Se Habla Español: A Personal Analysis

Tanya Barrientos explained her struggle with her identity growing up in her writing “Se Habla Español”. Barrientos describes herself as being “Guatemalan by birth but pure gringa by circumstance” (83). These circumstances began when her family relocated to the United States when she was three years old. Once the family moved to the states, her parents only spoke Spanish between themselves. The children learned to how read, write and speak the English language to fit into society at that time in 1963. (83) Barrientos explained how society shifted and “the nation changed its views on ethnic identity” (85) after she graduated college and it came as a backlash to her because she had isolated herself from the stereotype she constructed in her head. She was insulted to be called Mexican and to her speaking the Spanish language translated into being poor. She had felt superior to Latino waitresses and their maid when she told them that she didn’t speak Spanish. After the shift in society Barrientos wondered where she fit it since the Spanish language was the glue that held the new Latino American community together. Barrientos then set out on a difficult awkward journey to learn the language that others would assume she would already know. She wanted to nurture the seed of pride to be called Mexican that her father planted when her father sent her on a summer trip to Mexico City. Once Barrientos had learned more Spanish and could handle the present, past and future tenses she still

As long as I can remember my accent has always played a role in my life. There have been moments of uncertainty, discouragement, annoyance, and lastly pride. Throughout each emotional stage I’ve learn acceptance and responsibility of what defines me as a women who happens to be Latina. In Tanya Barrientos “Se Habla Español” she defines what resonates within me “Without having to offer apologies or show remorse. If it will help, I will go first. Aqui estoy. Spanish-challenged and pura Latina (45). She beautifully states the acceptance that too many find difficulty fitting in. Especially in a world that will defined you not only by your looks but as well as the way you speak.

Along with working hard to make the team I wanted to be on most, once I was on the team, I learned that I can’t always control everything. Being knocked down through the seasons, I have less desire to continue playing. “Tough love” would be an understatement on how some of the coaches have treated fellow athletes and I. Never earning a “nice work” or “good job” begins to get frustrating and you get harder on yourself as an athlete. These challenges have grown me as a person and taught me that I shouldn’t give up, no matter how hard it

As I put off opportunities to improve my skills, and my character, the toll only became harsher and more difficult to overcome. In turn, my status among the other athletes began to deteriorate. Witnessing my peers expedite their game as I still struggled did not phase me so much at the time. In fact, I was sure that my role on the team would remain the same. This was obviously false, as within the matter of weeks I was pushed back further in the batting lineup, and committing more errors in the field than ever before. It was during our playoff run that I had realized the resulting detriment, when each player was counted on more than ever before. We ended up making it to the championship, only being one run short of winning. Although our team was able to accomplish that much, I felt short handed when it came to the successful

It was the aftermath of the Friday night game that I’ve given any signs of an injury, and my family and close ones felt sorrow for me and the following Monday. Throughout my life, peers and elders engraved an image onto me being that sports held a bright future for me, and it will lead to the true path of greatness, and one single injury puts me an aggravating, melancholy rut. Viewing my teammates playing angered me since the injury forced me into a world of therapy for the rest of the season. All the promises I made for myself were undone, athletic scholarships, the path to greatness, and my only school pastime and passion flowed throughout my body and into a pipe dream.

Athletics has played an instrumental role promoting success in all branches of life impacting my performance in school, work and other life facets. Involvement in athletics taught me the value of commitment allowing me to play in Division 1 Women’s Soccer while attending the University of Washington. As a former student athlete, I have been winning and losing my entire life developing my own resilience and tremendous work ethic to work with others toward a common goal. My drive spills over into my professional interactions and career aspirations allowing me to connect

During our first practice, we discovered how greatly we depended on our male teammates, and we understood that we could now only rely upon ourselves. As the next few months went on, each team member developed different skills, and I found myself drawn to the position of midfielder. This duty required me to run up and down the full field for entire games consisting of two forty-minute halves, whereas previously I found myself lucky to play for ten minutes per half. I attribute most of my growth to my coach, who repeatedly told me to be confident in my ability, which allowed me to take risks on the field. As I grew closer to my teammates and gained more in-game experience, I discovered that I was capable of far more than I previously thought. Being on the first female Varsity team taught me to never limit myself, and to always try harder, especially when I feel

At age 16 I was told that I was incapable of being an athlete, I was told tennis was not a sport, I was told I could never play “a real man’s sport”. That same year, I stepped onto a soccer pitch for the first time in my life, I lined up against young men who had been playing the sport for more than a decade.Yet, I went out there with confidence and challenged them along with the notion that I could not play a real sport. Although, I was scared to embarrass myself, I knew that this decision would be one of the greatest I would ever make because of the life experiences I would gain from leaving my comfort zone for the first time,

With my stick in my hand and passion in my heart, I looked to my left to see the group of fearsome girls practicing in silence on the turf field. With this sight, I muttered quietly to myself underneath my breath, “Never Again”. Over the course of my enduring three years in high school so far, I have been apart of many different communities with diverse people coming together to express unity amongst each other. The exposure of different clubs, sports teams, and friend groups have shown me many unique ideas and lessons. However, the lesson I have valued the most was my choice of finding a sport that made me feel more positive and allowed me to succeed to my full potential.

Our school was never very good at sports and only about five girls would be cut. I was jittery the day that the varsity roster was to be posted; I wanted nothing more than to be part of the team. After classes ended, I walked to the athletic board, where the varsity roster would be posted. I anxiously scanned the list for my name. I scanned it again. As my eyes ran over the page a third time, my heart began to sink. I hadn’t made the team. I was one of five girls who were cut from the varsity team. In a daze, I went to practice. Instead of focusing like I usually did, I went through the motions. The five of us who made up the junior varsity team had a separate practice with the assistant coach. After the sting of failure finally faded, I began to work harder than before. I showed up early to practice and stayed late every day. Every weekend I spent at least two hours on the field practicing. I was determined to make the coaches regret putting me on the “JV” team. As the season ended, I didn’t stop working to become better. Any day that was not too cold, I could be found on the field. When spring came, I joined the soccer team, hoping to improve on my endurance and speed. Over the summer, I spent at least two hours every day running and practicing. When the field hockey season rolled back around, I was ready to show off my skills and make the varsity

Throughout my life, I’ve been in many different sports. Basketball, baseball, football track, and golf just to name a few. Though some of these weren’t enjoyable on my part, I always stuck them through to the end. Football is the most forefront example. I never fully enjoyed playing football, so when I started football my freshmen year, I wasn’t too thrilled. The work

A senior linebacker I had been playing behind acted as a mentor and helped me with whatever I struggled with. Everything was different on varsity: practices were stricter, games were more competitive, and everyone wanted a starting spot desperately. After my injury I came to practice and tried to support my team and do anything I could to make them better. However, every second I stood on that sideline was a second I prayed I could still be playing. This sense of emptiness fueled me to work harder at everything I did. I hit the weight room as much as I could so I would be less behind in my next season, I started running as soon as my doctor allowed me, and I kept my grades up and studied to set a good example for my team and ensure I would have no problems next

When I was four, I went to a daycare and we always played sports and had games. Unfortunately, I was a kid who always got picked last. As a four year old this was upsetting,. So I took it upon myself to tell my mom I wanted to play sports with a team. I wanted to play every sport possible so I started with four of them; basketball, softball, cheerleading, and bowling. Through the years bowling turned into soccer, soccer turned into football, so on and so on. Eventually I ended up sticking to three sports; basketball, softball, and cheerleading, but I played on multiple teams. When I got to highschool, I decided that I wanted to play volleyball. I ended up starting Varsity with no experience in the sport. Throughout my journey of being an athlete, multiple people told me I wasn’t going to make it in life or that I’m “trash.” This pushed me to want to become the best athlete that I could be. To this day, if it wasn’t for me always getting picked last when we played games, I wouldn’t be starting three varsity sports, I wouldn’t have offers to colleges, and I wouldn’t be where I am today. The past surely does affect how the present plays

“How am I supposed to count on a guy who can’t finish sprints? Who can’t give the effort to be great?” our new seventh grade football coach screamed into my facemask, spitting in anger. This was my wake up call. To this very day I have the same coach, and I still have flashbacks to that moment when he challenged me like I had never before been challenged. This 30 seconds would change who I am forever.

As an individual who has an appreciation for the game of football, nothing would be more thrilling to me than playing under those Friday night lights. As a child, I had idolized the players from my home town football team. I’ve always dreamt of one day being in their shoes, playing in front of a crowd full of people. Once I began my high school football career, I was very eager to play Varsity. Little did I know, from freshmen to junior year I would be plagued by injuries that would not allow me to participate. I was on the verge of giving up and quitting football altogether. It would have been simple for me to give up, but I was not going to let my childhood dream and years of commitment go to waste. My senior season, I was able to conquer