CULTURAL

PROJECT

By: Mareli Castaneda

EDU 280-1002
My Cultural Belonging
My ethnicity and cultural background is Hispanic (Mexican) my dad is from a small
town called Mezquital del Oro in Zacatecas and my mom is from Guadalajara,
Jalisco. Although my parents are Mexican they are not your typical Mexican parents
with the hard core Mexican traditions, meaning they do not follow old traditions
from their ancestors in other words Aztec traditions. Being that my parents came to
the U.S at a young age they got accustom to American traditions and the life style of
the U.S but that does not make them any less Mexican. I have always considered
myself to be Mexican American as I was born in Granada Hills, California and raised
here in Las Vegas so I am American in certain things but still Mexican at heart. My
parents wanted to give my siblings and I a better life then they had so thankfully
both of my parents became American Citizens because they would have better job
opportunities and be financially more stable. Spanish was my first language thanks
to my parents and kudos to my dad for not letting my siblings and I speak English to
him even if he knows it fluently. Although my dad was born in Mexico he was
brought to California at the age of 2 and spoke nothing but English his family then
moved back to Mexico when he was 12 years old and being in an all Spanish
speaking country he got bullied and was called a “white boy” because he did not
speak Spanish so he eventually learned Spanish but it was quite a journey he said.
So he encouraged us to learn it and he told us that that’s the main language we are
talking in the house as it will also gives us many opportunities in life referring to
being bilingual is a plus.
My Cultural Belonging continued….
We love celebrating birthdays as we are very family oriented and we always stick
together no matter what. Our favorite holidays are Thanksgiving, Christmas and
New Year’s because they are the most meaningful holidays to my family and I and
we always celebrate them with all our relatives by preparing several Mexican
dishes we also play games like Hed Banz, Speak Out, Pictionary, Uno, Say
Anything, Monopoly, Cards, and the traditional Mexican game called Loteria which
is similar to bingo. We even play all types of music from Latin music to hip-hop and
Country and for New Year’s we get a DJ and a Mexican band. Of course being
Mexican we love Mexican food but we also enjoy other cultures food like Chinese,
Thai and Italian food are some of my family’s favorite and for me I love soul food
along with the others my family likes. Growing up I can recall when my parents
would take my siblings and I to eat at different restaurants to try different cultures
food and I enjoyed doing that and I always loved how accepting my parents were
of other cultures and they taught me and my siblings to accept and appreciate
other cultures.
 My Cultural Belonging continued….
I grew up in a Catholic household I have been baptized and done my first
communion along with my confirmation through the catholic church. Religion has
always been a very important thing in my family as we go to church every Sunday.
One of the many things my parents taught me was to always thank the man
upstairs every morning when waking up because he is the reason we breath and
are here. My parents have always liked helping the community so when my
siblings and I were younger they would take us to go feed the homeless and every
year we volunteer at three square to help homeless families receive a meal. My
parents have also liked for my siblings and I to be active and involved in something
so I have always had a passion for dancing and they supported me in that. I really
loved that my parents encouraged us to be active and involved because that
defiantly helped me get out of my comfort zone and be more open and outgoing.
 Life Experiences
I was born in Granada Hills, California but lived in San Fernando Valley,
California up until the age of 7. While I lived in California it was a very urban
like area and I came across a very diverse neighborhood with a lot of people
who looked different and had different believes yet none of that separated us.
I can recall going outside and playing with my friends who had different
ethnicities and backgrounds from mine and that didn’t mean a thing to us we
all had a blast riding our bikes and playing tag and hide and seek we would
even have picnics in my front yard. Then my family and I moved here to Las
Vegas and luckily I was still able to experience a diverse neighborhood and
being exposed to that type of environment and raised to accept other cultures
made me the individual I am today which is an open minded and accepting and
respectful of others.
 Life Experiences continued…
Since my parents were unable to finish school, education is key and my parents were strict on my
siblings and I and they wanted us to focus/attend school and obtain good grades. They saw
education as a privilege and would always tell me and my siblings that if they had the opportunity
we have they would have finished school but being born in Mexico times were tough and they had
to leave school to help support their family by working very young so they would say do not take
education for granted and always try your best. So due to that encouragement and pep talks from
my parents I graduated from a magnet high school with an honors diploma and an emphasis in the
medical field. Aside from my parents being strict on education they taught me to work hard for
what I want in life so I started working while attending high school and they pushed me to do my
best and to not lose focus of my education only because I was making money rather let that be a
motivation that furthering my education will open doors to a better income. I went from working in
a fast food place to retail to juggling three part time jobs when I first started college to thankfully
leaving those part time jobs because a great job opportunity came my way and I started working as
an Admissions and Records Assistant I for 5 years then left that because I had an urge to work with
children which is where my heart is I love children so I worked at a day care for 1 year then left that
and worked at a head start for 2 years to finally making it to CCSD and working as an SPTA
(Specialized Programs Teacher Assistant) and I could not be more happier as I get to do what I love
and get my feet wet in my field as I am majoring in Special Education. The skills I have that took me
to get to where I am today are that I am bilingual, have a lot of patience, good with children, I am
trustworthy, compassionate, have great customer service skills, multitasker, good at greeting and
meeting people, good at taking independent action, good at developing a climate of enthusiasm,
teamwork and cooperation, good computer skills, and good at working independently or in a group.
 My Worldview
The way I view the world has been influenced by the way my parents raised me
along with my religion and close friends. Growing up my parents have always
wanted the best for me and motivated me to be the best version of myself which
included making my own decisions. The decisions I’ve made in my life have
shaped me into the person I am today. I am one to never judge an individual
rather be respectful, kind, and understanding because you do not know their
story and what they have been through. I was raised in a diverse neighborhood
so I am very open minded to other cultures and I love learning all about other
cultures and trying different things. Being Catholic I have respect for other
religions and will treat you like the human being that you are as we are all God’s
children regardless of race and background. My current goal is to receive my
bachelor’s degree in Special Education then earn a Master’s in Occupational
Therapy and be married and start a family.
 Cultural Artifacts
Something that represents me and is a
big part of my life is my family. Growing
up we did everything together as we
are very family oriented I live by Ohana
which is part of the Hawaiian culture
which means family; in an extended
sense of the term, including blood
related, adoptive or intentional. It
emphasizes that families are bound
together and members must cooperate
and remember one another. My family
has seen me at my worst and best and
has loved me unconditionally and has
been the greatest support system I
could have ever asked for. Without
them I would not be the person I am
today they encourage, motivate and
inspire me to be the best version of
myself. I am truly blessed and I thank
God for such a loving and supportive
family.