January 10, 2007
By CARMEN ALARCON

A Latino woman has the strength of a bull; she is determined.

Woman are something else. We can give birth, which is a miracle to me, but it's hard for some women to comprehend other women.

We may be understanding, but to understand the other is a different story. We can be territorial and demanding - two necessary qualities to survive, but not to make new friends.

I do some work as a Spanish tutor. The other day, the mother of one of my Spanish students asked me, "You know what? We were talking about the different ways woman behave, and we don't know a thing about Latino women."

As an example, she pointed out the difference between the amount of time white women and black women spend in a beauty parlor. To that, I answered that Latino woman have thick hair, witch demands a lot of work.

She then made me think of the reason why it can be hard for women to understand other woman. We just don't know what our differences are.

And I think she is right.

I grew up with seven girlfriends from kindergarten through the end of college. There have been a lot of cat fights during that time; some were longer than others. Imagine a discussion between a lawyer, an art gallery director, a fashion designer, a mother, a business woman, an anthropologist, a writer and a student, all woman. It's hard to hear your own voice. But I'm proud to say that today, when we are all in our 30s, we have walked the road together.

Why? Because we know each other and our stories.

But making new friends is a different ball game. Understanding woman with whom I have no history or any kind of root connection is hard. I don't know where to start, what am I supposed to ask? Is what I'm thinking too personal? Is it politically incorrect?

With my friends, it's OK if we give a hug when we are sad. It's OK to have a sense of humor and laugh at what makes us different.

I look around and see woman from all races, colors, and nationalities in Savannah. There are plenty of differences between us, but there is one thing in common, life.

We all live in the same town and one way or another we care for the same things. Mothers will always be mothers and teen-agers will always be teen-agers. What makes us all deal with our differences is to know a little bit more about the other. After a while, differences became familiar.

I'm a native of Colombia. Based on my experiences, here are 10 things that I believe are typical of Latino woman. I'm throwing myself to the lions because when I use the word "Latino," I'm generalizing about woman from 20 Caribbean countries, seven Central American nations, 13 countries in South America and one nation in North America. Still, I believe there are things that most of the woman in our culture have in common:

1. A Latino woman has the strength of a bull; she is determined.

2. When you see a Latino woman, she's usually looking good. I don't think my sister ever leaves the house without her make up or her earrings.

3. Latino woman guard their man, they defend their territory and they know how.

4. They have a very animated body language when they talk.

5. We make sure men take care of certain things. Some call it machismo, others call it a must. Most likely you will never see a woman paying the bill - not because she can not, but because man should take care of that.

6. She is the sun of the family. Everything gravitates around her.

7. Latino woman like romanticism, the door being opened for them and compliments on their earrings.

8. When a good song is on the radio, they look like they're ready to dance. Dancing is always a good plan.

9. Talk a lot and have a lot to say.

10. Cooking is an art. When in the kitchen, she is the commander of the orchestra.

Source: Savannah Morning News