Things Latina Mothers Say - "Como has Engordado" A Battle with Weight & Body Image

One thing about Latina mothers (and Latinas in general) is that they will not hold back. Latina mothers will tell you exactly what is on their mind, without hesitation. Even though my mother has lived in the United States for 30 years I am not immune because she is still a Latina, and a mother. In fact I think she works twice as hard to make sure we know what she’s thinking. Telling us in Spanish and in English ;-).

No subject is off limits either. Si tu papa la hizo hacer un coraje, you will hear about it. If you are wondering if you are wearing too much make up, she will tell you before you even ask yourself much less her. If she likes or doesn’t like your boyfriend, you and your boyfriend will both know. If you don’t have a boyfriend you will hear from your tías (because we know it’s not limited to just your mom) their hypothesis on why you don’t have a boyfriend. Then of course there is my favorite. Pointing out when you have gained or lost weight.

I don’t think this is a bad or mean thing. In fact I appreciate and find their honesty refreshing. They do it because they you and would rather tell you that you look like a payaso or piruja than have someone confuse you for one once you walk out the door.

During my last visit, my family pointed out that I had gained weight. The exact words were, “Alma, te has dejado engordar.”

After their initial shock from the extra 30 pounds my grandmother and mother explained that I didn’t look bad, but that it wasn’t like me to let myself gain so much weight.
“Te ves bien, pero tu siempre te cuidabas y no es como tu dejar que subas tanto.”

Yes, I had gained weight, but it wasn’t until I went home that someone said it out loud or acknowledged it. If I tried to say something to my friends in DC they would just say “oh, no you look fine.” There is nothing “fine” about 30 pounds.

As soon as I returned to DC I sought the help of my friend, Sidney Scruggs-Rodgers (Bodies by Sidney), voted DC’s Best Personal trainer in DC. Together I’ve started working out again, at his morning boot camp classes at Hard Training Club on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. I’ve also started running again.

I purposefully don’t own a scale, and don’t know how much weight I have lost. I can however see the difference in my measurements. Just this morning I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and couldn’t help but notice how great my butt looked. I snapped a few pictures of my nalgas and emailed them to my mom =).

Life is sad. La tristeza en mi vida

He said life was sad. I disagreed.

"Ok...my life is sad," he said.

Sin embargo, I would have given anything to be in his life.

-- Post From My iPhone

Scary start

I won't lie, I was actually sad this morning about my date. I even cried last night. This is the start of a new beggining & the end/loss of my best guy friend.

That being said things changed this evening. As I sit in my cab I can't get there fast enough. See at 5pm today in my daily 4pm meeting I discovered I would be working late. When I called him he didn't think twice to change our reservation. Then big boss asked to us to come for a round of drinks. I said yes ( need to learn to say no to people). Ran home, changed & he is still waiting even though I'm in a cab & 6 min past the hour. Maybe my instinct was right & he is a good seed afterall. :-).

Well I will not allow faer to get in the way...again. I'm smiling & allowing myself to give not just him, but myself a chance.

Que emocion! Now I'm excited :-).



-- Post From My iPhone

The Successful Latinos in the US

CNN's broadcast of Latino in America was disappointing to say the least. Somehow CNN and Soledad O'Brian couldn't find a successful Latino to highlight!

Latinos in America are very diverse, and I understand it is not easy to show the world who we are. I just ask that you don't portray us as the stereotype caricatures that sadly so many believe when they think of Latinos, and that you highlight the success too. There are so many successful Latinos in the US that can inspire younger generations within and outside the Latino community, but maybe a producer didn't believe they existed or think it was important to feature.

Fortunately, Julio Varela and several members of LATISM created a forum where real success stories about the Latino experience in the US could be recorded. Read their stories and share your own! Hopefully our stories will encourage others or give CNN and other networks a resource to find Latinos who are successful in the US. =)

Time for a Chat with God. Una platica con Dios

God, I think it's time for a one-on-one. I need a pep talk. Thanks in advance. :-)

-- Post From My iPhone

Single and Ready to Mingle! - Soltera Pero Feliz!

Apenas pude abrir mis ojos esta mañana. My eyes were so swollen that I barely recognized my reflection – it was not the beautiful girl we are use to seeing :-P

After seeing my reflection, eyes swollen after I cried myself to sleep, and even during my sleep, I couldn’t deny that his despedida or decision to move on had affected me. Even I was surprised at how much it did. I didn’t think I had been attached.

Después de todo I was the one who was doing everything by the book, rules, whatever you want to call it. Yo era la que no lo llamaba. Yo salía con mis amigas/amigos. I was taking my time trying to figure out how the rules worked and how I could prevent making my past mistakes – running away.

I said it. I run away from relationships. No se porque lo hago. If I new why I did it I wouldn’t do it. And please don’t think I had a trauma growing up or have daddy issues. My parents have been together for more than 30 years. My father has been in love with my mother since he was 10 (although she didn’t accept to go out with him until she was in her 20s) and loves her more than anyone else. It’s true, he’s always told us. We can discuss this in a sep. post.

“Alma, you need to get up and go for a run,” was my roommate’s encouragement at 6 am.

Tired and upset (not at her) I told her to leave me alone, but she laughed and told me again I needed to go running. She was right. I needed to run, but not for fitness. I needed to run for clarity. I started running as soon as I walked out the door. I ran harder than I had in weeks. Sin parar, I just kept running until I reached the White House. With Salsa music coming out of my headphones and the endorphins running through my body I was smiling.

I realized I had so many great things going on that deserved my attention and gratitude. My family is now safe, I’m healthy, I’m almost done with grad school at Georgetown – my dream school & I have a job that I love and will be able to do more online & social media marketing. Not to mention I have great friends and a fun social life. Some might say that’s shallow, but I think working hard deserves to be rewarded with play.

With my new perspective I still gave myself room to feel sad, because it’s ok to be honest with ourselves and our emotions. I think giving myself permission to feel my emotions allowed for them to pass by quickly because this afternoon I definitely have big smile on my face. I had incredible news from my boss, had lunch with my dear friend/birthday twin @lesliequander and @julito77 gave me an awesome #VivaViernes shoutout.

Now all I can say is pobre, pendejo that set me free (he he) because now I will be a single girl for my friend’s birthday weekend in Atlantic City!

Rock n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon

Yes, it’s true - I am running in the Rock n Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon on Sunday, Dec 6, 2009! From now until November I will be training and raising funds for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA) as a member of their Team Challenge. I am very excited about this opportunity because I never even considered myself athletic, much less a runner, and what better way to reach this milestone than for a good cause and in Las Vegas =)

Donations are tax deductible and directly benefit the Foundation. Please use my fundraising site to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive an email confirmation of your donation and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.

Thank you for visiting my fundraising page and for your support in this journey.

What is Crohn's disease?
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the intestine. It primarily causes ulcerations (breakages in the lining) of the small and large intestine, but can affect the entire digestive system, anywhere from the mouth to the anus.

Who is affected by Crohn's Disease?
It is estimated that 1.4 million Americans have IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) -- with that number evenly split between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Males and females appear to be affected equally. Crohn's disease may occur in people of all ages, but it is primarily a disease of adolescents and young adults, affecting mainly those between 15 and 35. However, Crohn's disease can also occur in people who are 70 or older and in young children as well. In fact, 10 percent of those affected -- or an estimated 100,000 -- are youngsters under the age of 18. The cause is still unknown.

About the Organization
The Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's (CCFA) mission is to cure Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of those affected by these diseases. Eighty-three cents of every dollar raised by CCFA goes directly toward research and patient support. That puts CCFA in the top 6 of charity organizations nationwide!