Reflection Paper On The Fourth Of July

There is a saying “walk in a mile in my shoes…then maybe you’ll understand why I do, what I do.” This quote is a bit longer than the usual “put yourself in someone else’s shoes,” but they essentially ask a person to take a moment and try to see the perspective of another person to understand them. While growing up, I often heard these saying and I thought I completely understood them. If I wanted to understand someone who was going through a rough time, I should take a moment and see the world through their eyes, especially here in college where I am exposed to people of different nationalities, cultures, and upbringings, I realize I can also apply this mentality to everyday interactions. Before I thought these sayings mostly applied to situations

Because the whole town comes out for the parade, I have chatted and laughed with the people next to me who I don’t even know. The people in the parade are usually local families, members of the community, students from my school, and local businesses who work together to entertain the town and show us unity. When the American flag passes by, we all stand up respectfully and there is a very strong sense of patriotism. Even if we personally don’t have family members in the armed forces, we realize that the person next to us does and for that we are thankful and realize how bitter sweet this holiday can be for them. The BBQ at the end gives us all the chance to sit and eat together. It brings families from different backgrounds together. People from different cultures who don’t know each other and probably would never sit and jokes together under different circumstance

I remember as a preteen I refused to go, because I preferred sleep yet she was still willing to go. I am usually the one to translate for her, so I never thought how she understood the parade when I wasn’t there. She would remind me of me on Christmas day, smiling that it was the Fourth of July and she’d get to see the parade again. Now I realize that the parade gives her the opportunity to interact with others in our hometown without being so self-conscious about her lack of English speaking. She can socialize and joke with others without feeling left out. The parade allows my mom to take part in our American culture. When after being here twenty years is much a part of her as her Mexican culture is. The parade allows her to understand our American norms and it allows me to understand more about my mom’s perspective too, so that in the future instead of refusing to go with her, I will gladly join