Far Away from Home

       Traveling the world has always been a dream of mine. Ever since I was ten years old, I realized that this was something I wanted to do. When I was ten years old, I had the opportunity to visit my mother’s hometown in Mexico. I had the chance to visit my mom’s childhood home, my grandpa’s current home, and other places in Mexico as well. Although I was very young and I didn’t really understand much, it is a time in my life that I will never forget.

       My mom was always eager to show us where our roots came from and she always hoped that we would one day go to Mexico. It was really hard for us to save money because we did not have that much but eventually we made it happen. When my mom finally saved enough money to go, she was thrilled. My two little sisters also got to go with us. My aunt and uncle and cousins also went but they didn’t go on the plane with us they drove there. My dad and three older sisters stayed behind but if we had the money I know they would have gone with us too. Even though I didn’t really want to go because I was scared of flying, I tried looking at the bright side. I would get to be somewhere in the world that I have never been to before. I knew it would be an experience that would be worth it in the end. After a few hours we were right where we were supposed to be; we were in Mexico City.

       The first place we got to visit was my grandparent’s current home in Cuernavaca, Morelos. My grandpa has a house there along with two other rented homes inside his gated home. My two younger sisters and my mom stayed in my grandpa’s house and my aunt and cousin stayed in the guest house right next door. I realized that things in Mexico were very different than the US right away. There were dirt roads everywhere and all the stores were very close to each other. In fact, my grandpa owned a store right next door to his own houses. There was also no grass inside my grandpa’s gated home, just that made everything look as dry as a desert. As soon as we got there and settled in, I knew I was not going to enjoy my time there at all.

       For the next couple weeks, my mom would take us around her whole town. She showed us where the market was, where everyone went to go get the best ice cream and more. She also showed us where the mall was but it was a long way from everything else that was so close together. I remember thinking to myself, how could anyone live like this? I was so used to how things were in the US that everything in Mexico seemed very strange to me. If things were that much different in Mexico I was really worried about wanting to ever be outside of the US again. The fact that my cousins also went with us to experience all of this made me feel better because it made me feel less of an outcast. By the end of the month, things had become a little more easier to get used to.

       Just when I thought that I could get used to staying in Mexico for another month, my mom told us that we are going to visit her childhood home that was a great deal farther than where we already were. I was devastated; I did not want to go to a whole new place and see all the different things there. I was not so big on change. When we got to her childhood house, I realized my mom was really lucky to even have a home. The town was very poor. There were dirt roads everywhere and there were chickens and pigs walking around like it was a regular thing to do. There were no cars just horses and little wagons. The people looked like they hadn’t seen new clothes in months. I was ecstatic when my mom had told me that we were only staying in this place for three days. The people and buildings in this town were memories that I will always remember.

       The whole trip to Mexico was coming to a close, and I still hadn’t found anything that I would really be willing to go back for. My mom told us that we would be making one more stop before we went back home. I had no idea she was talking about a beautiful place with an actual beach. We all had made it to Acapulco for the first time. The beaches were nice and clean and the waves were small and clear. The water was so clear you could see your feet underneath. The water was not so cold and it made us feel like we could be in there forever. This place was what I thought to be the highlight of our whole vacation.

       As we said goodbye to all my aunts and uncles that we had met for the first time, I started to realize that there was more meaning to this trip. The whole trip I was thinking negatively and not seeing things from my mom’s point of view. It wasn’t just for me and my sisters to enjoy ourselves but it was a chance for my mom to look back at her childhood. It made me feel proud to have experienced this moment with her. It has been 10 years since we have gone back and although my mom will probably never have the opportunity to go back, I made a promise to myself that I will try to go back with her. It is not the place that we will be holding on to, but rather the memories that those places contain that will always be a part of me.