edgar1172001

[edgar1172001]

Shaping My Cultural Identity

In today’s society, there are many terms that are used or said without giving it complete thought. As an example, the term “identity” is something to which I have never really given much thought or considered how I identify myself. Culture to me is a state of mind in which someone recognizes their traits and beliefs that leads them to find out who they are as an individual. The value of culture goes beyond customs and practices and is better understood as a perspective. Having the fortune of being an American citizen, I can identify myself as a Mexican-American with both American and Mexican culture. Since a very young age, while growing up in a traditional Mexican household, I was raised and surrounded by Mexican customs and traditional beliefs. As I grew older and started to attend Preschool, I was exposed to American culture all around me. 

In the meantime, everything started to change when I moved to Mexico and start growing up there as a Mexican-American (Chicano) kid due to the exposure of different ranges of food, people, and customs. My household was largely filled with images of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and numerous other saints. These images as well as a number of different of candles and incenses demonstrated my cultures�� strong belief in the Catholic faith. However, the food had a distinct Mexican taste than what we are used to here in the U.S. 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 decided to come back to the U.S. that I started to practice my English skills and trying to become fully fluent in the English language. The more time that I spent living in the U.S., I can notice the changes on how I viewed my culture as a Chicano. For example, one of my favorite holidays that all Latinos know is El Dia de Muertos (The Day of the Death) which is a celebration that started back in Mexico to commemorate and remember the memories of our loved ones. However, there are many Americans who have heard about this celebration, but they refer to it as "Mexican Halloween." 

The Day of the Death celebration is crossing over into the American culture with a whirlwind of exhibits, parties, educational projects, art classes and parades throughout the country. However, in some countries of Latin American the celebration is still remaining the same, which is celebrated on November 1 and 2 with families remembering the dead with graveside picnics, all-night vigils, and prayer gatherings.  

[edgar1172001]

Where Words Fail, Music Speaks

It was quite a challenge on seeking the right song with a completely different genre that I am unfamiliar with that reflects my identity. Having many options to choose from made it more difficult to pick a song that fits my personality. I decided to go with the song “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten that is a part of the pop genre. The song has been one of the most popular pop songs ever since it was released in 2014. The song is part of the “Fight Song 2014” Album, and it was written and recorded by the artist itself Rachel Platten and Dave Bassett. After listening to “Fight Song”, I can finally say that Rachel Platten and I have experienced many hard times during the past years. Listening to this song for a few days and being unfamiliar with the genre, I can say that I’m in love with it because it makes me travel to my past and reflect on my own personality which both play a big part to create my unique identity. This song tells a very clear message in which I interpreted as overcoming new challenging events in one’s life. It makes the person remember that you can do anything and not to listen to the voices in your head that tell you that you’re not good enough. Through this song, we learn that it is possible to get through our problems and that things do get better when we are capable of overcoming anything that comes in our way. At the end, we’re stronger than what we thought and even if no one was there to help us we should always pick ourselves up. 

Many of us including myself who has been in hard times is able to connect with this song, especially with this part of the lyrics… “And I don’t really care if nobody else believes ‘Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me.” Platten wrote this song when she was going through such a hard time and she needed to remember to believe in herself. So, the fact that it was reached to everyone other than her was really incredible. “Fight Song” is a song that can inspire me due to all the hard times that I have lived.

“Fight Song”

By Rachel Platten

Lyrics

Like a small boat On the ocean Sending big waves Into motion Like how a single word Can make a heart open I might only have one match But I can make an explosion

And all those things I didn't say Wrecking balls inside my brain I will scream them loud tonight Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song Take back my life song Prove I'm alright song My power's turned on Starting right now I'll be strong I'll play my fight song And I don't really care if nobody else believes 'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

Losing friends and I'm chasing sleep Everybody's worried about me In too deep Say I'm in too deep (in too deep) And it's been two years I miss my home But there's a fire burning in my bones Still believe Yeah, I still believe

And all those things I didn't say Wrecking balls inside my brain I will scream them loud tonight Can you hear my voice this time?

This is my fight song Take back my life song Prove I'm alright song My power's turned on Starting right now I'll be strong I'll play my fight song And I don't really care if nobody else believes 'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

A lot of fight left in me

Like a small boat On the ocean Sending big waves Into motion Like how a single word Can make a heart open I might only have one match But I can make an explosion

This is my fight song Take back my life song Prove I'm alright song My power's turned on Starting right now I'll be strong (I'll be strong) I'll play my fight song And I don't really care if nobody else believes 'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me

Know I've still got a lot of fight left in me 

[edgar1172001]

Soundtrack Of My Life

It has been quite difficult on searching to find the right song that can represent my identity and my past, as I see it now, I can finally say that Laura Pausini and I share a lot of personal events in common. Since 2008, I have been in love with the song “En Cambio No” by Laura Pausini because it makes me reflect on my past and on my own personality which both play a big role of my identity. This song tells a very sad event of Laura Pausini’s life which describes contemplated memories lived with her grandmother and things that were not said while she was alive. She wrote this song called “En Cambio No” for her grandmother who waited for her arrival before going to heaven. The song speaks of her last respite and the fact that we should never be afraid to tell our loved ones that we love them, although sometimes we get angry and fight for no reason. As individuals, we should never wait until the last minute to say I LOVE YOU to one of our loved ones since we can regret it later in the future. 

Many of us including myself who have lost a loved one is able to connect with this issue, especially with this part of the lyrics… “Quizá bastaba respirar, solo respirar muy lento.” This song was released in 2008, and it was one of the first songs written and recorded by the artist itself Laura Pausini and her former husband Paolo Carta who plays the piano. Now that 11 years have gone by, the music video has been getting lots of views from people from different countries, so far it has more than 100,000,000 views. “En Cambio No” is a song that inspires me due to the death of my father in 2011, I was only 11 years old when my father passed away and at that moment I felt that I couldn’t move on in life with a positive attitude. I thought to myself, how am I going to grow up without having my dad in my life? since that time I didn’t have a parental figure to guide me throughout my decisions. The cause of his death was cancer which he had suffered for about a year.

“En Cambio No”

By Laura Pausini

Lyrics

Quizá bastaba respirar Solo respirar muy lento Recuperar cada latido en mí Y no tiene sentido ahora que no estás ¿Ahora dónde estás?

Porque yo no Puedo acostumbrarme aun Diciembre ya llegó

No estás aquí Yo te esperare hasta el fin

En cambio no, hoy no Hay tiempo de explicarte Ni preguntar si te amé lo suficiente Yo estoy aquí Y quiero hablarte ahora Ahora

Por que se rompen en mis dientes Las cosas importantes Esas palabras Que nunca escucharás

Y las sumerjo en un lamento Haciéndolas salir Son todas para ti Una por una aquí

¿Las sientes ya? Pesan y se posarán Entre nosotros dos

Si me faltas tú (si faltas tú) No las puedo repetir No las puedo pronunciar

En cambio no Me llueven los recuerdos De aquellos días que Corríamos al viento Quiero soñar Que puedo hablarte ahora Ahora

En cambio no, hoy no Hay tiempo de explicarte También tenía yo Mil cosas que contarte Y frente a mí Mil cosas que me arrastran junto a ti

Quizá bastaba respirar Solo respirar muy lento Hoy es tarde Hoy en cambio no

[edgar1172001]

The Real Vs. The Ideal

The Identity Box was one of the projects that I have done for my Chicano Studies 115 class. It took me about 5 hours to have it all done. This box portraits how people see me and how I see myself.

Outside of the box: How people see me

People see me as a shy person, but once they get to know me I’m friendly and kind

The Mexican Flag represents my nationality since people see me as a Latino

I am also caring because I enjoy helping my community and others

People see me as an intelligent young man, who never gives up on anything 

The button pin shows to people that I am a first-generation college student who’s attending California State University, Northridge 

Inside of the box: How I see myself

In the center, I decided to incorporate a picture of my volunteer group because they helped me to gain leadership skills and to become an outspoken person

I see myself as a pet owner, currently, I have two dogs which they mean everything to me

Some of my values are based on my culture and the place where I spent about 8 years of my life (Mexico), that is why I incorporated Mexican money to show my roots

Horchateria and La Michoacana are two places that I enjoy to go with my family and friends because both places served Mexican beverages and desserts 

[edgar1172001]

The Spoken Language

Moving from one place to another allows you to experience many new aspects of life, however, moving from one country to another is a life-changing experience. Many people immigrate to have a better living, yet some move to explore new opportunities. I can relate to all of those people who moved to another country to explore more about themselves and to explore new opportunities. Moving to the United States without my family a young age was not easy because I had to leave everything behind including my mom and brothers, leading me towards a fresh new start in a different country. One of the greatest barriers that I have faced and accomplished throughout this time is learning the English language. In my perspective, moving to another country is hard to adapt to a whole new society; a society that does not know anything about your life, however, my language barrier limited my ability to communicate with others. Starting with my freshman year in high school, I borrow kids’ books from local libraries and started to read with a dictionary along my side. Besides reading, I tried to talk, write, and do everything that I could to help me improve my English skills. I struggled to comprehend the English language, and I have pulled back grades due to my lack of knowledge of English. I received support from my peers, teachers, and close ones making it easier to succeed in my  English classes and overall vocabulary. By the time I got into my senior year, I decided to take the AP English Literature course because I knew that this course would help me improve overall with my English skills. Taking this course was challenging for me because I realized that my improvement in English was not up to par with college-level students. During the course, I had a tough time passing my first writing exam but the struggle was worth it because I learned a lot. Even though I know that I still have a lot to improve on, I am satisfied with my English and what I have learned this far. 

[edgar1172001]

A Faraway Island

Moving to a new land away from home can be intimidating. There are moments of spikes, anxiety, and excitement that capture our minds right before the big move. Living alone in a new country is not as it appears to be in television. However, that doesn’t mean that it can not be any fun. It is important to know that it is perfectly reasonable to feel nervous due to a variety of new things that will be in our paths, such as; learning ways of getting around, a different culture, a new language, different food, and just the feeling of homesickness. The shock can be great, but the adjustments may come fast and smooth. The journey of life consists of experiences, challenges, achievements, and failures in which all will be used to trek down the path of success. From 2007-2013, my life was spent in the most beautiful country called Mexico. Even though I was born in the U.S. and lived for about 4 years before moving to Mexico. Throughout this time that I spent in Mexico, I was consider a social butterfly because I always loved to learn new things. This started to change when I returned to the United States on July 24, 2013, I was only 12 years old when I decided to convince my mother to let me come back to my native country. At first, I was nervous but since all my relatives have been living in this country for a long time they helped me to adapt to this new environment. I didn’t know much about foreign countries, and I never thought I would experience living abroad. I made a special journey coming back to the U.S., a country known as the GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY. Since day one, I started to discovered that I was living in a different world with a complete different life. My feelings were complicated, and at the time I was full of curiosity that my heart started to pump like a rabbit. As the time passed by, I gradually learned many things and remember how American people were especially kind; they helped me to understand and be understood. I felt that I shouldn’t be afraid of anything because I was secure and happy to live in the U.S. Since that time, I started to feel like if it was my new sweet home. I learned about the culture and the differences between the society of Mexico and the United States. I’ve never regretted making this decision of coming back to the U.S. by myself at a young age because it has been an excellent chance to get myself independent and learn how to live apart from my family.

[edgar1172001]

Follow Your Dream

Biology has been one of my favorite subjects throughout my middle school and high school career, this is due to the fact that biology is the study of living organisms. My goal as an undergraduate student at California State University, Northridge is to major in biology and get into medical school in order to become a pediatric surgeon or pediatrician; therefore, biology was a course that thought me the foundation of medicine. The main reason why I want to become a physician in the future is due to my experience that I lived during my childhood. In the year of 2010, my father was diagnosed with cancer, I have never been so heartbroken to see my father sad and weak. I always believed that my dad was invisible. During those days, I lived with fear creeping over my shoulder, and this situation taught me that life is too short. I was only 11 years old when my father passed away, and at the moment I felt that I couldn’t move on in life with a positive attitude. I thought to myself, how am I going to grow up without having my dad in my life? since that time I didn’t have a parental figure to guide me throughout my decisions. Now that years have gone by, I have grown older and stronger as a person. My family has opened my eyes that I should never give up in life, no matter what the situation is there should be always a way to overcome a barrier through the future. I know that my dad is looking down on me with a big smile on his face, watching me grow up and seeing how great the family is doing. Even though he is not physically with me anymore, I know his spirit will always guide me in the right direction. I know that he would be more than proud of me to know that I have tried and will continue to try to be better than the best to accomplish my goals.

[edgar1172001]

Ride Of My Life

Edgar Rodriguez is an undergraduate student at California States University, Northridge. He was born in the state of California U.S.A. on January 17, 2001, but when he was 5 years old his family and him moved to Mexico. He spent about 8 years of his life living in Mexico, until he decided to come back to the United States on July 24, 2013. Living in the U.S. for about 5 years, he has been able to overcome and adapt to a whole new world and society. He is still making progress to overcome barriers and pursuit a Science Degree in Biology.