Cortés, Quetzals and growing up Guatemalan

Yo soy American

This is my bestfriend (center) and my boyfriends little sister ( left) . Some may look at her and say "she is American and you are not."
But who is to know I am not American unless you were going by the color of my skin? You wouldn't look at her and think "oh she is not Latina, she is American!"
But she is Latina, her dad is from the United States and her mama is from Guatemala. Her dad died when she was 12. She was born in Guatemala an has lived there her entire life, and she just came to the US 6 months ago. The barca jersey she is wearing was my birthday gift to her. She dosent speak very good Spanish but she speaks 2 Mayan dialects.
When I am with her and we go out, people at resteraunts, business's and customer service places automatically treat her better just beacause her skin happens to be lighter than mine. I don't want to be treated any differently. I want people to give me the benefit of the doubt and assume I am American and not that I am living here illegally. Also, it's okay to talk to me and my people in English, and if we don't understand than usually we know enough english to be able to tell you we are not comfortable with the language. Sorry about my rant, but it had to be said and I just remembered an incident that happened a few weeks ago when I was with her.

My favorite song by Los tigres del Norte is Yo soy. I will post the lyrics in English and Spanish.

Spanish
Haber nacido en América, es como una bendición
Llena de bellas imágenes, que alegra el corazón
Mosaico de mil colores, bellas mujeres y flores,
Para los pueblos de América, les canto mi canción.
De América, yo soy. De América, yo soy.
Del color de la tierra yo he nacido
Por herencia mi idioma es castellano,
Los del norte dicen que soy Latino,
No me quieren decir Americano,
Soy el Gaucho al galope por las Pampas,
Soy Charrúa, Soy Jíbaro, Utumano,
Soy Chapín, Esquimal, príncipe Maya,
Soy Guajiro, soy Charro Mexicano.
Si el que nace en Europa es Europeo,
Y el que nace en el África, Africano,
Yo he nacido en América y no veo
Porque yo no he de ser Americano.
Porque América es todo el continente,
Y el que nace aquí, es Americano.
El color podrá ser diferente,
Más como hijos de Dios, somos hermanos.
En Argentina y Colombia, Ecuador y Paraguay,
Brasil, Chile y Costa Rica, Salvador y el Uruguay,
Venezuela y Guatemala, México, Cuba y Bahamas,
Todos son Americanos, sin importar el color.
De América, yo soy. De América, yo soy.
De América, yo soy. De América, yo soy.
In English:
Having been born in America is like a blessing,
Full of beautiful sights that make the heart happy,
Mosaic of thousands of colors, beautiful women and flowers,
For the people of America, I sing this song.
From America, I am. From America, I am.
From the color of the earth, I was born.
By heredity my language is Castilian (Spanish).
Those of the north say I am Latino,
They don't want to call me American.
I am the Gaucho galloping through the Pampas,
I am Charrúa, I am Jíbaro, Utumano,
I am Chapín (Guatemalan) , Esquimal (Eskimo), Mayan Prince,
I am Guajiro, I am a Mexican Charro.
If he who is born in Europe is European,
And he who is born in Africa is African,
I was born in America and I don't see
Why I shouldn't be American.
Because America is all of the continent,
And who is born here is American.
Our color may be different,
But like children of God, we're brothers.
In Argentina and Colombia, Ecuador and Paraguay,
Brazil, Chile and Costa Rica, El Salvador and Uruguay,
Venezuela and Guatemala, México, Cuba and The Bahamas,
We all are Americans, no matter our color.
From America, I am. From America, I am.
From America, I am. From America, I am.