The Mute Latino

Posted by Zeyah Gomez in English 2 · Pahomov · C Band on

All my life I grew up in a Allentown rice and bean making environment. My family always goes  to my great grandma's house  and the smell of rice and beans just lures you in. I use my Spanish One  knowledge and a little bit of the spanish I  speak at home,  to communicate with my mama because like me,  she only knows one language. I know English and she knows Spanish. I never knew the importance of speaking spanish. I doesn’t understand and not knowing something or ignorance is terrible especially when it’s your own culture and race.  

When my family moved to Philly when I was younger all  my friends were African american . I just adapted to that way of life , so I felt more connected with one side of my race.I didn’t learn about my race until I got a lot older. I believe the friends you are around will shape you into who you are  and vice versa.Then, when I was younger , I moved to Carlisle because my mom went to get her law degree for three years. The majority of my friends were Caucasian, and because of that, I slowly began to lose my roots. I started acting like my friends until I was discriminated for it.  That would be like a wake up call.


“ Hey Zeyah”

“Wsp Aaron”

Outta nowhere Aaron licked my face

“ Yooo why did you do that”

“ You black so I wanted to see if you tasted like chocolate”

( Zeyah Runs off to the office)

When I moved to Philadelphia,I attended M.C.S. located on Spring Garden,with the majority of students were black, and I began to transform. For example when I was in Carlisle, I listen to more Pop and songs on the radio, but Philadelphia was trendy with Hip-hop. I started admiring hip-hop more,  and starting adapting to Philly slang and I had to get tougher. The only problem was my school had a astonishing Social Studies class but it didn’t have a Spanish class where I could  learn. I didn’t mind it as much until , I wanted some more food and my mama who her only language is  spanish couldn’t  understand me

Not speaking Spanish when your Spanish is terrible.You can’t even have a simple conversation with your own family.  Everywhere I go they start speaking the language and I just have to shake my head.

“No se”

It’s frustrating especially when other hispanics come at you for it. One day I was meeting new people and I met some spanish girl at school.

“Hey”

“Hey”

“What are you?”

“ Puerto Rican, Dominican, Black”

“ *starts speaking spanish*”

“ uhhh...I’m currently learning on Rosetta right now.”

I make up little slick excuses so I don’t look as bad. I say things wrong to like the pronunciations of different foods or just regular words because I had little practice in saying these words.I say if you learn as a baby you will know more because babies soak up more than when you grow up learning. Even though I struggle with the language.

Even though I struggle with the language, I still love my culture and  never will forget my roots. Through my eyes this system is very important because this is you your personality and your traits.  I love everything about my cultures I can relate to so many people since I’m half and half. Everything to Malcolm X and Collard Greens to pastelillos de arroz y frijoles. My family embraces their culture too. We love dancing at parties and just being ourselves. My mom introduced me to Mark Anthony which is my favorite spanish artist right now. Currently I'm still learning but the instruments and the beats in which  makes you want to dance. All I do is dance like in the Dominican Republic where they are very proud to be spanish. I learnt some words there but everything was so culturally based the people dancing Salsa and Meringue until sun up until sundown.  I often hang out with both of my families on my dad's side and on my mom’s side. My mom’s side is spanish and my dad’s side is black. I hang out more with my dad’s side now because they live closer, when I’m there I eat more cornbread, fried chicken, and white rice My spanish family eats more fried plantains,  pastelillos, and rice and beans I do see sometime a mix though in cultures which I love seeing. We eat these foods like at get togethers.


Comments (7)

Kennedy Fields (Student 2020)
Kennedy Fields
  1. I learned that it's hard for the author to not have that connection of language with his family
  2. I like how you gave lots detail and description on each side of your family you'd be with,and gave description of your lifestyle and how it changed overtime as you traveled.
Joshua Henry (Student 2020)
Joshua Henry
  1. I learned that the author only likes to include dialogue when he really needs to.
  2. I liked the 2nd person in the essay, it really engaged me into the writing.
Assirem Hosni (Student 2020)
Assirem Hosni

i never knew you were hispanic! I learned that he would like to speak more spanish to better communicate with his family members. The writing style i enjoyed. There were some grammar issues and punctuation through out the writing piece. Although it was told with many anecdotes also you can clearly see reflection in the story.

Assirem Hosni (Student 2020)
Assirem Hosni

i never knew you were hispanic! I learned that he would like to speak more spanish to better communicate with his family members. The writing style i enjoyed. There were some grammar issues and punctuation through out the writing piece. Although it was told with many anecdotes also you can clearly see reflection in the story.

Charles Langley (Student 2020)
Charles Langley

I learned that people around you can affect how you act. Also, I learned that communication isn't always easy when you don't speak the same language(His mom and himself). I liked how I know your system is about your culture and you love that about yourself, I respect that.

Samera Baksh (Student 2020)
Samera Baksh

I really enjoyed reading your essay. I was able to know more about by reading this. I didn't know that you are Dominican and black but now I do. I really like the way you wrote this essay. You are descriptive and that's really good.