So one of the countries I'm interested in visiting perhaps in the near future is Cuba, mostly as it carries a lot of literary history that greatly appeals to me. That, and it looks absolutely stunning. But I think, whenever you're scouting out new destinations, particularly if traveling solo, and especially if you're a girl, you need some due diligence.
See, my belief tends to be along the lines of I think most places are safe, generally speaking, as long as you observe some common sense rules (e.g. watch where you go after dark, avoid bad neighbourhoods, don't engage with shifty individuals, etc.). Maybe that's wishful thinking, I don't know, but in my time traveling solo (or with people) so far, I've had very few moments where I felt in danger or worried for my safety.
Now, where I live, most of the people I've mentioned traveling to South America or Central America have reacted quite badly, telling me it's so dangerous, and I should definitely not. Now, I tend not to believe that. Firstly, because the people I've met from around there are wonderful and kind. Second, because I think a lot of our perspective about those countries has been shaped by a US perspective, which I wouldn't necessarily classify as unbiased, if you know what I mean. Even Cuba. Given America's history with Cuba, I would not trust American portrayal or perspective of the country. That's just me.
But there I was, doing my research on how safe Cuba is, and I stumbled upon an interesting subject, namely catcalling. I found some articles saying it's quite common for that to happen in Cuba, and it's labelled as something to be aware of. Now, I don't know what it's like in your part of the world. I know catcalling is among the things that got blackened in all the #MeToo thing as a definite no-no.
Here, in Romania, it's not uncommon. I wouldn't say it happens everyday, but quite often, there's honking and shouting out and stuff like that. Recently, I was coming back from doing yoga in the park, and this guy actually slowed down his car, causing everyone else to honk and yell at him, and yelled something at me. I've no idea why, I had my headphones on. But I didn't count it as a particularly woeful or traumatic event, as it seems to be portrayed by some people.
During the MeToo craze, I heard some people actually describe catcalling as some lesser known type of abuse. I thought come on, aren't we being a little bit extreme?
In the article I was reading about Cuba, locals described it as normal, with one woman going as far as to say that if she didn't get catcalled anymore, she'd assume she'd gone ugly. I thought that was pretty funny. It's never been something that bothered me, in particular, nor do I have any friends who are staunchly against catcalling. It's flattering, in a way.
Here's the thing, catcalling (and honking and so on) stems from craving positive female interaction. It's harmless for both sides, because sometimes you'll call, and the woman will look at you and maybe give an embarrassed or bemused smile or something, and that'll be that. It's a brief, momentary form of acknowledgment from the opposite gender.
Perhaps similarly to Cuba, it's just part of the culture here. Yes, Romania is definitely a more traditional-leaning sorta country, if you know what I mean, and that includes attitudes toward women sometimes. But it's a harmless thing, really. I've never had a problem with someone catcalling or honking after me.
Whenever it happens, I always always think about this clip.
But I wonder if there's people who do have a problem with it. What are your experiences with it? Is this sort of behavior a problem where you come from, or is it expected, in a way? I'm genuinely curious.