I started having a passion for embracing my heritage when I was in 8th grade. At my grammar school, I was one out of about ten hispanics in the school community. While the majority of kids had straight blonde hair, I had crazy, curly, brown hair. Kids and teachers would always ask me strange questions like "Is it hard to have that kind of hair?" or even "Why is your hair like that?" It drove me crazy that this simple difference sparked such strange conversation and curiosity, even though I was almost the same skin complexion as most of them.
It was not until I had to do a family tree project in the 8th grade that I really got to understand and know who I really was and what my background was. I am originally Jewish, last name transforming from "Rodrigues" to "Rodriguez." This is a very long, historical story that all has to do with the wonderful Christopher Columbus. My family, and myself, are from the Dominican Republic. No, we are not from Punta Cana. Although very beautiful, it is not the heart of my country. I am from the capital, Santo Domingo. This city is full of loud music, smoke from meat carts, and the smell of tall trees and plants that fill its grounds.
As I grew up, I began to take pride in my ethnicity and the little things that made me different. I began to love my hair, my slightly tan skin tone, and although not noticeable now, my hispanic accent. Because of this pride and passion, I even found it more my responsibility to shine light on certain things that non-hispanics do not know. This is what I intend to do in this blog.
I want to talk about the common misconceptions that people have about the hispanic population, the different "looks" of a hispanic, and the details that make up this beautiful culture. Hopefully, by the end of this semester, you will embrace this community and gain a better understanding of us.
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