"Being"

After a month, I've started to notice subtle cultural differences.  I have always had a rough grasp of one such difference, and a small class discussion today refined my understanding.

Speaking in general terms, it seems that people in Puebla do not associate spending money with having fun, at least, not as much as people do in Seattle.  For example, an “estadounidense" (the Spanish word for United State's Citizen, lest I fall into an ethnocentric language trap), usually assumes that the amount of money spent on a Seahawk's ticket, shopping, or at a nice restaurant correlates with the quality of the experience.  Of course I'm making a blanket generalization that most of you probably aren't guilty of (flattering my audience), but bear with me.  Pueblans seem to enjoy "being," just as much as they enjoy "doing."  An afternoon spent at the Zócalo (city center) seems to be just as enjoyable as a night out clubbing.  It's not so much the activity or cost, but the company and "the moment."  Perhaps this is because of differences in material wealth, and perhaps they would act in a similar manner if they had more money.  In this case, I don't think I am capable of passing judgment.