Amalia Lomeli

Amalia Lomeli student in World Languages and Cultures at California State University Monterey Bay. My major is Spanish, Class of 2013
When I first entered CSUMB the two year program to complete my Bachelor's' degree I was eager to know more about the grammar and linguistics of the Spanish Language. My experience at the World Language and Cultures in California State University Monterey Bay has inspired me to learn about other cultures and it has broadened my view of the world. I learned the roots of grammar and language and its history. My major in Spanish consisted in two sections the linguistics of the Spanish language and the Literature. Through the Mexican and Chicano Literature I explored my culture otherwise never would have learned. When I started reading Mexican and Latin American Literature I realized how our culture has struggle, but every struggle has contribute to something good. For instance the denigrating working and living conditions for the first braceros and their families living in the United States. A great leader rose, Cesar Chavez fought for the campesinos rights. Through the Chicano Literature I was able to understand the history of my people who immigrated to the United States from Mexico and now find themselves between three cultures, the Chicano, Mexican and American Culture. Better said not all Mexicans migrated to the United States many where living in the estates when the Treaty of Guadalupe (1846-1848) took effect, creating a whole new cultural shock. It created a whole different way of living; it changed their language, culture and their identity. I now find myself like many Chicanos between two cultures. As I read the Chicano and Mexican American literature the stories in those books and novels seemed familiar to some of the identity struggles I went through. I was able to identify why and how the culture shock affects individuals, creating resentment within the same community. I realize that as you grow and move from places you change and in my case you assimilate to a new culture. One of the things that really stayed in my heart that no matter where I go my culture, my language, my folklore, comes with me because is part who I am. The realization of my identity allowed me to embrace the fact I was Mexican but I am also an American. It gave me a better understanding of my identity in the United States as an immigrant learning a new culture and new language. I embrace English as a second language and also my native language Spanish was somewhat lost along the way of my transition to become bilingual. Before taking the literature classes at csumb I felt confused and lost in a foreign country. Nevertheless I always strove to adapt and learn the language but there was always a feeling of guilt because as I gained English as a second language at the same time I was losing dome of the “correct Spanish”. Through the literature on Mexican Americans and Chicano literature I realized I was part of a community that did not belong in our beloved Mexico neither in the Anglo community. I decided to relearn my native language its grammar and roots, that when I took all the linguistic classes. As I learned the grammar and the history of the Spanish language it helped me with grammar in English. My journey in the United States has not been easy just like any other immigrant but I have the privilege to learned two languages, explore and adapt to a new culture and to be enrich by world cultures that meet in this country. The acceptance of my Mexican culture and my new Chicano culture open a new horizon of opportunities and possibilities. One of them is to pass on the Spanish language to my generations, and to allow them to learn and accept other cultures. Teach them to respect other cultures and learned from them. One can always be enrich by other’s culture, I am living proof of that. I believe Knowledge has the power to transform an individual The World Languages and cultures teachers shifted my perspective of the importance of Spanish language in our families, our school system and in our society. During one of my linguistic classes I learned that from a linguistic perspective language has the purpose to allow communication between individual in any given place. From a linguistic perspective there is no right or wrong language it has one purpose to be a tool of communication. The language will change, individuals will adapt and history will be written upon this changes. In the future I would like to encourage immigrants to embrace their language but also learn other languages. I would like to teach adults and youngsters about the importance of being bilingual. I believe education will empower our communities to believe and achieve.
When I first entered CSUMB the two year program to complete my Bachelor's' degree I was eager to know more about the grammar and linguistics of the Spanish Language. My experience at the World Language and Cultures in California State University Monterey Bay has inspired me to learn about other cultures and it has broadened my view of the world. I learned the roots of grammar and language and its history. My major in Spanish consisted in two sections the linguistics of the Spanish language and the Literature. Through the Mexican and Chicano Literature I explored my culture otherwise never would have learned. When I started reading Mexican and Latin American Literature I realized how our culture has struggle, but every struggle has contribute to something good. For instance the denigrating working and living conditions for the first braceros and their families living in the United States. A great leader rose, Cesar Chavez fought for the campesinos rights. Through the Chicano Literature I was able to understand the history of my people who immigrated to the United States from Mexico and now find themselves between three cultures, the Chicano, Mexican and American Culture. Better said not all Mexicans migrated to the United States many where living in the estates when the Treaty of Guadalupe (1846-1848) took effect, creating a whole new cultural shock. It created a whole different way of living; it changed their language, culture and their identity. I now find myself like many Chicanos between two cultures. As I read the Chicano and Mexican American literature the stories in those books and novels seemed familiar to some of the identity struggles I went through. I was able to identify why and how the culture shock affects individuals, creating resentment within the same community. I realize that as you grow and move from places you change and in my case you assimilate to a new culture. One of the things that really stayed in my heart that no matter where I go my culture, my language, my folklore, comes with me because is part who I am. The realization of my identity allowed me to embrace the fact I was Mexican but I am also an American. It gave me a better understanding of my identity in the United States as an immigrant learning a new culture and new language. I embrace English as a second language and also my native language Spanish was somewhat lost along the way of my transition to become bilingual. Before taking the literature classes at csumb I felt confused and lost in a foreign country. Nevertheless I always strove to adapt and learn the language but there was always a feeling of guilt because as I gained English as a second language at the same time I was losing dome of the “correct Spanish”. Through the literature on Mexican Americans and Chicano literature I realized I was part of a community that did not belong in our beloved Mexico neither in the Anglo community. I decided to relearn my native language its grammar and roots, that when I took all the linguistic classes. As I learned the grammar and the history of the Spanish language it helped me with grammar in English. My journey in the United States has not been easy just like any other immigrant but I have the privilege to learned two languages, explore and adapt to a new culture and to be enrich by world cultures that meet in this country. The acceptance of my Mexican culture and my new Chicano culture open a new horizon of opportunities and possibilities. One of them is to pass on the Spanish language to my generations, and to allow them to learn and accept other cultures. Teach them to respect other cultures and learned from them. One can always be enrich by other’s culture, I am living proof of that. I believe Knowledge has the power to transform an individual The World Languages and cultures teachers shifted my perspective of the importance of Spanish language in our families, our school system and in our society. During one of my linguistic classes I learned that from a linguistic perspective language has the purpose to allow communication between individual in any given place. From a linguistic perspective there is no right or wrong language it has one purpose to be a tool of communication. The language will change, individuals will adapt and history will be written upon this changes. In the future I would like to encourage immigrants to embrace their language but also learn other languages. I would like to teach adults and youngsters about the importance of being bilingual. I believe education will empower our communities to believe and achieve.