A Look into the Mexican Culture
Culture transcends conventions and practices as it also encompasses a dynamic phenomenon, which incessantly influences people’s realities and life. My interviewee, Ashley .P. Miguel who descends from the Mexican lineage, deems culture as “vibrant”. The latter depicts in the conspicuous Mexican streets, hospitality, culture, and their relationships deriving from their practices. From our conversation, I gathered, her culture evolves relying on her experience, time, and growth. The shift in her culture outlook manifested when she was child, as she was initially indifferent and only appreciated her culture after growing up as she consequently embraced what it truly means to be a Mexican.
From her perspective, travelling to Mexico could be deemed as one of the main experiences that aided her to establish her identity with her culture, as it availed her opportunity to experience the mundane experiences, customs, and challenges. She always knew that she was a Mexican, but having being born and nurtured in the United States, there was a lot she did not know about her culture even though her guardians told her, but after touring Mexico it aided her to comprehend and pride herself as a Mexican because the experience was stimulating, revealing, and humbling and since then, everything concerning her culture amazed her such as the different Spanish dialect she heard in Mexico, which differs from the dialect her parent’s speak in the United States, which enhanced her understanding of the language. Hoffman (2008) in her personal narrative, “Lost in Translation” focuses on the relationship between language and the self, as the author explores the meaning of getting lost, which extends to identity, emotions, and existential discovery. Hoffman (2008) reveals how the sudden sense of uncertainty, alienation, and disconnection, defines our personal perception and consciousness of the mental state and physical environment aligning with Ashley’s disconnect and reconnection with her culture, which informs her identity and language. Arguably, language is intrinsically connected to
culture, as it completes the social utility of communication of a culture’s customs, values, and beliefs. Besides, it reinforces feelings of group identity, affirming the premise that it is a standard via which groups sustain their distinctive cultures and retain their conventions alive. The former affirms why Ashley felt inspired by her interaction with Mexicans as their preservation of their language facilitated the maintenance of their identity and culture.
Ashley also treasures Mexican artwork as she has a figurine that moves with its head, one piece suspends from a rope while from the inside it seems as though the tail/head is swinging. Inspired by the Alebrijes, the artwork portrays color and vibrancy- with so much sentimental value to her since her mother gifted her. Ashley’s character also reveals volumes about her lineage as she endeavors to sustain kindness, which characterizes her Mexican culture and the natives. The courtesy between Mexicans is unique evidenced by their interaction with any person irrespective of their culture. For instance, in Mexico people routinely greet each other regardless of their affiliations as acquaintances, friends, or strangers. However, for Ashley, it’s slightly different maybe because of her coyness as she does not always greet everyone she sees on the street, but she sneaks a smile to sustain a friendly aura, a thing she adapted to thanks to her culture.
Culture contributes extensively to family and education as it inducts children to preferred conventions, values, behaviors, and practices essential in family and educational settings. For instance, for Ashley, family plays an important role in her knowledge concerning school and family since she has many aunts and uncles who failed to access higher education stemming from different issues such as distance and the lack of finances. Irrespective of her relatives’ education level, she cherishes and appreciates them as family as they inspire her in her education to thrive and capitalize on the opportunities available to her. The latter evokes struggle and mobility nuances parallel to ” when I was Puerto Rican” by Santiago (2006), as she recounts in her story, their humble beginnings in Macun, Puerto Rico where the narrator’s guardians struggle with poverty and a lack of employment opportunities. Santiago (2006) portrays how her life opportunities shift after pursuing education and moving to the United States slightly aligning with Ashley’s guardians’ descent in comparison to her uncles and aunts. Dieuwerke (2017) recounts Mellisa’s poem and how it portrays unequal admittance to knowledge and the impacts it has on the victims, as Melissa recalls her schooling and how she sat in the corner of a classroom, chewing on a pencil, not raising her hand, which confirms the plight of children whose native language differs from that of schooling, being deprived of full admittance to education, which partially echoes Santiago’s message above concerning how bi-lingual and multilingual grapple with identity when they move away from their home country, a feat Ashley has handled well, thus far. Still, Dieuwerke, (2017) indicates that both English-only typical and ESL supplement educational strategies focus on assimilationist practices and policies, whereby students of an extra language are anticipated to attain native-level language proficiency in the societal language, usually at the detriment of their mother-tongues.
Last, Ashley cherishes the strides her culture has made so far; as it has morphed into its own individual identity as Mexicans in the United States have their own tourist attraction and products, which keep changing. She is also stoked with Mexico’s progress as the country boasts of its first Female President, a feat that the United States has not yet experienced yet. Based on her on her observations, it is safe to conclude that Ashley’s culture and Mexicans at a large have a vibrant culture.
Dieuwerke. (2017, December 6). Multilingualism: Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies (MEITS). Meits.org. https://www.meits.org/blog/post/stories-of-multilingualism
Hoffman, E. (2008). Lost in translation : a life in a new language. Vintage.
Santiago, E. (2006). When I Was Puerto Rican. Da Capo Press.