Spanglish

To Dean of Admissions,

Princeton University.

The most influential person in my life...

... is Mother Teresa, whose example

helped me overcome the arrogance...

which threatened after my 1,600 SAT score

and National Merit Scholarship.

My influential person taught me

the most important word I've learned.

Aloha, which I...

To the Dean of Admissions,

Princeton University...

from Cristina Moreno.

Most influential person: My mother.

No contest.

I think I have been pointing

toward this essay...

ever since the day, 12 years ago in Mexico,

when my father left.

Such was my mother's need to protect me...

that she would not let me see her cry.

The trick was...

get over it as quickly

and privately as possible.

Such was my need to protect her...

that I never let on that I could hear her.

My mother kept us in Mexico

as long as possible...

to root me in all things Latin.

Finally, she sensed

our last opportunity for change.

We would leave for America.

"One tear."

"Just one."

"So make it a good one," she said.

She would be my Mexico.

Because this admissions essay

is open record...

let me just say that our transportation

into the United States was...

economy class.

In order to raise me properly...

my mother needed as much of the security

of her own culture as possible.

So we rolled through Texas...

just 34/% Hispanic...

to Los Angeles...

48/% Hispanic.

...look at the Detroit Pistons.

And your mother's saying, "Get up!"

But, no, what of it?

You can't see them. Why?

'Cause you're being killed...

you're being strangled

by the psychotic Raider fans.

What do you have in Oakland?

You got a bunch of psychotic...

A few minutes adrift

in an alien environment...

then we turned a corner,

and we were right back home.

My mother's favourite cousin,

Monica, gave us shelter.

For the next six years...

neither of us ventured outside

our new community.

Mum worked two jobs,

paying a total of $450 a week...

each of us doing everything we could

to make things work.

We were safe and happy.

If only I could have stayed six.

But I was blossoming.

And during my very first dance...

in the time it took a boy's hand...

to go from my back to my bottom...

it was evident that

she would have to leave her night job...

to keep a watchful eye on me.

Within days, she was

on her way to a job interview.

She needed $450 from one job.

And that meant,

after all her time in America...

finally entering a foreign land.

Hello?

Yeah, hi. We're here for

the interview with Mrs. Clasky?

Oh, great. You made it.

Come on in. The front door's open

and we're out back. Okay?

And call me Deborah.

Holding out had helped though.

She was no longer intimidated.

Working for Anglos

now posed no problems.

It would just be a job.

White America beckoned.

She stepped across the cultural divide.

Gee whiz in heaven, are you okay?

No. Don't worry, I'm not mad.

I've been looking for decoration to put up

on the glass so people wouldn't walk into it.

Instead of taking what was in stock,

which was awful, I special ordered...

but I'll design something myself,

which I should've done...

What does that matter

when your nose is bleeding?

- Shut up, Deborah.

- Now you got it, Mum.

- There's no ice pack, Bern!

- So get anything frozen.

Pressure! Just pressure!

Take this.

Is it strange that I just gave you money?

I just felt really badly.

It's okay.

Chum, knock it off!

I'm sorry about the way the place looks.

I'm hosting a fundraiser

for the school tonight.

It's just a mess. Come sit right here.

Here you go.

Yeah, just... That's great.

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