1. The hairstyles and fashion of the poorer classes hold a strange post-apocalyptic allure. The bold contrasts between short, spiked forelocks and longer, curled rat tails would certainly be daunting if found in a pack of marauders roaming the skeletal tunnels of the city subway after society's collapse. The acid-washed jeans with the myriad of baggy pockets suggests homemade weapons or tools lurk at close range in every individual. Often I envy their apathetic view of social norms.
2. Manners are not only alive and thriving, but indeed a necessity to live in Mexico City. There are the common examples such as please, thank you, you're welcome and good day/afternoon/evening/night. Then there are the lesser known niceties such as saying buen provecho when you see someone eating, of offering your food when someone is not, and of referring to one's own house as though it belonged to the person one is talking to. (i.e. This morning at your house, my son broke a window.) Then there is the ever present excuse me or permiso, which can be replied to with propio. Which is a way of saying you are excused that does not sound sarcastic. Failing to follow these protocols, regardless of social circles frequented, may result in exclusion and others thinking you're a dick.
3. There is a code of honor when riding on a bus that I have found nowhere else in the world. Although theft, muggings and robbery have besmirched the name of Mexico City worldwide, this code of honor has remained unbroken as far as anyone I have asked remembers. If the situation presents itself that the bus is packed and the only way to ride is by halfway entering the vehicle through the back door and gripping the door for dear life, then the passenger will give his fare to the person in front of him. The passenger's money not only reaches the driver intact, but the passenger's exact change will return to him. In the tight confines of the bus it would be a simple thing to pocket the coins traveling in either direction. But this breach of protocol is as of now unheard of.
4. We are a very passionate people.
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