In response to the comments on my last post:There used to be a social expectation that gentlemen greet ladies, such as with a tip of the hat, without any encouragement from the ladies? Why? How does this show respect? Respected is the last thing I feel when a male...
It's 1:20 a.m. on a Friday night and I'm almost home from working the dinner shift. I'm getting off the train and as I head towards the stairs that lead down to the sidewalk I hear an unknown man's voice behind me saying, "I see you at the gym." What would you do?...
I'm wondering why Easter isn't as big an American holiday as Christmas. Here is my friend Robert's response:I think it boils down to this: Would you rather go to a friend's (or savior's) baby shower or execution? Christmas is easier to co-opt than Easter because it's...
I’m among the Mexican Americans who spoke only English their whole childhood. There are many of us.
It's admirable that people want to include the entire planet in their holiday greeting without leaving anyone out, but the phrase "Happy Holidays" is starting to sound euphemistic to me. It almost sounds to me like a fearful phrase, said to appease the anger of those...
I understand why so many people say they don’t speak English.
I can fake a fluent Spanish accent until the end of the first sentence.
The March 21 issue of Newsweek carries the article, “The Battle for Latino Souls”, which describes the current push of Protestant churches to get Hispanics to leave our traditional Catholic faith and join them. I didn’t realize the trend was in that direction, but...
I disappoint and surprise everyone all the time.
The irony is thicker than my American accent.
I finally appreciate the education my parents and grandparents made available to me.
Acculturation, or the uglier word assimilation, isn’t always a choice.