This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCF chapter.
It’s that time again! Hispanic Heritage Month is making an appearance. What better way to celebrate this month than through the people. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to interview some of my good friends and ask them more about their heritage. Let the questions begin!
What’s your name?
- Ana: Ana Castillo
- Alexia: Alexia Barillas
- Britney: Britney Prada
- Melissa: Melissa Arancibia
How old are you?
- Ana: 18
- Alexia: 18
- Britney: 18
- Melissa: 17
What’s your nationality?
- Ana: Mexican
- Alexia: Salvadoran
- Britney: Venezuelan
- Melissa: Peruvian
What nationality do you get confused with?
- Ana: Puerto Rican. I’ve gotten Puerto Rican before and Native American.
- Alexia: Mexican
- Britney: Spanish or American
- Melissa: Either Mexican or Indian
What’s your favorite childhood memory?
- Ana: There’s so many…probably my 3rd birthday. In Mexican culture, your 3rd birthday is an extravaganza. I loved pink, so my mom bought me this big puffy pink dress. I was crying because it was itchy. My mom was able to calm me down by offering me chicken nuggets. Burger King was my favorite.
- Alexia: Probably when I was around 7 and went to all of El Salvador and enjoyed the countryside, the mountains, and the rivers.
- Britney: Um…that’s a question haha. Probably when I went to Disney when I was 10. I went with my mom and grandma. I went to the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and saw the fireworks. They were really cool. It was my first time there. I haven’t been back, so that’s my only Disney memory which is a good one.
- Melissa: I guess when I was in my childhood house with my brother and cousins.
Favorite Hispanic song to jam out to?
- Ana: I listen to the hardcore Mexican stuff like the regional Mexican. That’s what I usually listen to, but right now, I’m listening to Los Rieleros Del Norte- La Receta.
- Alexia: Oh…this is a hard one. I think the basic, turn up song like Suavemente by Elvis Crespo haha.
- Britney: My favorite would be Suavemente – Elvis Crespo
- Melissa: Well…I don’t listen to that many, but I listened to one recently when I visited Peru. It’s called Lo Que Tango Yo- Los 4.
What’s a dish you wish you could find locally?
- Ana: I guess it would be authentic enchiladas. They don’t make it how it’s supposed to be out here [Tally]. The sauce is poured at the end instead of the enchilada being fried with the sauce. The only way of getting authentic enchiladas is through an underground local place haha.
- Alexia: It’s called pupusas. People are going to think it’s weird haha, but it’s really good. It’s a tortilla and inside is cheese, pork, and beans.
- Britney: Arepas haha. They don’t really sell them. They really only sell the Columbian ones.
- Melissa: Ceviche! It’s raw fish with lemon. You can add more stuff to it. It’s just very food although it sounds bad.
What makes the Hispanic culture special?
- Ana: There’s this sense of pride that goes along with it, orgullosa as we like to say. Back in middle school, I was embarrassed because it was a predominantly white school. But now I’ve embraced my culture. I’m at a loss for words of how much I’ve embraced it. It’s the type of family that I never knew I needed in my life.
- Alexia: What’s amazing is that there are so many different countries, but together we speak the same language. We could all learn from each other.
- Britney: I would guess the language, food, and dancing. Every Spanish country is different but we still share the Spanish in us.
- Melissa: I love the music of the country, food, and landmarks like Machu Picchu.
What’s the importance of a Quinceañera?
- Ana: Sadly, I didn’t get one, but I chose not to have one. There’s a lot of money that goes into it, and I didn’t want to burden my family. I still did the Last Doll Dance. You’re given a porcelain doll to represent you becoming a woman which is like a quinceañera because the girls’ flats are switched to heels to represent becoming a woman.
- Alexia: I didn’t have one, but it’s kind of like when Jewish people have Bar/Bat Mitzvah for a coming of age. With the Hispanic culture, a quinceañera symbolizes becoming a woman.
- Britney: In reality, it’s just for the presents, haha, but you’re a girl going into adulthood. Your friends and family are all there for your 15th birthday. It’s kind of like when you turn 18 in American culture.
- Melissa: It’s kind of like the Spanish version of a Sweet 16. It’s when a girl becomes a woman.
Have you or your family experienced discrimination or negativity because of your culture?
- Ana: Hell yeah! There’s been so many. I had to take my mom to her doctors’ appointment. She tried to speak English to them, but they closed her off. It wasn’t until I spoke up when they realized I understood what was going on. They finally were able to give her the service she needed. You can’t treat someone differently because they can’t speak English. I have another one haha. 8th-grade year, there was some sort of need for a Spanish translation for one of the pieces of literature the class was reading. So, who better for that than the only Hispanic in that advanced language arts class? I actually wasn’t paying attention to what we were discussing when she asked me a question that I didn’t quite understand. I asked “what?” and she replied, “come on Ana, don’t you speak Mexican?” I was quick to snap “No one speaks “Mexican,” it’s called Spanish.” She just shrugged her shoulders and said, “Yeah, yeah, same thing. You know what I mean.”
- Alexia: I personally haven’t, but my mom has. When she goes to a store, people assume that she only speaks Spanish, so they don’t want to help her. When they do, they speak to her like she’s 3 years old.
- Britney: I did when I was in elementary school. They bullied me because I didn’t know English.
- Melissa: Not me, but I’m going to ask my mom. For her, she doesn’t speak good English, so people would look at her like she’s dumb.
What are your views on Hispanic culture appropriation?
- Ana: I don’t know how to respond to that without sounding hypocritical, but I feel like they should put themselves in our shoes. If you’re passing out shots, great! But if you’re using slurs and just embracing the culture on this one day and then tomorrow you’re back to being all “build the wall” and “send them back”, then it’s disrespectful.
- Alexia: I honestly don’t think it’s bad because when other people want to appreciate our culture. But if you disrespect our culture, then that’s bad.
- Britney: Hm…that’s a hard question. I’m not sure how to answer that. I think the only thing that would bother me is when people think all Mexicans are lawn mowers, and I’m not even Mexican.
- Melissa: I don’t really know a lot of examples aside from Cinco de Mayo. It’s not okay to just dress up like you’re a Mexican with a sombrero and go eat tacos and forget about the culture. To Mexicans that are celebrating, it’s offensive because it’s a holiday for them. You also can’t go around and celebrate Cinco de Mayo and then bash Mexicans the next day.
What about your country do you take pride in?
- Ana: The entire thing. I don’t know how to pinpoint one thing when I’m so in love with my roots. I’m proud, I’m orgullosa.
- Alexia: My country is a small country, and no one really knows where it is haha. It’s very unique. I love our natives, the culture, and just knowing where my roots are from. I’m really proud of that.
- Britney: I would say the strong people right now because the country is in a crisis. They’re trying their hardest not to collapse. The military is against the people, and the people aren’t getting food and water. That’s why I said, strong people.
- Melissa: Everything really. Yeah, we have great things like Machu Picchu, but we also have great people, food, music, and llamas haha. The culture is very nice.
Through others, we learn the importance of embracing our differences. This month I challenge you to learn something new about the Hispanic culture whether it be the food, people, music, or heritage. I’m lucky to know these lovely ladies and celebrate their culture with them. Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!