Personal Narrative: My Family In The United States And Spain

Coming from a Mexican immigrant family I have learned to recognize since a very young age that because of the status that my parents are placed in they cannot pursue a better future like the one I want. I have been given the opportunity to challenge myself with obtaining a higher education than just high school itself. My parents have demonstrated to me through their hard work that I have to value this opportunity unless I want to end up with low paying job. My life long dedication comes from seeing my parents make sacrifices in order for my education to continue.

My family comes from a humble background. My grandmother started working at the age of 13, with small jobs in order to feed her siblings. My grandfather worked many hard labor jobs in order to provide for our family. With my grandfather’s hard work, he was able to bring my grandmother, my two uncles, my father, my mother, my brother and I into the U.S. My grandparents decided to migrate to the U.S because in Mexico, they had nothing. They had enough to eat but they were still struggling to come out of poverty. When my grandparents migrated into the U.S my grandfather would still work a blue collar job, until he fractured his spine and couldn't work anymore. Nevertheless, that did not stop him from working. He began selling in swap meets, selling

The term professional, like many words and concepts has many different dimensions and the meaning of which has changed over time. One definition might be getting paid to complete a specific set of specialised tasks. Another might be an uncompromising commitment to performing at the highest level at all times. Yet another could be displaying a polite, considerate and generally businesslike manner in the workplace. Whilst most of these statements are partially correct, there are many aspects to conducting yourself in a professional manner. The most recognised

As a part of an immigrant family, there is no doubt that, as the oldest, I had to help my parents with English translation. Even though I have been in this role for years, it was not until recently that I realized the significance of my responsibilities.

My parents come from a small town in Michoacán, Mexico. Growing up, my first language was Spanish. There were situations where I would be embarrassed of my parents for not knowing how to speak English. People would give mean looks and give off a rude tone because of the fact they couldn't speak English. I was a shy person, so I didn't know how to defend my parents but those experiences shaped me into the person who is not embarrassed about having Mexican parents and helps them around with their English. I am a proud and lucky to be the daughter of Mexican parents. Aside from that, I had been an only child till I was eight years old. The day my sister was born, I knew she will be my best friend forever. She is now ten years old and looks up

There were three lessons that my immigrant parents ingrained in their first-generation children: Work hard, never give up, and most importantly, give back. Among other life lessons they taught us, these three were the basis for everything. It would be the basis that would and will define me as a person.

Much to my own embarrassment, my Hispanic heritage had been a thing I hardly thought of. My Father left my family when I was young, and with him went the hopeful wisps I had of learning about myself. It’s not to say that I wasn’t aware that I was Hispanic, but rather, growing up in a mainly white household I didn’t think I had any right to claim my ethnicity. However, the more I look around me and learn about the community Hispanics have grown accustomed to, the more I find that I understand where I came from. To me, being Hispanic isn’t about what you were told when you were younger, or the traditions you grew up with. Rather, being Hispanic is about learning where you come from, and learning about those who share your same heritage. ‘Hispanic’

Believe it or not a lot of individuals do not know how to become and maintain being professional. This is a perfect to quote "lead by example", be an example for others to learn from you and you could always learn from others. If you are not learning something every day you are wasting your own time. Its always a perfect time to learn and today I learned about professionalism. From a bit of research through internet and a few friends, and also from what I know and have experienced from day to day. A lot of issues I have been through could of been solved by just using some professionalism, for example, thinking before I reacted to certain situations and conversations. Always carry yourself professional and people will think much more highly about you and the way they percieve you.

What makes me unique is that I am not afraid of failure. When I set a goal I do not focus on whether I might or might not be successful; I concentrate on doing my best and putting all of my effort into the task. What separates me from others is the adversity I’ve been through, my diverse skills, leadership abilities, my contribution to the community, and my work ethic.

Growing up with two immigrant parents, me and my siblings were and still are their go to source when needing help translating something or talking to someone in the store or on the phone. Like the author Amy Tan, when my mother has a question about why her phone bill was higher than usual or needing help with a product at a store, we are her go to source. Although my parents spoke english fluently, their thick accents made it hard for people to understand them. They would not be taken as seriously when speaking with others as if their accents made them sound as if they were less educated not knowing they spoke over three languages.

My background is interesting. My twin sister and I were raised by parental grandmother until she passed away due to lung cancer when I was 11 years of age. My grandmother had 15 children and raised 2 more. My diverse experiences in life begin here. My Mother was Caucasian and my father was Hispanic, both born and raised in Texas. Both of my families were similar but very different. They were similar in that they were of low economic status, but very different because of their beliefs and their culture. My Hispanic family believed and still believes that God is number one in life (prayed before every meal) and that you respect everyone regardless of how they may treat you. My Hispanic family believed in helping one another when given the opportunity.

During the time my grandparents were married they were considered to be upper class. My grandfather was a land owner in town. He helped other Hispanic people so they could have a place to live while they got a job until they were able to pay him rent. My grandparents separated in 1953 and were divorced in 1958. At that time, it was unheard of for women especially of Hispanic decent to divorce their husbands. Once divorced, she went home to live with her parents. My grandmother later became employed as a housekeeper and worked for $1.00 an hour. She lived on her own in the early 1970’s, and then she moved in with my parents and me. I was surprised to find out from reading the text book from this class this semester that as I am considered

Professionalism in the workplace, is the absolute key to having a successful, and smoothly run business. Professionalism is something that must be maintained by every individual within the work setting, especially in health care, whether it is the janitor, activity director, nursing assistant, doctor, or even the head administrator. Professionalism encompasses many aspects, such as teamwork, attitude, environment, knowledge, morals, and ethics.

Growing up, my parents or grandparents never told stories about where they came from. Unlike a lot of people, my family has been around for quite some time. My mother’s side has been around longer than my fathers, but both still go back quite a few generations. There are some unknowns and gaps of information from my mom’s side that no one today in my family even knows because of how far back this story goes.

If I had a ticket in my hand I would go to the place I was born Torreon, Mexico. Last time I was there was 13 years ago, when my parents decided to come to the U.S to have a better and stable life for me and my brothers. The first thing I would do is go to my grandma’s house. I haven’t seen her in 3 years, and I miss her so much, I miss her cooking, I miss coming home from school and her being in the living room ironing clothes with an iced coffee and watching spanish reality shows. I would knock on her door and hug her so tight I could smell the smell of fresh hot beans. Knowing her there would my favorite mexican dish which is “gorditas”. “Gorditas” is kinda like a flour tortilla just that it's thicker and you can put anything inside of it.