My Family And The Rican
1297 WordsOct 2, 20156 Pages
“Don’t listen to them,” my grandmother said as she wiped the tears from my face and ran her fingers through my long, black hair. I remember the constant teasing from my peers in elementary school. Growing up in a predominately white neighborhood, my family and I were looked at differently because we were “people of color.” All of the parents who would drop their children off for school in the morning would stare at my father. Growing up, it was incredibly difficult to figure out who I was because I was Mexican and Caucasian with a Puerto Rican step father who raised me since I was three. Thus, his culture heavily influenced me as well. At family parties I was spoken to in English and Spanish with both Mexican and Puerto Rican dialects.…show more content… In saying that, I was baptized, raised and confirmed Catholic. Whenever I was facing trials and tribulations, prayer was always the answer. Accordingly, it has been embedded in my brain that family always have and always will come before anything else in my life. My parents are to be treated with a high level of respect and I am to take their word over mine regardless of my age and experiences. As I transformed into my teenage years, this was a significant difficultly for me because I wanted to start making decisions for myself but I could not do so because of my parents. However, this has allowed me to live my life in an open and honest manner because I know they will not always accept my actions or decisions but they have taught me to come forth and learn from my mistakes. I am able to reflect on my past experiences and coming to figure out who I was within my culture and relate to others. Accordingly, it has taught me respect for others who are still uncovering who they are within their life. More importantly, it has allowed me to explore their beliefs, actions and values. For example, a good friend of mine from the Middle East worked with me this past summer. Everyday, on the way to work, we would discuss the differences in our religions and customs. She had to pray five times a day and was not allowed to date. Reflecting back to my Mexican roots, I explained why we only attend Church once a week but are to pray at least once every day. Learning from