Day 1 - What I love most about being Latino...


For me to explain this would require a separate blog with multiple entries.. in fact committing myself to this 30 day challenge, is in itself, a clear indication on how much I love the culture I come from and grew up with. Though I have to say, as a kid, I would not have always agreed with that statement. The best way I think for me to explain this entry is to pose this question - what if you found out you weren't Latino? I actually did encountered this question not so long ago, and it definitely changed the way I viewed everything.

I had joked for a long time that there was no way I could truly be part of my family - I looked different, acted different (my mother commented recently that of course my blood pressure is low because nothing ever bothers me, unlike her and my father who scream about the firmness of a tomato), and generally felt different. When my mother finally confirmed my adoption, and my sister gave the look of confirmation... the thought was out there, even if it was only for a moment - what if the culture I had represented for so long is not in fact the culture that belonged to me? At that point, I felt pretty horrible to think that I wasn't Latina and that everything I held near and dear to me wasn't rightfully mine. It was pain in my heart that I cannot describe and I suddenly realized how much of my culture surrounded me in my day to day ----- I had Puerto Rican & Dominican flags all over my apt, I was president of the Latino org on my campus, my alarm was set to play Marc Anthony and Don Omar ---- even some of my personal emails had "DRPR" in it... This was a classic example of you don't know how much you love something until it's taken away from you...

Turns out my blood has the spirit of Ecuador, so though I don't have Caribbean blood, I still have Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic attributes. I cook a mean pernil and could eat mangu all day... Sometimes there is no other word I can think of to say but coño ... and lets face it.... there's a feeling that we Latinos get when we hear the congas that we don't get when we hear Jon Bon Jovi (though amazing in his own right!).

If you ask me today, I am Ecuadorian, Puerto Rican and Dominican (I change the order depending how the person I'm talking to, and if I want to piss them off... mu ha ha). Yes I am all three. Don't try to tell me otherwise or my blood pressure will in fact rise as one poor soul learned the hard way... ~=|

Anyway, between the music, the food, the comradery and even the controversial histories of each country there's a lot to love about being Latino. I hope you have one in your life! Ha~

- Z

The 30 Day Latino Blog Challenge

Latino Heritage Month Sept 15th - Oct 15th 2010

Taken from Latinegro's blog --- I've decided to try this out since I do better with topics than free-writing... 

Enjoy!

Z

The 30 Day Latino Blog Challenge. 30 days, 30 blogs, 1 message to celebrate Latino Heritage Month. I challenge myself and any Latino blogger to write everyday for the next 30 days. The rules are simple. The blog must be at least 2 paragraphs on the selected topic, although there are 2 entries for poetry. The blog can be written in anyway chosen.

Latino/Hispanic Heritage Month is from September 15 - October 15. So this challenge will begin tomorrow. I am a strict person with my writing so I will be writing everyday until this is over. I will also say that the 2 poems will appear on my Poetry Page. Good Luck to all who try this, if not...happy reading.

Day 1 – What I love most about being Latino
Day 2 – What Latin American Country/Island I would love to go to.
Day 3 – Favorite Spanish food
Day 4 - What Latino Blog I recommend
Day 5 - A story about growing up Latino
Day 6 - A Poem (original or quoted)
Day 7 -  Post a picture about your culture and explain its significance
Day 8 -  Latino Racism
Day 9 -  Talk about Music related to your culture
Day  10 – Talk about a Latino Musician in pop music

Day 11 – Latinos in the Media
Day 12 – Do I speak Spanish?
Day 13 – Afro Latinos you see everyday
Day 14 - Favorite Latino Musician
Day 15 – Latinos in Movies
Day 16 – What Do I know about Tainos
Day 17 – Why I love Latinas (or Latino Men)
Day 18 – Latino Art
Day 19 – Religion
Day 20 – Latino Stereotypes I wish I could change

Day 21 - What Latin American Country/Island I have been to.
Day 22 – Do you consider yourself more Latino than American?
Day 23 – Hispanic or Latino..What do you prefer?
Day 24 – Should Puerto Rico be a State?
Day 25 - Post a picture about your familia and explain its significance
Day 26 – Favorite Latino Actor or Actress
Day 27 – Favorite Latino Author
Day 28 – Family Ancestry
Day 29 – Latino Politics – What affects you?
Day 30 – What I learned in the last 30 days..

"When you want something, all the universe conspires to help you achieve it," the old king had said. ~The Alchemist

I tried to go to sleep but I had too much on my mind. I'm reading "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho and I'm already halfway through it after 2 days of reading. It was recommended to me by a good friend by the name of Edwin (Garcia) :)

Just to give you some background, I bought the book at Borders and it was in the Metaphysics aisle. "The metaphysician ... attempts to clarify the notions by which people understand the world, including existence, objecthood, property, space, time, causality, and possibility."

So essentially someone who thinks way too much about everything! Welcome to my world. I was a philosophy minor (attempted double major however I had no time to read all of those philosophers) so I've always enjoyed thinking about how everything effects .. well everything.

The biggest clarity this book has given me is to solidify my belief in the phrase "everything happens for a reason" as well as "you create your own destiny." Now, you may be thinking these two phrases contradict one another - which you are right. Right in the sense that their is a missing element in my beliefs.

To be frank, no matter what you believe, as long as you have faith in what you believe in will see you through, period. So no matter what I say, if you have found a faith you trust, trust it with everything you are.

"Everything happens for reason" - This would assume that no matter what you do there is some big magical script that someone has written and no matter what you do - you will end up exactly in the same place that is written for you. However, what this book has continuously proven is that every one AND everything THING effects you and your next decision and therefore shapes you destiny every second of the day. Think about how many people you interact with everything, how many things you touch, pass by. Had you not bought that bagel from the coffee guy on the corner he would not have had the money to buy that winning lottery ticket. Had you not skipped that guy in the line at the mall, he wouldn't had the chance to bump into the love of his life. If you had not come home to your sweetheart and snuggled with them into bed, they go to sleep with peace of mind.

The next point however - "You shape your own destiny."
Basic physics - every action has a reaction. Everything you do, say and touch has a reaction from everything around you. Easy. The overlooked follow up to this statement is this: Everything action from someone else, generates a reaction from you as well. It's a never ending circle that begins the moment you wake up. And every action you make has changed not only YOUR life, but everyone around you. Overlooked statement - your reaction also changes the lives of everyone around you as well as your self.

Think of that math - 6,000,000,000 people in the world with even more actions & reactions to effect the way you shape your life. The universe can only present you with opportunities to reach your ultimate goals. It's up to you take advantage of those opportunities.

So even though you may have influenced the coffee guy to buy the winning ticket, it's up to him to watch the numbers be drawn. You may have introduced him to the love of his life, but it's up to him to muster the courage to ask for her number. And even though you come home to them every night, it's up to you to show them you love them the other hours of the day.

ya dig?
Z