My First Mexican Party: Socialization Process

My First Mexican Party I have had several experiences where I went through the socialization process. I was fortunate to grow up with parents who wanted me to see all different aspects of the world, which meant doing a lot of traveling. I have been to different regions in the United States, Europe and in the Caribbean. The experience I have decided to focus on happened in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I attended my first traditional Mexican party. This paper argues that a Mexican birthday parties have a specific culture and socialization process that I became a member of. I experienced parts of the socialization process and a new culture when I attended a Mexican birthday party with my friend Juan. My friend, Juan, and his family are about
as Mexican as you can get here in America. They have lived in the United States for over fifteen years, but their celebrations are still done as if they were in Mexico. The one I was able to witness was his mother’s birthday party. I had never met his mother before. However, I knew the basics of how to act around her because of how I was taught to act around mothers. That thought process corresponds with Mead’s concept of a generalized other. Even though I was hesitant to accept the invitation to the event, I decided it would be in my best interest to attend. One example of idea stuff within the Mexican culture is the value of family.
Mexican children are raised to believe that family is most important and should always be put first. Another idea stuff would be mindset of parties and other family gatherings. Mexican families put a big emphasis on being together and value every second of it. Food is one of the most important aspects to a Mexican party. To jump start my socialization process, I went to his house early to assist in the food preparation. There it was just his parents and siblings, so I felt pretty comfortable. According to Mead, I recognized his parents and siblings as significant others. I knew who they were to Juan, and how I should behave around them. His mother asked if I wanted to help her in the kitchen with the meats. Because I saw her as a significant other, I started to mimic the way she was cutting up the meat and how much of eat spice she was putting in the bags to be
marinated.
I was also encountering what Mead would consider a reflexive experience because I wanted to act in a way that they would approve of. It was very hard to tell how they truly felt because I did not know much Spanish. Luckily, they spoke English to me, however they spoke Spanish to each other. I felt really self-conscious because I had no idea what they were saying and felt like they were making fun of something I did. I also did not want to overstep in the preparation process or do something wrong. I left his house even more nervous for the actual event. I arrived at the party a little early to help with the last minute decorations.
His family started showing up about an hour after the party was supposed to start, according to him it is a part of Mexican culture to be late, which would fall under the action stuff of the Mexican culture. As they began to arrive I observed what could be considered as a symbolic interactionism. I noticed that the men wore darker jeans and a bright color shirt that matched their wives, and the women wore bold tops with bright colors and patterns. The children were dressed as if they were attending church and were punished if they removed or damaged a piece of their outfit. As stated in the book “the Real World an Introduction to Sociology” on pages 80 and 81, their clothing could also be considered material culture. Juan said the outfit choice plays a big role in parties, that the nicer and brighter the outfit meant more respect towards the host family. Based on my observation, I concluded that bright colors meant a happiness and excitement. I also learned that the clothes they wore were used as a symbol of gratitude for the
host.
A common practice in Mexican culture that is different than the United States, is how you great people. In the book, “the Real World an Introduction to Sociology”, page 82 discusses the importance of gestures and language within a culture. When I was meeting females, they would give me a hug and kiss on the cheek. As for men, I simply shook their hand. A kiss on the cheek and a hand shake are two forms of a gesture. For the first few hours it was custom to have conversations with everyone and enjoy each other’s company. The ladies were in the kitchen and the men were outside with the grille. I found that as a group they would speak their native language, Spanish. It was their primary form of communication all night long. Eventually, it was time for cake. They brought out two different kinds of cake, one was called tres leches. Tres leches would be considered actual stuff within the Mexican culture, because it is present at almost all parties for desert. I initially figured they had two because of the amount of people there, I was wrong. Once the cake was in front of her the guests all started singing the happy birthday song in Spanish. Prior to the start of the song, one of his aunts came over and taught me some of the words so I could sing along. It was one of my first signs that I was becoming a part of their society. The surprise to me happened after the song was over.
Once the family photo was taken, Juan and his siblings put her face in one of the cakes. I have heard of some people doing that, but never knew why. I asked Juan and all he said was that it was a tradition within his family’s subculture. The term subculture is located on page 86 in “the Real World an Introduction to Sociology”. A subculture can be created by any group of people and in escence is a particular activity or thing that shared within a culture. The excitement of the cake eventually faded away and people started eating the cake that was not smashed. As the night went on there seemed to be no end to the party. Even families with young children were still there. I decided to leave around midnight. The next morning when I got up, I asked Juan what time people left and he said that people were still there. I guess the saying is true, that Mexicans can party all night long.
The Mexican party I attended allowed me to get a glimpse into the Mexican culture. It was a rewarding experience and I would encourage anyone to attend at least one in their lifetime. It is important to encounter many cultures and to have success in the socialization process because it allows you to grow as an individual. I knew I was successful in the socialization process and adapting to the Mexican culture when I was invited back to their home and to the next family event. This paper argued that the Mexican party I attended made me go through the socialization process and learn about a new culture.