Puritans, Puritans, Puritans, Oh My!

Puritans, are very religious, they believe in God, and follow his 'teachings' very seriously. The Puritan religion is very popular, books have been written about it, such as The Crucible. This book talks about Salem and the with trials, and how many people were thought to be witches just because others thought they were weird. Most of the people that were accused were single or widowed women, maybe a few men who had land others coveted.

Another book written which involves Puritan beliefs, is a book by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne was born in Salem, Massachusetts in 1804. One was one of three judges during the witch trials. Having a leg injury, Hawthorne spent most of the time alone and reading (why he's such a good writer). His dad died, and his family had to support themselves. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter in 1850. This book is about a women who is forced to wear the scarlet letter A on her chest as a sign that she was an adulterer.

Today, there are many people like that (very religious that is), some of them are even related to me. Some, not all, go around telling everyone about what they believe and they think others should think as well as they. Many a time, have some of my relatives come to visit us just to try and convert us to their religion. I'm all for people who express what they believe, i just don't think they should have to try to change other people's mind. :>

The Moment I realized I was an American...

I actually always reaize i'm an American. I often forget, what with my Mexican roots and all, but there are days, where i literally stop what i'm doing and think. I think about everything i have, and who i have it with. Family, a house, friends, a great country (make that two great countries). I think that an American has all of that and more, and so do I. I an thankful, even though i occasionally forget, or decide not to think about it to much.

P.S= I realize i may sound like a hypocrite, or that I'm just contracdicting myself, but I would like to leave you with a question, What IS an American? Who can define what an American is? Who are we to judge who WE are? We each are what we want to be, we define what we are, and what we think. Viva America!

Conflicting Much?

I find that this is a very broad subject to talk about. There are so many conflicts that happen between so many people or groups of people, but OK here we go. Well, ACTUALLY,  I don't want to sit here and go on and on about some friendship that was ruined because someone talked trash about another someone, nor do i want to talk about a more serious topic such as divorce (where we definitely know that the relationship was ruined). So, how about we go with a more personal topic, and it goes a little something like this:

I'm sure you guys know that Mexicans and PuertoRicans don't really get along too much (i don't know why) (actually i do, but let's not take sides). Well years ago, when i lived in Humbolt Park (yeaaa!) i had many purto rican friends, among them my very best friend, her name was Janira. She and I knew each other since third grade, we went waaay back. I had gone to her house countless times and her to mine, we were young, and her mom really like me and my parents liked her. So years later in like fifth grade, she asks me "What part of PuertoRico are you from?" and I'm like "whaat?" with this dumbfounded look on my face. How could she not know I'm Mexican?

Looking back i realize that we never really went into our ethnic background. We never talked about how i eat Tacos when she eats Arroz Con Gandules. It never occurred to me, that by telling i was Mexican, i ruined our whole relationship. Like i said her mom and my parents got along, so they knew that we were Mexicans and they were Puerto Rican, but Janira didn't. She stopped talking to me.

I confronted her later and i asked why she hadn't talked to me in a while, and she straight up told me that it was because 'according to 'society' we can't get along'.  It must have been very conflicting in her mind. I got angry, i told my parents and they were like 'oh well, you'll find another best friend'. I can't believe that i had been BFFs with her, i realize now, that if i hadn't moved to the south side and she hadn't moved to Puerto Rico, that we would have had more conflicts than just our race.

P.S. I miss her. ♥ even if she didn't like me after, she once did. :p