When your a nobody

When you’re a nobody
Category: Life

It was in the sixth grade that I realized that I was nobody. We were studying Mexico and the teacher wanted to have a Fiesta in class. I quickly volunteered to bring some Mexican food.

When I asked my mom if she could make some Beans and tortillas for our fiesta she began scolding me. "Don't you ever tell anyone what kind of food we eat. Why did you say that we eat beans? Another thing, we are not Mexican we are Spanish.” we were not Mexican? That was news to me as the kids always called me a Wet Back. What was wrong with our food? My father hit the roof if he did not have his tortillas on the table every night. I thought they tasted good. Why did I have to hide it?
Now I realized that what I ate and who I was were not to be discussed. And if I could not talk about it that must have meant that there was something terribly wrong with it. Most of all there was something wrong with me.
My mother did make the food for the class and the teacher was so appreciative and everyone enjoyed it but I never felt right. Was the teacher just being nice? Were the kids laughing at me and who my parents were?

Being a non Mexican, Wet Back was very confusing to a supposedly 6th grade Spaniard. My mother was chuck full of surprises.