My father Rosario Zuco was born on May 13 of 1966. He grew up in Florida with his three siblings; Claudia, Paola, and Arthur. My father’s parents are Maria Zuco and the late Antonio Zuco. He attended to Florida State University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics. After college he worked in a series of restaurants in Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, Florida and Maryland.
Jalisco Tierra de el Mariachi y el Mezcal, Jalisco is a western Mexican state fringing the Pacific Ocean. Currently there is a population of about 7.351 million people. So I one could imagine there are many numerous amount of special events that are celebrated in this state. Events Such as DIA de Los muertos, semana Santa, Dia de la independecia are all events that the Mexican culture is known for. However there are many other holidays and special events that Jalisco celebrates.
The foods I consume, the language I speak, and the music I listen to all represent my Hispanic culture. Yet, these aspects also link to historical traditions and modern traditions. As for the foods that me and my family make, tamales, chilaquiles, quesadillas, tacos, fajitas, you name it. These foods represent the origins in which they came from. Not only are they delicious, but they remind me of my country.
My sleep schedule is not a hearty one; my dependence on caffeine, therefore, is. Waking up and smelling freshly brewed coffee mixing with the cold, brisk morning air is bliss. Now, add riding a warm bus through a foreign land. This land contains every variation of forestry your brain is capable of imagining.
This autobiographical essay will define my experience as a Dominican immigrant living in New York City. Being an American citizen with a Dominican background are extremely relevant to the process of political socialization. My family background is founded on the principles of democratic values, which taught to me by my mother and father. In New York City, I found a “melting pot” of different immigrants that allowed me to feel more accepted as a Dominican living in the United States. More so, these aspects of the socialization process provided a foundation for my belief in democratic values throughout my life.
There were rice plants on my left and farm animals on my right. I grew up in New York City, so you can imagine the millions of questions that were running through my head. I’d never been to the countryside of the Dominican Republic before, but when I finally did, I couldn’t be more ecstatic, despite the scorching Caribbean sun burning down on my brown skin. I hadn’t visited the Dominican Republic since I was four years old. All I had was vague memories of my grandmother’s boisterous laugh and the chickens in the backyard I loved chasing after.
I have always cherished the close relationship with my family and appreciate the importance they play in my life. My mother shared a very similar experience with her family growing up. I strongly believe that the affectionat relatioships shared between families is derived from the culture of hispanic heritage. My family will always be their for me and are a securlty blanket for me to fall back on if need
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.
From as early as I could remember I noticed I was not like the others kids. I had an interest for things most kids would not be interested in. I liked interacting with people, knowing about people and their life stories; I wanted to help in anyway that I could when I would hear everyone’s problems. I thought outside the box throughout my whole childhood and I wanted to make the most out of my knowledge. I told myself that I was going to dedicate my life to helping my community.
I was born in Colombia, South America and lived there until I turned seven. Before I moved to the states, I attended a public school and was on the competitive swim team for my school. I earned many awards the year and a half I swam for my school. I took pride in competing with girls three to four years older than me. I also remember how different things were there than they are here in the states.
I’m able to resonate with a plethora of things, yet the thing I consider my identity is I’m an adopted, Haitian immigrant. I was born in Haiti in 1998, in a small village in Thomazeau, I moved to Croix-des- Bouquets right after my birth and I lived there until I was 9 years old. My family's financial situation was adequate. My mom was always able to find a way to make ends meet. This cause our neighbor to be envious of us.
My mother’s father had passed away and it was heartbreaking. The one man who really made my time in Ecuador good was gone. Before my trip to Ecuador I saw my myself more as an American than an Ecuadorian. I was accustomed to the U.S lifestyle such as going to baseball games or eating hamburgers. In my home, we spoke Spanish, but more often than not I spoke English.
I am moving from this crazy Kansas weather to some place warm, like Barbados. Barbados is a warm place where I can be outside whenever I want, and it has wonderful scenery. You can see the sunset and beautiful plants. I like lots of living space, so I’m looking for a four bedrooms house with a large backyard and hopefully a pool. My budget is between $400,000 and $600,00.
Life at school was also a struggle, I did not interact with the other students there because I felt excluded and uncomfortable when they would have conversations in Spanish; I was afraid of being made fun of for being a Mexican unable to speak Spanish fluently. Wherever I was I felt as if I never truly fit in with the friend groups I had. It was either I was not a part of the culture of everyone else, or I did not know enough about mine to feel comfortable and accepted. I felt stuck and these factors derived me of caring to reconnect with my Mexican
I identify as a Latina. I have always considered myself as a Latina, but throughout time, I believe that I have assimilated more into a white individual because of the privilege that I hold and because I have lived in the US most of my life. I have received mostly negative messages from those who are not from my ethnicity. My peers and I were told we wouldn’t graduate high school and be laborers for the rest of our lives. With the current politics, I believe that this still holds true where some people still hold stereotypes and give oppressing messages to Latinos.
