Christopher Down / Mexico
The story of my Hispanic life is probably gonna be different from probably all of the others. Out of my family, my mom is the one who gives me the Hispanic blood that I have been caught gloating about to many, many people. The only problem is that in her own family, she was the baby, the one who had been given the least amount of culture, and the least amount of Spanish lessons unlike her sisters. Another reason why the culture never made its way down to me was the passing away of my Hispanic grandparents before I had been born. I know people who have abuelas and abuelos who they look up to for advice or just something to whip up to eat, but without my grandparents I was never able to call anyone abuela or abuelo and that is just one, small way to show I had the least amount of exposure and that really hindered what I learned about my Mexican side. The culture has surely dwindled down even more once you get to me, as the youngest in my family. I strive to get as much exposure as I can when my aunts come over from my mom side of the family. When they come over and make their Mexican dishes that they were taught makes me feel like I belong in the community. I truly wish that I was exposed to this side of my family for ways longer than I was. Even though I look white and should probably identify as white I try really hard to hold on to the Mexican side of me through others.
Throughout my years I always thought that I was Mexican, like full fledged and even in middle school I had whole friend groups that were Hispanic and I felt like I could fit in well even though I was basically just a white kid within a group of Hispanics and I was not seen as the same. Another thing that happens a lot to me is that when I tell people that I'm Hispanic they just push it aside and don't even acknowledge it and move on when I'm telling the truth.
Some things that I really wish I could be apart of would probably be like speaking Spanish. I think it would be so cool and useful to know how to speak it, but since I didn't have my grandparents and the fact that my mom wasn't taught Spanish, it never made it down to me as I wish I had. The worst part of it all is that since I don't have the culture from my moms side I would have hoped to get some from my dads side but there cultures does not go as far back as wales which is where both Dad's parents are from. They are obviously from Altoona, Pennsylvania.
If it were possible, I would really like to learn Spanish as one of the first stepping stones to getting back into my Mexican culture. It would be awesome to maybe live in Mexico for a couple years when I am growing up to learn Spanish in the most authentic way possible rather than learning in a classroom. Then get in touch with my moms family that I so far has seldom occurred. Then maybe, just maybe will I feel like I am allowed to call myself Mexican.
I am truly an American boy who strives to be included in their forgotten Mexican culture.
Throughout my years I always thought that I was Mexican, like full fledged and even in middle school I had whole friend groups that were Hispanic and I felt like I could fit in well even though I was basically just a white kid within a group of Hispanics and I was not seen as the same. Another thing that happens a lot to me is that when I tell people that I'm Hispanic they just push it aside and don't even acknowledge it and move on when I'm telling the truth.
Some things that I really wish I could be apart of would probably be like speaking Spanish. I think it would be so cool and useful to know how to speak it, but since I didn't have my grandparents and the fact that my mom wasn't taught Spanish, it never made it down to me as I wish I had. The worst part of it all is that since I don't have the culture from my moms side I would have hoped to get some from my dads side but there cultures does not go as far back as wales which is where both Dad's parents are from. They are obviously from Altoona, Pennsylvania.
If it were possible, I would really like to learn Spanish as one of the first stepping stones to getting back into my Mexican culture. It would be awesome to maybe live in Mexico for a couple years when I am growing up to learn Spanish in the most authentic way possible rather than learning in a classroom. Then get in touch with my moms family that I so far has seldom occurred. Then maybe, just maybe will I feel like I am allowed to call myself Mexican.
I am truly an American boy who strives to be included in their forgotten Mexican culture.