I'm A Mixed Latine Woman, And Here Are 9 Unexpected Things I've Experienced That I Think You Should Know
By Elizabeth Swaney,
2 days ago
I'm a stand-up comedian, and sometimes on stage, I say, "I'm half American, half Venezuelan...and also half Hungarian". Of course, that equals one and a half and is not possible, but sometimes life feels that way.
Elizabeth Swaney
My mother was born in Venezuela, and my father was born in Los Angeles. I was born in Berkeley. I grew up in a bilingual Spanish-English household and continue to speak Spanish fluently. So I'm Venezuelan and Hungarian on my mother's side, and on my father's side, I'm Scotch-Irish and also have ancestors who came to the U.S. on the Mayflower.
On both sides, there's more Austro-Hungarian, too. Years ago, Ancestry and 23andMe told me, to my surprise, that I am also Azkenhazi Jewish.
What have I done with all these identities? Rather than have an identity crisis , I've tried to have an identity party to celebrate my unique heritage. So, here are 10 experiences I've had as a mixed Latine woman that might surprise you:
1. “You Don’t Look Latina!”
This is one of the most common (and frustrating) comments I receive when I mention my Venezuelan heritage. How to respond when people expect every Latine to fit one narrow stereotype is a challenge. What does a Latine person look like, anyway? My mother told me when I was young that Latine folks can look like all colors of the rainbow.
Elizabeth Swaney
2. The pros and cons of cultural reference-switching:
Being mixed-race and fluent in Spanish, sometimes I switch between languages or cultural references depending on who I'm with. But sometimes I worry, about being different versions of myself around different people. What if I forget which "version" of myself I'm supposed to be?
Elizabeth Swaney
3. The Olympic identity game:
How do I even explain to people that I've represented the United States and Venezuela internationally in the sport of skeleton and Hungary in the Olympics in the sport of freestyle halfpipe skiing? My passport stamps look sort of like a world tour, but mostly from cold wintery places involving icy tracks and high speeds. Now, as I embark on my goal of competing internationally in weightlifting , I'm still trying to figure out what country I will compete for.
Being mixed has allowed me to represent multiple countries at the Olympics overall. A few years before the 2018 Olympics, I switched from the United States to Venezuela to Hungary for halfpipe skiing, which I competed for in the World Cup and Olympics. (Above) Here I am with my fellow Hungarian teammates during the opening ceremony. While at the Olympics, I was also super grateful to reconnect with my skeleton and bobsled friends with whom I had trained and competed for years while representing Venezuela and the United States.
Athletes compete for one country at a time at the Olympics. While I was excited and honored to represent Hungary, my foundation of training as an athlete for Venezuela and the United States for years for skeleton and freestyle halfpipe skiing were building blocks to make it as an Olympian in 2018.
Matthias Hangst / Getty Images
Above, I am wearing a Venezuelan flag-inspired jacket (and representing Venezuela in the Olympics) along with athletes representing the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, together with one of our Irish coaches. Competing in skeleton, we're often bundled in heavy winter gear. It’s a funny contrast when your home country is known for sunshine and warm weather, not big jackets, helmets, and ice.
Elizabeth Swaney
4. What to watch:
I appreciate Venezuelan telenovelas and have always enjoyed Sábado Gigante , the variety show that ran for 53 seasons from 1962 to 2015 that I watched as a kid with my mother and sibling. I also enjoy Hungarian films and American films. But what happens when the English-speaking side doesn't understand the non-English show? We rarely watch television together, because we typically watch different things.
Rodrigo Varela / WireImage / Getty Images
5. Bilingual brain freeze:
Learning Spanish and English (and maybe even some Hungarian) as a child gave me the superpower of being bilingual early on. But sometimes my brain mixes words up, and it's difficult to remember which word belongs to which language. Forget code-switching, sometimes it’s more like code-crashing!
Switching between Spanish and English and speaking to family in a bit of a Hungarian accent has left me with some hilarious language mash-ups. My mother has plenty of these as a Spanish interpreter and translator, too.
Elizabeth Swaney
6. Dating advice from too many cultures:
Sometimes I get dating advice from all sides. Abuelo and abuela want me to marry a good Venezuelan man, while the Americans in my family are more or less OK with whoever. Dating norms are different in each culture, and it's hard to say who’s winning this tug-of-war of love.
Xiaoyun Li / Getty Images
7. What’s for dinner? Cultural roulette!
Our dinner table sees a mix of Venezuelan arepas, Hungarian goulash, American burgers, and more. Navigating the mixed-cultural pantry has made meals a fusion delight from all over the world. Pictured above is P.A.N, a core ingredient of the Venezuelan arepas that my mother enjoys making.
Elizabeth Swaney
8. When every holiday is a party:
With so many cultures to celebrate, my holiday season is like a year-round party, from Venezuelan Christmas traditions to Hungarian New Year. The photo above is of me while at a Venezuelan event in Utah while I was training there.
Elizabeth Swaney
9. And finally, the struggle of ticking boxes on forms:
“Race/Ethnicity: Check all that apply” makes for a fun and confusing game when filling out official forms. Am I Latine? European? Or just all the above? The most confusing is the "White (not Hispanic) box" I often see. Why can't someone be both?
Elizabeth Swaney
Latine Heritage Month is here! Join us in celebrating from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 and support our content celebrating la cultura.
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