It's me, your friend, Arturo Rogelio Jiminez.  Hope this finds you well!  (That's what I said above, for you who don't speak or understand Spanish.)

I went to that Mexican music fiesta I mentioned in my last entry; man, I had the best time there!  I saw many wonderful groups, and I danced 'til there was no tomorrow; by the time I got back, I was so sore, I was sure my ancient abuelo, who is something like 98 years old, got around better than me!!  I swore I could have used his cane!  LOL

Now, life is back to where it was.  Still seeing Juana, my girl, still boxing, still going to school.  My life is a good life, even despite having to want to keep from bashing the gringo kids' heads in, for making digs about my Mexican-ness!

I don't know why they can't get it.  I'm just as American as they are:  we bleed the same color, we like (mostly) the same things, and besides, I speak English as well as I do my Spanish!  I'm not like some of these illegals who come here and refuse to assimilate into the American way of life!

Yeah, I hear that all the time:  my fellow Mexicans speaking Spanish instead of English, in front of people who don't speak Spanish.  Personally, I think that's rude.  I do know what they are saying, but it sure pisses the non-Spanish people off, big time!

Now, my granny (abuela) doesn't speak English, so if she's with us, we have to talk to her in Spanish.  Otherwise, she'd be stuck without any help, wouldn't know what's going on around her.  People hear that, and they get muy furioso.  I've had people yell at us:  "Speak English or go back to Mexico; we don't need your kind here stinkin' up America!" when we are as legal as they are!

That's the kind of stuff I have to deal with on those days where we have our granny with us.  This is when I wish I were not Mexican; this is when I wish I were white, perhaps even black.  This is one of the main reasons why I box:  if ever I find myself in a situation where I have to defend my honor, my family, my heritage, I will fight until people see why I am so proud of being Latino.

Granny didn't learn English because she felt she didn't have to.  It is harder for older generations of Mexicans to learn a new language; it's easier if you're young like me.  She could learn, but it is muy deficil for her.

To her, Ingles is like beating your head against a brick wall.

Me, I learned it when I learned to speak.  I also learned my mother tongue, Spanish.  That way, I have the best of both worlds, and it's really opened up many opportunities that my non-English compadres don't have.  I could get the better-paying jobs because I am able to communicate with people who speak either Spanish or English. 

No problemo.

Meanwhile, my poor compadres who only speak Spanish get the lower paying jobs (restaurant work, landscaping, construction, etc.) because of their inability to communicate with non-Spanish speaking people, when they could have so much more in life.

It's really sad if you think about it, especially since a lot of my compadres send a lot of what they make back to Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, Ecuador, or wherever else they're from, so they can support the family members that they left behind, leaving them struggling to make ends meet.

I may be a stupid Mexicano to most people, but I happen to be very smart.  I see what is going on with my fellow Mexicans, and I don't like what I am seeing (or hearing).  I wish people would give us a chance and stop trying to run us back to Mexico, especially since I was born here in America, and I speak English as well as I do  my Spanish!

Besides, I don't even like most Mexican food!  Give me pizza any day!!

Well, I gotta run.  I'm gettin' estupido en mi cabeza.  It is very early out; gotta try to get at least an hour's more of sleep, or else I won't be worth anything in school today.  Take care, and Vaya con dios!

~Arturo Rogelio.

~To be continued.~