I never gave much thought to my prince charming growing up, I just always imagined he would be Mexican. Truthfully the only reason why I just assumed he would be Mexican because I didn't think I was "allowed" to date anyone else. Fast forward through my years, prince charming faded away and was not on my priorities list anymore. At the start of college, Cal State Northridge (go matadors) I was so fascinated and in love with the new freedom I had (Spent most of it in class and then on the bus). I had new friends and old friends I could be with in between classes, we would share our experiences of the day over a Freudian Sip coffee and bagel. Sophomore year, Fall Semester, I decided to attend a college event with some friends. When I arrived with my friend we immediately started thinking of things we would rather be doing than going to this event (Denny's). As my friend (Doug) and I start to roam around, I get hit in the face, figuratively, with the imagine of prince charming. There's a part in a novela where her true love storms into La Casa de la Senora, double doors open wide and he is there proclaiming his love to Sonia, I had that moment. My moment was very different since my brain was computing this imagine of FERNANDO storming into save me, I looked back to real life and it wasn't FERNANDO, it was Rafael. (WHICH BY THE WAY HE IS 10x better). I then go on to think why I was complaining this whole time, and got distracted by a very deep conversation with Rafael, it was about popcorn. The day Rafael asks me on a date, instead of being excited, my heart sinks to my stomach. I come from a very traditional Mexican household, and until that moment didnt realize what that meant. I would have to ask mis padres, for permission to go out on a date, but the thing I was most scared to tell them was, HE WASNT FERNANDO, he wasn't Mexican. Now this is just me jumping to conclusions but it was really what I was most scared about. I came to figure out Rafael had a lot more freedom than I did, and he figured out even quicker that I had let's just say less (a lot less) freedom. Since day 1, Rafael has understood my culture and my parent's wishes. He has got used to the check ins, the reasonable hours to get home, and my bursts of hot head angry Latina moments. An Interracial relationship was new for both my parents and I. I don't think they imagined me coming home with a Filipino or anyone actually, but I embraced it with an open heart and my parents with an open mind. After 3 years together, I have come to understand the similarities, and difference our cultures have. We are both very proud of where we come from and that never has to change. For a while I thought I had to date someone like me because that is what my family wanted but I was wrong. Interracial relationships are extremely beautiful, it allows others to get a better understanding of another culture and for me, it gave me a different perspective of how I see the world. Nothing is just black and white anymore, and I have come to appreciate the multitude of colors. 51 years ago, in the state of Virginia two people, Mildred and Richard Loving, took a stand to the injustices and protested Virginia law that prohibited interracial marriages. They were wed in Washington D.C. and after returning to Virginia they were arrested for violating the Racial Integrity Act in Virginia, and were charged with unlawful cohabitation. The Lovings fought for something that they knew was rightfully their's, love for one another no matter the color of their skin. Thank you for loving. This wasn't just a story about how a Filipino remixed my novela but a point to say love is love and its okay. Now, I can no longer say anything negative to Rafael in Spanish, since he understands most of the "angry words," and I have come to the conclusion that pancit, lumpia and turon are probably my favorite Filipino dishes. The best part is I can tell him "I love you" in three different languages: Te amo, kaluguran daka, i love you.
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January 2018
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