Earlier this month, I read my second book, “The Two True Karate Kids,” at HD South in Gilbert. Pamela Forbes read the Spanish version side-by-side with me. The part that was most appreciated was when we read the Dojo Kun at the end. I recited each of the Dojo Kun precept in English. Then Pam said them in Spanish. It warmed my heart when we were requested to repeat that again, because the Dojo Kun is the cornerstone of this book series.

After we read the two versions of the book, we all shared our experiences of friendship through a lens of various wonderful Hispanic cultures. Here are some things we uplifted in this conversation:

-A friend who grew up with Mexican heritage shared that in her culture, it is polite to accept food when it is offered to you.

-More than one Caucasian American participant relayed being folded into their school friends’ Hispanic families simply because they were friends.

     -They were treated lovingly like family.

     -They were talked to in Spanish and so they learned the language pretty well.

     -They were included in family meals.

     -They were included in making Hispanic food.

     -They had wonderful experiences.

Several participants talked of different experiences of making a first impression on non-native-English-speaking Hispanic people by greeting them in Spanish. We all noted that it has had a positive effect for each of us.

I observed that the life of each person who participated in the round table conversation was enriched by their experiences with Hispanic friendship and Hispanic culture.

-Jenifer Tull-Gauger