Does a Mexican wear a "sombrero" and blue jeans and cowboy boots. No. Except sometimes. Does a Mexican have black hair pulled smoothly back with a rose where it's gathered at the nape of her neck. No. But yes. What color is their hair? And skin? Eyes and such?
I have seen the man with the hat and boots and jeans; I have made friends with a girl with a flower in her hair (a "new" trend among girls here my age). But I have also seen Mexicans in Hollister polo-styled shirts, Levi jeans, and American Eagle flip flops.
I've been a student of the language (and culture) for 9 years now (that year in high school just doesn't count; I wasn't invested). I teach to my students at Lockeland that you can't look at a person and know without a doubt where they're from. There are some clues, but there are some misleading clues as well.
I wonder if I've studied Spanish too long- or not long enough, or if I've been here too long- or not long enough. As I rode the bus today, I watched all the people I saw. I saw many shades of skin ranging from much lighter than mine to much darker than mine. I saw hair of all colors (natural and assisted) and textures. I saw styles that could contribute to an assumption of origin, though style is not as God-given as the other factors can be. When I looked out the window, I saw large groups of people waiting at bus stops. No two looked the same. Well, duh. but from a culture that often "you people"s, it was amazing to me to think that if I saw any of "those people" today on a street in Nashville, or Canada, or Spain, or France, I wouldn't know they were from Mexico. It's a strange feeling. I can't get all the words or thoughts straightened out in my head just yet.
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