Love Across Cultures: Mexico Erika Viramontes from Mexico
There are different ways to show love for somebody in each country. In Mexico, my native country, you don’t bring your boyfriend or girlfriend inside your family’s house until the relationship is serious. Then you introduce him or her to your parents. After that, your boyfriend or girlfriend can visit you in your house and share family events. But they can’t go inside the bedroom; they can stay in the living room or garden. When I was 15 years old, I couldn’t have a boyfriend because my father was very strict. When I was 16, I had a boyfriend but we needed to hide him from my father because he didn’t let me have a boyfriend. When I was 17 years old, my boyfriend serenaded me. He brought a mariachi band to my house and sang many songs. My father didn’t let me go outside; I could only hear the music from a window of the house. On that day, my boyfriend knocked on the door and talked with my father. He told my father he wanted to marry me. My father talked with me and then he let us be boyfriend and girlfriend. My boyfriend gave me a ring to be engaged with him. In Mexico, couples are more affectionate than here in the United States. It’s common to see couples holding hands and kissing in public. In Mexico there is the tradition that the boyfriend serenades the girlfriend at night at her house. Also, the man picks up the girl from her home and takes her out to dinner. He will give her flowers and an inexpensive present. He will pay the bill!
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