Since my childhood, I have always attended Spanish Mass. Even though I worked at the parish and would attend many English Masses because of work. Attending Spanish Mass has always been the place where I feel the most comfortable and welcome. This is not to say that other Masses aren’t welcoming but it is to say that the Latino culture within Spanish Mass that is close to home. I have been a part of my home parish for 12 years now and it is a place that I have grown to love and adore. It is a place where I have become a part of a community, a community that has become a part of a big family. Before leaving San Antonio, I wasn’t sure as to how I would feel living in a new city, a place where I would have to find a new family to become a part of. I knew that I would have to look for a new community and parish to become a part of and was aware that it would be a task that would take time. Leaving my home city San Antonio and moving to a new unknow area has been a new experience for me, being that I have never left San Antonio. What I looked forward to the most apart from attending Notre Dame, was that I could drive 10-15 minutes and be in an area that reminded me of home, the …show more content…
My first Sunday in South Bend I attended Mass at St. Adalbert’s. I wanted to attend mass in Spanish and felt that attending their Mass would be a place that could remind me of home. Attending St. Adalbert’s was not exactly what I expected because the size of the Church made me feel a disconnection with the people and the Mass. When I first arrived I didn’t think that the church would be so big on the inside and that everyone in the church would be so scattered around the pews. What I did enjoy the most about Mass was hearing the Spanish langue. Now that I live on campus the only time I speak Spanish is with my parents on the phone and it is something that I miss hearing others
...history, and the great tradition that everyone talks about. I went to Elders library and looked for books about Notre Dame, there I stumbled upon a book called “A Hundred Years”. The book was about the first hundred years of the Universities existence, and all of the Deans. I read through a couple pages and i was very intrigued. It was a book comprised of how the tradition began, and letters from every dean talking about the University and changes that needed to be made.
Many folks go their whole lives without having to move. For them it is easy; they know the same people, have loads of friends, and never have to move away from their families. As with me, I was in a different situation. I grew up my entire life, all eighteen years of it, in a small town called Yorktown, Virginia. In my attempt to reach out for a better life style, my girlfriend and I decided we were going to move to Shreveport, Louisiana. Through this course of action, I realized that not two places in this country are exactly alike. I struggled with things at first, but I found some comforts of home here as well.
Brenda says that every Sunday is especially reserved for family time. “I am catholic so every Sunday and sometimes even during the week my family and I would attend church activities, and by that I mean bible study or when I was little that meant first communion classes or confirmation.” Ever since approximately 1531, with the sighting of ‘La Virgen De Guadalupe in central Mexico, Catholicism has maintained embedded in the Mexico. Even before the Spanish conquistadores arrived in Mexico the indigenous people of Mexico City, the Aztecs had a very strong belief in gods. So it is no wonder how strong their sense of belief runs in Mexicans. The culture of Mexico reflects the country’s complex history and is the result of the gradual blending that has occurred with the Spanish culture and other immigrant cultures as
I took my first Spanish class in 8th grade because I knew a foreign language credit was required for an advanced diploma, but I had no clue how useful the language would become. Waynesboro is a very diverse city and being bilingual has many advantages. After completing Spanish IV in 10th grade, I was nearly fluent in the language because I used it daily on the soccer field with my nine Hispanic teammates. This especially came in handy when competing against teams with no Spanish speakers. Fast forward two years to today, and I still have the conversational aspects of the language engrained in my brain. At Chick-Fil-A I work with a Hispanic lady named Carolina who does not speak any English, and I am her best friend at work
I grew up in South Texas where the only Catholics I ever came across were of Hispanic culture. Since I have only met Hispanic Catholics, I figured only Spanish speaking cultures were of the Catholic faith. There are two very distinct types of people where I grew up: Baptists whose main language was English, and Catholic families whose only speaking language was of course Spanish. While growing up, I felt very sorry for them because I thought they were wrong for believing the way they did. While being raised in a Baptist environment, I believed that if a person did not behave in the right manner or accept Jesus as their savior then that certain individual had no chance for going to heaven when they passed away. What was very contradictory to me was that we all went to the same local schools, played on the same swings, learned in the same classrooms, and we still grew up in the same environment. Even though their historical roots were considerably different than mine, they still happened to be going to the same school as I did, which confused me.
As a child, I had to navigate from an English speaking classroom to a Spanish speaking home. From eight in the morning I was given instruction in English by my professors at school. After three in the afternoon at home I engaged in Spanish conversation with my mother, father, and siblings. When the summer vacation came around, it was back to speaking Spanish only, and then I regained the Mexican accent that had faded away during the school year.
Growing up as a Mexican-American, I was exposed to a completely different range of foods, people, and customs. My household was largely filled with images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and other numerous saints. These images as well as a number of different candles and incenses demonstrated my cultures’ strong belief in the Catholic faith. Even the food had a distinctive Mexican taste as the flavors combined with the spiciness of peppers produced an overall mouthwatering meal. Spanish was regularly spoken at home in everyday conversations with family and friends. It was not until I started kindergarten and – to a lesser extent, preschool – that I became fully fluent in the English language. However, I began to acquire English long before by watching educational television shows such as Caillou, Dragon Tales, and Clifford the Big Read Dog. I developed a routine pattern of religiously watching these educational shows where the main characters became like close friends constantly teaching me new things and show...
Hispanics are becoming a large part of the economy in the America and its community. The Hispanic culture is as unique and special as any other, and should be treated with the correct hospitality as any one else. From pop music to food to political campaigns and corporate marketing the Hispanic community has made very strong present in the United States. I think as the years goes by we see that the Spanish community will become the majority, instead of the minority. I’m really drawn to the Hispanic ethic group. I admire there traditions and how they are very family oriented. The overall Spanish culture has brought a lot of traditions and culture to add the American diversity.
I can remember as far back as age four, getting my hair done and the whole family rushing out the door to get to Mass on Sunday mornings. My family who owned and/or rented five different homes on a typical Puerto Rican near-north side Chicago block, would all meet out in front at the van. I say van because my aunt/Godmother who has muscular dystrophy, had the largest vehicle due to her handicap. We all packed in and headed for either St Sylvester or St. Francis Church, depending on who made the decision that day. My great grandmother had the matriarchal front passenger seat. An uncle was driving, a few more adults behind that including aunts, uncles and my grandmother with all of us kids, nearly eight of us all to the rear. It was so hot with no open windows or air conditioning. Sometimes I thought we were on our way to hell. When we got there, we would have to sit quietly, stand, kneel, and repetitive combinations thereof, shake hands, a few songs then the final guitar-played song was the finale. The second part of the words, “La misa e terminado, dénos gracias a Dios (The mass has ended, thanks be to God)” was spoken by us kids over and over while we giggled. It was then time to go eat.
Miami was a melting pot and I just blended in or at least I thought I did. I mean I looked like many of the people there but then there was always that one thing that made me stand out.
Being in a close-knit community has its advantages. Everyone is well connected, open-minded and excited to share their Christian faith. If someone's roof needs repair but they don’t know who to contact, there’s always someone who’s willing to steps up to help. When you think about Hispanic culture, you may think that it's all the same. That is, not very true. Someone who is from Puerto Rico has a different vocabulary than someone from Mexico. The food is different. Superstitions are different. One thing we do have in common is our faith in God. We encourage others to come to church. We also pray for each other. This has a huge impact on how we interact with each other.
Working with the Monument Crisis Center as my community partner, I noticed that most of the people who work there speak Spanish. Working there for the past three months, I have also noticed that most of their clients are Hispanic. They usually cannot speak much English, and so the workers who speak help them out whenever they come to the Monument Crisis Center (MCC). I actually had the chance to do phone calls for MCC and had the chance to use my Spanish-speakin...
Attending the University of Rochester was like because dropped into the middle of the wilderness with only a calculator and a laptop for defense. I was the first person, not only in my family, but in my neighborhood to attend college; I had no one to refer to for help. I figured that since I liked to help people and I did well in science classes, I decided to become a doctor. But I think the re...
The most fulfilling or rewarding experience I have had as a college student here at USC has simply been having the opportunity to be surrounded by motivated students, professors, and advisors that have encouraged me to expand my horizons and better myself. Without the Honors College, I would have never met and bonded with my current roommates or any of my other college friends, who push me to try new things and work harder every day. The Honors classes I have been enrolled in have provided me with the opportunity to interact with students who are passionate about what they are studying. The professors I have taken are experts in their fields and have interesting stories and histories, such as one
four year university is the biggest accomplishment thus far. All I ever wanted was to attend