El Latino En Mi
When I was in high
school, probably in 9th grade, I started discovering foreign songs
and started to love singing them. One of the languages I love to sing is Latin
or Spanish. And since then, I knew few songs written and sung in Spanish and
could confidently sing it in front of a crowd. I also began to idolize singers
and artists who are of Spanish/Latin decent such as Lauren Jauregui, Sofia
Vergara, Card B., and Maluma. Although I never get to continue self-learning
Spanish, I could say that I have a little knowledge on how to read and
pronounce some Spanish words. By this time, I could say that if I were given
the chance to choose a country and adapt their culture, I would say Mexico and
its rich Latin culture.
Mexico
and Philippines almost shares the same culture. But in my case, I never get to
experience the pure Filipino culture. I would like to focus this discourse on
being family-oriented. Filipinos are naturally family-oriented people. If we
weren’t in the middle of the pandemic, there would still be non-stop family
gatherings here and there and constant hugs and kisses from our extended
families. Sadly, I wasn’t able to experience that. Our family is just quite
different. I still have never get to experience a family reunion or a decent
family gathering, those of which does not include backstabbing and gossips
about out other relatives. In Mexico, although these scenarios could still
happen, they still give much importance to the family’s relationship to one
another. One thing also is that Mexicans, and other Latin countries, are heavy
partygoers. So, I want to experience that moment where your family gathers
around your dining table while train-dancing on Samba, Salsa, or Reggaeton if
they are more contemporary.
Also,
Mexicans are known for being religious. I wasn’t born into a family of
religious people and although I grew up having an unstable relationship with
the Higher Being, I still want to practice my religion and strengthen my faith
with the people I grew up with. My faith right now is mostly influenced by my
friends, so if I were to compare it on my family’s way of connecting with the
Higher Being, it’ll be too distant. So, I want to share the same faith and same
spiritual connection with my family.
Lastly,
Mexicans have festivals that I would always love to try. One of them would be
the Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead. It is similar to our All Souls’
Day but in their version, it is celebrated with colorful banderitas and
creative skeleton masks or face paints. I have seen this festival in a Disney
film entitled Coco and I just love
how they portrayed creativity and spirituality at the same time.
I
could say that I really resonated with Latin culture, especially of Mexico. It
might be too similar to what we have here in the Philippines, but if I were to
insist to experience a family-centered and spiritual-focused culture, I would
love to delve in and practice Mexican culture and tradition. Who knows, maybe
someday I’ll get the chance to talk to Lauren Jauregui or Sofia Vergara and
just relate to each other and celebrate Dia de los Muertos and other Mexican and Latin festivals together.
