Cross Cultural Experiences

[Yazmeen Nunez]

I am half Puerto Rican and half Dominican by descent, and though I feel great pride in my heritage, I'm not able to actively participate in gatherings with others of my culture, including my extended family, very much. My immediate family and I are very Americanized - my father is from the Dominican Republic, but moved here as a teenager speaks fluent English, and my mother was born in Philadelphia. We celebrate Thanksgiving, play Wii Sports and Scrabble on Friday nights, and sometimes prefer to have Taco Bell instead of rice and beans, a traditionally Latino meal that is a staple of our household diet but is the closest tie we share with our heritage in our Virginia home. However, every year our family will take a trip up north, to Philly where both their families live. That, in its own, almost inexplicable way, is a bizarre cross-cultural foray that I am never sure how to handle. I will focus on my father's side of the family with this entry.

All of my father's family who live up north - that is, most of my cousins, all of my grandparents, and most of my aunts and uncles - speak Spanish, and live within an hour of one another, so they see each other every weekend at the least, and usually throw a party once every two months for a more formal gathering. They are very tight-knit and the entire family focuses around my grandparents, so in a way they are their own Dominican community. I haven't spoken Spanish since I was five (I can only write, read, and interpret very little), and since I rarely see my family, it feels almost unfamiliar to infiltrate my abuelo's home and smell the warm scent of platanos, a fried banana dish, and boiled chicken intermingling with shouts in Spanish and English.

Its always a new experience when I go to visit. As an outsider - they mostly speak Spanish in the home, so I can basically only interpret their intentions from their tones and gestures - it is almost intimidating to be around them, although I know they are my family. My cousins can be very loud whereas I was raised in a very soft-spoken tone. In Dominican families, it is expected that one raises their voice and be loud. Also, generosity is something not taken lightly. I personally know that when Christmastime comes around, penny-pinching or bargains are not something to practice, as an exemplary Dominican must be loud, proud and giving. These are just a few of the many cultural boundaries that I have experienced from the little interaction I can foster with my extended family. Although I know that I share a bond with these people that is stronger than language and culture, it astounds me, and sometimes even makes me uncomfortable, to be immersed in such a different culture. It feels as if you are having a confusing dream at time: everything seems realistic, but still something seems off, and perhaps you are not sure of what to do, or what is real.