Undergraduate / I had the opportunity to experience Latin American culture - University of Washington short response [4]

Prompt:
Describe an experience of cultural difference, positive or negative, you have had or observed. What did you learn from it?

Response:
I don't have the privilege of being able to learn about other cultures by visiting another country or talking to family members. However, where I have grown up has given me the opportunity to experience Latin american culture in a way that can bring together an entire community.

In Santa Barbara we have a very large population of Latin-americans. We have lots of restaurants, neighborhoods, and even festivals that celebrate Latin american culture. One of the most important events is a festival called Old Spanish Days. During this week long festival we have many different celebrations. Some of these celebrations include traditional dancing in front of the Santa Barbara mission, a Mexican market with music throughout all of the days, and the famous parade called "El Desfile Historico." This parade has been going on for over 90 years and has floats that help tell stories of the history of the state, city, native Americans, and the Spanish pioneers. Also, the parade is one of the largest equestrian parades in the nation with over 600 horses. This festival is so important to our city, not just for the Hispanic population, but for everyone.

When I have observed and been a part of this festival, I have seen all the good it does for our city. Everyone from all walks of life, backgrounds, and traditions gets together to celebrate the historical and cultural influence of the the Spanish and Latin Americans. We have a large Asian-american community and we have many Caucasians. Even though the cultures are so different, we get together to celebrate as a community. This has taught me that even though there are major cultural differences among society, people can still get together and celebrate the differences and embrace other cultures.