The Mexican-American College Student

• Were you born in America? If you were born in Mexico, what was it like to immigrate?

I was born in Houston, Texas, and moved to my parent’s hometown in Michoacan Mexico when I was 1 year old. I lived in Mexico until I was 11 years old.

 

• What’s a typical day in a student’s life in Mexico? What about one in America?

When I moved back to the U.S. I learned that as a Middle school student, my life had a big change. In the U.S., students have 5 minutes to transition from one classroom to another when their class ends.  The classes required students to do multiple worksheets about the material they barely learned to prepare them for the upcoming tests. During lunchtime, students often have assigned areas to seat and a very small food menu to choose from. The lunch lines are so big that often students don’t have enough time to eat. After classes end, almost everyone has after-school activities that end up around 7 pm. Which barely gives students time to rest.

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In contrast, in Mexico, I took all my classes in one classroom.  This means that I had the same schedule as everyone on my grade level. Every day during lunchtime, mothers will bring homecooked meals so their kids could eat in the cafeteria.  After eating lunch, students often had a physical activity class that encouraged them to exercise.  Around 4 pm, I would end up with all my classes and return home to do my homework.

 

• What’s your favorite thing about Mexican culture? Why?

One of my favorite things about Mexican culture is the positive mindset that Mexican people have that allows them to believe they can do anything with hard work.   While growing up, I often heard from my parents and people around my town the phrase “Echale ganas.” This phrase can roughly be translated as “you can do it” or “put more effort.” This phrase is often used to motivate people to put all their energy into whatever they are doing and not get discouraged by their circumstances. I often think that this phrase represents Mexican people, who believe that by putting all their effort into something, they can achieve it.

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• What part of Mexican culture is underrepresented in the U.S. that you think should be represented more?

I think Mexicans and Latinos overall are underrepresented in the media. In almost all films we are hypersexualized and stereotyped as slow-witted people with extremely heavy accents. Those portrayals cause the media to contribute to ruining the image of the Latino community. Which often leads to Latino youth denying their identity to not be associated with such stereotypes. For that reason, I would like the U.S. to increase Mexican/Latino representation in the media and give them important roles. Roles that go beyond stereotypes and increases the awareness of not only the Mexican community but the Latino community too.

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• What makes your home city/town a special city/town compared to other cities around the world?

In Mexico, I live in a small town that is located 15 minutes away from one of the largest cities in Guanajuato. However, when I visit Mexico, I never want to go near any city because my small town, feels magical to me. The multiple town events, the small talks with whoever is passing by, and the walks around the plaza make me feel like time passes slower and that I’m truly taking a break. I believe, that if you ever want to truly rest, you should visit my town.

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• What makes the Mexican American community special?

Personally, I feel like the Mexican American community is special because we have learned to adapt. As Mexican Americans, we love the traditions of our parents’ country, but we also understand the need for individual growth. Our heritage which is highly based on family union often clashes with American individualistic ideas, but somehow, we have learned to mix two different things and make it part of our identity.  However, this mix of values often causes an internal struggle of not feeling like we fit in either culture. As Selena Quintanilla’s  movie said, Mexican Americans  “gotta be more Mexican than the Mexicans and more American than the Americans, both at the same time.” For that reason, I think Mexican Americans have learned to create a community based on the best values from both worlds.

 

 

• Who was the most memorable person you met in Mexico? What are they like?

It may sound really cliché but the most memorable person I met in Mexico was my great grandma. Growing up, I had always been interested in Mexican history and Mexico’s international relations. The first time, I met my great grandma out of pure curiosity I asked her how was Mexico in the past. Since she was a teenager when the Mexican revolution was going on, she had a lot of stories of how the revolution changed a lot of things. While talking to her, I learned a ton of things about Mexican history that books never talked about.

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• What are the most prominent Mexican holidays? How do you celebrate them?

Mexico is a country with a very strong catholic identity which causes a lot of the most prominent Mexican holiday’s to be religious. Every December 12, catholic Mexicans visit Mexico City Temple to celebrate Virgin Mary’s birthday. The celebration starts around 6 am and finishes around midnight.  During the day, people would come with flowers, candles, and more to give Virgin Mary while multiple artists have performances. In small towns, there is always a celebration that includes having mass, a big dinner, and dances.  Another big holiday, especially in my home state Michoacan, is the day of death. The day of the death is a holiday that mixes indigenous traditions with catholic traditions, in which family honor their dead family members.  From Oct 30- Nov 2, people will decorate their loved ones’ tombs with colorful flowers, candles, food, etc.  During these days, Mexicans will spend most of the day at the cemetery remembering their family members who passed away.  

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• What is life in Mexico like?

I feel like life in Mexico has changed so much since I lived there. I don’t think that I can answer this accurately when I just visit for a few months.

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• How do Mexican people view themselves in the global community?

Mexicans are very aware of their cultural value. For that reason, they often see Mexico as a tourist place worth the hype. They believe that Mexico has a huge potential to become a developed nation.  Additionally, if you ever visit the Mexican side of social media, you will often find that Mexicans tend to see the best in every bad situation. After every tragedy in Mexico, they will still find something to be grateful for. Mexicans believe that their positivism is well perceived in the global community.

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• How do you see yourself in the Mexican community?

As I mentioned before, there is a constant struggle of how much as a Mexican American I “fit” in the Mexican community. In my first few years after coming back to the U.S., I couldn’t answer this question. However, now I see myself as a member of the community that is trying to increase the international recognition of Mexican culture.  I see myself as a Mexican person who has had a few different experiences from Mexicans living in Mexico but still deeply loves her culture.

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• What would you say a typical Mexican person is like?

Although this cannot be said about everyone, almost all Mexicans I have met are heartwarming people whom I can always approach and ask for help without feeling judged.  They are people who will treat you like you’re part of their family even if you just met them a few hours ago.  In my first- year at Emory, there was a relatively small Latino community on campus which made me feel homesick for a while. However, my homesickness stopped after I started making small talk with the multiple Mexican construction workers and custodians who worked on campus and who treated me like I was their daughter just because I mentioned I was Mexican.

 

• What is the food like in Mexico? What is your favorite Mexican food?

Although tacos are the most well know Mexican food, Mexico has a huge variety of traditional food. Depending on what region you are located in, you can get a variety of delicious, seasoned food. One of my favorite dishes is Mole con arroz y carnitas. Mole is a sauce made from chili peppers, dried spices, nuts, and chocolate. Depending on the region where is made, the Mole can be either sweet or spicy. Since I lived in Michoacan, Mole has usually a very spicy flavor. This sauce is often served with red rice and Carnitas, which is a traditional pork dish from Michoacan. If anyone ever wants to try some food from Michoacan, I would always recommend Mole con arroz y carnitas accompanied by handmade tortillas.

 

• What are your favorite things to do in Mexico?

Whenever I visit Mexico, I like to disconnect from anything that reminds me of the city. For that reason, I really like to walk around my little town and go hiking with my friends.  Occasionally I would make trips to the “pueblos magicos (magic towns)” nearby my town.