My Family Culture

The three items I would choose would be things that always bring the family together.  I would bring my fathers’ ipod, the tortilla maker and a San Marcos blanket.  These items mean a lot to me in different ways. 

The ipod holds all of the music that I grew up with and music is such a big part of my family.  It connects me to the country where my parents are from and because it is in Spanish it connects me though language as well.  I grew up with music everywhere and heard it all the time, while my mother was cooking, as we ate, while cleaning even while showering everyone has the radio on.  I remember my mothers’ records, my fathers’ eight-track in the old pickup truck and all the cassette tapes.  It’s so great to have all of those songs and memories in a more compact and portable device.

The tortilla maker, “tortillera”, was my grandmas’, “abuelitas”, and now my mother uses it.  Tortillas can also be made by hand but for rounder and faster production the tortilla maker is better because it presses the “masa” more efficiently.  We also use it to make tamales.  I learned how to help make tamales when I was really young.   I even had my own smaller tortillera that I would make small tamales with.  I remember my uncle, always asking me to make him some.  When we make tamales everyone has their job and we work in an assembly line around the dinner table talking and sharing the work.  I have all of these great memories that come to mind when I think about the tortillera.

The brand of these blankets is “San Marcos” and every member of the family has their own.  They come in different sizes and I have had three.  The small one I had when I was little is white and pink with a teddy bear on it.  I remember asking my dad to wrap me up like a burrito in it, and he would.  The twin sized one is maroon and beige with a deer on it.  That is the one I had growing up and eventually took to college with me.  I have a queen sized one now that is black and blue with a tiger on it.  My sisters’ is pink and white with roses on it.  My mothers’ is green and black with a Koi fish on it.  My father’s is teal and black with an elk on it.  When we visit family out of town or go camping these are the blankets we take with us.  Not only are they soft and warm they are also made in Mexico where we bought them and then brought them over.  They hold many memories of warmth and family.

If I were told I had to give up two items and only keep one I would feel devastated.  Each item holds so many different memories and I would hate to lose that tangible connection to them. 

This exercise helped me realize how important family culture is and how fortunate I am to have wonderful memories that are connected to these items.  I realize how hard it would be to narrow it down to three or one item to keep with me.  I think about the items other people would choose might be different but how the reasons for choosing them is probably the same.  It really is autonomous what the item is because we give it significance and meaning by making it a part of our family culture.