Crossing Borders

Crossing borders is like being born again.

You become a new person, yet you are still your old self.

You start a new life, lejos de tu país,

Far away from your friends and familia,

Far from the things you miss.

Adopting a new language, and a culture that is unfamiliar to you.

Being proud of saying “soy Latino, but I’m American too.”

When you cross borders unfamiliar things become familiar,

And some of your old traditions are replaced by those that are new.

Crossing borders means a struggle,

To fit into a society that is not your own.

It means to learn new things,

And to prove to yourself that you have grown.

When you cross borders you become a hybrid,

You become something new.

You are still a Latino,

But there’s also a gringo in you.

When crossing borders you arrive at a new place.

You are no longer Latino, blanco or mestizo.

When you cross borders you come to a universal true:

Solo existe una raza, and that’s the human race.