In this day in age with many different ethnicities in the United States, it’s not very uncommon to run into someone who would describe themselves as multiracial. This country is called the melting pot because so many people from different places make it up. I’m all for the fact that your race shouldn’t defy all that you can do, but it does tell a little bit about you.
I am considered to be half Hispanic and half white. My mom is from Mexico and my dad is from Wisconsin and is Polish and Russian. I love that I’m mixed. I get to have multiple cultural experiences from both sides of the family. Each side has different traditions and I get to experience all of them. My dad has family that grew up in the upper part of Wisconsin in a really small town. That side is really into hunting and fishing and spending a lot of time outdoors in the woods. Most of my mom’s family is still in Mexico. I get the opportunity to visit them sometimes. Because of this I’ve been to Mexico many times. I’ve been able to have different experiences with each side of the family.
Being mixed can also cause some problems even if it for the most part is great. Even little stuff like filling out your race in a form can be confusing with the options. I never knew whether to put Hispanic or white when I was younger. I also had comments made when I was younger. Kids never thought my dad was my actual dad and they always made comments about how I was always the tannest person in class. It was hard to be different than the other kids. As I got older the comments didn’t really let up. I was told that I acted too white for my skin color. They thought I had to act how I looked and that I had to act a certain way. It made me feel like I had to work to fit in.
The problems weren’t just social either. I also felt like I didn’t fit in with my family. I acted differently around my mom’s family than I did with my dad’s family. I felt like I didn’t belong in my mom’s family because I didn’t speak any Spanish. I could never have any conversations with them and I was left out of a lot of things. I also felt left out with my dad’s family. Whenever we would go somewhere with my grandparents or when I would visit my dad’s family in upper Wisconsin I felt weird because I didn’t look like everyone else and I would get weird looks from other people. I never felt like I belonged in either family.
Being more than one race can be difficult in the society that we live in now. You either have to act or look a certain way and being different can be frowned upon. It’s hard to be that if you have multiple sides to you. You’re expected to act how you look. However, being different and having multiple cultures can be great. You’re able to have more culture experiences and get a taste of different worlds in one family.
