La Gente Newsmagazine's Boundaries - Fall 2020: Volume 49, Issue 1

LA GeNTE

Fall 2020 / Volume 49 / Issue 1

Newsmagazine

THE

BOUNDARIES ISSUE

contents contents

Front and back cover art by Haven Jovel Morales

02 Editor’s Note 03 Navigating Boundaries Nayeli Velarde

06 7 Latinx Artists That Are Pushing the Boundaries of Music Alize Magaña

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Boundaries Playlist

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What Does Boundaries Mean to You?

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All in a Day’s Work

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Where I’m From

Angela Vargas

Melissa Díaz

20 Stuck Between the Lines Jennifer Rosario Arriaga

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Lo Que te Diría if I Knew How

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Staff

Sarah Mejia

La Gente Newsmagazine is published and copyrighted by the ASUCLA Communications Board. All rights are reserved. Reprinting of any material in this publication without the written permission of the Communications Board is strictly prohibited. The ASUCLA Communications Board fully supports the University of California’s policy on non-discrimination. The student media reserve the right to reject or modify advertising whose content discriminates on the basis of ancestry, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, age, sex or sexual orientation. The ASUCLA Communications Board has a media grievance procedure for resolving complaints against any of its publications. For a copy of the complete procedure, contact the publications office at 118 Kerckhoff Hall @ 310-825-9898

EDITOR’S NOTE

As 2020 came to a close, it became clear that this year was one that brought upon unexpected challenges, but one that showed the resilience of our communities. As we faced these new challenges, we also developed new processes and systems that allowed us to move forward. Now more than ever, the space for reflection, critique, and expression is one that is necessary.

This issue hopes to highlight the complexities of boundaries. Whether they are the ones we set ourselves, that aim to bring us comfort and make us feel safe; or the ones that are set for us, the ones that we aim to break down and challenge in order to move forward.

We hope to emphasize that personal boundaries are a right and it is up to us, not only to set our boundaries, but to respect the boundaries of others. We know that this isn’t an easy task when personal boundaries consistently get disregarded. We also know that it can be difficult to navigate boundaries that weren’t made by us, but for us. However, the ability to set boundaries for ourselves and those we love are both a sign of strength and self-care.

Most of all, we hope that this issue is a source of self-reflection and comfort. This issue is for the ones creating personal boundaries, the ones that make them feel safe. To the ones who are struggling to set those boundaries with the people they love most. To the ones challenging the boundaries that restrict us. To the creatives challenging the “rules” and creating cool shit. To the ones whose emotional boundaries create mile long distances between you and those you love. To the families that are separated by political boundaries. To the ones whose personal boundaries are getting crossed through statesanctioned violence, our hearts are with you and your loved ones.

To the La Gente staff, thank you for providing us with your words, your art, and your talent. As we navigate through a quarter of remote work, we manage to push through and continue to be a source of inspiration for each other. This quarter, we did not have the chance to feel safe in our office, cramped up together in our small but safe place, the one that is home to many thought-provoking conversations and laughs. However, the team is just as committed to creating a space for people in the community to come together and share their experiences.

Con amor, Angela Vargas | Editor-in-Chief

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NAVIGATING BOUNDARIES

by Nayeli Velarde Visual by Haven Jovel Morales

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“Although it is very discouraging for someone to disregard your efforts to set up boundaries, keep in mind that you cannot control the reactions of others, only your own.

Boundaries are good, healthy, and necessary in order to have fruitful relationships. Recently the idea of setting boundaries is celebrated with joy; everywhere there are reminders that setting boundaries is a step towards becoming a society that is cognizant of others’ feelings, while still accounting for your own. From the outside looking in, it might seem like boundaries are simple and straightforward, but that is far from the truth.

Oftentimes, boundaries are terrifying to set and even harder to abide by but without them it is easy to fall into emotionally draining relationships, or even in

trauma inducing situations; this is why setting up boundaries in the first place is necessary.

Many can attest that the process of setting boundaries is to be quite frank – exhausting.

Navigating what you are comfortable with, where you draw the line, when the appropriate time is, who you set them for, can be a painfully dreadful process.

Even after all of this the hardest part is left – how do you actually tell someone what your boundaries are and how can they respect them? Needless to say, the first time I did this with my mom, it did not go well.

You see, my mom grew

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up in Jalisco to a family of nine during the 80s; for her, boundaries are a strange concept invented by millennials, never applicable to her or her family. She did not understand the concept because it was completely foreign to her.

I have been conditioned to see boundaries as something that is normal and should be respected if brought up, yet the experience I had with my mom taught me that a lot of adults do not share this mindset and trying to hold them to my expectations of boundaries was bound to fail. It helped me to understand that a lot of adults view boundaries

u b n oun oun dar d d a a esb ries ries o b u nda nd oun a r r i nda es b ies o r DAR ies und b IE o through the lens of losing authority. As far as my mother could tell, the boundaries I was trying to set would have removed her authority over me completely; which is why she reacted apprehensively. In reality, I felt it was necessary for my mental well-being to feel comfortable living back home while still attending school. This misinterpretation of what boundaries mean is very typical when first setting up boundaries with immigrant families.

to get it just right so don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t work out perfectly the first time.

Above all, do not give up if you can’t set boundaries perfectly the first time, we are all human and it takes trial and error in order to perfect something as meaningful as boundaries; in the end, you will find that successfully setting up a boundary brings immense joy and it is worth all the stress.

For my mom and I, setting up boundaries did not happen in a vacuum but starting that conversation brought us a deeper understanding of each other and ultimately helped both of us become cognizant of each other’s needs. Always remember to be kind to yourself and the other person throughout the process.

So how does one set up boundaries with someone who might be completely new to the idea? Some things I found to help when setting boundaries for the first time is simplicity and directness. Being extremely clear about what you want will make it easier for the other party to digest and ultimately easier for them to accept.

Second, hold your ground even if you don’t get the reaction you hoped for. Although it is very discouraging for someone to disregard your efforts to set up boundaries, keep in mind that you cannot control the reactions of others, only your own. Third, be grateful to yourself and others who are willing to accept your boundaries or make an effort to respect your boundaries. Boundaries are hard for the person setting them and the ones having to abide by them, it takes time

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rie7 s s nda r s ies dar

by Alize Magaña

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Arca, also referred to as Doña Arca, is a trans Venezuelan singer, songwriter, producer, and DJ. Known for her experimental sound, she tastefully blends genres, deconstructs samples, and opens up in a beautifully vulnerable and raw manner. Arca’s image, sound, and art evoke a sense that she is a futuristic visitor from another planet. However, her music touches upon the most human senses of all: love, nostalgia, and finding freedom in being yourself. Arca’s gender transition has occurred throughout her prolific career both in making music for herself and songwriting for artists like Kanye West, Björk, and FKA Twigs. Her music is almost a real-time documentation of this experience as she taps into the various emotions that come with exploring your gender identity. Her frustration and excitement is most explicitly showcased in the single, “Nonbinary,” off of her latest release KiCk i. KiCk i is an avant-pop album that blends reggaeton, pop, and electronic music in a distorted and accentuated fashion. In true Arca fashion, the record takes all elements of both the natural and unnatural, challenging listeners to peer inside and consider the alien in themselves.

Check out Arca’s latest release, KiCk i:

Spotify Apple Music Youtube

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ARCA. Rosada, T. (2020)

Latinx artists thaT are pushing the boundaries of music

Pelada Pelada is a Montreal-based electronic duo, made up of producer Tobias Rochman and vocalist Chris Vargas. Together, the two create music that is impossible not to dance to by blending techno and house club genres. Their music explores themes of power, gender, and even environmental politics.

Vargas’ raw and cutting lyrics – written and performed in Spanish – are enhanced by Rochman’s trippy, acidic techno background that make the duo a fan favorite in Montreal’s underground club scene. Their debut album, Movimiento Para Cambio, covers various styles of dance music from NY house to cumbias, all with overarching punk themes that force listeners to reflect on oppressive structures of society with songs like ‘A Mí Me Juzgan Por Ser Mujer’ (‘I Am Judged Because I’m a Woman’) and ‘Habla Tu Verdad’ (‘Speak Your Truth’) which urges women to overcome the stigma around discussing sexual harassment. Printed in their liner notes, Pelada states their message loud and clear: ‘ABRE TUS OJOS, LA BESTIA SE ALIMENTA DE LA EXPLOTACIÓN (‘OPEN YOUR EYES, THE BEAST FEEDS ON EXPLOITATION’).” Check out Pelada’s latest release, Movimiento Para Cambio: Spotify Apple Music Youtube

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Tomasa del Real Valeria Cisternas, or better known by her stage name, Tomasa del Real, is a Chilean reggaeton artist often referred to as “La Reina de Neoperreo.” But what is Neo-perreo? Neo-perreo is a social-media inspired offshoot of Reggaeton, a new version with ingredients of auto-tune, EDM, and even punk influences. Neoperreo culture gained popularity through social media as a hashtag and Youtube channel. The internet allowed accessibility for likeminded artists throughout Latin America to express and share their similar sounds and styles.

The aesthetic is based on do-ityourself culture, often coupled with Y2K aesthetics and other artsy online trends from Tumblr and Instagram. Tomasa del Real is one of the pioneers of the genre, championing a new way to listen to Reggaeton, liberating women and the LGBTQIA+ community in a previously male-dominated genre.

One of Tomasa Del Real’s main intentions with the creation of this new sound was to promote gender and sexual equality at Neo-perreo parties. Neo-perreo is about taking control, having agency over your own body, and being genuine. Neoperreo is more than just a genre, it’s a movement. Check out Tomasa del Real’s latest release, TDR: Spotify Apple Music Youtube

AL

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TOMASA DEL REAL. Passet, R. (2017)

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Pacioma Techno Representing the 818 is of the utmost importance for Pacoima Techno, an underground electronic music duo, composed of Aarum Alatorre and Pedro Alejandro Verdin. Based in Los Angeles, Alatorre and Verdin use their experiences growing up in the San Fernando Valley as inspiration for their music and community organizing. Their mission is to create spaces that bring people together through music, community, and dance. Pacoima Techno regularly holds parties in Highland Park called GOT 2B REAL, meant to be a safe space for POC and LGBTQIA+ folks to dance, sing, and party freely. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Pacoima Techno has taken these parties online, broadcasting “audio performances” under the same name with Dublab. Their music and performances draw upon the duo’s experience as students at art school in the San Fernando Valley, and often work collaboratively with other underground Latinx artists in Los Angeles. Pacoima Techno are co-founders of the underground record label CASA/TECA that embraces experimental music and art that wildly blend components of dance, electronic, latin, and synth music. Pacoima Techno is an art project, a community, and overall, an experience. Check out Pacoima Techno’s latest release, Pinches Perros (feat. Soltera)

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LORELLE MEETS THE OBSOLETE. Morrow, S. (2013)

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Hailing from Guadalajara, Mexico, Lorelle Meets The Obsolete is stationed at the intersection of garage rock, kraut-rock, and dream pop. The husband and wife duo, Alberto González and Lorena Quintanilla, create dark-hued psych rock that embeds all kinds of murky and fuzzy textures to distort and perfect their sound. Lorelle Meets the Obsolete discography has spanned over 10 years, each album more expansive and avantgarde than the last, with their more recent releases reflecting the couple’s relaxing new home in Ensenada, Baja California, where they practice and record. The duo’s latest release, De Facto, is sung entirely in Spanish, being the band’s first album to do so.

Quintanilla’s decision to sing in Spanish was prompted by the increase of political and social turmoil in Mexico in response to the Trump administration, and hoped the decision would offer comfort to Mexican and Latinx listeners alike. Tapping into multiple genres like shoegaze, post-punk, and psych-rock, Lorelle Meets the Obsolete is one of the bands at the forefront of the dreamy and dark psychedelic scene. Check out Lorelle Meets the Obsolete’s latest release, De Facto: Spotify Apple Music Youtube

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Telescopios Telescopios is an Argentinian alternative indie rock band that is unafraid of bending and distorting the sounds of beloved Latin Rock and Pop. Based in Córdoba, the band is composed of artists Rodrigo Molina, Bernardo Ferrón, Nicolás Moroni, and Alberto Ortíz who all met in university. This band is actively defining new-wave alt-rock in the Argentinian musical landscape. The music takes cues from contemporary psych-rock artists like Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra but with fresh and creative twists that embed trippy textures with hard-rock guitars and drums. Their latest release showcases the band’s more electronic and ambient future, including some of the band’s most rhythmic work to date. Telescopios is a band without limits – blazing the trail for indie and alternative rock without steering too far away from the fan favorite Argentinian genres of Latin Rock and Pop. Check out Telescopios’ latest release, Doble de Riesgo

Spotify Apple Music Youtube

Lido Pimienta

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Lido Pimienta is a Colombian-Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter.

Her music traverses many styles of pop and electronic music, as well as taking influences from traditional indigenous and Afro-Colombian musical styles. Her latest album, Miss Colombia, was made to raise awareness of challenges faced by Indigenous and Black women in Colombia and draws from her own experiences as a queer Black Colombian woman of African and Indigenous Wayuu descent. She recorded the majority of Miss Colombia in her home studio and wrote and arranged each song herself. Pimienta calls this album a “cynical love letter to Colombia” as she addresses racism, misogyny, and homophobia in her home country. Her lyrics are unafraid to express the pains of these violences as well as making a call to action, with songs like ‘Resisto y Ya’ (‘I Resist and That’s It’) as she asserts her lived experiences are forms of resistance in themselves. The album is filled with beautiful messages of love, heartbreak, and strength in the face of adversity, all within beautiful percussion, woodwinds and electro-infused rhythms that draw from reggaeton, cumbia and porro, a Colombian folk genre from the Caribbean coast. Check out Lido Pimienta’s latest release, Miss Colombia:

Spotify Apple Music Youtube

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Listen to the playlist here!

THE BOUNDARIES MIX THE BOUNDARIES MIX THE BOUNDARIES MIX 11

WHAT DOES BOUNDARIES MEAN TO YOU? OUR STAFF’S RESPONSES:

“knowing what you’re comfortable with and sticking to it. empowering yourself.” “a limit to the things i “a border.” “knowing ourselves and can do or say.” letting others know where “sometimes they’re safe we stand and where they spaces, sometimes they’re stand in our life.” restricting.” “space in which we enforce our expectations of others and ourselves.” “a limit one should not go past.” “self-imposed or given rules and behaviors one “division between what i am follows.” and am not comfortable with.” “essential to push past boundaries to be innovative.”

“restrictions as a form of protection.”

“limits or markers - to protect people and markers to show the vast amount of things needed to be done.” “a boundary that is physically, emotionally, mentally restrictive. created by ourselves for ourselves.”

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ALL IN A DAY’S WORK

by Angela Vargas

Visuals by Angela Vargas

The Slack notification sound dings, I immediately check, it could be from any of my five channels that I’m currently in. I answer and my friend looks over and says, “you’re not at work right now, build boundaries and answer it later.” I was struck and somewhat offended.

However, she’s right, working from home (WFH) has made it so that I can’t distinguish between work and social life.

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Hallie Bateman made the joke in her comic describing the concept of working from home, “First of all, there is no longer a separation between ‘work’ and ‘life.’ It’s one word now: ‘worklife.’ But the ‘work’ is silent now, though. It’s all just ‘life.’” The issue is, she’s not wrong.

The experience of working from home is a privileged one that existed before the pandemic but has recently gained prominence. An MIT study found that half of the population who were employed pre-COVID moved towards a remote work environment. The large surge of new WFH workers has caused a lot of people scrambling to adjust in building boundaries between their work and home life. The physical separation between the “office” and our “homes” is something that doesn’t exist anymore.

In an attempt to keep up with this new WFH atmosphere, there has been a surge of self-help/productivity tips.

These tips are rooted in privilege, given that a lot of low-wage jobs cannot rely on remote work. However, these tips do shape and

reflect the ways that we as a society view productivity. It’s important to acknowledge that these tips are easier said than done. We should also recognize that WFH isn’t always glamorous or that there isn’t a “one-size fits all” answer to the question: How do we manage WFH in healthy and productive ways?

at our desk, we can enter a work-mindset . This means taking the extra step of not having distractions on your desk. This can be difficult however, as many college students use their desk as a form of extra storage.

“You should build boundaries in your home; build a workspace and a resting space, so you don’t associate work with your rest space.”

This one is very interesting, do they mean actually go for a walk outside or just walk little circles around in my apartment?

This gets a little tricky when college students typically share small rooms with multiple students. Most of our space is multi-functional.

However, it’s not impossible.

The biggest thing I’ve learned is not to do any school work or work-related tasks on my bed. Day 1 of remote learning taught me that when I attempt this, I will fall asleep in the middle of my lecture.

Consequently, building that boundary even between our desks and our beds has proven useful. When we sit

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“You should get up from your desk, and walk around a little.”

I mean I guess I understand the sentiment, I am exhausted of this $5 desk chair I bought from the girl who last leased this apartment.

However, when work breaks or breaks in between classes are only 30 minutes, it’s hard having to choose between taking a walk, laying down and recovering, or making yourself something to eat.

It seems extreme to schedule when to eat in a planner, but in an environment where you only have small pockets of time to do so, it becomes necessary.

NDAYMONDAYTUESDAYWEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAYSUNDAYMONDAYTUESDAYWEDNE

“Set business hours!”

I’ve lost all sense of time ever since the pandemic started -- business hours are a lost cause.

Where is the boundary necessarily? If my boss sends a Slack message at 6PM, will I simply say: “that is out of my business hours, I shall not answer.”

Business hours are also really hard to navigate when you work part-time and are a college student.

Classes don’t always fall in the 9-5 “work day” frame, so we are required to do academic work well after business hours. Thus, if we are not working, we are doing academic work, and it seems as if the day never

has a healthy closing time that we can look forward to clocking out of.

“Make sure to encourage connection through remote work.”

Staring into the abyss of black screens during Zoom lectures and discussions have made this one nearly impossible. However, there’s one connection we all seem to care about the most -- our internet connection.

The social aspect of going into an office is gone. However, this has made a lot of students want to join clubs or other social organizations.

We are all tied to our technology during WFH that social Zoom calls are

“Just becausheowmoerks dhoaessnm’tamdeeitans way into our it should permeate our life.

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the one light.

“Get ready as if you’re going into the office to be in the right mindset.” vs “Invest in leisure wear, since you will be at home.”

To the influencers saying we should invest in leisure wear since we’re working from home, my massive hoodie and bike shorts salute you.

However, these contradictory tips both have some validity.

No one wants to feel uncomfortable while they are at home, so putting on clothes you would wear to work seems somewhat pointless, especially if you are not on camera.

However, being in loungewear all the time does tend to blur the lines of the being at work mindset.

ESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYSATURDAYSUNDAYMONDAYTUESDAYWEDNESDAYTHU

WFH WFH WFH WFH WFH WFH WFH In short, there is no proper way to navigate WFH. Finding what works for us is something that takes time. It also varies from student to student, worker to worker. This isn’t our normal, so as we scramble for ways to stay productive, we should take the time to take a breather. We aren’t robots. Just because work has made its way into our homes doesn’t mean it should permeate our life. As we look for the work and home balance, it’s important to value our own time and build the boundaries that will keep us sane.

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by Melissa DĂ­az

where i’m from

Visual by Alvaro Hernandez

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i’m from the blisters and the calluses on the immigrants’ feet; the long-life dream of a life where dreams and aspirations exist i’m from a family whose origin is within the graffiti stained walls of the murder capital of the world i’m from the hot sun and the lush green trees – where my dreams and adventures are found within every leaf i’m the skin color of the Pipil and the tongue of the Spanish i’m the black and white photographs on my great-grandmother’s wall some faces known, some unknown the hums of my ancestors, the lost dialects the never-ending passion for the never-ending struggle ~~ i am from those families who have seen war blood and rifles in the hands of children – children with no future and no hopes except maybe one in the United States, where individuals lose their identity, culture,

and sense of belonging

when standing before the white man. those who crossed borders and borders and borders with nothing but a dream to improve their own lives and the lives of their children,

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marking the ground they walk on with dignity as their past life in their home country decimates to dust, as they enter a world of long days under the burning sun drenched in sweat from the vegetables fields inhaling toxic chemicals one breath at a time in order to feed their families; the tired hands sweeping and cleaning and slowly

slowly slowly losing strength. i’m from those individuals who have given up everything for their families, who only want their children to make those dreams that were so far away in the homeland into a reality. i’m from la gente that carry the beauty and grace of their ancestors, as the word home becomes foreign and far away, as the struggle to decipher words and sounds of a new language increases with difficulty, as if looking at alphabet soup. every waking breath i’m the heartbeat of mothers and fathers is a need for survival, willing to walk through deserts leaving behind everything they know

(endless deserts) and not looking back. to provide their families with survival

(with a future) and my heart aches the universe belongs to us. for those whose identity is torn between aquí y allá for those whose skin is kissed more by the sun for those not welcomed in the land their parents believed promised a world of endless success, a world of safety.

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STUCK BETWEEN THE LINES STUCK BETWEEN THE LINES STUCK BETWEEN THE LINES Boundaries [noun]: a line that marks the limits of an area; a dividing line; a limit of a subject or sphere of activity.

The line between us stands bold and resistant.

These lines represent the enclosure I have built for myself. The ones I set up whenever I’m confronted about things as simple as where I was born or where my parents work. The boundaries I set up are meant to keep myself at most ease; they both limit others from pursuing a conversation I am not ready for and limit myself from sharing too much in a potentially unsafe space. Often, there is this sense of security and safety that comes with not disclosing my identities as an undocumented Latina since I don’t always feel the need nor the want to explain myself or my background to others without getting emotional. Staying between the lines isn’t always the best option, but I’ve found it to often be the safest.

where it is easier to share my status and it requires no direct confrontation. My writing is a safe space where I have the strength to speak up about my personal lived experiences. I find security in letting down my guard and proving others wrong whenever I surpass a boundary that society has placed on me.

It wasn’t until I was at UCLA that I learned to let my guard down and open up about my genuine ideas and morals. I’m grateful that I feel represented in spaces with likeminded people from similar communities to those I belong to where I can simply voice whatever is going through my mind at the moment.

For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel hesitant when sharing views opposite from those my family and church followed.

I didn’t feel shame in opening up about my status. I didn’t feel restricted anymore and learned to believe that it is possible to succeed despite my status and the boundaries placed against undocumented students pursuing higher education.

While most of my boundaries are selfimposed, there are systemic boundaries in my life which I often have no control over and frankly, have limited ability to tear down. Regardless of the ones I don’t have control over, I’ve learned when to lower my boundaries such as through my writing,

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I didn’t feel as if I had to hide this legal boundary when forming relationships because I felt empowered to share my identity rather than hide it. I soon moved on to breaking new generational boundaries by being the first child to move out of the house, despite being unmarried, in order to pursue a college education. I learned to set my own boundaries beginning with my religious and moral beliefs. It felt relieving to finally tiptoe across the bolded lines I refused to previously cross.

Recently, society seems to be moving backwards much faster than it is moving forwards, and I fear that the progress I made in breaking down boundaries for myself will eventually be reversed. The pressure to constantly be an activist for my community is always followed by the fear of the country’s future during election cycles.

I fear that DACA may be rescinded or that I will be placed into an enclosure of fear once again due to the Visual by Jennifer Rosario Arriaga

boundaries placed against me that would prevent me from ever reaching citizenship, or even reach the high stakes of fearing deportation once again.

Stepping over the line was not easy to begin with, nor will it be to enclose myself behind them once again, if I have to. I question when I’ll ever have these boundaries lifted for good and hope that I’ll soon be able to cross the line without fear. I think about how much of my life I have published, even if it is very minimal. I think about how anything I have published, or even having applied to DACA, could be traced back to me and negatively affect me in the future, thus reinforcing the systematic boundaries the country impedes me from crossing.

For now, under the uncertainty of our current administration and election, I stand in this middle ground where I can proceed to share as much as makes me comfortable or recreate boundaries which prevent me from disclosing too much about myself based

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on the outcome of the election. Ultimately, I am okay with how much I have shared with others thus far, but I know that there are always risks, fears, and doubts that will never truly go away. In the meantime, I stand where I have always been my entire life, conflicted between stepping over the line or enclosing myself between them.

by Jennifer Rosario Arriaga

Lo Que Te DIrÍa If I Knew How

by Sarah Mejia

characterized by its way of life.

While various cultures coexist in the present, traveling from one into another is like moving from one era to the next: comparing their reality to yours.

Nonetheless, it is essential to be respectful and considerate of the different customs you encounter.

So, for people with families in different countries, this sometimes means changing ourselves to conform to their norms.

Meanwhile, people who live close to their families do not have this same dilemma.

Since their family members share the same culture, the boundaries are easier to comprehend.

For the children of immigrants, being geographically and culturally distant from our families poses a challenge because we can not understand their lives just as they cannot understand ours.

The societal pressures they face differ vastly from ours.

The perspectives they develop about life are incomprehensible to us just like ours are to them because neither knows what it is like to

Whenever I argue with my grandma the same conversation occurs: – pero abuela, ¡los tiempos han cambiado! – – no. los tiempos no cambian. uno cambia, pero todos los días son iguales: cada día el sol sube y baja. – Is she right? I always chose to believe that time could change, but I never questioned how.

In the most literal sense, time stays the same: There are twenty four hours in a day A sunrise and a sunset Seven days in a week Fifty two weeks in a year In the figurative sense, the past, present, and future are foreign to one another.

The customs of the past slowly fade and make room for those of the present, only for those practices to be replaced by those of the future.

The differences between time periods is comparable to differences among cultures.

After all, each time period is

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live a day in the others’ life.

And, at the end of the day, keeping up with all these boundaries is exhausting: Who can I talk to? and about what?

Will they tell my parents?

Will I become the family chisme?

Will they give me the benefit of the doubt or assume the worst?

Who can understand the pressures of being a college student in Los Angeles?

Like having to work to barely afford living in such an expensive city.

Trying to relax when in the end I feel guilty for neglecting my homework.

Realizing that my bachelor’s degree is worthless even though they think it’s my ticket to a six figure income.

Or, if I do try to express this, will they think I am unappreciative of the opportunities they were never given?

Who will empathize with my mental health struggles when the idea of mental health is foreign to them?

Will they understand what it

means to have social

anxiety when all of them are

outgoing, outspoken, and have each other as a

support system?

Is it worth confiding in them

STAS A STS

that I am mentally drained and overwhelmed with all the challenges of being in school and working during a pandemic when the best pieces of advice they have is si puedes, yo creo en ti, eres chingona.

Who can provide the advice I need when they have never gone through anything similar themselves?

Who can help me budget when they move out

of their parents house when they get married,

not for school?

Advise me on how to eat a healthy, vegetarian

diet when they primarily eat meat and do not

have to worry about protein intake?

Or how to navigate the hookup culture of college?

The fact that the same generation can differ so greatly depending on the culture one is born into makes me think that maybe mi abuelita tiene razón y los tiempos no cambian, nada más uno cambia.

Entonces, lo único prometido es que todos los días son iguales.

Pero que bueno. Si se que todos los días son una oportunidad para mejorar, eso es lo que haré.

Cuando baja el sol, puedo preguntarme—¿cambie mi manera de pensar? ¿De ser? ¿Los cambios fueron buenos?— La promesa de que el tiempo siempre quedará igual, me trae calma. Sabiendo eso trae el conocimiento que al menos hay una cosa constante en nuestra vida, y aunque todo puede cambiar durante esas veinticuatro horas, el día empezará de nuevo en la mañana.

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Visual by Haven Jovel Morales

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AFF STAFF STAFF F F A STASTAFF FF STAFF STAFF STAFF FF F F TA S STAFF Editor in Chief

Radio

Angela Vargas

Alvaro Hernandez

Managing Editor

Staff Writers

Melissa DĂ­az

Jennifer Rosario Arriaga Nayeli Guadalupe Velarde Sarah Mejia Janet Elizabeth Rivera Sandra Ocampo Amanda Vest Alize MagaĂąa

Web Manager

Rebecca Gutierrez

Content Editors

Karim Hyderali Kevin Bernal-Rivera Sofia Rizkkhalil

Interns

Copy Editors

Jessica Elizabeth Jimenez Johanna Elizabeth Apodaca Hernandez Margarito Rodriguez Rivera Marilyn Chavez-Martinez Ruth Rodriguez Jennifer Garcia Claudia Ledesma Rodriguez Emilia Acevedo Corona Karla Edith Bonilla Lesley Joanna Ramirez Renee Grange Paulina Fernandez Ruth Chincanchan Angie Esther Santos Destiny Piedad Diaz Espy de la O Andrew Valdovinos Jerylee Perez Andrea Serrato Isabella Poma Jacqueline Silva Melissa Kristine Gonzalez Carol Ann Martinez Kimberly M Cienfuegos Miriam Torres Sanchez

Rebecca Gutierrez Marisol Huerta-Ontiveros Laysha Macedo

Spanish Editors

Ashley Huendo Casandra Georgina Chamorro

Layout Design Editor Cristelle Hugo

Layout Design Team Jennifer Garcia

Visual Editor

Haven Jovel Morales

Visual Team

Alvaro Hernandez

Social Media Coordinators

Haile Arriaza Casandra Georgina Chamorro

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Interested in joining the team and sharing your voice with the community? Use the QR code and apply before January 11 at 11:59 am.

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