When I filled out my form for the 2010 US Census, I checked the box for non-Hispanic origin, but most of the people in my neighborhood checked the Hispanic box. I am a minority where I live, and it’s pretty obvious…

The closest elementary school has both English and Spanish posters in its hallways, and the retail shops in and around my neighborhood target Hispanic consumers with Spanish signage and Hispanic brands. For example, when I need to make a quick milk run, I head to Fiesta, a grocery store that caters to Hispanics.

Even the pregnancy tests at Fiesta are in Spanish. (By the way, the Spanish word for pregnant is embarazada, which is remarkably similar to the English word embarrassing. Don’t make the mistake of telling a Hispanic person that you are embarazada if you find yourself in an embarrassing situation, especially if you’re a man, because you’ll end up even more embarrassed.)