Tejas y Nopales #JamesAvery

::Momma Disclosure:: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with James Avery, all opinions expressed are my own. 

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, I am getting the opportunity to write a little about my background and heritage. Thanks to the beautiful sterling silver charms at James Avery I am able to fully express who I am and where I am from.

I'm a little bit Texan and a little nopaluda. In between Tejano music and Banda. I know English but think in Spanish (super true). I love carne asada and I can eat Whataburger and pizza every day. I love Novelas and watch This is Us. It's like the scene from Selena (Yes, I went there.) "Being a Mexican-American is exhausting." You have to live in two very different worlds and somehow merge them very gracefully. 

My parents were born and raised in Mexico. In the 80's they came to Texas, Brenham/Navasota area to be exact. I was born and then we moved to Houston, when I was in the 7th grade we moved down to South Texas, or what is known as the Rio Grande Valley. My identity since I was born has been both Texan and Mexican. Mexican-American. I was taught to speak, think and feel in Spanish before I even learned English. Being Bilingual is also a big part of my identity.

My love for both sides of the border has always existed. Over the years it's grown. I will admit being a young Mexican-American in the US, was not easy in the sense that I was always so embarrassed to bring my non-Mexican friends around. My parents (and whole entire family) were "super Mexican" whatever that means, right? Now in my 30's and with kids of my own, I find myself missing my parents home and all of our food, family, traditions, and way of life. I do everything possible to not only continuously embrace my heritage and culture but also further learn about it and teach it to my children.

Growing up I had the opportunity to visit and travel to Mexico quite often with my parents and sometimes spent months there over the Summer. As an adult, I have also traveled to certain regions of Mexico. The absolute richness of its culture, its food, the heart and passion that Mexico has to survive is something that I hope to one day share with my children. Right now Mexico is a distant place for them but they know exactly where their GrandParents were born and how great being Mexican can be. I have always strived to teach them about both our Texas/American culture and way of life as well as that of being Mexican. I think they understand it well. Of course, they see and know the Texas side a lot more but when they get older I hope to take them to Mexico where they can experience it all first hand.

In the meantime, I love being able to continuously express who I am through the beautiful and customizable accessories that James Avery creates. There are so many pieces that I know I need and am obsessed with. 

Visit their page for more: James Avery 

::Empowering Youth:: Inspired Latinos

In my time in social media, I have met and engage with various new people from around the world. Sometimes it helps me realize how small the world really is. A little background about myself; my Momma is from a small town in Mexico called Temixco. Outside of my family circle here in Houston, I never EVER think many know about her town and her traditions. So when I found Omar online and his entire project based on Chinelos, which are pretty specific to the region my Momma is from, I was intrigued. I am glad I reached out and am featuring him today! His story is an amazing one and he is wishing to inspire us all! I can't wait to see his project evolve... I am so proud as a Mexican-American to find wonderful people like Omar doing great things! 

Enjoy!
----------------

::GUEST BLOGGER::

The name of my project is "el Chinelo loco 777". This name really reflects my personality and origins. I will explain why.

The "chinelo" dance is a traditional Mexican dance created in Tlayacapan, a city of the Morelos state, in approx. 1807. It was created by a group of indigenous young people who were not allowed to participate in the carnival celebrations. Their response was to dress up with old clothes and to start shouting and whistling by walking the streets of the town. A form of rebellion.

As the dance evolved, the white mask was introduced to mock bearded Spanish and the clothes changed for specific costumes made out of velvet. The word "chinelo" is believed to come from the Nahuatl language and means "he/she who moves well his/her feet and hip" or "hip wiggle".

"el Chinelo loco 777" describes me well as I was born in Cuernavaca, area code 777, the capital city of the Morelos state. The "chinelo" is a reflection of my passion and love for Breakin' or Breakdance, as I used to be -and will always be- a B-boy. The "loco" part is just my personality, who I really am. An intricate engineer yet very simple person full of energy and crazy ideas that I am always willing to implement.

I started this project because I detected a need. As a current Finance Director for a multinational company, I have developed the ability to identify "needs". I realized the Mexican and Latin American people do not have a lot of "role models", and if they do, maybe these are not reflecting what the "pueblo" actually is and what is capable of doing.

I have experienced a lot of things in my job and getting to where I am has not been easy as I have sacrificed a lot -you probably have heard this over and over again-, but I have also lived a lot of incredible experiences! -Maybe you have not heard this that much- What are these experiences about? I have traveled the world -and still do-, I have eaten in the most fancy and expensive restaurants, I have met crazier people than me and learned from them, I have managed very important projects for the company I work for, I am able to communicate and interact vis-à-vis with Top Executive Directors/Vice presidents, I have helped people out to get a job, etc. So why not sharing all this? Precisely the objective of "el Chinelo loco 777".

As a young executive, I believe I got a social responsibility to transmit to "la banda", people of my generation and the one that follows, positive examples that will inspire people that surround me to fight for their dreams, to succeed in what they want and why not, to become a better version of themselves. 

Growing up in a middle-class family, never did I lack food or a home for that matter, but I sure know and have seen what it is not to have these two. This is where my motivation comes from. If I can do it, then you can surely do it too, right? 

I did not study in the top Mexican schools, but I did get my engineering degree in a very respected private university, Universidad La Salle Cuernavaca -where I was able to get a scholarship thanks to my grades from high school and kept it during my whole time there.

People can find me here:

Email: elchineloloco777@gmail.com

Instagram: @elchineloloco777

Facebook: @elchineloloco777

Twitter: @chineloloco777

YouTube: "el chinelo loco 777" 

**People can contact me through any of my social networks. Whatever they prefer! I normally reply very fast to everyone, but if I take some time do not take it wrong as I am always on the move. 

No special events are planned in the sort term, but in the mid-term I am planning to invite "random" people to share their story with the audience on my YouTube channel. As for now, I will keep on uploading videos, I will finish the series "Vivir en el extranjero" (living abroad) and will move forward on to another series. More content will come to my Facebook page as well. However, on Twitter I do share very practical tips for everyone so you should go and follow me! 

One time, a group of friends and I participated in a Hip Hop dance competition. It was our first time competing in this type of event and we trained very hard for three full months. We did our thing, we danced and believed that we nailed it and that we deserved to take home one of the three first places.

The time to announce the winners came and my friends and I were backstage holding hands waiting to hear the name of our group "Soydev" -which you can actually find in YouTube if you write it and add "hip hop". The third place was announced, but it was not us, then we believed we had won second place. The second place was announced and again, it wasn't us. At this point we thought we had won the first place and we got super excited about i! When the host announced the first place we did not hesitate to go to the main stage screaming, yelling and celebrating that we had won!

Our faces dropped immediately after we arrived to the main stage just to see that we did not win the first place, but because we were so confident of ourselves we thought we had won but neither my friends nor I actually heard our team's name. You can imagine how embarrassed we were afterwards. My friends and I still laugh a lot every time we talk about this.

By the way, we ended up taking home the 8th place out of 42 crews that participated. Not bad after all. 

There are two main things I want to establish through my persona. These are very simple actually.
First, I want "el Chinelo loco 777" to be a role model for the community so that people that follow me can become role models as well for the people close to them. Second, I want it to be a platform for sharing experiences and stories about how people like you and me were able to succeed in what they wanted. I believe everyone has succeed in some way, we just need to take the time to listen to them.

"Brains and talent are nothing without discipline. Discipline is the key to achieve everything." The way I see things is that everything is reachable if you really want it and work hard for it.

::A Wedding Post:: Culture and Traditions

There are people and acquaintances in your lifetime. Then there are few that you can truly call friends. Friends invite you to their weddings. True friends ask you to blog about it. Then you have to think of just the right words to say, or else, well then you would suck as a friend. Kidding. But, I did find it hard to gather the perfect words. It's now been a few months since my friends Jason and Diep were married but I am happy that they even asked me to write about their special day. 

First off, I don't like to pass up opportunities to write about events, especially one like this. The morning of the wedding I began to feel a little pressure. My friend had asked me to write about his wedding. I got nervous, the bride is Vietnamese and that morning as I drove to the location I realized it was at her home. I know, from other Vietnamese friends, that there are very specific traditions followed when they do their ceremonies in their homes.  So, I had to figure out everything I needed to know before I arrived at the wedding location. I reached out to one of my good friends, Tran.

I messaged her on Facebook and asked her what I needed to know in order to be respectful to the morning's event. As she began to tell me the details and the history behind the wedding ritual, the tears started. Such a detailed ceremony filled with meaning, and so much history. Tran explained to me that the wedding would consist of an extensive set of ceremonies. The bride's family would first have to ask for permission to receive the bride at the groom's house, the groom is asking her family and her ancestors if he can take her from her home. The bride is received at her house and is then taken to the groom's house to be received by his family. The end-point is for both families to be properly introduced and accept the coming together of two lives.

Tran explained how symbolic the rituals are and how deeply emotional one can become. Essentially like in most faith-based weddings, the family is giving their daughter away to her husband. And, as one family "loses" their daughter the other has gained her as an important new part of their family. Yes, these traditions can seem very sexist and dated, but of course while some traditions still stand others have changed with the time and blend of American cultures. I don't ever like to see the bride as someone who is just handed over to a new family, in this day in age the bride chooses who she wants to be with and it's a coming together of two willingly adults. Which is far more meaningful.

Once arrived it was evident that traditions and cultures had blended while everything would be very traditional there was also an understanding that the groom's family and friends were not Vietnamese. We were welcomed into their home and placed at ease about what was expected of us, which was to enjoy the wedding as we would any other.

When the groom arrived his groomsmen, close family and friends formed a line outside the house. The procession had a specific order. A representative of the groom's house was assigned, And, the groom's father and the groom led the way, followed by the rest of his family and his close friends.

In the procession, the groomsmen had lacquer boxes, covered with red cloths. Inside these boxes were specific gifts representing, according to tradition;

"wealth that the groom's family will bring to the bride's family. Gifts are usually fruit, cakes, a roast pig, fabric, and an abundance of jewelry for the bride. Usually, the number of gift boxes varies between 6 or 8, but never 7 or 9 since it is seen as bad luck. However, it depends on personal view and might be reduced to 2-3 boxes." [In Vietnamese beliefs, the even number and the red color will bring luck to the young couple.] - (Source: Wikipedia) 

The groom then presented the gifts to the bride's family, where traditionally he is then given permission to greet the bride. Diep who until that day lived in the U.S. with her Aunt and Uncle was then escorted downstairs in a beautiful red traditional wear gown by her Aunt. After the bride was downstairs and presented to the attendees. Each groomsmen presented the bridesmaids with flowers and introduced themselves. after which a family representative from each side introduced each of their family, extended and all.

The "permission" ceremony then began, in front of an elaborate and very colorful, ancestor altar which represented the bride. The bride and groom burn incense and asked for permission from the ancestors to bless them on their new journey together. The couple then turned and bowed to their parents (her Aunt and Uncle in this case, who represented her Mother), they gave thanks for raising them and bringing them to this point. The bride and groom became very emotional. Jason's mom passed away a few years back and Diep's mom is in Vietnam.  

They had a traditional ring exchange, a beautiful tea, and candle ceremony, along with speeches thanking their families and each other. The bride's family members each provided heartfelt advice and words of support. In all, the wedding was an amazing experience and I am so thankful to have been invited to be a part of such a wonderfully rich tradition. One that I hope Diep and Jason pass along to their children. 

My own words of advice for the couple, continue as you are. Strong, together. Loving one another and supporting each other no matter what. Life has been tough for you both but trust me, it will get better. May you both have a lifetime of bliss and love. 

Jason Garcias is a Houston podcaster and videographer, he is one of the hosts for the Elder and Jay show. He is an amazing Michael Jackson fan and well-rounded individual.

::Ela Designs:: La Catrina #DiadelosMuertos

::Momma Disclosure:: This is a compensated product review. All statements are my true and honest opinion. 

Ela Designs is a local vendor, I found Ale and her beautiful hair designs on Instagram and instantly fell in love. Once I contacted her about sponsoring a post, she immediately agreed. Then my inspiration for the following shoot came to life. It's no secret that my daughter is my favorite model, but she truly brought these images to life for me and she remained in character throughout. 

La Catrina for el Dia de los Muertos. 

You can read more about how she came to be and the significance here: 

http://culturacolectiva.com/origen-e-historia-de-la-catrina/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Calavera_Catrina

And, it wouldn't be a classic Camila photo-shoot without her silly pose outtakes. She really was in character until I asked her to relax. 

All hair pieces are from Ela Designs you can find Ale on Facebook and Instagram:

https://www.facebook.com/elabyalexsandraurdaneta/?fref=ts

https://instagram.com/eladesigns/

Camila's Dress and accessories came from Cuernavaca, Mexico; my Momma and Aunt have brought her a large collection of traditional dresses and wear. 

Life is about doing what you love and enjoying every moment... 

::Christmas Recap:: 2014

Christmas has always started with faith and traditions for me. These days those beliefs remain, we try every year to make it more and more about our children and what we want them to gain from this season. Faith, family and togetherness.  We worry less about what's in it for us or what others except and more about what our kids will learn from it all... We love sharing with them and our family.

And, as the years go by we enjoy it more and more by creating our own family memories and traditions that we hope will allow our children to gain appreciation, faith and love for our culture and traditions.  

Here is our Christmas recap in pictures: