Did You Know?... Michelle
Did you know... that I am Latina? Well, not really, but I'm Latina in spirit. I am in love with most (but not all) of the Latino culture. The language, the food, the music, the hospitality, the history, the colors, the dancing... it is all so addicting!
I remember, even as a young girl, a special curiosity about different parts of the world, foreign peoples, faraway places. Then, as a freshman in high school, I enrolled in Spanish and began to learn not only the language, but about the many people, across the ocean and here at home, who call this their native tongue. And I fell in love.
In college, I continued to take Spanish classes and minored in the language. I hung out with friends from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Spain, Venezuela, and the list goes on. I spent a semester in Mexico living with a family from that nation's capitol. I learned to dance (or at least try to dance) salsa, merengue, and fell in love with the spicy rhythms of our southern and island neighbors. And I was starting to wonder what it would be like to raise a family of little dark-haired niños half a world away from home.
After college, I worked in the international department of a local company and had the opportunity to travel to even more Spanish-speaking destinations. I got a feel for how business is often conducted in these countries (it wasn't too appealing to me,) and learned more about the distinct cultures and dialects of different Spanish-speaking countries.
When I met Steve, it soon dawned on me that I wouldn't have to travel thousands of miles for the kids to see their grandparents, and that the often male-dominant machismo element of Latin culture that I wasn't too fond of would not be an issue in our marriage. A good friend from Spain served as one of my bridesmaids, we danced merengue at our reception, and honeymooned in Puerto Rico!
Since we were married, and especially once we had children, my "foreign" adventures have settled down a bit. Still, I love to hear of the travels of my younger counterparts who are jet-setting and carefree. I speak Spanish whenever I get the chance, even if it's at a local restaurant. I play Maná, Gloria Estefan, and Carlos Vives loud and dance around the kitchen, shuffling my feet with a baby on my hip and a preschooler in my hand. I cook chile verde and watch Diego when my older kids aren't around (they say it's a "baby show.") I try to teach my children Spanish, but they end up giggling too hard to concentrate or simply respond with a blank stare.
Someday, I tell them, they will need to know this stuff. Because someday I'm taking the whole family on a trip across the border. Someday, my boys will come to know the real Mexico--not only its beaches, but its town squares, its cuisine, its marketplaces, and its people. Someday my boys will want to learn more than just a few potty words in a foreign language because they will understand that it opens the window to a whole new world... a world you can visit but not really see and experience unless you can communicate with its people. Someday they'll (at least try to) swing their hips to the rhythm of an alluring Latin beat. Though they call me "weird" for jamming to my music as we drive down the road in our very American minivan, I know it's in their blood, too. Why, just yesterday I spied Alex tapping his foot to the beat of Juan Luis Guerra...
I remember, even as a young girl, a special curiosity about different parts of the world, foreign peoples, faraway places. Then, as a freshman in high school, I enrolled in Spanish and began to learn not only the language, but about the many people, across the ocean and here at home, who call this their native tongue. And I fell in love.
In college, I continued to take Spanish classes and minored in the language. I hung out with friends from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Spain, Venezuela, and the list goes on. I spent a semester in Mexico living with a family from that nation's capitol. I learned to dance (or at least try to dance) salsa, merengue, and fell in love with the spicy rhythms of our southern and island neighbors. And I was starting to wonder what it would be like to raise a family of little dark-haired niños half a world away from home.
After college, I worked in the international department of a local company and had the opportunity to travel to even more Spanish-speaking destinations. I got a feel for how business is often conducted in these countries (it wasn't too appealing to me,) and learned more about the distinct cultures and dialects of different Spanish-speaking countries.
When I met Steve, it soon dawned on me that I wouldn't have to travel thousands of miles for the kids to see their grandparents, and that the often male-dominant machismo element of Latin culture that I wasn't too fond of would not be an issue in our marriage. A good friend from Spain served as one of my bridesmaids, we danced merengue at our reception, and honeymooned in Puerto Rico!
Since we were married, and especially once we had children, my "foreign" adventures have settled down a bit. Still, I love to hear of the travels of my younger counterparts who are jet-setting and carefree. I speak Spanish whenever I get the chance, even if it's at a local restaurant. I play Maná, Gloria Estefan, and Carlos Vives loud and dance around the kitchen, shuffling my feet with a baby on my hip and a preschooler in my hand. I cook chile verde and watch Diego when my older kids aren't around (they say it's a "baby show.") I try to teach my children Spanish, but they end up giggling too hard to concentrate or simply respond with a blank stare.
Someday, I tell them, they will need to know this stuff. Because someday I'm taking the whole family on a trip across the border. Someday, my boys will come to know the real Mexico--not only its beaches, but its town squares, its cuisine, its marketplaces, and its people. Someday my boys will want to learn more than just a few potty words in a foreign language because they will understand that it opens the window to a whole new world... a world you can visit but not really see and experience unless you can communicate with its people. Someday they'll (at least try to) swing their hips to the rhythm of an alluring Latin beat. Though they call me "weird" for jamming to my music as we drive down the road in our very American minivan, I know it's in their blood, too. Why, just yesterday I spied Alex tapping his foot to the beat of Juan Luis Guerra...
I didn't know you could speak Spanish! That is great! I've always wished I did! Hey...speaking of Mexican....have you tried Los Cocos at 13th and Tyler? It's fabulous! We need to go there next time for our "girls night!" Let's do that SOON!!!
ReplyDelete