Seen Elsewhere: 4 Ways to Cope with Wanderlust

via Black Girl, Latin World

You did it! You went on an amazing study abroad trip to South Africa.  Or maybe you took a 2 week vacation in Spain.  Now, you’re back home reliving your experience through Instagram photos and conversations with your fellow travelers. It seems that your family and friends don’t understand and you are itching to see some place new and interesting.  However, you have to be responsible.  Either you haven’t racked up enough vacation days or you don’t have the funds at the moment. You can’t travel right now and it’s driving you loca!  Wanderlust is incurable.  You will always be tempted to spend your rent money on a plan ticket to India, but you don’t want to end up broke. Luckily, there are ways to cope.

Join a travel club

Did you spend a summer in Rio? Have an unforgettable vacay in China? You can connect with a travel club to cope with your wanderlust. Can’t locate one? Meetup.com is the perfect place to start your own. Nine times out of ten there are others in your city who share your passion for travel.

Embrace where you are

It has been said that we need to learn to be content with our present in order to be truly happy. It makes no sense to spend time wishing you could cuddle with your study abroad fling. Embrace your family, friends and current situation and use your experience to inspire their travel bug. Get them excited and on board to accompany you on your next escapade.

 Read more here.

© Black Girl, Latin World

This is What happens when you learn a second language

Sometimes your second language runs away from your lips like water from a faucet.  Your mind can’t even catch up with your tongue but your alma knows what you are saying.  You don’t even have to translate in your head because you understand intuitively. It’s magical.  That feeling that leaves you on a language high all day.  You want to use your new words with anyone and everyone who will listen.

A second language wraps around your tongue and rearranges your core.  All of a sudden you mismatch words and displace accents.  Everyone takes notice of how to you a “store” is no longer a store but a “tienda”.  Love is not “love”; it is amor.  Even the way you pronouce English words like “economic” have changed because the Spanish phonetic way has taken over your native tongue.  It enters your ears and your minds processes and decodes it at lightening speed.  Before you know it, la otra lengua has already become apart of you.

Are you fluent? They always ask you.  You answer “Si” and begin to follow up with a “pero” but something stops you.  What exactly does fluent mean? Are you able to talk vibrantly about football or astrophysics in your choosen tongue? Probably not. But then again,you aren’t good at talking about those things in English either.

You can, however, translate a Los Rakas jam, buy your weekly comida and tell your lover que estas en amorado.  If you were dropped off in a Spanish-language country, you‘d survive.  Are you fluent? You‘re fluent enough.  Fluent enough to state your bilingual ability on job applications and translate for your parents in the store. You are competent. You spit the slang, know all the transtitional terms and adjectives.  You switch accents because yours is a mixture of your Mexican American bestie, the Cubana at work and your Panamanian bae.  Your brand of Spanish is unique.

Your thoughts are sometimes in la lengua.  Or a hybrid of it and the one your parents taught you.  Thoughts don’t know whether to present themselves in either language so they present themselves in both.

You choose this life or maybe it choose you.  Even though it gets hard, you are grateful to have the language in your back pocket or your front pocket or wherever.

So read books. No, read libros en la lengua de tu alma. Because more often then not you will find that the characters will speak toyou.  You will learn from the ways that authors twist their words and make scenarios come alive that creatividad is universal.

Talk to others. Whether native or second or third language learners. Get lost in their stories and share your own.  Tell them about the time you forgot the word that looks like embarrassed was actually the word pregnant in front of your baes parents.  Swap stories about having to whip out the bilingualness after getting lost during study abroad trips or trips to new parts of your hometown. Let them know why you fell in love with it in the first place.

Learn the history of your new language.   Understand that people were ridiculed for speaking it at one point and that people are still being discriminated against for speaking the language you have chosen to speak.  Learning another language is a privilege especially when it’s a pastime.  Never seek to be the voice for the community whose language you take part in but rather be an ally.

Lastly, listen with your heart.  It is easy to get caught up with grammar rules, verbs conjugations but most wonderful part of language learning and speaking is the way your mouth works to form new works.  Embrace that.

Let it be the road map to new places.  Let your second language open up dialogue and oportunidades. Let it run like a faucet and don’t be afraid of moments when you can’t think of the word. Nelson Mandela said, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.❞Now, you have two languages in your heart.  This is what happens when you learn a second language.

11 Things Black-American Spanish Speakers Encounter

Via Giphy

Let’s be real. Being a Black-American Spanish speaker is fun. You get to dip in on all the chisme like an undercover spy, and flirt with cuties in two languages. However, it can be difficult when people don’t understand your passion for this romance language. Here, I outline 11 things that happen when you speak your second language:

1. You’re asked on more than one occasion, “Where are you from?” And when you answer, the person inquires, “But where is your family from?”

Society is just now getting hip to the notion of an Afro-Latina. So, the fact that your Spanish is causing conversations about that African Diaspora is a plus. You just wish they would be satisfied when you told them your family is from the U.S.

2. If you are in school, your classmates always want to copy off of your paper in Spanish class.

Okay, so your peers didn’t do their conjugation charts? But they think they’re going to get the answers you spent your precious time working on? Ay, no.

3. Latinas often address you in English when they first meet you because well…eres Negra.

Even when you are with your Spanish-speaking amigos, Latinos greet everyone besides you in their native tongue. When you start a conversation in Spanish, they are in utter shock and amazement.

Read more here.

Tienes que hacer cayo

 

I was talking about life as a 20-something year old with one of my friends, Rebecca. I was filling her in on the good, the bad, the ugly.  Lamenting about how life is turning out a bit different than I envisioned 10 years ago.  In mid-sentence, my friend asked me if I had seen a guitar player’s fingers.

I said, “yes”.  Although, I was a bit confused as to why she asked me about a guitar player’s’ fingers.

Guest Post: Black Like Me by Ashely “Flashe” Gordon

 I’m a different type of black person. There really isn’t a category for people like me. I guess it’s too much of an anomaly for us to have a title. We are African American people who are introduced to and consequently begin to identify with Latino, specifically Afro-Latino, culture.

 

Another Day, Another Opportunity

“Another day. Another opportunity” is a phrase often uttered by my best friend Ja’Michael. He is an artistic soul whose passion and warmth inspires everyone he comes in contact with.  Ja’Michael truly embodies this statement.

His words, I reflect on, every time I wake up in the morning.  What opportunities await me today? I am not just talking about big life changing ones, but the everyday things that make life worth living.

A Guest Post on Las Morenas de España: Anxiously Awaiting My Move To Spain

I got the chance to write for Las Morenas de Espana.  Check it out below.

Anxiously Awaiting My Move To Spain

Ever since the fifth grade, I have longed to visit Spain. Maybe it was my long time crush on Enrique Iglesias or the project that I did on Spanish culture in the sixth grade. Whatever it was, Spain was always on my list of places to experience. When I finally got my chance to travel out of the country during my junior year of college, I thought that spending six weeks in Spain would be a no-brainer but I choose Brazil because of the opportunity to work with and learn about Afro-Brazilian culture. It proved to be a grand experience that lit my travel fire.

Teaching My African American Brothers Spanish

“I think music is a good way to learn Spanish,” he said after he completed a lesson on Jeremih and Pitbull’s “Don’t Tell Em’/No le diga”. My youngest brother hit the nail on the head with that one. Music can take anyone’s language learning from 10 to 100 real quick. It was only after listening to “No Tengo Dinero” by Los Kumbia Kings that I understood the “yo” form of “tener”. Music and media are great ways to make a language come alive.

My younger brothers and my mom sit at the dining room table that doubles as a classroom desk and we learn together. We discuss colors, numbers, phrases and everyday terms. Terms that will not only help them to chat with neighbors down the street but learn about a new culture. I love to teach the language but it is our talks about Afro-Latinidad that inspire me the most.

The dominant narrative on Blackness may be African American but this is my little way to counter it. For one class project, I had my family research and present Latinegr@ figures to the class. My mother showed us singer Maxwell. One of my brothers presented actor Laz Alonso. I was stoked that they were recognizing that the Black diaspora is diverse.

When I was a teenager in Spanish class, I learned nothing of Latinegr@ histories. That is why my goal is for them to see how learning Spanish relates to them. In addition to talking about Latinegr@s, we talk about African Americans who travel. We recite phrases like “Yo soy inteligente” because they are Black excellence. Spanish class is a memory for the laughs, jokes and moments we share. But most importantly, it is something they can take with them. A skill that will lead to jobs in the future and cross-cultural connections.

A skill that will become a part of their being and experience.

A moment that we will cherish forever.

This was originally published on the LatiNegr@s Project.

Afrolatinidad In Texas

#Escribelanegra

A while ago, on the Afrolatinos facebook page, a member posted about her experience as an Afrolatina in the South. She pointed out that many people she comes in contact with don’t understand the concept of being both Black and Latina.

The conversation thread exploded. For two days, people commented with experiences, opinions and advice. Even I chimed in as an Afro-American Spanish speaking body in Texas. People are shocked when they find that I know Spanish. Where I am from a Black person speaking anything other than English is looked at as strange or interesting.

The main takeaways/experiences mentioned on the thread were:
—Frustrations around people not believing that they were Latin@
—People speak badly in Spanish about Black people around them not expecting them to understand
—Lack of Media attention for Afrolatin@ issues/figures

When someone doesn’t understand your identity, it can be easy to get upset. But I like to look at everything as a teaching moment. Telling them about your experience and identity might just be the seed that can help them grow into an ally.

Here is a list of fine folk whose work champions Afrolatinidad. And get this…they are all based (Although they are not all from) in the Lone Star State. You can share these with your students, teachers and families.

Toi Scott-Artist, Writer and Activist, More info about Toi’s work on: http://www.afrogenderqueer.com

Dr. Frank Guridy, Professor at University of Texas at Austin, Author of Forging Diaspora: Afro-Cubans and African Americans in a World of Empire and Jim Crow

Ishia Lynette AKA Afromexico, Writer for Real Brown Girls.

Dr. Juilet Hooker, Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Faculty-Lead of Bluefields, Nicaragua Study Abroad Program.

Dr. Jossianna Arroyo-Martinez, Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Teaches Afrolatino Culture and Afro-Carribean Diaspora courses.

Let’s add to the list of resources

Part of me believes that these experinces noted in the Afrolatinos facebook page post happen due to lack of education and media representation. Yes, even in Texas there are Latinegr@ spaces. It may not be as prevalant as New York City or Miami but these spaces exist. And it’s up to us to have more discussions on this topic in our southern arts orgs, elementary schools and culture centers.

I invite you to add to the list of Texas-based Latinegr@s scholars, artists, allies, resources etc. Share these with your family. Educate ourselves and our community. Knowledge is Power.

This was originally published on The Latinegr@s Project website.

“Adios Felicia”: the Spanish Speaking “African American” Part 2

#MultilingualBlackPeople

A few months ago, I walked into a local Mexican restaurant. The waitress, named Felicia, asked for my friends Jorge and Juan’s order in Spanish.  I was excited because when I go to Mexican restaurants, I usually get the opportunity to practice my second language.  When Felicia gets to me, she asks in English “What can I get you?”  I took no offense and gave her my order in Spanish.  Her next words continued to be English.

I could feel my face getting hot.  I was frustrated, embarrassed and if it weren’t for the fact that I didn’t drive there, I would have left then and there.   Maybe that is me being over dramatic, but that is the way I felt at the time.  What I wanted to say was “Adios Felicia”, but instead I ordered my torta.  I get it. If you see a person that looks like me: Brown skinned, curly locs, it’s obvious that they only speak one language. English. Right? Jorge and Juan’s olive skin and straight Black hair read Spanish-speaking.  This is Texas and the majority of folks who can rattle off at the mouth like Telenovela stars look nothing like me.

While I am not Afro-Latin@, I am aware that my experience with Felicia is very similar to many of my friends who identify as Latinegr@. The color of their skin and African features causes both non-Black Latin@s and African Americans to question their Latinidad.   They are frequently responded to in English and asked “Why do you speak Spanish so well?”   Many want to scream to the roof tops that they are Black and Latin@; both at once.  Many people don’t know that Blackness, Latinidad and Africanness are important parts of Latin@ history, culture and experiences.

In the African American community, speaking Spanish results in questions that deal with essentializing Blackness. When I was working on a political campaign, there was another African American Spanish speaker and I overheard an African American colleague ask if he was a “real” Black person because he spoke Spanish so well. Since when does speaking Spanish make you less Black?

Let’s be honest, in Texas the amount of exposure to Afro-Latin@ history is low but steadily growing. Institutions like the University of Texas at Austin have been exploring Latinegr@ experiences through research, seminars and other forms of community engagement.  Public figures like Houston Fox 26’s anchorman Jose Grinan and Houston-based poet Jasminne Mendez serve as great examples of people disrupting the narrative that Black always equals African American. There are also teachers like my colleague Olivia who taught a segment on Afro-Mexican history and my colleague Jorge, who informed his class about Celia Cruz.  These experiences are needed in both our Black and Latin@ community based organizations, arts establishments and schools around Texas.

I am here for African Americans recognizing that this whole finding connections with diaspora, African American Spanish speaker thing is nothing new. African Americans have been using Spanish to connect, travel and survive since the 1900’s.   Langston Hughes traveled to Cuba and Mexico and connected with Nicolás Guillén .   Phylicia Rashad used her bilingual ability in her Cosby show audition.  The man who inspired me to learn Spanish, my Dad, is an African American. It’s nothing new.  It’s just not talked about.

As I write this piece with Tego Calderon playing in the background, I reflect on the conversations I have had with my Latinegr@ friends and recognize that ignorance of Afro-latinidad is rooted in the erasure of Afro-latinidad in our history books and imperial Blackness where the African American English speaking experience is held as the definition of Blackness. That’s why I love The Latinegr@s Project, Ain’t I Latina, Boriqua Chicks, African American Latino World and other spaces like these so much.   They open our mind and allow us to see the stories of Blackness and Latinidad that we hardly see in the mainstream media.

We are a part of the diaspora. I hope we can continue to have more discussions on how Afro-American and Latinegr@ history is intertwined. I hope to see more Latinegr@s rising up and pushing for representation.  More Afrodiaspora allies.  More progress and roads to self-love.  Let Spanish, Portuguese, English, Haitian Creole or any other language you speak roll off our tongue. Let our Blackness be what unites us.

The Spanish Speaking “African American” Part I

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This piece is also published on the LatiNegr@s Project Website that I write for.