Hello! I’m Alejandro, I’m the project administrator for the Growing Math program at 7 Generation Games. I’d like to tell you a little about me and my proud Mexican roots. Although I was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN, that didn’t stop my parents from being able to raise my siblings and me in a household where Spanish was our first language and traditional Mexican celebrations were practiced.
Both of my parents are from the beautiful city of Puebla in Mexico. While I’ve never been to Mexico myself, I still feel deeply connected to that place as if I had lived there through the stories my mom and dad recited over and over when we have dinner and carne asadas (a.k.a “BBQs,” as Americans would say). The stories get repetitive sometimes but they always look so proud telling their stories, so I let it slide. The stories my parents have told me have always been about their youthful times in Mexico, but most of them are related to their personal struggles that they had to overcome while living in the U.S and about experiencing the harsh reality of not being able to see their own parents and the rest of their family living in Mexico. Going back to Mexico and being able to come back to the U.S is not an option for my parents.
I believe inspiring stories like the ones my parents tell me and my siblings resemble the heroes, history, and culture that Hispanic Heritage month celebrates. Growing up, I never heard anything about Hispanic Heritage Month. I heard about this until high school, but growing up in a Mexican household talking about Hispanic Heritage month wasn’t necessary because we always celebrate our heritage so there wasn’t much talk about the month of September being anything different. Now that I’ve grown older my family and I still don’t do anything out of the ordinary during this month, however, I now feel the responsibility and urge to contribute during this month.
During this month many of our heroes are celebrated for their bravery and sacrifices, for me, my parents are my heroes. This month I honor the sacrifices that both of my parents have made for me and my siblings. Despite all of the hardships that my parents have faced, we still managed to enjoy our present life, and we find joy in family gatherings like when we get together in our backyard to have a carne asada and when we have loteria nights, which is a popular game in Mexico that is similar to Bingo. Our holidays together are also memorable, my mom cooks traditional dishes like tamales, pozole, mole, pipian, and barbacoa throughout the holiday season.
Here’s a picture of a tamal in case you didn’t know how they look
I can’t wait for the holiday season to begin, I’m ready to eat! I think that’s one of the best parts about being Mexican….the food!
Here’s a short video about the game “Loteria,” I recommend it if you’re looking for something fun to play with the family: