No-BS Spanish Fluency
Intro Note: I use the word Mexicans in this article. Although in the U.S. we are sensitive to this, I am using Mexican in the technical sense – people from Mexico. Having lived in Mexico for a while, Latino is typically an uncommon word, and Hispanic is absolutely made up and offensive. I am respecting the people I love by correctly labeling them by their present-day nationality and culture. My whole life, it seemed there were always Mexicans around me while I was growing up. Although that sounds funny or ignorant, but it’s the honest truth. I came from a small family of just me and my parents – we were not close with any other relatives. So when we went out and saw these (typically big) Mexican families, I always had a sense of jealousy and desire for belonging. Big picnics, cookouts, music, fun, games, etc. – and instead, I was alone with my dysfunctional parents, likely enduring some public fight they were prone to having.