Lepe, Kimberley (Week 3)

 Growing up, the Virgen de Guadalupe was always a big symbol.  My parents were both working full-time growing up, and so I spent most of my days with my 1st generation grandmother. She is everything you can think of when thinking of your typical grandma from Michoacan.  She is invested in her religion, she enjoys serving and cooking for her husband, and she is the most loving woman you will ever meet.  I see her as a second mom, though our ideals and values do not go hand in hand.  I remember going to church almost every other day, and because she cannot drive we would walk 5 blocks just to say the prayer of the rosary.  She would always tell me how important it was to pray to the Virgen as she was the gateway to God and Jesus.  In fact, this was typically how she would lecture me.  I should keep my posture straight and not be too loud, as this was how I could emulate what the Virgen de Guadalupe was.  To be this ideal "feminine" symbol.  Always proper, always quiet.  

The Virgen de Guadalupe was not only a symbol in my life through femininity, but also this idealism of protection, and safety.  In South Central LA, the picture of the Guadalupe is everywhere.  From small prints on the street, to ginormous murals on liquor stores, lavanderias, and grocery stores, the image of the Virgen de Guadalupe is prevalent.  My grandma always told me that most people did this as a form of protection and that if they had this image on their building, She would protect them.  

Aside from my Chicana culture at home, I also had the Euro perspective on the Virgen through Catholic school.  Oh yes, I said it.  I went through almost 12 years of Catholic school growing up.  This faith has dominated my family, and though I don't agree with everything it has to say, having faith is a big part of my life.  I mean-- how could it not be?  However, I actually hated going to Catholic school.  They bring up the same controversial topics of abortions, euthanasia, etc etc that everyone has an opinion about.   In Catholic school, la Virgen de Guadalupe then became a huge symbol of pro-life in a school that more or less forced beliefs on children.