her language fun and lite hearted, but at the same time you must be interested in it, and willing to learn more, particularly from her. In many cases you can use your lack of knowledge of her language as an excuse to make her your language teacher. This can be a good reason to exchange phone numbers and contact information and an even better reason to setup another date.

Your lack of language fluency can also come in handy when you find yourself in those awkward moments when neither of you have something to say. A good safety net is to just think of something or look around and ask her how you say that in her language. Many Latin women will appreciate the fact that your taking time to learn her language and culture.

This tip applies to Latinas but it can also apply to other foreign women you may meet either locally or abroad. As long as you can communicate in another language with the foreign girl (most likely English), you can use your lack of knowledge of her native or second language as useful conversational tool.