My Spanish slowed down in order for my Mexican friends to understand me

Go check out A View From Within: How First Generation Salvadoran Americans See Themselves & Why It Matters. It contains a number of interesting reflections on what it means to be a minority within a minority.

“People didn’t understand that part of being Latino meant that there was a whole continent full of people with sub-cultures, so trying to enlighten people of my differences was sometimes annoying and difficult. Some didn’t want to hear it and just wanted to categorize everyone as ‘Mexican’ buy some were so interested. They wanted to know everything about the food, and mostly the language and accent. In other words, what makes me unique and awesome is also what makes me easily dismissed…

Growing up was kind of difficult since the vast majority of everyone else in our neighborhood was Mexican. Especially as a kid it would kind of suck because others would gang up to make fun of the Salvis. But I felt it helped me to embrace my identity because being Salvi is what set me apart from everyone else. However, I had to develop mechanisms to exist in that reality. My Spanish slowed down in order for my Mexican friends to understand me. Ultimately though, I feel like my family’s culture is what really kept me grounded in my identity. We would link up every weekend and hang out with all my uncles, aunts and cousins. We would be secure in our Salviness then.” —Betsy, 23, Bell Gardens, CA