Personal Narrative: Growing Up In A Hispanic Home

19 years ago today in a Hispanic house hold two parents three siblings and the world to conquer. Screaming, laughing, learning and growing molded this one young lady to overcome all statics .Factors such as birthplace, extracurricular activities and the simple thing she couldn’t control, her origin were deciding factors for where she is present day. New York, the city that never sleeps, a city diverse in all aspects of life, the city where it all started. 18 years growing up in Harlem wasn’t all it was cracked up to be especially for a young Hispanic female. Being surrounded with drugs, violence and public disobedience were some of the easiest of distractions that I encountered every day. As the years went by the number of student who learned

New York for Hispanics up on Washington heights was everyone’s second home, that’s were most decedents of the Hispanic race had migrated too. Growing up with practically another Dominican republic just a few blocks away allowed me to reconnect with my origin with actually visiting the mother land. I learned so much in so little time such as the diversity in food different ways to make and serve them, and the interests that everyone had. The union that we called family even if we didn’t know each other we looked out for each other because face it were all we have. Now despite what some people might think, no not because someone is Hispanic in Washington heights doesn’t mean their automatically in a gang or all for violence but when it comes to defending your own its everyone for their people. Even though growing up I didn’t visit Dominican Republic as much as I would have liked to when I did it was an experience that opened my eyes deeper into my culture. Learning to read and speak Spanish in “El barrio” alongside of my abuela and other family members it helped me progress because I now had more doors open to me in my future due to my ability to fluently speak both

I was amazed at the many opportunities present such as Latin dance, fencing, softball and the chance to have a second home. The opportunity’s that sparked my eye the most was fencing. To feel the power of your arm wining down as the blade of the sword swiftly runs through your opponent’s suit was a feeling that compared to nothing else. From getting kicked down because I was the only girl to the basics of advancing to retreat. To the warm ups with music, the white armor, the different sword and learning about their past everything amazed me about the sport, movement and history I knew it would be something I would eventually love to do. Fencing went from being a sport to evolving as part of my life style. I took as many changes as I could to be in the fencing class and stay distracted from anything that life may throw at me. It was my distraction, my focus and my