Hah. Yeah. Spanish is technically my first language.
I started to learn English when I was 4 or 5 years old?? I don’t really remember- it was all a blur.
I came to America from Mexico knowing ZERO English-
I went to live with my AmeriGran(white American grandmother) around that age, and she didn’t speak Spanish at ALL.
I was basically just told ‘learn it’.
I learned English from the TV, as my ameriGran was at work all day- so I sat in front of Mary Poppins, and was obsessed with steppin’ time– and I think it started my lifelong love of all things British. And musicals!
Yup. learned English to Mary Poppins. Other movies I learned English to were The Sound of Music and Pinocchio. So, Julie Andrews is responsible for two-thirds of how I speak, really! 😉
Once I was here in america I was shamed for speaking Spanish, and it was grilled into me that I should reject my mexican heritage and not speak about it- my AmeriGran still gets angry when I talk about being latina. She’ll get apoplectic and go OFF.
I still would celebrate mexican holidays, when I was with the Mexican side of my family- they were anti-spanish- but still VERY much about the culture.
I grew up torn between two cultures, really.
So now I understand Spanish alright, but I have a limited ability to speak it. I can definitely get by with all the basics. (Basically everything you’d need to buy stuff, eat stuff, find places, give smalls tasks to others, complain about pain etc. but that’s it? The deeper the conversation goes, the harder it is for me to contribute.)
Meanwhile, my MexiGran is the sweetest woman in the world and became a citizen after having a green card for 50+ years just last year (she was trying to get citizenship in time to vote against Trump- but alas, it took too long.)
Btw, I’m an american citizen- I was born here, but was raised in Mexico since I was a little bean until whenever it was we came back here. I was going to get dual citizenship back in the day- but didn’t- and it’s a shame I didn’t because now the process IS A BITCH.
Wow- I didn’t know this! Thanks for sharing, @hillnerd! (I wasn’t the anon, by the way).
Headcanonsandmore 