I lived in Mexico when i was young with my cousins and grandma. It was a very comfortable life and it was all very simple. All i did was go to school, do homework and play outside of my house with my cousins, all day long. I never really focused on how i looked, it was all about throwing some shorts and tee shirt on and going out to get dirty.
Moving to the untied states was a very big change for me. Not only was I in a different culture, but i also learned spoke another language.I met different people and as silly as it sounds, to me blond and fair skin people were only from movies. It seemed to me that in the world that i was used to living, there were only tan, brown eyed, and dark haired people... even those we considered "white". To me, the thought of someone having blue or green eyes, blond hair and light colored skin, meant glamorous and famous, since i had only seen those in movies before.
As time went by, I noticed that this country had such beautiful people, that i realized that some of the actors or singers that I had seen before in movies or TV were not much different from others, and that someone who I saw walking down the street, might be even better looking. To me it was so fascinating to see all this changes. I will admit, that i wish i had lighter skin or green eyes, not because of the actual skin color or eye color, but because of that idea in my head, that it was the "perfect and famous" way to look.
However, as I grew older, and I was out of the pre-teen stage of life, I stopped having secret crushes on celebrities, but actually like boys that i knew and they started liking me back. That was when i realized that it was not the fair skin that models wore that made them look majestic, but it was the attitude that they portrayed to the audience that was so attractive. It was such a relief to know that I didn't have to go through a Michael Jackson surgery to be "whiter", but that all that i needed was to be comfortable with my tan skin, brown eyes, brown hair and accent, because that is who i am, and no matter what, that is who i will be until i die. So might as well, know how to "work it" or "pull it off" rather than admire how others looked, and cherish the differences in between us. After all, the United States is a "melting pot".
Gina: You did an excellent job at capturing the anxiety and general cultural adjustment that comes with moving from one country to another. Lines like these really help the reader understand how different/ puzzling the new perspective can be:
ReplyDelete"It seemed to me that in the world that i was used to living, there were only tan, brown eyed, and dark haired people... even those we considered 'white'."
"It was such a relief to know that I didn't have to go through a Michael Jackson surgery to be 'whiter'..."
These (and many other) lines create a comical but honest tone, and build real sympathy with the reader. Just make sure, for future posts, to have another set of eyes look them over before publishing. Otherwise, just maintain that creative energy and personal touch within your prose!
love the contrast of differences btw the two cultures, i don't have much of that experience since i was born here but the color thing btw Americans and Hispanics isn't quite different; well in DR there are many shades of people even up to white like Americans. But overall i like the comical tone.
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