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Big sense of pride to be Mexican.

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Abuela... always my biggest cheerleader and ally.

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I am the middle child, second of three boys.

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Piñata (Mexican b-day parties) with the a strong American influence (Location: McDonalds!)

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Always Donatello.

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Medieval times... Gender role formation (Males should fight to show courage)

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Three brothers, always there for each other.

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A really big Extended Family! A lot of traveling together. A lot of older and younger "siblings"

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Raised Catholic

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Pushed by parents to try new things... Talent shows!

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My family... at some point, we all lived in the same house. Parents are hardworking, modeling what needs to be done to achieve success.

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Attending private/international schools... English was the main language of instruction. Spanish was second nature for me.

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Resident of the city of Mountains. Conservative, driven, and ambitious place where social status is everything.

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Sports... sports... and more sports. Especially soccer. Every Saturday we would go to the stadium. Every four years the country and my household paralyzed for the World Cup. Every family or friend conversation included sports references. Choosing a team is like a rite of passage.

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Able to go to a lot of different places that completely bursted my small town bubble. Even though my parents would've liked me to follow their footsteps and stayed in Monterrey, they never once deter me from trying new things and exploring my options.

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Participated in MUN conferences which challenged my religious based world views.

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Studying abroad in New Zealand for a year in High School, exposed to a completely different culture.

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Challenging to do things I never thought I would.

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Going South rather than North. Growing up it was easier to travel to the US, going to other cities in Mexico introduced me to many subcultures I had not been exposed to.

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Missions in rural Mexico, seeing how other Mexicans live and the real need beyond my own context.

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Working to integrate individuals with disabilities.

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Educational mission in rural Kenya. Started teaching students, then created educational programs and ended by providing PD sessions to teachers.

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PP. A mentor, friend, and one of the hardest working men I've known.

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Sharing childhood games with the Maasai.

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Lucha Libre. Sharing my culture with international friends.

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Reading in general, but being able to read in English and reading Harry Potter instilled in me courage, perspective, and respect for others.

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Probably the biggest shock when I first left Mexico and had to fill out an Ethnicity box.

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We all wanted to be like el Chapulin Colorado... show courage even when we were afraid and save the day!

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I tried to fight it... but I will forever be Pato.

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Can't control it!

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It's been decades and the packaging hasn't changed.

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There were probably two or more of this around my house. I am not sure who actually ate the cookies.

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You don't really leave home until you are getting married.

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The struggle is real.

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PATRICIO SAENZ FLORES!

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Parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents...

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If people were around you, singing Happy Birthday... you knew it was coming and got ready for it.

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We hit all the categories of the food pyramid!

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Happened every
time we went on vacation.

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Happens all the time... especially when you study in a bilingual school.

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Using a spatula is frowned upon.

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Everyone is your cousin! People count third and fourth cousins!

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After that, you are just told to stand up and stop pretending to be hurt.

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Christmas Eve dinner which leads to Christmas leftover lunch!

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Commitment to service. Building 120+ emergency homes for underprivileged  families in Mexico through a student program allowed me to change my world view, as well as the one of the school community by pushing my students to take leadership roles and make it all happen!

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Friends that become family... future compadres. We push each other rather than bring each other down. We celebrate our achievements and even though we are now scattered teaching all over the world we look out for each other.

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In my town, you call your friend's parents Tio/Tia (Uncle/Aunt)... you get to be really close with whole other families and extend your support system.