When I read the essay of Clara E. Rodriguez, it made me think if I defined myself either a Hispanic or Latina. There is no doubt in my mind that I define myself as a Chicana, not Latina, not Hispanic. A Chicana is the first generation Mexican American, born to parents of Mexican descent and raised in the Mexican traditional way, living in an American society and also being born and raised in Chicago. I am the first generation Mexican American. My parents raised me with the values, traditions and culture as they grew up in Mexico. Chicana are viewed in somewhat like way in the American and Mexican society. .
Since I’ve been little, my parents instilled me with their family values, traditions and culture. Our family value’s revolves on religion and family. From my second grade to seventh grade, I attended …show more content…
My relatives would tease me because I am a "gringa.” I would hear the phrase “Ni de aqui, ni de aya”, (neither from here nor there), meaning I wasn’t from either sides. In Mexico, mothers are the protector, they are the ones that are responsible for cooking, cleaning and care for the family. It is expected for the daughters to share the same responsibility. On my situation, I had my mom and dad do such things for me. It is a big disappointment with my aunts that at the age of fifteen I didn’t know how to cook at all, I did know how to clean a house, however I was taught how to wash clothes on a wash board. Another big disappointment and embarrassment would be if we didn’t speak Spanish. I consider Spanish my first language since it was the first language I learned. I have cousins here in the United States, when we would go to Mexico, our aunts and uncles would be very disappointment that some of them didn’t understand nor spoke Spanish. Their parents would hear the sermons about how upsetting and shameful it is to have family that they couldn’t communicate