I went to the new student orientation for my program this morning. I showed up late, but who cares.

I sat next to one of the men in the room, a Chicano. I'd assumed he was the one another student, Victor, had told me about. He made it seem as if I'd choose UCLA over the other schools just because another Chicano was entering the PhD track.

So, I had a short conversation with him during lunch time. He was kind of weird, and didn't seem to get my dry and satirical sense of humor. Still, I hadn't judged about whether or not I thought he was cool. I knew he was from a little town near Fresno which set off my Central Valley warning alarm. I have odd relationships with folks from the rural Central Valley. I tried not to hold his hometown against him and figured that it was too soon to form an opinion.

A bit after lunch the professors joined us and we re-introduced ourselves. Everyone went around saying where they were from, where they had completed their undergrad work, and their research interests.

This guy starts with his name. He pronounces his last name "bell-TRAN" and foregoes the correct Spanish pronunciation. This offends my Chicana sensibilities. This is on my pet peeves list along with leaving lights on in rooms you're not in and putting in the toilet paper roll wrong.

He continues and discusses his previous graduate work. He earned a masters in counseling and studied Hispanic students. Strike two.

This one hurt me, it really did. I just assumed that he'd know that the term isn't used anymore (oustide of business and government). In academia, Chicana/o and Latina/o are used much more often.

I wrote him off that quickly. He's from the Central Valley, mispronounced his own last name, and used the word Hispanic as an umbrella term for all us brown folk.

I think I'll be needing to find friends outside of my cohort. It shouldn't be hard.

Me siento: bien
Escuchando: nada

M�s reciente:
Searches - 09.16.05
the big move - 07.29.05
mother and daughter: a comparative analysis - 07.28.05
jardineros y dom�sticas - 07.27.05
tough question - 07.25.05

antes // despu�s