Back from Mexico...
I love the United States of America. It may not be perfect, but I realized in the last 8 days that I take sooo much for granted. Mexico was a great experience for me. I spent most of my time there with my grandmother. She is such a beautiful person and leaving was really hard. I know in my heart I won't be seeing her again because she's in her 90's and I don't know when I'll be able to go to Mexico again.
So I spent most of my time with her. I videotaped conversations with her and took plenty of beautiful pictures. I also learned a great deal of family history which I found extremely fascinating. All these things made my trip there worth it.
While it was only 8 days, it seemed like an eternity. I felt like such an outsider whenever I went into town. Seeing the poverty and feeling the struggle of the Mexican people made me realize why some of them are willing to die crossing the border into the U.S., which so many natural-born Americans take for granted. I think people who lack any kind of patriotism have never left the country. I think people who only see the negative in what our government has to offer have never personally seen the faces of hungry, tired and restless people. I think people who judge and criticize individuals of other nations don't realize how difficult it is to rise above cemented traditions and cultures. I never felt so fortunate in my life. It wasn't my first time in Mexico, but for some reason, everything seemed different to me. While I am Mexican-American, I realized that I am more American than I'll ever be Mexican. I hope that someday, Mexico can flourish into a stronger nation and it's people will want to stay and feel as grateful as I do living in the U.S.
So I spent most of my time with her. I videotaped conversations with her and took plenty of beautiful pictures. I also learned a great deal of family history which I found extremely fascinating. All these things made my trip there worth it.
While it was only 8 days, it seemed like an eternity. I felt like such an outsider whenever I went into town. Seeing the poverty and feeling the struggle of the Mexican people made me realize why some of them are willing to die crossing the border into the U.S., which so many natural-born Americans take for granted. I think people who lack any kind of patriotism have never left the country. I think people who only see the negative in what our government has to offer have never personally seen the faces of hungry, tired and restless people. I think people who judge and criticize individuals of other nations don't realize how difficult it is to rise above cemented traditions and cultures. I never felt so fortunate in my life. It wasn't my first time in Mexico, but for some reason, everything seemed different to me. While I am Mexican-American, I realized that I am more American than I'll ever be Mexican. I hope that someday, Mexico can flourish into a stronger nation and it's people will want to stay and feel as grateful as I do living in the U.S.