DISCUSSION BOARD: Both Not Half: How language shapes identity | Jassa Ahluwalia | TEDxChandigarh
Jassa Ahluwalia’s fantastic TED talk, “Both Not Half” counsels us against the binary model of thinking that seems always to divide us. We ask people to identify with only part of who they really are because of our love for simple categories. But…why do we need to do that at all? Why is it important that people choose Spanish or English, black or white, American or Ethiopian? Why the need for pan-ethnic terms like Hispanic or Asian American?
As Ahluwalia points out: “Power structures love labels. Labels facilitate division and ultimately control. They allow people to whip up tales of us and them. Oversimplified propaganda….divide and rule”.
Remember that national identity is a construct that only emerged in the 1800s.…remember, all those lines on the map that separate us were decided not by us, and where we started is an accident of birth…more labels to divide.
Ahluwalia claims both not half, a mixed heritage. In claiming (or reclaiming) that heritage, he finds there is work to do. If we are to really be ourselves, we need to actively engage in all parts of ourselves–regain what we have lost (or not), refuse the label — outgrow it by becoming too complex for it (or really just by asserting that we’re already too complex for it).
A great poet, Walt Whitman, once wrote in “Song of Myself”:
Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes.)
Think about what it would mean to actively claim your own identity. Culture and language, like anything worth having, requires effort and work.
What would you have to do to display the multitudes you contain?
Remember to mention Ahluwalia’s discussion of the “alethiometer” in your post.
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Personally I find that for my culture and heritage I’ve never felt the need to go out of my way to display the multitudes I contain. Growing up in a Spanish speaking household, and being around family members taught me the ways of being close to my culture. It could be little things like learning all my family recipes, or learning certain Spanish terms that I could use to tease my siblings. The point is, growing up, I was always in tune with my culture and never felt out of place, never feeling the disconnect from my culture to the culture I was growing up in within society. Therefore I never felt the need to go out of my way and showcase what makes me a part of the “Hispanic” or “Latine” community. After watching the Ted talk I definitely agreed with the many things Jassa Ahluwalia said. One of these things being how he thinks of himself as “Mixed-heritage and of one human race”. I particularly find this ideology to be fascinating, only because it is quite true. To think of how we define ourselves, we really are just defining our heritage, because at the end of the day we all belong to the human race, and that is something society should learn to settle with.
I think it’s fascinating that both are stories almost polar opposites because you were able to grow up close to your hispanic heritage whereas I was always was trying to fight for it. I agree with that quote too because it changes the perspective of everyone discriminating against each other and understanding our differences but also coming together at the end of the day.
I agree with you 100% on the fact that I’ve still never felt like I had to showcase my culture because I’ve always had that latine pride which was very prominent when people would bring up their own heritage when speaking to me. I find that society will not except the ideology of the human race being a thing and us just identifying our heritage because and we categorize people in order to find similarities or things to pick a part to judge them in someway. Like Jassa Ahluwalia said national identities is an idea of the 1800s and I agree.
I agree completely with you. When we utilize or practice our culture on a regular basis, we feel more connected to it. Particularly in our daily lives with our families. It has its own peace to do with its own traditional manner on occasion.
Yea, I agree people are just representing their culture. That last line was really powerful and brought up a great point. At the end of the day, all people are equal and should be treated as such. It’s something that only until very recently in human history did we as people really consider.
I agree with this statement Mario. I think that a lot of people fail to realize that we are not defined by our race and our culture. That instead it is our heritage that defines who we are overall. We belong to the human race, no matter where you come from, you shouldn’t be seen as though you are different because you have a different family and grow up in a different household, at the end of the day, we are defined for many other things other than race.
I also liked how he introduced the term “mixed-heritage” rather than “mixed-race,” as to emphasize his point of being apart of both cultures, not half. When I first watched the video, I misinterpreted what he was saying a bit. Towards the end I thought he was trying to push the “I don’t see color” narrative, but after I rewatched it I found that he was not saying that, but rather saying that we should focus on the person, and that someone’s worth is not determined by any labels, but by the fact that they are a human being, and that should be prioritized above anything.
I relate a lot to Ahluwalia because I understand how it feels to be denied of your heritage. As he always felt like he wasn’t enough, I too once felt that way. Being Dominican and only being able to understand spanish made other people treat me and look at me differently. For all my life I’ve been called gringo by many different people and different families, not because of the way I looked but because I would speak standard american english when I first met people and I was too embarrassed to speak in spanish since I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get my point across. I felt driven away by my own heritage because people of my own background couldn’t even accept me for me. As if I didn’t grow up in a proper spanish household and that would make me feel like they were judging the home I was raised in, and it angered me. It angered me because it almost felt like they were trying to say something about my mom, but then a part of me was like agreeing with what I thought they were trying to say about the home I was raised in because I wanted to be able to fit into this community. But looking back on it now, I’m healthy and I’m alive and so what I couldn’t speak spanish, I could still understand it and if someone was to slander me in spanish, I will respond to them with the same energy in english. But it is my priority to be able to speak spanish fluently, not so that I can speak to other people in spanish, but just so that I can feel whole with that part of me and feel whole with those past experiences.
Elliot, I find your experiences to be quite fascinating as it’s common amongst the community. It’s like if you don’t speak proper Spanish, the blame is put on your parents for “not teaching” you properly. It’s a sad reality in this community, but it’s an issue I can see dying out, especially since this society is ever evolving.
Like Mario had said it’s quite common for the communities we come from to abandon us in a way when we don’t fit the ideal of what they like. I like the fact that you brought up you felt some type away when people saying something about you and about your mother without even realizing the contacts because it’s older generations in the latine community fail to realize that they didn’t teach their children Spanish in order to assimilate to the white culture here in the United States and it kind of just trickle down throughout the family/ generations. And obviously we can learn Spanish in school but if it is not used all the time we kinda abandon it because it’s not something we use every day. I also felt that energy like if you’re gonna talk shit about me I’m gonna talk shit about you too, just because I can’t speak Spanish fluently or choose not to speak Spanish doesn’t mean I don’t understand you because I do you know lol.
“When I first met people and I was too embarrassed to speak in spanish since I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get my point across,” I completely understand your predicament. Since I have seen my cousins go through the same difficulties. They seldom ever communicate in Bangla. When my parents visited them, they tried their hardest to converse with them in Bangla, but it was difficult for them. They utilize Banglish because they don’t always know how to express themselves in Bangla.
I’m kind of in the same boat. The older members of the family almost cut you off from actually being Latino by calling me gringo and stuff when you’re full Dominican. However, we’re at the age where we are becoming adults, so we don’t really care what they think. We are literally the future. Our experiences as bilingual speakers are the more common and accepted one present-day.
I think Elliot had a great response towards the discussion, Elliot’s situation happens pretty often and sometimes most people that make others feel like this (not to stand up for them or make any excuses) do it without realizing because they are so accustomed to. I also commend Elliot for still staying true to his identity and native language despite what he was faced with.
Language is one of a person’s many identities. In this country, where many individuals come from other countries, people only recognize themselves based on the language they speak or interact in. The most important component of one’s ethnicity is this. I was raised in a Bengali family where everyone was encouraged to communicate in their tongue. People in my nation believe we are ignorant in Bangla. Also, often, my social media friends ask me whether I know any sort of Bangla, and when I tell them I’m proficient in the language, they respond in a spontaneous manner, which surprises me. Because it makes me question whether they will just cease speaking in their native tongue if they move to another country. In any case, I’ve had a similar experience as Jassa Ahluwalia in that others evaluate us based on our appearance and where we live. A person’s culture is extremely essential. We may lose our native tongue after our generation if we do not practice regularly. Because of the linguistic barrier, we had a war with Pakistan in Bangladesh. People sacrificed their lives for the freedom to speak Bangla. However, if we do not pass it on to the next generation, our forefathers will be ashamed of us. Their lives will be devoid of purpose after they are no longer alive. We must have it with us at all times and inform others about it. We should be proud of our cultural diversity, and we should utilize it wherever possible. It’s not uncommon for folks to mix Hindi and Bangla. Bangladesh is a tiny country with a population of 16 million people. Yes, I agree that many people are unaware that a nation named “Bangladesh” exists on the planet, and they are similarly unaware of Bangla. However, I’d like to point out that Bangladesh and India are two distinct countries with different languages. We have unique cultures as well, and the way we communicate is lovely. Yes, indeed! Be proud of who you are and where your heart resides. It is serene.
I agree “Be proud of who you are and where your heart resides”. I believe that one is truly happy when one is true to themselves. Language is a marker of identity and most of us, as well as I, fail to mention body language and how most of us use our faces and our hands to express ourselves. A lot of people are told not to and I believe that itself is an erasure of identity.
I agree with Jannatul, and I think it is very important to stay true to your identity no matter what anyone thinks because as we learned before every language is unique and has history behind them which is very important to the culture and its people. It takes a lot of courage to remain true to your identity despite what others may think and make you feel.
This video just has so many thoughts flowing in my mind and I’m trying to find the words so I don’t offend anyone because I don’t identify as a mixed race person but I have recently throughout the years (high school) questioned my race because of society in the way it’s going right now. I know the history of my family and my people (Puerto Ricans) but when you look at my family you can tell by skin complexion who society would label as black and who is not. I’ve been questioning it and I don’t think I’ll ever find an answer because race is a social construct of 1800s like Jassa Ahluwalia said “national identities is an idea of the 1800s”.
But for people that are identifying as a mixed race I think this is a wonderful video to tell them that you are both and you don’t really owe the world an explanation to who you are but like that’s kind of hard to say because as humans were so constructed to simplify people in order to categorize them so it’s easier for us to pinpoint the flaws.
I don’t want to go on a long tangent but I do find what he saying true as when were younger we don’t really care about the way the world perceives us ,we’re just true and innocent and as we get older it’s harder to find that home again.
After rereading my board I think I’m kind of missing the point lol, language does play a huge part in how we identify ourselves which kind a get overthrown by race clearly, because this Ted talk was actually shocking to see a white passing man speak Punjabi but as he started to explain himself and speak which I would consider his native tongue, I started to understand that this man is both like he stated he is both not half. Although he is white passing because of his mother, he resonates more with his heritage and culture of his father who is Indian. Which I think is a shame that society has kind of hinder us from being opened with our true self. Well I reinforced Jassa Ahluwalia stated as children we don’t really care how the world perceives us and were true to what we grew up with and then as we get older we become more socially aware of what the world wants to categorize us in based off of our skin complexion.
Yea I’m not gonna lie when I first heard him do the Punjabi accent I was kinda taken aback- and so was the audience. No one really laughed it was dead silence. Only after he explained his story did people feel comfortable and start to laugh at his jokes. Not being able to express his legitimate heritage without being looked at weirdly or remarked on kinda sucks.
Asanti, I completely agree with the points you have made in your responses. I especially agree with the point you made about how it’s sad that society almost hinders us to feel inline with our true identities due to how we look. It’s a sad reality, but I also believe that with more people like Jassa Ahluwalia, there can be more awareness brought to this issue.
I get your point of view on mixed races. I also do not identify with the term “mixed race.” My parents are Asian immigrants. However, once we got here, many mistook us for non-Bangladeshis. True, we don’t visit Bangladesh very frequently, but we are still Bangladeshis. Also, I agree that race is a social construct and that we are all human beings with our own identities.
I agree with this statement, this video does a great job speaking on identifying your race and shedding light on what to identify as, and people tend to question what to identify and I feel like you question this as you grow older and learn more about your culture and identity.
I agree with what you said Asanti. People who are mixed race should be able to embrace both sides of them without having to be questioned.
Personally, I find it hard to communicate with my older Spanish-speaking relatives- it’s just very frustrating when you’re standing there, unable to translate your thought into words. And because of that, you kind of get isolated from that older part of the family. Most of the critiques you get are from the older generation who don’t speak English and look at you like an alien. But, I also feel like that disconnect between two generations is just a natural part of assimilation. Most of my family moved together, so my mother’s generation is somewhat bilingual, and my generation (2nd generation) is also bilingual. I think now more than ever, people are open and more understanding to the idea of mixed races and aren’t so against it. Most of the critiques you get are from the older generation who don’t speak English and look at you like an alien. The appearance of your skin also plays a massive role throughout the world. Ahluwalia’s skin color was the biggest reason for his awkward experiences was race. I found a lot of overlap between this TedTalk and my Anthropology class, specifically, the idea of race. Anthropologists agree that race is not biological but, instead, a social construct created by colonial powers in order to maintain power over people they label as inferior. This creates a false image that people’s culture is linked to their skin color (i.e. a white-passing person cannot know Punjabi).
Emmanuelle, I really find your response to be rather fascinating. I completely agree with the idea that race is a social construct built by those with colonial powers to place a label on those they considered inferior. It’s insane to think that the way we have been taught in our society almost alludes to this idea in some ways.
Emmanuelle, I agree with this statement we are labeled as a race and yet we can feel so out of place when being a part of that construct, and similar to you, Emmanuelle, I have relatives who when I speak to them I have a hard time communicating with them so I feel like I am not surrounded by my own people in a sort of way, so I feel like that is a big issue as well.
omgggggg I can definitely agree with finding it difficult to communicate with elders. Sometimes my brain goes blank and what makes it worse is the fact that they point it out like ” now you don’t know how to speak Spanish”. Sometimes out of frustration I just say it and tell them “you know what I mean” and keep the conversation pushing.
I totally understand where you are coming from with the inability to communicate with the older generation. The older generation grew up learning things a certain way and had to stick with those ideas and beliefs because it’s what helped them survived. So trying to communicate with them is like having this brick wall in front of you because these two different generations grew up with two different experiences which end up changing your perspective on life.
In this video, I have a lot of mixed emotions with this argument made by Jassa Ahluwalia’s, I understand the argument that is made that labels are a big part in terms of defining someone’s race or someone’s culture. I agree with this statement, this video does a great job speaking on identifying your race and shedding light on what to identify as, and people tend to question what to identify and I feel like you question this as you grow older and learn more about your culture and identity. As Ahluwalia pointed out. “Power structures love labels. Labels facilitate division and ultimately control. They allow people to whip up tales of us and them. Oversimplified propaganda….divide and rule”. So his argument is valid because nowadays people can be defined as many different races and nowadays people can define as many different things so labels nowadays are not really necessary. It has led to many people contradicting themselves in terms of defining their true identity, and I feel that it is very important because I feel like many people are can define as different races even though it may seem as if they are not a part of that race. I honestly think things can go either way because we live in a day and age where people can be mixed with many different races that it isn’t really fair to put one specific label in terms of what race you are or what culture you can be defined as.
I agree that in modern times people worry so much about the mixing of races and cultures but don’t concern themselves with the person who is all these different things. I believe that using the term half cuts down on the true essence of individually being a whole person with unique attributes.
I definitely agree with your statement. His video and your argument here also points out to us that we shouldn’t judge someone based off of their looks because we never know who they are unless we interact with them. Giving people that space to connect to all parts of their identity would definitely help more people to open up and be accepted by others
I agree with you, society is so mixed these days that it’s really hard to put a label on somebody but we do it anyways to try and categorize them and it’s really sad. Your statement was definitely well put together and it pinpoints what he was saying in his video.
Growing up, my paternal grandmother would always compare me to my cousins and say “you need to be more like them, nobody can say they were born here”. She frequently said that because my Spanish isn’t “perfect”. I am too Dominican to be American (and gladly) but I am also too American to be Dominican. After not going to DR for years, my mom, brother, and I went, there all I could speak was Spanish (unless I was sneaking a conversation with my brother but even then). On that trip, I had to fully submerge myself into being Dominican which wasn’t too hard because my brother and I were already super close with the culture. Speaking Spanish, 24/7, was hard and that is my alethiometer. I started to type more in Spanish, that way I could familiarize myself with the language. I also give myself a word of the day, which was probably a hard word to spell that way I could practice my use of accent marks and pronunciation of words. Jassa mentions how before the 1800s identification was regional and DR is proof that still exists. For example to a fellow Dominican who understands I say that I am Vegana rather than just leaving it Dominicana.
I like when you said this ” I am too Dominican to be American (and gladly) but I am also too American to be Dominican.” I like it because I have the same issue, I am too Dominican to be American and too American to be Dominican and so most of the time I don’t get accepted too much in any of the two communities.
I like the part where you included that you gave yourself a word of the day to give yourself some extra practice with Spanish. I think that shows determination and parallels how the speaker in the video would practice Punjabi to give himself some extra practice and to deepen his understanding.
Jassa Ahluwalia is very funny and I enjoyed this video a lot. Aside from the jokes, his story was very captivating and relatable. I’m not mixed race, however, I am the first American-born in my family. So growing up, I always felt guilty about calling myself Jamaican because I wasn’t actually born there, but I do spend most of my time there. For Ahluwalia it was harder because people would judge him based simply off his looks and not who he actually is. He talks about how his Punjabi was like an alethiometer which was a perfect analogy. He used his Punjabi to regain and find hisself. He learned more about his culture and his background instead of just ignoring it and sticking to what he knows. He embraces it like he is full Punjabi instead of just half. He put in work and studied it like it was a class and, my favorite part, have lessons with his Punjabi grandfather. To display the multitudes I contain, I express it through mannerisms, the phrases I use, the dishes I cook etc etc. Any chance I get to show everyone my culture, I take because I’m proud of it. I used to be confused when I was younger though because I grew up in New York and Jamaica, but I learned to embrace both instead of just one at a time. I guess you can say my alethiometer is Patois and cooking. They act as an anchor for my Jamaican culture since I am mostly in New York.
I like when you said, “ I’m not mixed race.” I’m not a mixed-race either, I’m 100% Dominican, born and raised overthere. But when I moved here to New York, after a few years it feels like I’m already mixed because I’m Dominican but now I’m also from New York. Also, I’m one of the first bilingual people in my family, so I feel mixed even though I’m not ?
I felt this because being born in the U.S sets up a divide from the culture that your parents or grandparents grew up in. I find it important that you brought the idea of an anchor because that’s the reality of the situation. It’s almost impossible to live those experiences that your parents or grandparents lived with, so you’re only able to take in what they can offer from what they’ve learned, those anchors.
For me, language is what makes me who I am, language –My Language Spanish is my identity. My language and my culture are like my ID, if you talk to me you’ll notice that always some word in Spanish will come out, and that’s because that’s who I am. As Jassa said, “my elethiometer, my golden compass was Punjabi, my heritage.” I strongly empathize with Jassa because I believe that my elethiometer is the Dominican I have inside me. When I speak Spanish, Dominican Spanish, I feel so comfortable and sure of myself. Unlike when I speak English, when I speak English I don’t feel like Odilenia is talking, I don’t feel like myself –I feel unsafe talking English when I have to talk English my voice gets shaky and I sometimes I even forgot how to speak English. That’s why Spanish is my elethoimeter, my Dominican heritage is my elethiometer. And I’m not saying I don’t like English, I like it is cool and because of English I made friends and got to know a lot of people from a lot of different places, and is cool, it is. Just that English isn’t me. I adopted English and I’m getting used to it, yes, but it will never be me. Through my language, that’s how I actively claim my own identity.
I know you guys may not understand my post so much, but all I’m trying to say is that Spanish is my Elethiometer because I feel safe with it. Also because the fact I don’t speak English too well when I learn a new word in English, I have to translate to Spanish and start doing research on this new word so I can be familiarized and be able to use it in my day to day life. That’s why I think that’s my elethiometer.
Odilenia, I like when you said ” My language and culture are like my ID” I can definitely relate to that. I would say that our Alethiometer would be where we find ourselves the safest and at home. We may know multiple languages but there is always that one language you feel a stronger connection with.
In Ahluwalia’s case, he had to work extra hard to prove his “Punjabi-ness” (for lack of a better term) because he is a white-passing individual. In my case, I look very black, and will never be perceived as anything but black, so I can’t relate to his struggle in that regard. I’ve never felt the need to actively claim my own racial or ethnic identity because I’ve never been denied of it, in terms of appearance. With that said, I have no idea what my alethiometer is or would be. Being African-American, I have no “other” culture besides Black American culture that I feel is “mine.” Then again, black culture is constantly appropriated by other races, so sometimes it feels like I have none. That my identity means nothing and is nothing until it’s used by someone else. I guess I’ve gotten so used to feeling like I had no actual culture beyond the label that I felt like I actually did have no culture. So maybe that’s my alethiometer. I’ve never actually given this that much thought before so forgive me if this is somewhat all over the place but it’s interesting to ponder. So, in that sense, I guess to actively claim my own identity and display the multitudes I contain (though I feel like I only contain one “thing”) would be to “take back” what’s mine? And to find out what Black American culture really is beyond what was stolen and appropriated, putting in the extra effort to educate myself, just like Ahluwalia did. So maybe we are more alike than I initially thought.
(I hope this made sense)
Your perspective on having your culture appropriated to the point where you feel you don’t have anything left is a good demonstration to the consequences of division that comes with placing people in categories and imposing labels. I was also fascinated by your realization that searching beyond what is known about your culture is a way of reclaiming your identity.
Culture and language play a big role in someone’s identity. I think it is very important when someone can claim their identity because it shows that they are proud and confident in who they are. Many of us can relate to Ahluwalia and I have seen a couple of instances where people are judged how Ahluwalia explained to be viewed when people find out about his Punjabi native language. He mentions sometimes he feels like he is stuck in two different worlds. Throughout the ted talk we learn about how code-switching was implemented in his childhood he spoke English in school and Punjabi at home. Similar to many native speakers code- switching is very common between their native language at home and which language is more dominate in that place at school or at work. In addition, Ahluwalia makes a connection to Lyra and believes his alethiometer/ golden compass was Punjabi his mother Toung.
I agree with this especially with your comparison to what we see. I know a lot of people who speak or grew up with one language at home and code switch when they make it out in public so that they can keep up with society without having to expose that part of their identity to strangers.
You bring up an interesting point about code-switching. I think that code-switching in itself is an important part of one’s identity, especially for those who speak more than one language. Being able to assess a situation and choosing what language to express yourself in is very representative to how complex and unique humans are.
I don’t think I would have to do anything outside of the ordinary or do anything special to display the multiple identities that I have. Given that I am also Caribbean (Trinidadian) alongside being American, it’s actually quite easy to express this while living in an area like Brooklyn. I say this because there’s so many outlets for me to express my Caribbean identity, whether it be because of home, or food restaurants that specialize in Trinidadian food, or events and stores for Trinidadians. Not only were these options available to me, but I also had a lot of classmates and friends who were either Trinidadian themselves or from other Caribbean countries that I could relate to in that aspect. We could even talk about social media and how easy it is to not only meet but to interact with people who could relate to my Caribbean identity. As for my American/Brooklyn identity, its easy to express that since I interact with people who share that same identity too. I think to be able to claim your own identity, it would be best if you could surround yourself with people who share similar aspects of your identity, whatever aspect it may be. Having that one connecting factor could be the bridge that someone needs to open up their hearts to others.
I like your comment about using connecting factors as an advantage when you meet someone new. I think that this is especially relevant in New York City where we run into people of different backgrounds all the time. Being able to use and display New York culture can make an entire group of people more open towards you.
When I think about what it means for me to actively claim my own identity, I think of relearning my native language. Personally, I find that it plays a huge part in the feeling of being able to connect with my heritage. In being able to communicate with the people in my community, it strengthens my connection to not only the people, but my understanding of the traditions, practices, and every other aspect of my culture. Similar to Ahluwalia’s own journey where he explains how Punjabi makes him feel connected to his culture in spite of the growing distance both physically and through time, I view this as my “alethiometer.” Putting in the work to not only learn about the language but where it comes from gives me more insight to that untapped portion of my identity, especially in the moments where I feel almost rejected from that aspect of my culture. But as I have the opportunity to become engrossed in learning about my roots by simply utilizing its language, it becomes a tangible skill that I am able to use in order to express the depth and complexity that I contain within my own identity. Because learning a language requires dedication and applied effort, I choose to learn it in the nontraditional way. I believe that mixing languages can be very beneficial for me when it comes to my reclamation of identity. Since I grew up with Taglish at home (a mix of Tagalog and English), it is the language that showcases both strong parts of my identity, growing up in America while still carrying on Filipino traditions.
In Jassa Ahluwalia’s fantastic TED talk, “Both Not Half: How language shapes identity”, it has been suggested that instead of being made up of two ‘halves’ of two cultures, this can minimize the way in which a person sees themselves. In my opinion, this idea causes me to feel like we are only half a culture, and therefore we are not able to learn and experience as much. In my experience, this idea of not being enough is a really common one, and it really works to break down the barrier that prevents me from exploring my cultural identity more. As a result of watching this video, I am now willing to consider culture more in terms of forming you as a whole rather than only being part of this or that.
Growing up in a Mexican household I’ve always been connected with my culture. I never felt that I wasn’t Mexican because my family always embraced our Mexican culture and traditions. While watching Jassa Ahuwalia video I was able to relate to certain things he said. For example, during one part of the video he tells us his experience of forgetting the English language as a kid. I can relate to this because during the summer I went to Spain to study the Spanish language and although I didn’t struggle with the language. I did have a growing fear that I would forget my parents native language. I would be staying for a month and I knew it wasn’t a long stay but because I had gotten so used to hearing my parents speaking their language at home it felt strange not having that while I was in Spain and only hearing people speak Spanish. My aletheometer would be Mixtec because that is the language I’m most connected to. It’s the language my family uses and the language that tell my family story. Although I can understand the language very well I can always improve and learn new things that I wouldn’t have known before.