Personal Narrative: Living Across Other Cultures

When we are born, we are given characteristics that we cannot control which impact our social identity and how other people view and stereotype us in this world. As David Myers notes in his essay, Ingroup and Outgroup, “Once established, prejudice is maintained largely by its own social inertia. If prejudice is social... then people follow the path of least social resistance… conform to the social fashion… a need to be liked and accepted.” Prejudices influenced by a society heavily impacts a culture as it inhibits growth and progression. Suspicion and poor stereotypes are administered to social groups which are heavily ingrained and nearly impossible to release ourselves from that stereotype. That is the life a Hispanic must lead within the

In America today, we are faced with several different minority groups arriving to the United States. The most common of all minority groups are the Hispanics. America is known for their language being English, but as the year's approach, that language has faded and a new face in English language has taken over, it's called Spanish. We as the people of America have become controversial over this major change, and due to that major bilingualism and political movements that have occurred from the government to the education departments. In this paper, I am going to talk about the four most common Hispanic groups in our country today and the political, social, linguistic, economic, religious, and familial conventions and/or statuses that they

Being Hispanic to me means traditions. It means my home and my loving family. Being Hispanic also means being hard working. I was born in a humble small town in Michoacan, Mexico. My parents decided to come to the United States looking for a better future for our family. They had to leave the land that had watched them grow in order to come to an unknown land, where the future was a giant blur. But what they didn’t leave behind was their love for their native country. I grew up in a household where Spanish was only spoken and tortillas were always at the table. I grew up loving authentic Mexican food and speaking Spanish fluently. When I was in kindergarten my teacher was afraid that I would be behind the rest of my classmates. My parents couldn't help me learn English since they didn’t know it either. I was fortunate to have a kind teacher who was willing to tutor me for free everyday after school. By the end of elementary school my English improved. As I grew

Growing up in a Hispanic household has taught me many things. I have learned to see things as an optimistic person, and that it doesn’t matter where you come from as long as you work hard for what you want anything is possible. My family has always implemented the values of life that lead me to perceive what it was about to throw at me.

Hispanics or Latinos are defined as a people of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish speaking culture. This term “Hispanics” was created by the U.S. federal government in the early 1970’s to refer to Americans born in a Spanish speaking nation or with ancestry to Spanish territories. Hispanics people are vibrant, socializing, and fun loving people. Among various facts associated to this culture is that they have a deep sense of involvement in their family traditions and cultures.

My cultural interview was with a coworker, 28 years of age and of Hispanic descent. While conducting the interview I learned a lot about the Hispanic culture. Many Hispanics like to be called Latino (a). Some do not like to be referred to as Mexican when they are from other countries other than Mexico. Hispanics also use slang within their culture just like African Americans. Within the culture the male is the dominant figure in the household. All the decisions that affect the family go through the father. If there is no father in the house, the oldest son fulfills that role. The older son may drop out of school so that they may assist the mother at the house in the absence of the father. Many Hispanics

Throughout my life, being Hispanic has always meant family and unity. I was born into a Mexican family on my mother's side; we would often gather together for family parties, events, and holidays. Our lives are intertwined with each other; if something significant happened to an individual in the family, a majority of the family would be involved. My family usually gathers together to celebrate major holidays, but this past year I witnessed relatives assembling during a difficult farewell.

Being Hispanic is being able to enjoy and demolish your mom’s tamales at Christmas. Being Hispanic is also being able to explain horchata to your friends and watch soccer games with your family. It’s being able to be proud of your culture and roots. However, being Hispanic is living in fear. Being Hispanic means sometimes you don’t know if your parents will come home from work. It’s being petrified that your dad may get pulled over because he is driving without a license. Being Hispanic is seeing your mom come home, tired from a low paying job, because she could not pursue an education. Hispanic means working hard in life to make your parents proud, to make all the looks of discrimination worth it. Being Hispanic is also being told “no” repeatedly,

There is a significant difference between Latinos and Hispanics, but they are also exceedingly closely related. It is important to remember that these terms refer to ethnicity, not race. Latinos and Hispanics are two different words that may or may not mean the same thing. Some people say Hispanics are those descending from Spain and speak Spanish. Others say it is not the same because Latinos include people from Latin American countries. Since this would include non-Spanish speaking countries it is not the same as Hispanic. So technically speaking you can be one without the other but a person can also be both.

| Family ties among Hispanics are very strong, and this is what I mostly admire about their race. Hispanic families often come together for different occasions (birthdays, holidays, baptisms, etc.) and they teach their children the importance of good manners, and respect for their elders. A good quality to have today.

Hispanics in the United States have a history rooted for centuries. Many different cultures make up this group dubbed ‘Hispanics’, each with their own identity, culture, and struggles. However, they do group together in a common fight to gain a more stable and positive foot hold in the U.S.

To me being Hispanic means so much more than how I look, how I dress, and how I act. To me being Hispanic is the pride that I have in myself, for my culture, and the connection we as Hispanic/Latinos have as a community. With being Hispanic/Latino one grows up with traditions that have been around for many years. Quinceañeras being one of them. For my family having a quinceañera was the way of telling family and friends that I was turning into a woman. On the other hand, those that are not in the Hispanic/Latino community can throw a Sweet Sixteen party for their children to show their adulthood. Other things that may vary within heritages are traditions for certain holidays. For example, Christmas, every year we as a family travel to each

Growing up hispanic means so many things to me, from having the best abuelitas and abuelitos, to late night conchas because we have to wait til midnight to open christmas presents. It has taught me that family is so important and that there are no guidelines to who or where your family comes from. There has not been one person to walk through our front door who does not immediately become"mija"or "mijo". Being hispanic also means that there is never a dull moment, there is always going to be a cousin doing something crazy and an uncle trying to dance at quinceanera. I learned so early one to never take myself too seriously. Part of being hispanic means being a welcoming person and whenever anyone is in need you are right there for them, because

As we have read in Healey’s (2011) textbook, the term “Hispanic” has been used to describe all different kinds of minority races, such as, Puerto Ricans and Cubans , etc., under the same token (pg. 318). The government identifies Mexican Americans and other minority races that have similarities in both appearance and cultural characteristics under one term (Healey, 2011, pg. 318). This causes the perception that they are all the same, taking away the individualistic origins of their place, culture, beliefs, etc. Most of all, this classifies false/mistaken assumptions that they are all immigrants, poor and same language speaking individuals, damaging each race’s individuality. Socially, the term Hispanic technically only classifies groups as

Being Hispanic to me, is like having a whole other perspective on how I see and do things. One of the main things that I have come to terms with being Hispanic is that your family is always going to stick together no matter how far apart they are from one another. My Uncle has a son that lives with his mother across the country but the family still stays in touch. When ever we get the chance for everyone to be able to come together for an event, nobody would be missing and that is one of the things that I greatly love. The next thing that I love about being Hispanic is that the food is always good, so you are never going to be hungry. Whatever my Grandmother cooks is something I will eat in a matter of seconds, its just that good. My favorite