I brought him the glass of water. Dad look at it and said to me: “mediocre.” I could tell he was upset with me. He saw the confusion in my face and proceeded to explain this new to me. At least the meaning he gave to that word: “Mediocre is a person who does things half way.” The glass was not completely full to his satisfaction. I ran inside the house with my feelings hurt and went to my bed. I think I was crying or at least had tears on my eyes. My mom came into my room and laid down besides me. She hugged me and play with me with color pencils. Perhaps I remember this memory so vividly because it was an exception and it does not represent most of my childhood. I come from a society that –even though is also “machista”, it is not as much as other Latin-American countries. I come from a relatively liberal society that ranks 4th in the World fro female participation in the government congress.

All in all, this memory has made me think a lot about the conflict that a lot of Hispanic children are facing while growing up in a bicultural atmosphere. They live in a continuous struggle to reconcile aspects from both cultures. The positive aspect of this story is that it shows the opportunity the Hispanic community has to provide its changing power to other societies. The Hispanic community has the chance to decide for and contribute for a more equal and fair society.