Dating a Hispanic girl means venturing off into dangerous territory. Even if you try to prepare yourself, you will always get caught off-guard by all the family members and differences in culture. Most people will think that the only thing they need to know is that we take forever to get ready and that she'll be around her family a lot, but that's not all that you need to know.
1. Be prepared to eat a lot of food.
Hispanic girls grew up watching their grandmothers make a feast for every meal, so that is what they learned and exactly what they'll be copying when they cook. You can usually expect to be well fed every time you go over, and Spanish food is always amazing. You can never go wrong with an empanada or a tequeño (or several).
2. The Whatsapp notifications never end.
She'll have about eight different group chats, some of them containing the same girls and some of them with random friends, and all of the chats will be named something that you don't understand. Even our grandparents have Whatsapp.
3. Respecting parents.
A Hispanic girl most likely grew up in a household where misbehavior was not tolerated. We got threatened with shoes and were told that we were lucky because our parents had gotten the belt. Therefore, a Hispanic girl has been taught to respect her elders, so you better respect her parents and even your own or you stand no chance.
4. In an argument, expect yelling and bilingual cursing.
When she starts screaming at you in Spanish, just run.
5. Dancing is everything.
If you don't know how to dance, you're going to learn. As soon as a Spanish song comes on you can be sure that she'll be dragging you to the dance floor, so sooner or later you'll have to pick up the steps.
6. Family reunions.
One word: loud. Family reunions contain as many family members that can fit into one household, so expect it to be noisy. Her family members will all want to meet you and interrogate you. The music doesn't stop, there will be dozens of conversations all throughout the room, and people are constantly getting up to get more food. These family reunions can be expected to last until late at night, sometimes early morning.
7. Cheek kisses.
Get used to it; it's how we say hello. You will also have to go around and greet everyone like this when you arrive at a gathering.
8. You can always expect to see either a soccer game or a novela on the television.
Soccer is our sport and we take pride in our teams. Novelas are extremely dramatic and slightly ridiculous, yet we love them and can not stop watching. Also, "Telemundo" is our favorite channel.
