Not Your Typical Aggie, But They Done Brainwashed Me Good

My folks are well meaning, and my Dad always claimed that his intention was never to treat my brother and myself the same. He would always say that we were the not the same person, so opportunities afforded my brother were not always to be expected by me. This is a Hispanic mans way of insuring that his son can go out and get tail, but when it comes to mija, anything short of fitting her with a chastity belt is fair game.

But they had this strange idea that anything my older brother was into would also prove to be a good experience for me. Not so. As much as I love my brother, we do not share the same taste in...anything. But he was a camp counselor in Vermont, and there I went. Actually, I liked that one; he went just one summer but I spent 3 summers in VT. Then there was his trip to Mexico when he was 14-15 yrs old. Of course, there was no way I would have gone at that age, but when I graduated from college the idea that I would spend the summer with some of our family from Monterrey was really pushed on me. This one I vehemently refused for the following reasons:
1. When I went to Monterrey w/my family at the age of 12, a man wanted to give my dad a dowry in exchange for a promise to have me marry one of his sons.
2. Women who drink beer are seen in a negative light
3. I did not want to spend 3 months indoors, ironing, and making tortillas

And since Josh went to A&M and enjoyed himself, well, thats where I was headed too! Never mind that I had carried a UT backpack from the time I was a sophomore in high school, or that Im a liberal, or my affinity for ankhs. Nope, I was bound for Redneckville, and my only other recourse was to fund my own education. Did I forget to mention that my father did not allow me or my brother to hold a job during our years in high school? Claimed that we had our whole lives to work, so that we should enjoy our childhood. The fact that this kept us repressed and completely in his control was just a convenient byproduct of his philanthropic ideology.

So off to A&M I went, under duress and pissed at the world at the unfairness of it all. "My parents are paying for all of my undergraduate degree, but I have to go to Texas A&M!! Woe is spoiled little me!" Of course, in the 40,000 students at A&M I was able to find my niche, and theres no way that I would trade the experience. Fate smiled on me the day I was put into Davis-Gary, got drawn into the bonfire crowd, and met those who would become friends by choice, not by proximity.

Yes, I met my fair share of rednecks. Yes, I was once asked if I was a lesbian because of my stance on gay bashing. (By the way, gay bashing is not cool) And yes, the Baptists did try to convert me with their succulent, free barbequed brisket, but I came out the other side better for it, and despite the odd racist, sexist, and otherwise ignorant comments, the experience has made me fiercely loyal to all things Aggie, including our sucky football team. GIG 'EM!