I live, Yo Vivo

In Spanish, VIVIR means To Live, the proper conjugation of which to when you say something as improper as “I live” would simply be translated to “Yo Vivo”.

I live, as a Colombian-American.

I live, as “You don’t look Hispanic”

I live, “Woah! You and your brother look nothing alike. You’re so… white.”

I live, “My mom came home once and talked about a man who simply replied with a horribly pronounced “Me gusta” when my mom said she was Hispanic.”

I live, “My dad condones abusive behavior because he thinks Latina aggression is ****

I live, my mom asking me “Would you rather celebrate the Sweet Sixteen or have a quinceanera party?”

I live, as the white boy sitting across the room in Spanish class asking “When will I need this in real life?”

I live, as the “Yes I DO have a friend with a skin complexion similar to mine, and yes, he is Hispanic.”

I live, most of my friends are beautiful people of color.

I live, when will you open up the tab in Google and search some Hispanic History to fill your mind instead of “Latina ****

I live, the messages on the Internet saying “You’re Hispanic? I bet you’re great in bed.”

I live, there are NO gender neutral nouns in Spanish

I live, yes I DO love coffee

I live, no it did NOT stunt my growth

I live, one kiss per cheek at family meet-ups

I live, “Eskimo” nose rubs

I live, "if you’re hispanic, why aren’t your ears pierced?"

I live, being expected to remember Spanish just because it was my first language, but growing up with an American dad made me whiter than fresh bed-sheets sold in America, made in South America, Hecha en Peru.

I live, my mom breaking into tears as she is so proud that I can sing in Spanish

I live, my mom used to be so embarrassed, when I replied “un poco” to her friends asking “Tu Hablas Espanol?”

I live, "if you’re Hispanic, is your mom an Alien?"

I live, "But your dad looks so white!"

I live, being subject to racism hidden in a joke, hidden in a remark about how pale I am, hidden behind a judgmental look, hidden behind a scoff, a laugh, a pity shrug, a fetishized assumption.

I live the bulletproof clothing and horrible crimes I am warned about when I say I wanna go to Colombia I wanna go to my mom’s home.

I live, as a Colombian-American.

I live.

Yo vivo.

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