How do you become the person you’re supposed to be? What influences contribute to an individual’s identity? Can you even pick a specific experience that shaped your life? From the moment a person is born they are exposed to a vast variety of events. It’s all of these events added together that help you to identify yourself. Life can be full of love, happiness, laughter, anger, disappointment, or betrayal; just to name a few. People grow and change with each sparkle and spice they are given. Some people are more fortunate than others in their journey to self discovery. The main influence that assisted in the development of my identity has and always will be my family.

I consider myself a very blessed individual! Throughout my life I have always been surrounded by a supportive and loving family. I owe a lot of myself to them, who knows what my life could have turned out like if I didn’t have them. My parents, whom are still married, my sister Robin, and my brother Joe are very close. We spend a lot of time together. My sister is married with two kids and my brother is married with three. Since I am the baby, and as of yet do not have any kids of my own, I consider all five of them mine. We are a crazy, loud, and happy family. Characteristics such as these have been passed down from previous generations.

My Dad comes from a large family, he has nine sisters and four brothers. Having that many children seems unreal to me, but back in those days it was common. Grandma Stella had a total of seventeen children, but three of them passed when they were little. As for my Grandpa Horacio, he passed when my Dad was only four years old. I would have really liked to have met him. I have only ever seen one picture of him it is black and white and makes him look very fascinating.

As for my Grandma Stella, she never remarried. She always said “He is my husband and he is waiting for me.” And she waited for forty five years to join him in the hereafter. That kind of devotion is the truest form of love! Knowing this as I grew up helped build faith and dependability into my character. After my Grandpa died, my Grandma was able to rely on her older children for help and support. Given the situation, all they had to depend on was each other.

Whenever we get the family together, we get to watch in amusement as they make each other laugh, antagonize one another, and sing the night away. This is the usual occurrence at any get-together. As the night moves forward it becomes apparent that the more they drink the louder they get. Until I was 16 years old the only time I would dance would be with my Dad at a family reunion. We would have so much fun dancing to the mariachi music in the midst of our loves ones.  Now as if that’s not enough craziness we can add my mother’s side of the family. The Giron’s are just as antagonistic and funny as the Duran’s.

My Mom has five sisters and two brothers.  My uncle Ronnie passed away when I was very young. The one memory I have of him is when we were playing poker, however it is quite hazy. We always spent a lot of time at my Grandpa’s house; I always felt it was my home too. The house was filled with beautiful gold framed pictures and mirrors, comfortable rocking chairs, and delicate knick knacks that were spread out neatly throughout the house. They also had one of those classic TV’s built into a wooden box that sat on the floor, the kind with a knob you twisted to change the channel. Grandma’s house always smelled so clean together with the aroma of some great meal she was preparing. Permanently in the background was the sound of Grandpa watching whatever boxing match that happened to be on at the time.

My mom was very close to her mom as were my sister, brother, and I.  My Grandma also had a special way of babying my father to. She babied me the most, I can still hear  the sound of her scratchy voice saying “ Anita you leave her alone”, whenever my Mom tried to make me help clean up the dishes. My chores usually only consisted of helping my Grandma cook, making coffee or tang, or sweep the floor. It was always one of my favorite pastimes helping her cook. I spent a lot of time in that kitchen with my grandma. We made everything from empanadas to lemon merange pie. We had some great times cooking and talking. After all the mess was cleaned up; Grandma and I always played a game of cards while the adults drank their coffee and had dessert. I even cherish the memories of when my cousin Grant and I would get yelled at for running through my Grandpa’s house.

Playing and fighting was our specialty and we were good at getting in trouble, which was pretty often. We used to wrestle all the time, the older kids picking on the little ones. I think it made us tougher when we grew up. Grant and I were the youngest of all the grand children so we were bullied on a regular basis. It is one of the privileges to having younger siblings; you get to bully them whenever you want.

My sister Robin is eight years older than I am, when you are little that makes a big difference. Robin used to be so mean to us. We used to have a small linen closet at my house. My mother kept all the towels on one of the higher shelves; I would have to climb up the shelves to get one. This was great for my sister because as soon as I climbed up she would close the door. With no room to move, I would be stuck hanging on to the shelf until she stopped laughing long enough to open the door. My sister, the sweet one! My mother never believed any of the things that she used to do to us because she was so timid and nice, or so they thought.

             We get along great now, Robin is my best friend, nevertheless let me tell you when we were little she sure had her fun. My brother and I also did a lot of fighting, but that’s ok it’s what brothers and sisters do. We may have always had our differences, but we are always there for one another. It’s remarkable to feel the kind of bond that only family can provide you with. This kind of bond is unbreakable, and has been passed down from prior generations.  I like to sit and watch as my niece and nephews run around my mother’s house getting yelled at for playing and fighting. I can see that same remarkable connection forming between them. Watching them play takes me back to when I was little, and I can only hope that the kids will cherish their memories half as much as I do mine.

            This is what it’s like coming from a large family. We are mean to one another, we fight, we play, we cook, we talk, and we run around crazy. I would never trade a moment of it. No matter you how mad we make each other, I know my family will always be around. You know it’s all the little moments in life that I remember the best. I know that it’s all of those little pieces that shape the person that you are meant to become. My life has been enormously enriched by the past traditions that I have been privileged enough to be part of. I have an ever growing appreciation for all of these traditions; they give me a great sense of history. Now as I’m growing older I get to start contributing some of my own traditions and share some of these stories with our kids. Someday I may even get to share these stories with my own children. In addition to the stories, I can provide the same love and support I that was given and hopefully help them on their expedition of finding their own identity.

My dad Joseph comes from a large family he has nine sisters and four brothers. Having that many children seems unreal to me. My Grandma Stella had a total of seventeen children, but three of them passed when they were little. As for my Grandpa Horacio, he passed when my Dad was only four years old. I would have really liked to have met him. I have only ever seen one picture of my Grandpa. The picture is black and white and makes him look very interesting. My Grandma Stella never remarried, she said “He is my husband and he will be waiting for me” she only ever loved him. And she waited for forty five years to join him in heaven. It’s kind of funny to me that I still get my aunts names confused well considering that there are still nine of them and I haven’t seen much of them since my Grandma passed away. If you want to talk about loud just get them all together, it is very amusing to watch as they laugh, fight, and sing the night away. Ok, so now we can add my mother’s side of the family who are also very loud with all the laughing and fighting.

                My mother Anita has five sisters and two brothers.  My uncle Ronnie passed away when I was very young. I vaguely remember him, I know he used to play poker with us kids and I remember he had a jar of pennies that we would play with. We always spent a lot of time at my Grandpa’s house; I always felt it was my home too. The house was filled with beautiful gold framed pictures and mirrors, comfortable rocking chairs, and one of those classic TV’s built into a wooden box that sat on the floor, the kind with a knob you twisted to change the channel. That house always smelled so clean with the aroma of some great meal grandma was preparing mixed in. And you could hear the sound of Grandpa watching whatever boxing match that was on at that time. My mom was very close to her mom as were my sister, brother, and I. Grandma did also have a way of always babying my father to. She babied me the most,  I can still hear  the sound of her scratchy voice saying “ Anita you leave her alone” whenever my Mom tried to make me help clean up the dishes or sweep the floor.   

                My chores usually only usually consisted of making coffee, or tang, or helping my Grandma cook. It was always one of my favorite things to help her cook. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my grandma, my mother, my sister, and which ever aunts and/or cousins were there at the time. We made everything from empanadas which are fun to make but not one of my favorite foods, to lemon merange pie. We had some great times in that kitchen cooking and talking. And after all the mess was cleaned up Grandma and I always played a game of cards, while the adults drank their coffee and had dessert. I even cherish the memories of when we used to get yelled at my cousin Grant and I, when we would run through the house playing and fighting.

                We used to wrestle all the time the older kids picking on the little ones. I think it made us tougher when we grew up. Grant and I were the youngest of all the grand children, and oh how we got picked on and it didn’t matter where we were. My sister Robin is eight years older than we are, and when you are little that age difference is a lot. Robin used to be so mean to us we used to have a small linen closet at my house. My mother kept all the towels on one of the higher shelves, so I would have to climb up the shelves to get one. This was great for my sister because as soon as I climbed up she would close the door. With no room to move I would be stuck hanging on to the shelf until she stopped laughing long enough to open the door. My sister the sweet one! My mother never believed any of the things that she used to do to us because she was so timid and nice, or so they thought.

                 We get along great now she is my best friend, but let me tell you when we were little she sure had her fun. My brother and I also did a lot of fighting and that’s ok it’s what brothers and sisters do. We may have always had our differences, but we are always there for one another. It’s remarkable to feel the kind of bond that only family can provide you with. That kind of bond is unbreakable and is passed down through the generations.  I like to sit and watch as my niece and nephews run around my mother’s house getting yelled at for playing and fighting. Watching them play takes me back to when I was little and I can only hope that the kids will cherish their memories half as much as I do mine.

                That is what it’s like coming from al large family. We are mean to one another, we fight, we play, we cook, we talk, we run around crazy, and I would never trade any of it. “Friends come and go but at the end of the day the only ones you can count on are your family!” I know that I have heard that before and I believe it. You know I think that my kids have taught me way more than I have ever been able to teach them. My mom says that that when I finally have kids of my own that I am already ready. I don’t know about that but I we do spend a lot of time together. Kids are the most vital part of a family. It just doesn’t feel like home unless I have the running and screaming and someone jumping on me. I may have children one day but if not then I feel as though I already have my children.

Managers and Supervisors,

                It has come to our attention that intra-office dialect has become very relaxed. While we want this to be a comfortable environment, the foul language and inappropriate jokes are unacceptable during work hours. This type of language should be left outside of the office among friends and family, it is not appropriate among internal or external customers. We need to regulate this issue in a timely manner and any further incidents will result in a write up.

Amanda Duran

General Manager

Sister/Family

                Every person you speak to will change the language that you speak. The language depends on the relationship that you have with the person that you are talking to. Most families, I believe, are like mine. You can relax, be yourself, and just say whatever it is that is on your mind. They will laugh and make fun of you if you say the wrong thing at the wrong time, but it’s just what we do taking every opportunity to make fun of one another. To look at the other side, some families are probably much more “proper” in the way they speak to one another. Maybe they are not as close and/or that is just the way they were raised. It is as if they are taking to their new boss or even colleges. Relationships vary in many ways and every variation will automatically change the way you speak.   

                My mother Anita had five sisters and two brothers.  My uncle Ronnie passed away when I was very young. I vaguely remember him, he played poker with us kids and I remember he had a jar of pennies that we would play with at my Grandpa Girons house, we always spent a lot of time there. The house was filled with beautiful gold framed pictures and mirrors, comfortable rocking chairs, and a classic TV built into a wooden box that sat on the floor with a knob you twisted to change the channel. I always felt it was my home to. That house always smelled so clean mixed with the smell some great meal grandma was preparing and the sound of Grandpa watching whatever boxing match was on TV. My mom was very close to her mom as were my sister, brother, and I. Grandma did also have a way of always babying my father to. She babied me the most,  I can still hear  the sound of her scratchy voice saying “ Anita you leave her alone” whenever my Mom tried to make me help clean up the dishes or sweep the floor.   

                My chores usually only consisted of making coffee, tang, or helping my Grandma cook. It was always one of my favorite things to help cook. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my grandma, my mother, my sister, and which ever aunts and/or cousins were there. Making everything from empanadas which are fun to make but not one of my favorite foods, to lemon merange pie. We had some great times in that kitchen cooking and talking. I even cherish the memories of when we used to get yelled at my cousin Grant and I, when we would run through the house playing and fighting.

                We used to wrestle all the time the older ones picking on the little ones. I think it made us tougher when we grew up. Grant and I were the youngest of all the grand children. And oh how we got picked on. My sister Robin is eight years older than we are, and when you are little that is a lot. We used to have a small linen closet at my house. My mother kept all the towels on one of the higher shelves so I would have to climb up the shelves to get one. This was great for my sister because as soon as I climbed up she would close the door. With no room I would be stuck hanging on until she stopped laughing long enough to open the door. My sister the sweet one! My mother never believed any of the things that she used to do to us because she was so timid and nice, or so they thought.

                 We get along great now she is my best friend, but let me tell you when we were little she sure had her fun. That is what it is like coming from al large family. We are mean to one another, we fight, we play, we cook, we talk, we run around crazy, and I would never trade any of it. As it is said “Friends come and go but at the end of the day the only ones you can count on are your family!” I truly believe this and without them all I would not be the same person I am today.  

In addition to their great talents Barack Obama has such charisma as Martin Luther King Jr. had conviction; with gifts such as these people are drawn in. The people crave the leadership that is essential for this great country to keep moving toward a more contented future. Faith and trust are tied so tightly in, and we know we know that neither one of them would falter for a moment from such a well grounded path. This path that they have decent upon was hard to even imagine, to some maybe most, downright impossible. “That path means embracing the burden of our past without becoming victims of our past” Barack Obama. Also by being the strong willed and tenacious men, that this country needed, the fight for equality has not been in vain.

We have seen tremendous progress in the past 50 years. To think back not even that long ago Martin Luther King Jr. lead peaceful protests. Protests that left the nonviolent participants brutally rebuffed. This is a, not so distant, nightmare from today where Barack Obama is the “Commanding Chief” of the most powerful army in the world, and he just happens to be an African-American male! As Barack Obama said, “I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.” Knowing this it makes tomorrow that much more worth fighting for. 

The people of America continue to fight, if you think over the recent developments our beloved homeland has come a long way. Commencing from the days of segregation including separate bathrooms, separate schools, and even separate drinking fountains there has been a vast improvement. Although we still need to listen the words of Martin Luther King Jr. and not give up on our unwavering dreams of parity until “Justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.” But unfortunately the hard times are not over we still need great leaders like Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. before him. Luckily America has chosen Barack Obama because of his strong will and devotion to steer us into a stronger tomorrow.

In brief it requires resilient leaders to embark upon impossible progress, to not accept the unachievable as unattainable.  “What we have already achieved gives us hope-the audacity to hope- for what we can and must achieve tomorrow” Barack Obama . As a final point Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama will forever more known as inspirational individuals with an abundant amount of contributions. Can you even presume to imagine the scores of people who have given the patronage to this imperative struggle?

 Barack Obama has such charisma as Martin Luther King Jr. had the conviction; with gifts such as these people are drawn in. with faith and belief tied so tightly in you know that neither would falter for a moment from such a well grounded path. This path that they have decent upon was hard to even imagine, to some maybe most, downright impossible. But by being the strong willed and tenacious men that this country needed the fight for equality has not been in vain.

To think back not even that long ago Martin Luther King Jr. lead peaceful protests. Protests that left the participants brutally rebuffed. This is a, not so distant, nightmare from today where Barack Obama is the “Commanding Chief” of the most powerful army in the world, and he just happens to be an African- American male! Knowing this it makes tomorrow that much more worth fighting for.

Our great nation has come a very long way. Commencing from the days of segregation with separate bathrooms, separate schools, to even separate drinking fountains here has been a vast improvement. But alas the hard times are not over we still need great leaders like Barack Obama and Martin Luther King Jr. before him. The voters of America have chosen Barack Obama because of his strong will and devotion guide the people into a stronger tomorrow.

       Both “Blowin’ In The Wind” and “The Times They Are A Changin” were released by Bob Dylan in the early 1960′s. I think with both of these songs Bob Dylan was trying to tell everyone to open their eyes and look at the world around them. The way of the world was unacceptable the racism, the wars, and the brutality it would not be tollerated forever. These songs became anthems in the civil rights movement and I believe that they were meant to bring hope to all that were in need of freedom.

       The song “Blowin In The Wind” was in my opinion asking how much longer could the nation keep up that cold barrier in front of their faces and deny the violence and cruelty that surrounded them? On the other hand “The Times They Are A Changin” was relaying the message that change is inevitable and no matter what you do the good and true will prevail. I happen to like Bob Dylan and I have a great respect for him as well as his perspective.