Growing up in a Mexican household, the food we ate always had a spice to it. Whether the spice was on the side or already prepared in the food, my food always had a spice to it. My grandma’s favorite signature spice was her Pico De Gallo. Pico de Gallo also called salsa Fresca, is made from chopped tomato, onion, cilantro, fresh Serrano’s (jalapeños or habaneros are used as alternatives), salt, and key lime juice. At first I did not like Pico de Gallo because I couldn’t bear how spicy it was.
“Wade in the water. Wade in the water, children. Wade in the water. God’s going to trouble the water,” the slaves sang as they did their daily work. Link
Counting down the list from number 20 to eventual number 1, my heart raced as they called out the names. It was 8th grade and the rankings were out. This may seem like a rather pretentious achievement but when they called out the name “Andrea Campos” as the valedictorian of Copiague middle school. My heart skipped a beat and tears streamed down my face. Hearing my parents brag about me to their friends made me feel like my accomplishment was their achievement as well.
We started descending down the hill at a rapid speed, fast and faster, going up and down over bumps. As we started going down I could feel myself almost standing because of the bar, great I could potentially die if I don 't follow the rules. Instead of just letting myself stand I forced myself in with my elbows in my hips and my hands on the bar pushing me down. When the ride stopped panic arose in my parents voices. “Morgan where are you !”
Monday October 3rd I was texting my cousin Teagan Snyder and was talking about rodeo season again and she said that she was going to a Leon rodeo and I asked her to ask her mom if I could go with her. Her mom said yes so I hadn’t practiced at all during the week before the rodeo. The Friday night that I got down there I had to get everything ready for the rodeo in one night and it was really hard.
Day 2 Immigrant. That word gives me a label here. I am crossing the border to the U.S because my parents think it will give us a new beginning and a better life. I think they’re wrong. Our life in El Salvador was fine: We had a nice house and we were healthy.
This summer, my church took a missions trip to Puerto Penasco. It wasn 't the easiest trip to plan, seeing we only had two months to plan for it, and pay for it. Yes, this trip was spontaneous, and we worked very hard to get the money for it. It was a hot day when I and the rest of the missions team got out of the airplane in Phoenix, Arizona.
As a Cuban-born woman, my expected role in society is clearly defined; my thoughts and personality have a mold into which they must fit. However, a month before my fifth birthday my family made the decision to move to the United States and in doing so liberated me from these expectations and gave me the freedom to explore my own interests and beliefs. Ten years later, they were making preparations for my Quinciañera. Due to my Cuban heritage, my coming of age was set to be commemorated by a very long and very expensive night of food, dance, and family. For the same cost as the down payment on a relatively small house, I would be given the opportunity to put on a show in a dress that restricted my airways and provide food and drink for about
I belong in Humboldt Park. I‘ve lived in this neighborhood since I was ten years old. In the time I’ve lived here I’ve seen the community transform. Your classmates were your neighbors, and every day without fail I could spot a friend on my walk to school. During the warmer parts of the year, the elotera would stand outside the gates of the school and after the bell rang became swarmed with students ready for an afterschool snack.
One day, on an early Thanksgiving morning, my family and I, drove out of Valdosta to a farm. Our goal, wasn't to buy a turkey but rather goats, chickens, and a rabbit. At first, what I saw were a big empty land of dirt, plowed and perhaps ready for the seeds to be planted. Out further, I could see the woods surrounding the land and a gathering of crows flying and dancing, with the sun high in the sky. There's also was a small wooden house and cluster of cages separated by a big metal fence.
I grew up on a land where February is carnival month. Sunday is family day, and every day is as hot as the day before. Being the most Brazilian as someone can be, I was born surrounded the typical Brazilian stereotype and moving the U.S. at the age of 13 expanded my culture and values. Growing up in Brazil, I matured following their rituals and customs. Family is a big aspect of the Brazilian culture, so family is the most important thing to me.
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.
LA Spirit! While i have so many things i’m passionate about the thing that comes to me the most is my city. Los Angeles has been so good to me in the concept of sports. As a young kid growing up in South Central, all i would think about was what LA team was being broadcasted live. This was around 2005 so you could imagine what was around at the time.
When I was 12 years old, I went on a mission trip with my church to the Dominican Republic. At that time, I didn’t know that my life was going to be completely changed. I didn’t know what to expect in the Dominican Republic. I was young, naive, and totally clueless of the world beyond the United States. I knew that spanish was the primary language spoken in the Dominican Republic; therefore, I studied hard prior to this trip.
I have had tough hope once, I had to move to a different state and start to get used to the new place. Moving was hard and took a long time to move everything to our new house. My new house was hard to get used to because it was different and I wasn 't used to it which made it hard to sleep and I had to leave my friends behind and I would have to find new friends. Making new friends was hard because I would be alone until I found new friends and I would have no one to talk to so I would be very quiet. Usually I would always be talking to a friend and I am only social with friends.