Laura Espinal
January 14 2012
Broward College 2:00 pm

Quinceañera
I remember being younger, and en joying every one of my different experiences growing up. I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy them now; I just think that when you’re younger, everything seems better; you have this innocence, and perspective on life, that you just enjoy even playing with dirt. I have such a wonderful life thanks to my amazing family. My parents most specially play a big role in my life; even though they are divorced, I am lucky to say that I am one of the few girls that still actually have the support of both my parents throughout my life. I knew that writing about an experience I can have in relation to these poems I read was going to be a difficult task, but I think that the topic that I chose to talk about was going to be about something that not only I can relate to, but it’s something that I’m sure another girl out there has the same opinion as me in this topic. The experience that I chose to talk about was when I turned 15 and how it can somewhat relate to the poem in which we read.
A Quinceañera is the definition of a 15 year old girl coming of age party. It’s like a Bar Mitzvah for Jewish boys. Typically, a quinceañera is celebrated by Latin countries. Traditionally, a quinceañera is supposed to be a very spiritual and family oriented occasion. A girl is to put on a big beautiful gown and have a church ceremony with fifteen couples usually called a court, then after the church ceremony the family and friends all gather for a reception and do all types of traditional things such as the changing of the shoes. The changing of the shoe is one of the “transition” phases that show that the girl is no longer a lady but a young adult. Originally, the girl must go into the church ceremony in flats or sneakers something resembling youth, but once in the reception, the dad must go up to the daughter, take off her baby shoes, then put on her high heels, then show her off to the world as a new woman in the father daughter dance, nowadays, girls don’t care about the classic traditions all they care about is looking hotter, who should I invite, and I want my party to be better than your party type stuff, which in my opinion, I think it sucks.
Anyhow, I come from a typical traditional, Dominican family. My parents where both taught the same beliefs about family value; how important it is to always put your family first. My mom was raised really strict about boy, makeup, shaving her legs, getting her eyebrows done all of that stuff. She wasn’t allowed to experience none of that until she was 15. My mom also enforced the same rules to me when I was growing up; but there was a slight problem about this and I found out the hard and bad way that my generation was not or is not the same as hers.
I moved here to south Florida starting my first year in middle school from New York City. Back in NYC I had a way different mindset than I did when I moved down here. NY is not the same snob central you see here in south Florida. Anyhow, making the transition into coming to a new school new people new state was pretty overwhelming I have to say. Especially when you see all these girls that care so much about appearance and shaving their legs and being popular. I wasn’t allowed to shave my legs. I was the freak of nature, which is not a good thing to be known as when you’re new to a place. It was so bad I used to get picked on and called names because of my hairy features. Until one day I completely stopped and changed my ways. I became anti skirts and everything girly, until one day that I finally convinced my mom to let me do it.

Anyhow, personally