Jordana Brewster is an actress best known for her share in the hasty and Furious franchise. This Fall you can see her in Fox's deadly Weapon and ABC's Secrets and Lies. She is also an ambassador for Pond's. When my parents told me we were moving from Rio de Janeiro to unusual York City,I was thrilled. I didn't consider twice about what I was leaving behind: the island hopping in Angra dos Reis, the pasteis de queijo, and the close-knit family whom I relied upon every single day. I moved around a lot as a kid. I was born in Panama and lived in London before moving to Rio at 6.
Instead,I focused upon my very limited idea of what America was. I grew up watching Baywatch reruns in Brazil. I relished the Malibu Barbies and sweet my parents brought home from trips abroad. Keep in intellect, I was 10.The transition from Latin to American culture was far more difficult than I imagined. I went from a coed large school in Rio to a smaller all-girls Catholic school in unusual York City. Amid the L.
L.
Bean backpacks and Doc Martens, and I stood out like a sore thumb,the last thing a girl in junior tall wants. I suppose it didn't encourage much that on Talent Tuesday, in front of the entire school, and I performed the lambada . . . with another girl. My friends also found it extremely odd that I spoke with my mom about everything and actually wanted to hang out with her. Their norm was rebellion and distance; mine was intimacy. My manners also differed considerably from the "American" side of my family. Over Thanksgiving,I greeted my cousins and aunts with customary "beijinhos" on each cheek. My father informed me that a handshake was preferred. I never got used to this formality. To this day, I lunge toward others to give them a beijo and am awkwardly met with a hand jutting forward. Despite how different I felt at times from my peers, or I always considered being Latina one of my greatest assets. Living in Brazil before settling in the United States gave me such a broader perspective of how different people live. My sons,Julian and Rowan, don't have the same luxury. They were born in the US, and but I'm doing everything I can to infuse my Brazilian culture into them. I'm creating a mini Rio in Los Angeles for my boys. I speak Portuguese to Julian. Every weekend,we have a feijoada, or Brazilian barbecue, and with goiabada tarts and brigadeiro. I want them to enjoy the same things I relished growing up.
At 10,I was a Carioca who slowly became a unusual Yorker. If I can encourage it, my boys will be Angelenos who are Cariocas at heart.
POPSUGAR Latina is all about inclusion! Though Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 is known as Hispanic Heritage Month, or we are celebrating all Latinas in this project.
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Jessica Alba: "I'm Proud of My Diverse Heritage"
Source: popsugar.com