germlish

last night, armed with sushi and becks beer, i watched the movie Spanglish, which i know is an "old" movie, but in the last year or so, my movie watching opportunities have been limited. i thought it was a good movie, not as funny as i expected, but very good. in fact, i could identify with a lot of the content. for me, the main focus of the movie was how a mother and a daughter navigated a new culture and dealt with people of a different socio-economic status.

although i did not grow up completely bilingually, i learned german from my grandparents at an early age, also learning later that they're german was really messed up. but anyway, having that background in a different language always made me feel special and different. but also having the name "fritz" was an automatic differentiating factor. i remember being called a nazi in 3rd grade. granted, you can't really take anything 3rd graders tell you that seriously, but you don't always know that in 3rd grade. in actuality, that all wasn't that big of a deal.

i come from a limbo generation. this is the generation in which a family moves from being lower-class to middle-class. and it is not just about having more material wealth, but the fact is that people who have grown up purely middle-class have a different outlook. and when they're children (who will be my children) are in this environment, it is very strange to see what they are interested in and how they view everything--work, play, life. this has even been an issue between my parents and myself. i remember when we moved into our house in candalaria out of the parsonage and suddenly, we were in an environment where everyone had money. it was a hard transition and i still remember it, even though i was very young. cristina, the girl in Spanglish, dealt with the same thing. she was excited about all of this. it made me nervous. but like flor, the mother, my parents were very cautious in allowing me to do "middle-class" things. and i understand that and am thankful for their caution. they really grounded me a lot and that continues to help me. i wonder, though, if i will be able to do the same thing for my children, if my efforts to raise them in the values and beliefs that are important to me will be overwhelmed by a culture that values very different things and a very different way of life.

i guess the lesson i get from all of this is: don't forget who you are and where you came from.