My great grandfather came to America from the Dominican Republic on a boat to provide a better life for the many generations of his family to come. My great-grandfather’s perseverance and courage always inspires me to always work hard. Although my first language was English, I am learning Spanish now so I can become more connected with my heritage. I never had much of a chance to learn about the Dominican Republic from my grandparents because of the language barrier between us. My Dominican background is important to me because of the rich culture.…
The Colombian flag identifies my heritage. While people eat their eggs and pancakes on sunday mornings, I’ll gladly take my Arrepa con Queso and proudly say I’m a Colombian American. My parents came to the United States in the year of 1978 and had me 10 years later. My parents always grew up on farms and strict family households, where they worked and learned to be independent at 6 years old. They brought their traditions from Colombia to Philadelphia and raised me with their tradition.…
I was conflicted because I was not American either I did not have the normal American culture of an American girl. I have curly hair, brown eyes, tan complexion of a latina, and sometimes I stutter with words an American has no problem saying. Yet I live a partial life of an American girl. I came to the realization that the meaning of the words American and Dominican did not suit me although, I do have characteristics of both, I am neither. I am Nathaly; a girl who came from a small island to new place that she has learned to call…
Although people assume otherwise, I am Latina, and I'm proud to be a part of that community. I obtain my Latin blood from my father, who moved to the United States from Uruguay as a child. My parents divorced each other when I was young; however, when I was with him for either the weekend or the month of July, I embraced all the wonders of my Latin family. Latino culture entails prodigious amounts of cooking, and we always cooked Uruguayan food; it was almost taboo to eat out. From flan to the glorious empanadas, my family always ate homemade meals.…
My neighborhood was mostly Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, so I fit right in. My parents came from the Dominican Republic to the United States in the 60’s, providing us a better opportunity to advance. I could hear…
Growing up, in a Hispanic home I learned the values of life in a differently with hardship but always maintaining closeness. At home, I was taught that family is the most important thing in life. Even though I was born in the United States, my family taught me how to stay in touch with my Hispanic roots and never be ashamed of my culture. Speaking Spanish is greatly important to me. Because of this, I am able to communicate easily with my family members and the Hispanic community.…
I come from a rather large community where Latinos seem to dominate my residence; however, even though there seems to be a vast amount of Latinos such as I, it seems that work is not easy to come by. The opportunities I my community are largely different than those one can see in the movies. California is not as grand as what many outsiders seem to believe. As a student and a daughter of a low income family I have seen first hand the struggles that many have to face if they want to survive the harsh economy that I live in. In my family I will be the first to go to college, so I have to set a good example to my three younger siblings.…
Why Puerto Rico? My parents explained to me that we were moving there because we are Hispanic. Tears were rolling down my face like never before. I knew that I was not excited. Still, I had no choice to move.…
Where I was waving “Adios” to my mother, the others were waving “Goodbye” to their parents. Torn between two worlds is what I thought I would always be. As a Mexican-American I believed that I would never be fully Mexican or American. I believed that I would never really fit into one specific group and would be target of exclusion all my life.…
Who am I? I regularly take a moment to understand who I am and who I yearn to become. I am first defined by Anglos as an uneducated female. At the same time, to my own ethnicity and culture, I may just be an ordinary female who is destined to grow up to become a respectable and caring housewife. Without questioning these assumptions, there are moments I come to believe I should fall into the expectation.…
I live in Brownsville Texas which is border with Mexico. Growing up in a mexican-american environment has been a wonderful experience. Both of my parents are Mexican and they both inculcated the mexican culture in my life. Since I live in the United States my mom has endowed me with both cultures. In Mexico they do not celebrate Halloween, instead they celebrate ¨El Día de los Muertos¨ (Day of the dead), in my advantage I get to celebrate both.…
Summer of 2016, my family and I made a trip to Puerto Peñasco, Mexico. The city of Puerto Peñasco, also known as Rocky Point is located on the Gulf of California. It's known for its beautiful scenery and dune-backed sandy beach. Tons of people around the world come to Rocky Point every year to unwind and have a good time. There are several reasons why Puerto Peñasco was such a memorable trip.…
It was an early Monday morning, I was pretty happy at the time because this trip was going to get me out of a full week of school. So, it all began at the airport, looking out of the window I could see our plane, It was a bit intimidating and I was really nervous because this was going to be my first time on a plane. Nevertheless, I had nothing to worry about though because soon enough I would come to realize that, the time I would be spending in Puerto Rico would teach me to truly enjoy the great experiences in life. So we were off, I could not wait to begin my adventure in Puerto Rico and meet all the amazing new people. When my grandmother and I landed in Puerto Rico I had no idea what I was in for, we planned the trip last minute and had no plans when we got there, or so that's what I anticipated.…
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico has many amazing things. The scenery of this island is beautiful along with its many great landmarks. Puerto Rico has a very interesting history. It is a United State territory, but does not have the same taxes and laws. Along with the history, comes the culture.…
The name of the book is When I was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago published in October of 1994. Esmeralda Santiago Story begins in Puerto Rico, where her childhood was full of happy and sad moments she was also surrounded by poverty. As she grew up in Puerto Rico she learned how to eat tropical fruits. Being surrounded by trees, frogs, mango, Groves and the taste of delicious fruits. Being exposed to fresh chicken and pork sausages called morcilla.…