I’ve always wondered if I grew up the correct way, or at least the way Hispanics are supposed to be raised. If that even is a thing. I didn’t know the backlash I would get for not embracing my heritage. Why can't people just accept you for the way you are? I was in for a rude awakening for my childhood years. When you’re Hispanic and you tell someone you don’t know Spanish, they give you this look when they first found out Santa wasn’t real. Sure it's not common for a Hispanic kid to not know Spanish but I didn't know it was a big deal to others. Learning Spanish never even crossed my mind, I just lived life as is. I moved to Berwyn as a kid from Cicero when back then it was mostly Caucasian dominated. In fact we were the only Hispanic family
…show more content…
The first week my family moved to Berwyn, my neighbors introduced themselves to us. Something I would never do, but I'm glad they did. My brother and I had an immediate bond with them. We would hang out every day with them until dark. They were our first friends for years to come. These were one of the periods of my life where I felt like I belonged to a group. Never having the worries of being judged or criticized. I can just be my authentic self. Eventually I would have to go out in the real world, forced out of my comfort zone.
Even though I felt comfortable in my backyard playing outside every day, I couldn’t escape the embarrassment, confusion, and a little judgment for not speaking Spanish when I would have to leave my house. At least I wasn't alone in all this, my brother and I would share stories of our encounters with angry Hispanics, usually mothers. I eventually had a planned out phrase for not speaking Spanish. Good enough to get my message across. “Lo siento, no hablo español”. Which translates to I’m sorry, I don’t speak Spanish. I never learned how to say it without feeling embarrassed. I would have to say that in school, cashiers at the …show more content…
For one, I can communicate with my grandparents who loved me the minute I was born. Or meeting friends parents who speaks primarily Spanish. It also helps in the job field being bilingual. And just connecting with others better. There's definitely more perks than cons. Maybe I didn't learn it from resentment of being talk down to all these years in spite of people. Or maybe it's laziness. I still haven't decided my reason but I learned that not everyone is going to like you, which took me awhile to learn. I was such a people pleaser for the longest time. When I started high school, I just learned to accept myself. I grew up. I realized that speaking Spanish does not have to define my Latino heritage and pride. I don’t have to please others to fit in or make them think highly of me. I realized I was being silly of thinking anyone actually cared about not speaking a language. It's not like they're thinking about me 24/7 that I don't know a language. People are too busy worrying about themselves. I don't know a lot of my family's history, but I do know where I came from and how that shaped me into who I am today. That's more than enough for
The first week my family moved to Berwyn, my neighbors introduced themselves to us. Something I would never do, but I'm glad they did. My brother and I had an immediate bond with them. We would hang out every day with them until dark. They were our first friends for years to come. These were one of the periods of my life where I felt like I belonged to a group. Never having the worries of being judged or criticized. I can just be my authentic self. Eventually I would have to go out in the real world, forced out of my comfort zone.
Even though I felt comfortable in my backyard playing outside every day, I couldn’t escape the embarrassment, confusion, and a little judgment for not speaking Spanish when I would have to leave my house. At least I wasn't alone in all this, my brother and I would share stories of our encounters with angry Hispanics, usually mothers. I eventually had a planned out phrase for not speaking Spanish. Good enough to get my message across. “Lo siento, no hablo español”. Which translates to I’m sorry, I don’t speak Spanish. I never learned how to say it without feeling embarrassed. I would have to say that in school, cashiers at the …show more content…
For one, I can communicate with my grandparents who loved me the minute I was born. Or meeting friends parents who speaks primarily Spanish. It also helps in the job field being bilingual. And just connecting with others better. There's definitely more perks than cons. Maybe I didn't learn it from resentment of being talk down to all these years in spite of people. Or maybe it's laziness. I still haven't decided my reason but I learned that not everyone is going to like you, which took me awhile to learn. I was such a people pleaser for the longest time. When I started high school, I just learned to accept myself. I grew up. I realized that speaking Spanish does not have to define my Latino heritage and pride. I don’t have to please others to fit in or make them think highly of me. I realized I was being silly of thinking anyone actually cared about not speaking a language. It's not like they're thinking about me 24/7 that I don't know a language. People are too busy worrying about themselves. I don't know a lot of my family's history, but I do know where I came from and how that shaped me into who I am today. That's more than enough for