Member-only story
Our Silent Voice
Defining a word differently.
It didn’t hit me until I went to family party and a Tia pointed at two little girls sitting on the corner
“mira que educaditas estan”
“look at how educated they are”
I didn’t respond, it felt like the wind got knocked out of me, how did I never notice this?
How had I ignored the way we define the term “Educada”- educated as quietness, meekness, blending into a corner, staying seated at a family party, so as to not take up space?
And maybe it was because I remember hearing it as a compliment towards me when I was little. A compliment I was proud of, just like those two little girls who looked up to me with a smile when described as educadas.
I’ve now turned that compliment into multiple college degrees and credentials.
I’m very educada- yet, how is my Spanish definition holding me back? How does my definition and understanding of being educated silence me? Am I mixing up the two languages? Am I spanglishing the hell out of them in my daily life?
I often find myself holding back
Biting my tongue
Holding my breath
Even going to the restroom in the middle of a meeting
