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Bi-Cultural & Bilingual

I am bi-cultural and bilingual. Though I was born in the United States and have a native-born accent (a Los Angeles accent to be exact), I have spoken both English and Spanish since I was a child. I have always thought, written, and spoken in two languages, and my love for Spanish has only been reinforced by visits to several countries in Latin America. I am also learning a third language (French), so I understand the struggle of those trying to learn a new language. I have been taking French classes for almost three years now. An immersion course in Aix-en-Provence two summers ago supercharged my love for the French language.

I would say that what the greatest gift a lover of language could have received is to be born and raised in one of the most diverse cities in the world—Los Angeles! I was raised in Watts, a rough little neighborhood in South L.A., and I’ve often joked that my family was probably the only Indian/Salvadoran family in Watts ever! Sorry, I forgot to mention that my step-father is Indian (as in East Indian). Just another cultural layer in a very Los Angeles-type story. A story that’s becoming increasingly the norm as the world shrinks and barriers between people groups increasingly become blurred. It’s a great time to be alive! I only regret that my step-father never spoke Hindi at home!

That growing up in a multi-ethnic milieu was a gift became evident to me during a family visit to El Salvador. While walking in a mall in San Salvador, it suddenly hit me—EVERYONE HERE IS SALVADOREÑO. Seems like an obvious thing right? But it was then that I realized… this has not been the norm for me. I’ve never lived in a mono-cultural reality. Sure some of the neighborhoods I’ve lived in in Los Angeles might have been predominantly black or latino, but life in a mobile culture like ours inevitably has you driving to the many other neighborhoods spread out through the city where you interact with people from all sorts of backgrounds—ethnic, language, and cultural backgrounds.

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