This is a narrative I wrote.
Hello everyone! My name is Felix Rivera. I’m a Senior Government and Politics Major here in the University of Maryland. I took this course because my advisor told me to take a class that can support my Spanish Business minor. I have also never taken a class surrounding my family’s side of the world. I am a first generation college attendee from Rockville, Maryland. Both of my parents are from El Salvador. When my mom first came to the United States in the early 1980s, she felt very alone because during that time, seeing anyone else who spoke Spanish was a rare occurrence. Flash-forward 20 odd years and the DC metro area are full of them. Of course I learned that in this area there was an influx of immigrants during the Salvadorian civil war but what I hope to get out of this course is to learn how these immigrants managed to survive in a new world where there is a culture clash. I grew up in a Jewish neighborhood (My ancestors were Jewish) and growing up, I had learned about “the old country” of El Salvador, as my grandma would describe to me.
The first time I visited El Salvador was when I was 5 years old. That first time I was in a culture shock. My idea of the “old country” was nothing like what I imagined. As I was growing up I thought to myself, this is similar to how people from this country must think of before coming to the United States. They have this idea of how better life would be in the United States: perfect, calm, and peaceful. When my mom first came to this country, she said it was anything but those things. With this class, I want to learn more about the struggles and issues of Hispanic immigrants so that I can apply it to my career.
Words I associate with Latino culture:
Hard-working
Storytelling
Ancestors
Family
Heritage
