Self Reflection: My Experience In Latin America

Self Reflection I am 28 years old, I live in Las Vegas, I am currently enrolled in a Master’s program, and I am a homeowner. None of the things I have listed would have been possible without my mother’s hard work and struggle. In order to attempt to define myself and explain how far I’ve come, I must first explain where I was born, what my values are and how I was brought up. I was born in Honduras in a small rural town to a 17-year-old single mother. She was one of 12 children raised by a single parent household. Having witnessed her mother’s life and choices, she was committed to break the circle and overcome her environment. After becoming a mother, she relocated numerous of times, always having me along her side, always looking for better …show more content…
I understood when people talk to me but they sounded different. To them I sounded different, I was not one of them. My darker complexion and Central American accent, soon made me an easy target for racism and ethnocentrism. Mexico ethnocentrism is a prevalent as in other Latin American countries. There’s the idea of superiority linked to skin color and how far south from the border you come from. White privilege exists in Latin America; People are treated based on their skin color is or how northerner their accent sounds. In school I was teased and made fun of for being different and for sounding different. Living in a country in which people spoke Spanish would give the idea of equality but it was not the case. As I grew older my language and …show more content…
I am now an American, I have been able to find a place where I belong but this has not been easy. I gave up my Honduran culture at a young age, I was forced to take on an identity of a Mexican culture, I do not know many traditional dishes from Honduras, I do not recognize the national anthem. I know very little of what life is like at the moment. I do not sound like my family and I do not see them often. Years ago I began claiming my nationality, but I still have Mexican roots, I eat their food, and understand their culture and heritage a bit more than my own. To be able to adapt I learn English and acquired an education, I knew that if I wanted to be as successful as the dominant culture I would have to set goals like them. Although I gave up a high percentage of my culture I am still able to speak my native language with my family and I am also able to make choices on if I want to follow a particular belief. The goodness of fit between my culture of origin are able to coexist, there are specific norms and traditions that I have followed since birth, and there are others that I have learned through adaptation and