Identity Crisis? Growing Up Between Two Cultures

While I was growing up, my grandma who was from Cuba barely knew how to speak English.  So whenever my sister and I wanted to communicate something to her in English that we didn't know how to say in Spanish we would "Cubanize" it for her to understand.  That is, we would say the word the way she would pronounce it - with a thick Cuban accent.

This was especially true with brand names and retail stores.  For my grandma, Wal-Mart sounded like "Whol-mar", McDonald's like "Mac-donahl", and way back when Big Lots used to be Pic 'N' Save we would call it "Peek-an-say" (my personal favorite).  

Every time we would do this, it was amazing how she would just "get it".  

We used to love going to "Chokee Chee" with Grandma

After starting school, I also felt the need to "Americanize" certain Spanish words that didn't have English translations. For example, I would pronounce carne asada the way most Americans would say "car-nay ah-saw-duh".  Doing this however, would occasionally result in some interesting miscommunications.  

I never forget the time my first grade teacher asked me who my favorite singer was.  During the late '90's, my mom enjoyed listening to an Argentinean Evangelical Singer named Rabito and would always play his CD in the car. Because a lot of his songs were fun and upbeat, I considered him my favorite too.   

NSync had nothing on Rabito

So when my teacher asked, "Is your favorite singer Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera?".

I answered, "No, I like Rabito.".

My teacher paused, gave me a strange look and said, "Rabbit Toe?".

As a kid, being bilingual can feel a lot like living between two worlds Compared to everyone else at school, I listened to different music, ate different foods, and spoke a different language with my family.  

When I started to realize that I was unlike most kids, I began to sense the pressure to "be normal" and to only speak English at home.

However, my mom who had also grown up bilingual would always tell me that speaking Spanish and being familiar with the Hispanic culture was something that would benefit me in the future.  Validating the old saying"mother knows best", the latest science today couldn't agree more with my mom.  

The most recent research on the subject shows that although the early years of growing up with another language may cause some children to experience temporary "identity issues", the rewards of retaining a second language will more than make up for it in the long run.  Being bilingual helps the brain think faster, process words more effectively, and even prevent Alzheimer's disease later in life.  

As I got older, I began to see the benefits of maintaining both cultures.  Many times teachers would ask me to interpret for them in order to communicate with students who couldn't speak English.  As a result, I became good friends with the kids who were usually the ones outcasted by others due to language barriers.

Knowing another language not only changes the way you understand speech, but also the way you understand people.  

I hope that my music will inspire other young Latinos in America to stay in touch with their language and heritage. We come from a rich and vibrant culture that is meant to be celebrated, not forgotten.

No matter where we're from, we all have roots that are worth exploring.  Sometimes digging them up means that we have to encounter a few "rabbit toes" along the way.