My cultural identity is made up of many factors. I was born and raised in the San Antonio area. Both parents are from Mexico, my mother moved here when she was nineteen and my father moved here when he was five. When they first moved to the San Antonio area they were lower class and lived in the poorest part of San Antonio. When I was about three years old we moved to the south side of San Antonio. My mother is Catholic and has always tried to take us to church, but over the years we have become busy on Sundays and can't make it anymore, except for Christmas and Easter. My Hispanic culture is involved in my life from all the traditions my mother tries to keep in the house during the holidays. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay They both taught me to embrace my Mexican culture but also to respect other cultures. We were taught to speak Spanish, but over the years going to school has affected our speaking Spanish to the point where we have forgotten much of the language. When I was in elementary school I wasn't put in a bilingual class, so I was taught that I didn't have to speak Spanish in school because no one else in my class did, so I started to forget how to speak it. When I entered middle school, I made friends who spoke Spanish and learned that it was okay to speak it but I had already forgotten much of the language. I'm still trying to connect with my Mexican heritage. There are many things I still don't know, like my ancestors. I want to know where my family actually comes from. In most families, men are more free than women. I'm not very used to hanging out with my friends without a male cousin with me. They get more privileges because they are “men” and they are “strong”. Males can do whatever they want without telling anyone, but females have to ask permission for every single thing. My parents believe that “bad things” could happen to us if we go out alone. I respect my parents' wishes, but sometimes it becomes difficult knowing that you can't do all the things the men in your family do. Sometimes, when my family and I went to explore the small towns around us, we found ourselves in a predominantly white town. We would get strange looks and sometimes glares from random people we met. Only because we spoke Spanish and are slightly darker than them. It seemed strange because we were mostly from Hispanic and other cultures. We didn't stay long because we felt uncomfortable due to the strange looks we were getting. My cultural identity represents who I am as a person and who my family is. My family is the model for my cultural identity. Even through some of the male and female stereotypes, I would like to share some things that represent our cultural identity. I'd like to keep all the Hispanic aspects of my parents' cultural identity, but lose the whole "boys are better than girls" thing. I am a strong Mexican American woman from Southern San Antonio and I am proud that this is my cultural identity. A person's identity is shaped by many elements such as nationality, physical appearance, race, ethnic group, religion and language. All of these elements can influence a person's identity, but only a few of them influence him or her in a significant way. Being born into the Hispanic culture has really taught me to value my identity as an individual. It really shaped me into the person I am today and I have confidence in who I am. Being Hispanic has its advantages, e.g,