I come from a very culturally diverse background. My grandmother on my dads side is actually from Great Britain and my mom is from Lima, Peru. I grew up with a guess you would call the best of both worlds. My dad is very much American however he married my mom, a Hispanic lady. I grew up knowing some of the things that my grandma loved from her country. I'm not sure if James Bond completely counts but I like to think so. I heard Spanish from my mom growing up and began to pick up on the language and learned to communicate with my Grandparents as well as other uncles and aunts. I loved the idea growing up that I has half Hispanic even though I look very American.
I got to see both sides of life from my dad and my mom. They did an amazing job as I grew up to combine the cultures so that us kids knew where we came from. The one thing that I see now as I look back is neither my mom nor my dad thought the other ones culture was superior or inferior. They looked at each other as equals and respected each others culture. My dad encouraged us to learn about my moms background as well as he taught us about where his family came from. Obviously my parents had no issue with cultural equality because I don't think they would have been married had they had a problem.
Well fast forward to the now. I am married and I am married to a Hispanic woman. Her family is from El Salvador. Spanish is the primary language for my in laws which is great because it keep my Spanish sharp so I can communicate. Also its been a fun process talking things out with my wife on what different cultural traditions we would like to have our children raised with. I love my wife's family and see them as an equal loving family. Isn't that what the ultimate goal is? To be happy in life. It doesn't matter where you come from. We are all here to reach that same goal. Happiness.
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