I'm not really a PTA mom. Well, that's not entirely true. Yesterday, I finally got my PTA membership card. Do you think I'll get hotel discounts and free cookies at Mrs. Field's if I flash it around?
I'm not really a PTA mom in the sense I had imagined. Granted, there's still time, but so far, I'm a little disappointed. I had big ideas.
Other than that, I am who I pretend to be. I get that somewhere in my ancestry, there are Spanish descendants. But I really couldn't go around calling myself a Spaniard, now could I? So I wouldn't.
I do, however, call myself indian all the time. That's probably untrue as well, although I'm not entirely sure. I guess if I really think about it, where I'm from, I could be part Asian, but I haven't mentally explored that possibility at all, so I won't digress.
Not indian like Native American indian, or Indian like being from India, but "indio", like the hispanic culture refers to part of their own people. It's funny because in the Cuban culture-- the hispanic culture really, calling someone an indian is an insult. More often than not, the tone of your skin and certain facial features indicate social class. The only time I saw that to be different was in Spain. When I went to Spain, I was amazed at how the light-haired, light-eyed people were attracted to the darker skinned, dark eyed ones.
Not indian like Native American indian, or Indian like being from India, but "indio", like the hispanic culture refers to part of their own people. It's funny because in the Cuban culture-- the hispanic culture really, calling someone an indian is an insult. More often than not, the tone of your skin and certain facial features indicate social class. The only time I saw that to be different was in Spain. When I went to Spain, I was amazed at how the light-haired, light-eyed people were attracted to the darker skinned, dark eyed ones.
When I was growing up, my sister and I would half-kid that we were going to get my mom a bumper sticker that read "Mejore la raza" -- "Better the race". It's not that my mom was or is a racist, it's that in her culture, like most Latin American countries, the lighter, the better. So she was really disappointed when every boy I brought home was hispanic, and hardly any of them had the straight hair she associates (incorrectly) with good genes. I almost wrote "pure" genes, but really, I didn't want you to think she was that off the wall...you'd really have to understand the culture to get where she was coming from. In the end, it all works out...she got her light haired, light skinned grandchildren thanks to my overly hispanic husband.
Anyway, I had a point. A lot of times, I really do feel more indian than of Spanish descent, and I'm proud of that indian heritage. The Incas were an amazing people and I'm sure, because of my skin tone and hair texture, that somewhere in my bloodline, there's a fierce Inca. Or at least I like to think so. When people asked me why I wanted to breastfeed, or why I was breastfeeding, or why I was breastfeeding for so long, or why I am breastfeeding for so long, I politely and proudly say, "I'm indian. It's what my people do.". That usually shuts them up. Mostly because I just called myself what they view as derogatory and partly because all along, they probably thought I was Cuban. Which is ok. The full disclosure is I am Cuban, too. By injection only.
2 comments:
I love dark haired, dark eyed people. I think there is great beauty in other shades as well, but brown is what I dig. When I was preggo with Katherine, I kept wondering if I would a blue-eyed baby. I would have loved her no matter what, but brown is what we all have. What was my point. Huh....I had one. What the heckity-do?
I got side-tracked because our local news just talked about a new Cuban restaurant (our first!). No joke, how weird is that. Now, I want to try it.
Crap, I totally lost my point.
Whatever. I love dark skin and dark eyes. I still love the sun for that reason - Shhhh, don't tell. <3
I love being a blue-eyed milky skinned English rose because the dark-haired dark-eyed boys like me and I like the dark-haired dark-eyed boys to like me because I like them.
All of my kids have blue eyes even though all my men have had brown eyes. My genes are strong. I love my blue-eyed blondie babies. I think that's why I like dark men. I associate blue eyes and blond hair with babies, not men.
I am a mixture of Western and Northern Euro ancestors, but I mostly identify with my Scottish heritage. I relate to the Scots--they are fierce independent warriors, very healthy and strong and great walkers. They love to hike. They are also very deep and passionate but they hide it behind a stoic facade.
I guess we know who our people are. But I'll always envy people like Daniel who can claim the Spanish and Italian blood I admire so much. I guess I will have to satisfy myself with being Spanish by injection. Jajaajajaaj
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