Growing up in Miami, I found myself in a unique place where being Hispanic was the norm rather than the exception. I grew up in a household where Spanish intermingled with English, where my mother, a woman of Irish heritage, wanted me to have a basic understanding of both languages. My father, born in Cuba and brought here as a child prior to the Castro regime, grew up in a time that was far less kind to the non-WASP ( White, Anglo-Saxon Protestant) kind of American. Salvaging the culture of your family, alongside the dominant culture of a new country must have been immensely difficult.
This piece is an open letter to families everywhere who are multicultural, and a way to show solidarity with families like mine. Our experiences are not the same, but there is a commonality in navigating the spaces between cultures. Truthfully, there's nothing more American than this space, this area where cultural traditions of your family meet with the cultural traditions of the country you live in. I can't stress how awkward it is to realize, however, that your situation, outside of your family, is not the norm. I found it so easy to separate which side of the family I was speaking of, if I said grandma, it was my Irish side, if I said abuela, it was my Cuban side.
Leaving that sphere, it was confusing to switch to Spanish words so suddenly among my English-speaking peers. This also includes cultural holidays, I always knew about Noche Buena, the day many Hispanics celebrate on Christmas Eve, a big feast usually celebrated with a giant roasted pig (not my favorite part).
I love these cultural traditions, and I love talking about these things with those who are open to listen. One thing I'd like to note is that these things, my Hispanic influences, were not questioned until I left Miami. For those who don't know, Miami is home to a significant Hispanic population, and the area of West Kendall especially so. Leaving for college to Orlando, a very diverse area, it nonetheless left me having to answer these questions for the first time. In doing so, I learned to love my cultural differences in a way I didn't know before. Additionally, I learned to appreciate the differences of others so much more, as I was finally able to be immersed in so many different cultures and backgrounds.
If there's anything I want those reading this to take away from this piece of writing, its that finding your place in the United States coming from two different cultures can be confusing. You find yourself pushed and pulled between multiple different cultural influences, the expectations that are heaped upon you, and your friends whom also come from different backgrounds. You find yourself questioning which culture you claim to be your own. Most importantly, however, you learn that you don't need to claim just one culture, or one identity, you can synthesize these things into one unique identity, as there's nothing more American than multiculturalism.
