“En mi casa, no comes si no hablas español!” In my house, you don’t eat if you don’t speak Spanish. Those were the dreadful words five year old me heard when I refused to speak my family’s native language. Of course people would think “he isn’t really serious.” However because I was a gullible child, hearing that the love of my life could potentially be taken away from my tiny little hands terrified me. Growing up I adored food, but even when my own father threatened me with what I loved the most, I wouldn’t budge. My father, being a proud Hispanic man, saw my disobedience as a challenge. He tried buying me Spanish books, speaking to me only in Spanish, and even making me watch my favorite cartoons in Spanish. He soon realized that his gentle approach wasn’t effective when I …show more content…
While being in a foreign country for three months, I learned 2 big things: 1.) I sweat a lot in humid climates and 2.) I needed to learn my family’s native language; This epiphany came about when I first arrived to Honduras and realized no one understood me when I asked for a sandwich.
That summer was filled with lots of firsts for me: first plane ride, first time seeing my grandparents, and my first time having a full conversation in another language. While I still didn’t speak Spanish as well as my parents did when I came back, they appreciated that I could finally engage in a conversation that they understood; Even though most of our conversations consisted of me using the wrong verb conjugations and articles.
As I grew older I learned to appreciate my family’s roots. I practiced my pronunciation and finally spoke only Spanish around the house and at the dinner table. I taught myself new words through music and how to read & write by watching telenovelas, turning on the subtitles, and reading them. Ironically learning about my heritage became my