Pictured Angie + her mama. Angie said this is a pic of me and my Colombian princess mama. My fav thing she says to me is:

“la vida es una, hay que vivir en el momento y disfruta mamita.” Daughter, you only get one life to live, so enjoy and bask in the moment.

Tell us a little more about you, your heritage, and how it influenced you?

I am second generation Colombian. My mother is from Barranquilla, Colombia. She moved here to the states shortly after she married my dad. She has lived here for 35 years and still loves being a citizen of this beautiful country. Through my entire life, and currently, my mother always spoke to us in Spanish. We learned all our nursery rhymes in Spanish and she read us stories in Spanish. I actually learned to Speak English in school. My heritage is always a part of me everyday. I think the biggest part of my heritage that I love the most is how passionate we are about our family and friends. We love to eat, drink, dance and sing till the wee hours of the morning. Things really get crazy when the Colombian music starts going. You should see our Christmas celebrations, they never end. You stay up all night (kids included) partying and celebrating.

How has your heritage shaped you as a mother?

Since becoming a mother, I have learned that I am very much like my mother in the way I nurture my children. I nurture them the same way she nurtured me and my brothers. I find myself singing the the same lullabys in Spanish to them. I have learned to become more appreciative of my Latino heritage and wanting to raise my girls in that way.

What do you want your kids to know about their heritage?

I want them to know everything. It is a big part of who they are and who they will become. Their heritage is rich in customs and culture. It’s surrounded by exotic dishes, up beat music and dancing, passion for life, passion for your family.

What else would you like to share about your heritage with us?

My latino heritage is the best part of me. It’s what makes me, me. It’s where I get my feistiness. It’s where I get my love for music and dancing food and parting. It’s also where I get my lack of planning and being on time. All Latinos I know have no sense of time, mostly because we are too busy enjoying the little things in life.