Michoacan--Tatiana

During winter break I had the opportunity to travel for the first time by plane. My dad
needed to go to Michoacan to see and clean the property that my parents have there and to try and sell it since we hardly ever visit, but there were going to be parties and so my dad asked me if I wanted to tag along. I have heard stories of what it’s like and have seen the videos of weddings, Quinceaneras and religious celebrations but I wanted to live it and find out for myself what it was really like. So, of course, I said yes. I had been wanting to go visit where my mom is from for years and years so I was excited to finally get to experience it. Last minute, my mom and my aunt came with us and I was really happy because my aunt is familiar with the town so she could show us around and it was also my moms first time back since she came to America when she was 5 years old. We got off the plane and had to get a taxi to travel to the little town of Villa Mendoza, Michoacan. I was half asleep since we traveled at night but I still felt the cold air hit my face. We walked in and everything looked old. It was full of pictures of my aunt and uncle when they were younger. The tiles looked rusted and some were loose. Everything was covered in plastic to protect them while there's no one home. I was a bit afraid of going to sleep in the bed so I had to check for bugs and scorpions just to be sure I wouldn't be cuddling with one at night. The next morning, I woke up to a house full of visitors. I didn’t know anyone but somehow, everyone knew me. I was bombarded with “Wow you’re so grown”, “You’re so pretty, you look just like your mom” and so on and so on. I met all my aunts, uncles and cousins and soon they left so we could get settled into my aunt’s house. After all our things were unpacked and we got ready, I wanted to walk around and see the town. It was crazy to see how different things are compared to Rancho Cucamonga. As I looked around, I saw the small, cozy houses made of mud and cow manure, the old ladies looking out their door to see what is going on, the many sheep and cows that were in people’s backyard and seeing all the men gathered around the only liquor store there drinking and listening to music. We walked back home to eat and to my surprise we were going to have chicken soup for dinner with a freshly killed chicken, which was completely normal to everyone. To me this sounded gross and gave me the chills but we had no other food so I had to eat it. Not gonna lie though, it was the best chicken soup I've had. That night there was a Quinceanera being held at the plaza. We didn't know who the birthday girl was but we knew some family that was going. When I go to the church plaza, I was in awe. Everything was decorated so nicely and there was a legit professional stage set up the night before for the live music that would be playing. To me that was the best part because I love the Mexican Banda and corridos. Everyone was dancing and having a good time. We watched the traditional Quinceanera events go one like the father daughter dance, the surprise dance, the last doll, etc. Even when we got to my aunts house we could still hear the music playing. It was a long night so we went to bed. The next day we went to the nearest city of Purepero which was only 5 minutes away. Getting there was scary because the streets are so narrow and there was people walking everywhere. At the plaza there was a bunch of little shops set up where they sold everything from candy to kitchen supplies. Once walking around my mom, my dad and I sat on an old rusty bench to eat. There was when it hit me. Life was so different there. Everything was so simple but yet they were still happy. They didn't have many of the luxuries that we get to enjoy but they were great fun for everything they did have and didn't complain about a thing. There was absolutely no wifi in Villa Mendoza, no cable, no land lines, and they were lucky if

they had a radio at home. Their form of entertainment was going outside and visiting family, going to a party and dancing or going to tend their animals in hopes of selling them or getting a good meal. Of course this is a lifestyle that takes some getting used to but who would prefer the life there over the life in the U.S.? I would.