My Dominican identity has transplanted across borders from the impoverish dirt roads of Sabana Perdida, Dominican Republic to the vibrant streets of Washington Heights, and the multi-ethnic cultural neighborhood of Bushwick Brooklyn. I learned very early on in life that I was Dominicana. The vivid memories of my mom chasing after me with a chancleta (rubber slippers) or a palo (broom stick), the daily routine of eating Los Tres Golpes (mangu, salami and fried cheese) for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and the peculiarity of dancing to no music while performing household chores all predate my Dominican American identity in New York City. The city, from the point of view of this paper, it’s more than just a jungle of massive buildings, and breathtaking
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Characteristic of a generation 1.5er I have “had limited literacy in my first language and also had limited literacy in the English language,” which in the education realm has placed me at a disadvantage compared to someone who was born in the states and has been able to master the language (McGurk, 2013). This struggled is best represented in the writing, particularly grammatical, challenges I’ve encountered as a traditional ESL (English as a Second Language) learner. However, beyond the education, “balancing the traditional values of my native culture, with growing up in America, and trying to do what every young person in their late teens and early twenties tries to do – to find his/herself and fit in” has proven to be the most difficult task to date (McGurk, 2013). Thus as Bodnar expresses although “immigrants share in common a need to confront a new economic order and provide for their own welfare and that of their kin, they all do so in different ways and with divergent results” (Bodnar, 1985 p. …show more content…
Aside from sharing the same cultural background and pursing the Urban Studies masters, Jennifer is also my coworker at 1199 Training and Upgrading Fund. The picture herein was taken on the last day of the 2014 fall semester when Jennifer was delivering her capstone presentation Exploring Multiple Dominican Identities. Interestingly, Jennifer and I share similar interests regarding where we both fit in the American culture and how our urban experiences have shaped our multiple Dominican identities. As for me, both the public celebration of the parade and the space of the Murphy Institute have “helped give form to, and construct” my identity as a Dominican American in the United States because it is here that I’ve been able to exert my right to an education (Krohn-Hasen, 2012, p.190). “We educate because we expect a future and have trust in it; we educate because we refuse to allow the generations simply to ‘come and go like waves on the beach’ leaving everything just as it was before” (Greene, 1982, p.9). The focus of education has moved beyond the achievement aspect to creating common spaces, like both the Institute and the public space of the parade, that revive civic learning. It is a space where city inhabitants are provided with the option to “look out beyond the actual and the given summon into alternative
Characteristic of a generation 1.5er I have “had limited literacy in my first language and also had limited literacy in the English language,” which in the education realm has placed me at a disadvantage compared to someone who was born in the states and has been able to master the language (McGurk, 2013). This struggled is best represented in the writing, particularly grammatical, challenges I’ve encountered as a traditional ESL (English as a Second Language) learner. However, beyond the education, “balancing the traditional values of my native culture, with growing up in America, and trying to do what every young person in their late teens and early twenties tries to do – to find his/herself and fit in” has proven to be the most difficult task to date (McGurk, 2013). Thus as Bodnar expresses although “immigrants share in common a need to confront a new economic order and provide for their own welfare and that of their kin, they all do so in different ways and with divergent results” (Bodnar, 1985 p. …show more content…
Aside from sharing the same cultural background and pursing the Urban Studies masters, Jennifer is also my coworker at 1199 Training and Upgrading Fund. The picture herein was taken on the last day of the 2014 fall semester when Jennifer was delivering her capstone presentation Exploring Multiple Dominican Identities. Interestingly, Jennifer and I share similar interests regarding where we both fit in the American culture and how our urban experiences have shaped our multiple Dominican identities. As for me, both the public celebration of the parade and the space of the Murphy Institute have “helped give form to, and construct” my identity as a Dominican American in the United States because it is here that I’ve been able to exert my right to an education (Krohn-Hasen, 2012, p.190). “We educate because we expect a future and have trust in it; we educate because we refuse to allow the generations simply to ‘come and go like waves on the beach’ leaving everything just as it was before” (Greene, 1982, p.9). The focus of education has moved beyond the achievement aspect to creating common spaces, like both the Institute and the public space of the parade, that revive civic learning. It is a space where city inhabitants are provided with the option to “look out beyond the actual and the given summon into alternative