In America, different peoples mix in what many call a “culture stew.” We become, in a way, our own unique culture that causes us to see everyone here as an American. The thing is, we are not a single culture as we like to think – it is a metaphysical culture that many follow, and thus, we don’t truthfully appreciate all the people around us. If we were to, however, what would we see?
In the book My Heart Lies South by Elizabeth Borton De Treviño, she marries a Mexican named Don Luis Treviño Arreola y Gomez Sanchez de la Barquera, a public relations director. She writes about the culture around her. A culture with many differences. How is the language different? In the book, she says she “considered [herself] a master of the tongue. But I hadn’t counted on several unknown factors.” What are these factors? Well, in the first place, everyone you are listening to is talking at once, and thus, deciphering the language is much harder. It also did not help that the speakers left some words out and substituted body gestures for these words – lots of movement of “shoulders, hands, wrists, eyebrows, forehead, and head.” Lastly, they added in Indian words, which she did not know. In English here in America, we don’t usually have many body gestures, but instead make shortening slang. For example, FYI means “for your information.” Sometimes people mix in some Spanish for some reason. And there is of course, on both sides, the emoji. How are households run differently? In Mexico, every household is in want of four kinds of people: husband, wife, children, and servants. These servants do chores and such things, as a nana (nurse) takes care of the baby, or solterona (old maid) cleans the house and things inside. The wife pays the servants, and the servants take care of most things that need taken care of – and as Elizabeth did not hire a nana, all the servants took care of the children. The Mexicans are people who really believe in taking care of everything and everyone in the house, and they seem to do a good job of it. Here in America, the kids go to school, usually at least one parent goes to work, and if one of them does not work, they take care of the house – cleaning, cooking, the baby if there is one, and several other things. Here, the house does not seem to be as important as in Elizabeth’s Mexico. How is grieving different? In Mexico, a grieving period is usually long and monotonous. “The mourning period for one’s mother is two years, for one’s father, a year, for a brother or a child, a year. Other relatives according to the affection one feels.” This is not to mention that only certain colors and types of clothing were worn during this period. Even more interesting is that this period is thought as a way you are ennobled and purified! Here in America, if a family member dies, you simply take care of unfinished business, bury them, and go on with life – not without thinking of them from time to time, of course. Elizabeth said in the book, “I thought we should help each other forget our sorrow and go about our duties make braver by some gentle diversion such as music or a ride through the countryside.” So we believe here in America, and so the Mexicans believe to be dishonoring of the dead. There is a horde of differences between the cultures, and these are just a small portion of those. The thing is that we are different people, we believe what we believe, and no person has the right to force a change in opinion. “Nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.” Shouldn’t we treat all people, though they are different in this way, like that?
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