Recently for my Intermediate Spanish Composition course, I interviewed a native Spanish speaker for an article project in class. I interview Ivonne Ortiz, a native Puerto Rican that has lived in both Puerto Rico and the United States throughout her life. When I met with Ivonne, we talked for over 30 minutes about her life in the States versus her childhood life in Puerto Rico, and I took away so much from this experience. Ivonne proudly described her native culture, emphasizing the importance of family and community in everyday life on the island. She raved about the delicious food, the wonderful music, and the beautiful beaches that blend together to create such a bright culture. According to Ivonne, this tight-knit, community-oriented culture is something found in all of Latin America, ranging from the Argentinians in South America to the Mexicans just south of us. In her eyes, these qualities that span across majority of the Western Hemisphere make all of Latin America its own tight-knit, loving community- no matter one’s nationality or ethnicity.
However, according to Ivonne, in the United States, this tight-knit, loving society is not present. She told me of incidents while living in the States where people would judge, criticize, or belittle her because of her heritage. Although difficult, Ivonne has learned from these experiences and has come to respect that everyone is different. When asked if she would rather continue living in Puerto Rico or the U.S., Ivonne told me she would rather return to Puerto Rico for her strong love for her entire island family.
This experience helped me grow in my own understanding of Latino culture and how it’s specialized in Puerto Rico. I now know the importance of family in Latino families and the immense love and pride each and every Latino has in their heart for their native country and culture. Being a Foreign Language Education major, this experience will help me in my future in teaching my future students about not only the Spanish language, but the cultural aspect as well. I will also work to emphasize with my students the importance of acceptance, as each and every individual- despite their race, ethnicity, gender, etc.- should not be discriminated against, but instead praised and appreciated, like those in Puerto Rico and Latin American culture.