I made this because I miss having really good Mexican food.
My home is the Rio Grande Valley where Mexican culture is everywhere. My own Mexican American culture is what has shaped my life into what it is today. Growing up in a heavily Mexican and Spanish environment is what made me bilingual by the time I was four years old. Having Mexican heritage in my veins is what gave me my skin color and my brown hair. My heritage is everything about me. Being in such a different environment such as Austin for a few weeks has really made me put into perspective how much I rely on my culture. Back home, really good breakfast tacos were at every corner store and you could always smell the mouthwatering scent of fajitas being grilled on a Sunday afternoon. Now, it seems as if I’m on the constant hunt for really good tacos and a place where I can speak Spanglish and still be understood.
My friends and my family are back home and we’re all connected by our heritage. Some of my greatest pleasures are eating authentic Mexican food and dancing guapangos at quinceaneras. All this is because of the culture in which I was raised. I’m very proud to be Mexican and when others generalize the Mexican people as “criminals and rapists” such as Donald Trump did a while ago that’s very insulting to me. Whenever I turn on the tv and see Mexicans being portrayed as workers for hire at a local Home Depot, maids, or street fruit salesman I am offended. It bothers me that American society generally likes to pigeonhole different races and ethnicities just so that they can put people in a box and not have to really take the time to get to know them.
Because of the stereotypes I’ve seen of my people in society, I’ve become more aware of the stereotypes that all races and cultures have associated with them. Pretty much every nationality in the world has a negative misconception about them. This led me to become more interested in discovering the truth about world cultures and become a culture enthusiast. This is why I want to study international relations and global studies because in order for two countries to work diplomatically, they have to understand each other culturally. I’ve never really experienced a stereotype because I’m interested in world culture but I have gotten judged for wanting to study international relations. Sometimes people don’t really understand why I would want to study other world regions or they believe that I don’t value my own culture enough. But that is not the case. The fact that I love my culture so much makes me want to reach out and discover the richness of other people’s heritage.
There are two organizations on campus that have really interested me and fit what I see myself as. The first is the Campus Events + Entertainment Mexican American Culture Organization. This organization hold events that celebrate Mexican culture such as Dia De Los Muertos and Mexican food.
https://utexas.collegiatelink.net/organization/campuseventsmexicanamericanculture
The second organization I found is the International Affairs Society that holds meetings to discuss world events and hosts speakers from different backgrounds that discuss international topics.
https://utexas.collegiatelink.net/organization/internationalaffairssociety
I can relate to you being Mexican, but I’m Asian and what I love about my culture is kind of similar to you. The food and the community that understand my half Vietnamese and English are all the thing I miss very much. I’m also very aware of stereotype in different communities. For instance we are consider a smart bunch. We are, but that not the point, it’s a very high expectation for our younger generation to keep that statement true. So majority of the time they do stuff to please not for their happiness.
I relate to the Hispanic culture and the way you said “Being in such a different environment such as Austin for a few weeks has really made me put into perspective how much I rely on my culture.” Before coming to Austin my cousins would always visit San Antonio. They would always crave genuine Mexican food or a home cooked meal. I would always look at them like something was wrong with them the food they were so happy to eat was okay food at the time. I now realize what I took for granted. The Mexican restaurants here are either way too expensive or there food isn’t genuine.