The following serves as a supplement to the previous entry, “MySpace vs. Facebook.”  Please note that this is a personal recount of a single Lateen’s experience.

It’s no secret that technology is known to make things easier. It’s known to make things work faster without the same physical effort. It’s also known that my generation takes adavantage of technology and uses it constantly. My generation is different, my generation is who will make a better tomorrow for everyone else.

At school, at work, and at home I am involved in so many different activities, from academic clubs, sport teams to volunteer services. I can honestly say that nothing would be possible without my cell phone and laptop. After a while of being so involved, I have learned to network and meet new people. I’ve learned that unfortunately, the truth is most of the time it’s not who you are, it’s who you know. This brings me to my experience with technology and how my friends and I use it.

I recently created an account on Facebook. I already had a MySpace page, but joining Facebook was a necessary thing to do because all the “older” important contacts I have made along the way only have a Facebook page. Personally, I think they think it’s professional. Throughout history, the human species has transformed constantly to meet its enviroment in an effort to survive. Clearly now people are not adapting to eating wild berries like cavemen did long ago, but people are still adapting. For example just a few years ago, friends exchanged beeper numbers.  Now, not only can you contact someone with the click of a button, but with a few more clicks, you can see documentation of their personal lives.

As I’ve said before I attend W.H Adamson High School. My school is roughly 95 percent Hispanic. It’s a small school with about 1,000 students total. Since it’s so small and mostly made up of people from the neighborhood many of us know each other very well. I was recently elected Senior Class President and to be honest there is a lot to the job. That said, I love it because I love being a leader, but a leader is no one if he or she has no followers. So when I have an idea, I like to get feedback from everyone before I make a decision. This makes others happy, and contacting all students would be hard, but now, in 2010, it’s quite easy. I communicate with my friends through mass text messages, and in turn they continue to forward them to anyone who might be interested. I can also chat with them on MySpace or send an event invitation on Facebook. All this technology makes it easier to inform everyone or make new plans simultaneously. [Read more →]

What is Myspace? To many it’s a way to stay connected with current friends.  For others it’s a way to find friends who they have not seen in a while. Some people use it as a way to make new friends or flirt with someone they’ve never met. While Myspace users use the site to listen to music, write blogs or to upload videos, the truth is that Myspace is just a simple way to have fun while you network.  Having a Myspace page isn’t the easiest thing to do either. When you create an account, you have activated a profile. A profile that millions of people around the world can see and read. There is this belief that Myspace is for teens and Facebook for adults, and to be quite honest I agree.

I have a Myspace page, and I have to admit that it can sometimes be tough keeping up with a profile. The music you put on your profile is usually related to the mood you happen to be in. For example, many who appear to be in love have songs relating to passion, or those who are heartbroken play songs that show how their heart burns when they think of that certain someone. Believe it or not, when someone chooses a song, there is a lot of thought that goes into it. The beat of the song can label you with your friends too, making you cool or just a weirdo.  Myspace is merely another way teens express themselves, and many use it as a tool to attract more “friends” and gain popularity.

I noticed a lot of the things that go on in Myspace are childish and can potentially be very dangerous. There are many young girls out there exposing themselves a little too much to in an effort to catch guys’ attention, or even guys taking pictures of themselves showing their abs wearing only a towel. Although at times it’s funny to see pictures where they are half naked or just showing “booty,” it does not make it right. On Myspace there is SO much unnecessary drama. You have people threatening each other, you have people updating their life via their status…which in my opinion is ridiculous. It’s sad that things like this take Myspace beyond being just a chatting site. They turn it into free access for molesters to peruse for victims, or for others to bully and harass people. So now that I feel a bit more mature and feel that Myspace is no longer for me, I decided to move to Facebook. [Read more →]

The following entry serves as a second part to the previous entry, “A Lateen in a Latin Country.”

I think anyone with a good set of eyes can tell blue apart from red, yellow from green and white from brown. In my short week at Costa Rica it was obvious to many of the locals that I was different from the majority of the other Americans I was traveling with. Not just because of my personality, but because of the color of my skin. Although the group I was with did an awesome job, the locals of Parismina asked so many questions about what they do at home because, as they insisted, it seemed like they had never worked a day in their lives. Don’t get me wrong, it was a great group of people and all of the tasks we took charge of, we finished together. I really don’t think there is a group with more heart. But as I interacted with some of my new friends from places like Canada and Colorado, I was shocked by a turn in the conversation.

“Adan, you are a very motivated and ambitious guy,” one said. I smiled and said “I just want a better life for myself and my parents.” She smiled and responded “I wish that I had a reason to push myself more, or at least to be hungry for something better.” This struck me, and very curious, I had to ask, “Why?”

“Everything has been handed to me all my life. I really do not know the meaning of hard work besides school work.” We both laughed, but I can’t manage to forget her words. I know I cannot speak in generalities, but I came to the conclusion that many other non-ethnic groups really don’t know the meaning of working hard to survive in this greedy world, or at least in the United States of America. [Read more →]

Visiting another house isn’t always the easiest or most comfortable thing to do. Now, in case you haven’t already, imagine visiting a country. Meeting new people can be challenging, so think about meeting over 100 individuals and living in the same space with them for over 300 hours. Sounds scary I know, but I can honestly say that my recent experience in Costa Rica was one that made me grow into a better person.

It all started Friday, July 16 at 4 in the morning, maybe even earlier since I couldn’t fall asleep due to excitement. I got up, looked around my room, and noticed my blue backpack, a small luggage bag full to the brim, my money next to my passport, and my ID. Before I knew it I was hugging my dad and saying my goodbye.

Shortly after, I got a hug myself, but it was actually just the security guard wrapping his arms around me as he searched me (a little too slowly I might add) at the DFW Airport. First stop: Houston. I felt like we arrived there as soon as I closed my eyes. I continued to absorb my surroundings. And all of a sudden it hit me – I was all on my own. After a couple of hours I was finally walking onto the next plane. I made sure I had both of my cameras and my cell phone. I knew the island wasn’t going to have signal for my mobile, but I carried it to listen to music. Hours after I buckled up, the plane’s captain made two announcements: First, to be courteous to the people next to you. Second, to enjoy the first view of the Costa Rican coast. [Read more →]

When I was in, let’s say, the third grade, one of the most fun things I got to do was help my very Mexican grandmother pay bills.  She moved to the U.S. from Puebla to be close to us, and as a result, it turned out that she also took on a serious amount of cooking responsibilities.  Anyway, when the first and middle of the month came around, my dad would take me to her apartment (about 2 minutes from our house) to visit, and do chores that to this day I feel they completely made up.  Part of the task was to help Abuelita look after her finances.  Small apartment, so there was rent.  Utilities consisted of electric, water, and trash.  Cable wasn’t important so she didn’t have it.  Mi abuela, Vicenta, never bothered to learn even the slightest bit of English, therefore, the mail she didn’t toss consisted of bills.  My dad thought it would be a nice gesture for me to help her make the payments, not so much because he thought he was teaching me a vital duty, but probably more because two adults got a kick out of watching a 7-year-old write checks.  Either way, I learned how to write a check as a young kid.  Think about that playground banter.  “You beat me in a race?  Whatever.  I write checks!  Para mi abuela.  ¿QUÉ?”

That was me, then, different situation too.

Today, there are still plenty of young second generation Hispanics not only filling out checks, but translating medical conversations, city ordinances, legal documents, and a number of other adult-like tasks, trust me.  Most of the time, the young people who are in charge of these kinds of things tend to be older now.  But regardless of age, they’re often faced with important matters to resolve.  How do you think it must feel in between a doctor and your mother, when you have to translate the doctor’s bad news and serious concern regarding high blood pressure?  Once negative predictions and details are revealed, immediate worry may settle in fast.  How would you react to having to tell your parents that the house you’re renting is soon to be bulldozed to make way for new condominiums?  I know, these are extremes, but for immigrant families this is often an unkind reality.  As kids, it’s not their concern, and they’re not expected to do anything about it.  But as the interpreters, they know everything.  I’m not totally sure, but I think it’s safe to say that no matter your background or culture, you strive to shield your children from these types of malas notcias.

Most Lateens don’t get that guard though.  In many Hispanic families, the role of sole interpreter is always established.  It’ll usually be the oldest kid, and that child has an actual job.  It’s almost like a service.  I wouldn’t say they mature faster, but they do acquire this sort of skill set early, early on.  And when times get tough, they’re right in the heat of it.  It doesn’t necessarily make them smarter of savvier (well, maybe), but in a way it does rob them of their innocence and childhood.  Do you think this role exists in non-Hispanic families?  Highly unlikely.

So what do you think?  Advantage or disadvantage?  It’s a fine line.  Does possessing knowledge of adult burdens make you more mature?  I don’t know.  Nevertheless, Lateens today carry more weight than you think.  This might add some insight to the rough edges you notice once in a while.  The grownup persona could be there for more reasons than you imagine.

Am I Latina enough? That was the question. I decided that the best way for me to try to come to grips with my new-found “mini identity crisis” was to talk to my parents about it. If anyone can help me understand where I fit on the Latina spectrum, surely it would be the people that raised me.

I started filling them in on my hesitation, when my dad says to me, “So, are you finally going to start being a Latina?” Thanks Dad—all my doubts are now confirmed—or so I thought. My mom’s take on the situation is a bit different. We’ve never really talked about our cultural identity, but now that the subject has been brought up, the floodgates are opened. I learned that my mother and I share the same struggles about where we fit in as Latinas.

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It doesn’t surprise me that suicide is the third leading cause of death in young Latinas, especially first generation teenagers. Latinas don’t have it easy in any way but I think there’s a lot to do as a culture and community to help them.

Some of the reasons for suicide among Latinas might be that first and second generation Latinas have totally different experiences than their parents who immigrated to the United States.  On the one hand, young Latinas face peer pressure to fit-in at school, and on the other hand, they face family pressure to honor their heritage. In some cases, this leads to identity crisis and internal conflict.

A notable characteristic about Hispanic culture that might be an influential factor is that it is a collective culture as opposed to individualistic. Latinas are taught to take care of family, friends, community, church, acquaintances and everything in between before themselves. Therefore, not having the time or not feeling allowed to take care of themselves can lead to an undiagnosed depression that can lead to terrible outcomes.

On this note, it doesn’t help that mental health is taboo in the Hispanic culture and it is rare that teenagers seek psychological help on their own or even with support from their families.  Latinas also tend to keep problems to themselves, and considering that there’s a lack of Latino psychologists that speak the language, know the culture, and can address Latinas’ unique issues, the problem just gets bigger.

There’s room to help Latinas open up and listen, really listen when they are struggling.  Teach them to take care of themselves, talk about problems, and mentor them to find their true happy self.

Something that comes along with being bicultural is an inherent openness to try and explore new things. Now, let’s apply that statement to Lateens. Of course we can’t speak for everybody, but many times, Americans who were born in this country to American-born parents have a very ingrained and solid routine, and are often not as open-minded as they could be. Again, this doesn’t apply to everyone, but it does hold true under a number of circumstances. Trying something new can potentially be daunting, especially when going into it blindly. Even after a thorough explanation of what it is you’re actually doing for the first time, rejecting the idea frequently wins over diving right in. [Read more →]

It is a common characteristic for teenagers (and no differently for Lateens) to act tough, to portray invincibility, and to pretend nothing hurts them, especially when they are around each other. But are they pretending? How tough are teenagers, really? When it comes to dealing with authority, how “invincible” are Lateens?

Let’s just pretend for a second that the most sacred of Lateens’ rights is violated by, say, a teacher, priest, family member or family friend, would they be brave enough to admit it to somebody else? Would they tell their parents? Would they defend themselves? And if so, how?

Say a Lateen is deprived of lunch at the school cafeteria for a day or two due to misbehaving in class, unjustly graded by a teacher, or assaulted by a professor or cop. Where would they go to denounce it?

Lateens are at an age of vulnerability. They are discovering themselves; they are exploring and learning their limits. They are sometimes lonely, and this is what makes them the most vulnerable. Harassment, abuse or an unjust situation can confuse them. If that happened, what would they do next?

Most of the time, Lateens come from a tight family bond, but would that be enough to confront a problem of this magnitude? If they reach out to their teenage friends, the friends might be just as confused as they are, and if they reach out to their parents, that can end up creating more problems than solutions.

Second-generation Lateens might be the little adults (see related post here) walking their parents through the American system and in certain instances, defending them from injustice. The chances of the Lateens’ parents being naïve or inexperienced about the American legal system, the language and the legal rights of a teen are high. As much as a parent loves their kid, their main concern is survival, providing for their family and not creating problems for society or getting attention, especially if they are undocumented.

So, where does this leave the Lateens and their problems? Again, as teachers, friends and mentors, we need to empower them, to teach them their rights, and to let them know that they are tough and have them say it over and over again until they believe it. Society, communities and schools have the responsibility to create bonds with these kids for them to succeed, to have a trusted mentor, and to have someone that can watch their backs for them and give them hope if something bad does happen.

Texting is cool. Sex is good. Put them together in the hands of teens…bad! This is the current reality. Kids these days are constantly texting sexually explicit messages and photos, or “sexting.” This is becoming part of their everyday lives and most of the time parents have no idea that it is even taking place. It is just now beginning to get the national attention it deserves. Is it an invasion of their privacy to monitor their messages? What if the parents are the ones paying for the phone or service? Does that make it acceptable? In the interest of privacy and the first amendment, it could be an issue for debate, but it must first be very closely examined. [Read more →]