"Hey, this is my Grandma, she doesn't speak English, but she's cool."
That's one of the common phrases I used as a child when someone new came to a birthday party. It's different when you grow up in a home with blended cultures and languages, but it most definitely is not a negative thing. You are brought up in a country with its own customs and normalcies, yet somehow in your own little bubble you have a cross-cultural world of your own. I have had the privilege of growing up in a home with a blend of American, Guatemalan and Mexican cultures and customs. Our own little melting pot of both North and Central America. Here are some of the things that has taught me over the years.
1. Not all Holidays are celebrated the same.
The best example I can think of to explain this is Christmas. In an average American home, Christmas Eve is really not that big of a deal; all the big celebrations happen on Christmas Day after Santa Claus has delivered the presents in your sleep. In the Hispanic household, however, Christmas Eve is the big event. The entire family, and I do mean the ENTIRE family, comes together along with friends and just about everyone you can fit in the house to celebrate. This celebration continues late into the night where everyone opens presents at Midnight and enjoys each others company for as long as everyone can stay awake. I find myself somewhere in the middle. We enjoy the big celebration with the family, but wake up on Christmas Day and enjoy a more intimate celebration in our household.
2. Food can be different, but still good.
Why yes, that is mayonnaise and parmesan cheese in my corn. Yes, it's delicious.
3. Not everyone is surrounded by two languages.
It's always an odd feeling when someone hears my dad speak in Spanish, and proceeds to freak out because it's not English. It's just an average everyday thing for me.
4. My siblings look different from me, and that's OKAY.
I happen to find myself classified as pale skinned, tall and somewhat lanky. My brother is dark skinned, average height, and the athletic one. My baby sister is the small, olive skinned, and somewhat chunky type. It's all okay though, our differences only help us appreciate each other.
5. Having two families is sometimes better than one.
Being able to go to one family and have a completely different cultural experience is somewhat refreshing. Like they say, "The more, the merrier!"
6. Being stared at becomes normal and somewhat irrelevant.
Hello stranger! Oh yes, we are all the same family, as diverse as we look! And yes, we do like it this way.
7. Respect for cultures that aren't my own.
All in all, being in a multicultural home has its ups and downs, but it taught me to love people that are different than me, because I, myself, am different. We can all get along, no matter our different ways of expression and everyday customs, because I've seen it done on my own home.
