Growing up as a first generation American in the United States and being raised in a Hispanic household has given me a unique experience that has molded me into the person I am today. I have gone through experiences that are different than others and have gone through struggles that are similar to others. These lessons have helped me become the person I am, and for that I am grateful. I am not just a Latina or Chicana, I am both, I am Mexican-American. I take pride in calling myself a Mexican-American; my culture is rich and I get to enjoy the best of both worlds. Despite how awesome it can be, there is also a downside. Being part of two different cultures means that you will never be Mexican enough for your family or friends in Mexico, and you will never be American enough for your friends in the United States. Ni de aquí, ni de allá, a concept that one can’t truly understand unless they themselves personally experience it.
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As I’ve gotten older, I have come to realize what being Mexican-American means to me. The food, music, dance, and language are all large parts of my culture. From a young age I can remember my mother making food in the kitchen. Food unites me with my own family as well as with so many of my friends and others. We might call certain meals different names, but we all share the same kinds of food.
Being Mexican-American means being just as strong as all of the amazing women before you in your immense family and taking on their wisdom, even if that means listening to the same lecture over and over again in order to do so. It means emulating the “spicy attitude” that people pin on us when we decide to be assertive enough to have our voices be heard. It means being selfless enough to put your entire family before yourself because you were taught that when your family wins, you win too.
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It means being influenced by some of the strongest cultural ties around; dancing and moving to age-old music that you remember playing at all of the family parties when you were younger, learning the steps that to the untrained eye look so fluid that you would think it was improvised, and feeling beyond proud when you finally nail them and know that you look like you belong to the country your parents are from. It means following recipes that your grandma’s mom taught her in hopes that she would one day teach you, and although you try your hardest it never feels like you make it quite like she does, even if it’s just rice and beans.
Being Mexican-American is being confident and reaching goals and never letting anybody get in the way of that. No matter what is going on in the world, or in the country right now, siendo Mexicana-Americana es ser un ser especial, and part of that is always remembering it.
Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana!