r/latinoamerica

Is there anyone here from Latin America or who has lived there for a long time? I live in the US, and I've been wanting to ask you: are you just as close-knit back home, or does living abroad bring you closer together? From what I see, you seem like one close-knit community. Whether someone is from Colombia, Mexico, or Venezuela, you socialize, support each other, and help each other out. Spanish is spoken in many of your countries, and Portuguese in Brazil, though I realize there are many more languages and cultures across the region. I can't help comparing this with Russian speakers. In my experience, people in our community often seem to keep their distance from one another. Of course, some people help, but I haven't met many of them. With you, I get a sense of solidarity. Maybe I just haven't been lucky with the people around me? I'm also curious about how this fits with relations between your countries. Across the former Soviet Union, many people speak Russian too, families have ties across borders, and we share so much history, yet there are still wars and hostility. Russia is waging war against Ukraine. In 2008, there was a war between Russia and Georgia involving the conflicts over Abkhazia and South Ossetia. There was also the conflict in Transnistria, in Moldova, where units of the 14th Army fought on the side of the Transnistrian forces. I understand that relationships between ordinary people and government decisions aren't the same thing, but I still find it hard to wrap my head around. I've read that your countries have also fought wars, such as Peru and Ecuador in 1995 and El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. What are things like now? Are there armed clashes, threats of war, or territorial disputes between your countries? Do people ever say that a neighboring country "actually belongs to us"? Is there hostility toward each other because of nationality? For example, would someone refuse to socialize or work with another person because they're from a particular country? I want to understand whether there's really such a big difference between our communities or whether I'm only seeing part of the picture. Is it about customs, upbringing, history, or politics? Or do you stick together abroad while relations back home are very different? I'd love to hear what it's actually like from your own experience.