I’ve always noticed a difference between the dialect of the first born to the last. The difference is noticeable because the first four children were born in Mexico, while the last four were born in the U.S. There’s so much I want to say about the way my parents raised us and the sacrifices everyone went through to get to where we are today, that sometimes I don’t know where to start. But in the mean time, I would like to share the experience I remember so vividly when my family and I visited the country I am so proud to be from….Mexico.Growing up in Brawley, CA and being so close to the border brought many trips to Mexico; especially Mexicali. Saturday trips to Mexicali to visit family, purchase cheap meds or other necessities was a common occurrence with my parents, while weekend trips to San Felipe, Rosarito, Ensenada, etc enriched my culture even more. But there was one trip to Mexico I will never forget. I will never forget the time we went to Rio Grande, Zacatecas and Cotija, Michoacán.
First off, let me just say that I’m not as cultured as I wish I could be in my Mexican background. And that’s no one’s fault. I’m a product of my family and where I was raised. It’s up to me to
keep my culture and enrich my soul with the things I feel are missing in my current life as I wrote in this blog a couple of years ago "Why Do They Make Us Jump A Border?" I will never deny where I’m from, what my background is, where my family comes from and I will never understand how some people can do that. I’ve heard so many people say, who are of Mexican ethnicity, that they are not Mexican but instead are just American. My first response to that is “You are an American Citizen, but you are Mexican.” And yet they continue to deny that. I will never understand it. It’s like they’re refusing to acknowledge their entire existence that brought them here to the U.S. It was their ancestors who made sacrifices to get to the U.S. so that they can ignorantly call themselves American. When they say they’re American, but not Mexican, they erase the struggle that brought them there in the first place. It’s ridiculous and a way bigger issue to discuss in this nostalgic memory of my trip to Mexico, so I will leave it at that and save it for another blog.Anyway, as I was saying…..
I remember I was about 10 years old in 1993 and was in the fifth grade. My sister Carmen was getting married to a very nice man named Joel and the wedding was going to be held in his hometown of Rio Grande, Zacatecas. It was around mid-December and we weren’t going to return back to the U.S. well after winter break from school was over, so I knew I was going to miss school, which got me very excited haha!! I couldn’t tell you how long of a flight it was. I couldn’t tell you because we drove haha!! It was a long two day trip. A bunch of my family bunched up in one blue van which was driven by my sister Rosa and her husband Chelino, while my dad, my mom, my brother Edgar, youngest sister Vanessa, and I rode in my dad’s brown truck that had a red camper attached to it. I will never forget that two day trip. I remember I wanted to make it as comfortable as possible, so I packed on as many blankets and pillows as I could. In the front seat were my mom and my dad who always drove. And in the back truck bed with the camper attached were my brother Edgar (11), my sister Vanessa (6), and myself (10). The only thing connecting my parents with us kids in the back was this tiny sliding window which was kept open the whole time. We couldn’t hear any music they were playing unless we stuck our head through there. And everytime I did, I would hear my parents listening to Ranchera or Mariachi music and I always remember looking at the open Coca Cola soda can my dad always drank. It was his caffeine and he said it’s what kept him awake the whole time while driving.
I will always remember this clever thing my mom did before we left to Mexico. I saw her taking a pair of my brother Edgar’s pants and sow a wad of money into each pocket. I asked her why she was doing that and she answered “En caso si algo pasa.” (In case if something happens). I don’t know why, but that moment will always stay in my head and I thought it was so smart of her to do that.
I don’t remember stopping at a hotel for the night but I do remember we stopped somewhere along the way after a long day of driving. I can picture a bright lit up gas station and our two cars parked right next to eachother. I don’t remember how we accommodated ourselves to laying down to sleep, but I do remember how crowded it felt. It was so crowded that I remember seeing my sister Rosa step out of the van and try to sleep on top of the trailer that was attached to the van carrying our entire luggage. From the window, I see her attempt to lie down to sleep on top of the luggage, but it was so windy and cold that she stepped off and got back in the van. But we were up and out before the sun came up and continued our drive to Zacatecas.
I do have to mention that during our entire trip to Zacatecas and Michoacan, my sister Vanessa and I were at a disadvantage. When we had to go pee, we were forced to hold it in until our next stop while our brother Edgar freely peed inside a soda can my dad would give him haha!! It was totally not fair. And by the time we reached both the first and second destination, the back of that camper smelled like feet and ass haha!! Three chubby kids in the back of that camper leaves little to no room for air circulation haha!!
The next day we arrived in Rio Grande, Zacatecas and we all stayed in my sister Rosa and her husband’s home that they owned there. I remember the streets weren’t streets, but were dirt roads and I would always see young kids jumping on the bumper of the passing cars hitching a ride to wherever they needed to go. I thought it was so dangerous and these kids would just easily jump on there like they were monkeys. My sister’s house wasn’t big, but wasn’t small either. My favorite part of it was the roof, which had an extra room. It had a ladder leading up to it and the extra room was built towards the back of the house and you could walk towards the front and see the whole neighborhood. I loved climbing up there. There were a lot of us staying in that house and I think I got this motto from growing up with it “If there’s floor space, then there’s somewhere to sleep.” The younger kids, including me, all slept in the bedroom that was towards the front of the house while others slept towards the back of the house and on the room on top of the roof. I remember I got so sick of eating eggs for breakfast. Every single morning, all we would eat for breakfast was eggs. Eggs. Egss. Eggs. Every morning haha!!
I was fairly tall for my age around that time and people would always call me Doña, which refers to an older lady in English. People would call me that from far away, but once I got close enough they’d see that I was just a child. I remember being in a store with my mom and I wondered off looking around. I was looking through a few things when I heard a woman from behind me say “Doña, te puedo ayudar con algo?” (Lady, can I help you with something?). I turn around to face her and she says “Oh, perdon mija.” (Oh, sorry.) and walks away. I guess my baby face shut her up.
Before the wedding took place, I remember my sister Rosa and her husband Chelino taking us to a bunch of places we’ve never been. We went to León, Guanajuato which I thought was a BEAUTIFUL city. I remember it being so busy and so popular and I remember sitting on the
edge of a big fountain taking a picture with a bunch of us in it. I don’t remember whose camera that was haha!! But the one place I will never forget my sister took us was Plateros, Zacatecas. We saw an old beautiful church and its’ walls and pillars were covered with papers and artifacts from people describing the miracles they’ve witnessed or experienced that were the result of praying to the Holy Son of Atocha. You can read more about it in this blog I found describing the place Plateros, Zacatecas Mexico. It was very breathtaking. There were so many prayers and stories and appreciation and it felt so holy to be there. I know I was just a 10 year old kid seeing this, but I felt amazing being there. I remember feeling privileged to witness such a beautiful thing. It was a huge collection of decades and decades of complete trust and belief in one true faith. It was amazing and I really hope I could go back to visit one day and take photos of my own.A couple of days later, it was time for my sister Carmen and her husband to be Joel’s wedding. I have to mention this next memory because it is forever embedded in my head since seeing it. The day before the wedding, we were at someone’s house and I remember walking through a doorway leading to what looked like an outside corridor of the house. Kind of like a courtyard. I
remember seeing my sister Rosa’s husband Chelino squatting down looking up at me as I passed the doorway and saying “Mira Chena.” (Look Chena). On the floor was a huge pig that was still alive with its’ hooves tied together. I walked back out the doorway as if I knew what was going to happen without it being told to me and didn’t want to see it. I stood there outside the doorway where Chelino was and a second later, I heard the squeals of the pig as it was being cut open. I don’t know what possessed me to do it, but I peeked in to see if what was happening REALLY WAS happening and I saw blood everywhere. That poor pig served dinner to everyone the next day haha!! I remember the church being so big and so beautiful. It had two huge bell towers and because I was such a fidgety kid, I couldn’t sit still and my mom had to pinch me a couple of times to be quiet during the church ceremony haha!! The reception was even bigger. The hall was huge and full of loud music and lots of dancing was going on. There were so many people and I will never forget seeing Joel’s mom crying so much at the head table. After the wedding, Joel was going to be moving back to the U.S. with us and his mother was completely heartbroken over it. I remember seeing her cover her face with her hands sobbing so uncontrollably and her husband (Joel’s dad) with both his arms around her trying to console her. It was the sweetest and saddest thing I had ever seen. But nonetheless, the wedding was a hit and my sister and Joel are still married to this day and hold such a strong love for eachother that sometimes reminds me of horny teenagers haha!! Sorry Carmen!!The next day, my parents, my brother Edgar, my sister Vanessa, and myself were off to Cotija, Michoacán to visit our aunts, uncles, and grandmother on my dad’s side. Another two day car drive and another blog post for another day. Mexico – Part 2 will be up next week. I will never forget Michoacán. And I can’t wait to tell you all about it. Thank you for reading.
Jessenia Lua
Oh!! And Happy Independence Day Mexico!!
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