With dangling feet and wandering eyes, I look out the window in awe of what I see – the vast mountain valleys, the mesmerizing elephant-shaped clouds, the way the raindrops dance on the windshield. I’m a three-year-old girl sitting in the middle seat of my family’s minivan, curious as can be. As we’re driving, I see a man a couple of blocks away, walking in oblivion with eyes fixed on the sidewalk, failing to notice the ominous puddle...

“Me no English.” And there I am to the rescue, to help and to translate for a woman at the movies or a man at the supermarket who only speaks Spanish. I can understand people when most cannot. I’m lucky. I’m bilingual. Having learned to contrast the culture that Mexico teaches me with that of the United States has shaped my perception of the world in more ways than one. I was brought up by parents who encourage...