https://padlet.com/mia_palladino/udro4vt1yxxz What makes me who I am en-us 2019-03-22 17:38:01 UTC 2026-01-17 16:27:33 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Brightnessdown.png mia_palladino https://padlet.com/mia_palladino/udro4vt1yxxz/wish/344331100 _{My parents never brought me up with a certain religion even though my mom and dad both went to an all-catholic school for their entire lives.  I never understood religion, since I was never exposed to it, so when I got into school it was always a shock when people talked about God and church and CCD. I had no idea what anything was, even though my catholic family came for Christmas, and I celebrated Easter with them as well. Because of this, I always struggled with whether or not I wanted to be religious when I came of age and could make my own decisions, which frustrated me. However, I've always wanted to fit in with my peers, who all had a certain faith they could believe in. One memory of mine that I will never forget is when my mom dropped me and my brother at my grandparents' house for work and they decided to take us to "Saturday Mass."  At the end of the mass, I was very hungry and saw my grandma going up to the alter to receive 'host' or 'crackers' in my mind.  I decided to follow her, and as I copied the man in front of me who told the priest, "Bless your holy spirit," I said the same, and the priest placed in my hands host, which I ate.  It tasted terrible.  My grandmother still used to sneak me into church whenever I was dropped off at her house, sometimes splashing holy water on me and every so often getting upset with my parents for never baptizing me. Another moment in my life that  now understand was contributed to my dumbfoundedness of religion was when I was 8 years old and a flower girl at my aunt's wedding.  Her reception was held in a beautiful church, but the only thing that wasn't beautiful to me was a bloody statue of Jesus Christ, pinned to a cross, right at the front of the church.  Surprised, as I was walking down the aisle, throwing flowers onto the floor, I said, with eyes as big as quarters, "Mommy who is that man?!"  Everyone laughed, but I was still confused and my mother swept me away to my seat at the front.}  ]]> 2019-03-22 17:43:24 UTC https://padlet.com/mia_palladino/udro4vt1yxxz/wish/344331100 mia_palladino https://padlet.com/mia_palladino/udro4vt1yxxz/wish/344891936 _{I am of European and Middle Eastern descent, but my cousins are Hispanic and European.  I have two cousins who attend HH Wells. One is in the 8th grade and the other is in the 7th grade. Their dad is blood related to me, but their mom, Tia Carmen is from Costa Rica, and is not directly related to me.  I visit them a lot and of the many times I come to their house, their hispanic grandmothers are also there.  They do not speak much English at all, so since I was little I had to learn how to understand and communicate with them.  When I was little, I could speak Spanish with them a lot, and I still can now, but not as fluently.  I think that growing up visiting my Abuelitas partly influenced my love for the Spanish language and befriending many of my Hispanic classmates, whom do not speak much English.  In fact, one of my good friends speaks little English, so I think that it's cool that we are still connected, even though there is a language barrier.}]]> 2019-03-25 15:57:47 UTC https://padlet.com/mia_palladino/udro4vt1yxxz/wish/344891936 mia_palladino https://padlet.com/mia_palladino/udro4vt1yxxz/wish/346261130 c
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