gustavo ángel

Life & Culture

mixtec≠mexican

For the life of me, i can’t help but laugh at it..

i mean they claim to be mexican…

to be indigenous.

In all the things I’ve read,

they consider themselves part of it.

If i recall, there is a narrative:

“you don’t speak our language,

you do not sing our songs,

you do not practice our rituals,

you are not us”

It must be difficult to want to be part

of a community/culture that you find fascinating

& sure tu familia

may have been born there but is that enough?

Life & Culture

CINCO de MAYO

Cinco de mayo es una celebración de la derrota del Imperio francés por el ejército mexicano en la Batalla de Puebla.

Pero para mi, it is an excellent opportunity to share some Mexican culture with some new friends from Japan.

These three lovely ladies are international students from Waseda University in Shinjuku, Tokyo. We all have the same class in which we learn about cultural differences between the U.S. and Japan. Although I have a little understanding of Japanese culture, I explain how similar my Indigenous Oaxacan upbringing was akin to theirs.

Thinking back to my time living in Yamaguchi, I can’t help but think about how it must be for them living in Portland.

I just hope that they enjoy it!