My abuelita, or grandmother, grew up in a community that, although technically on the American side of the border, felt a lot more like Mexico. Living in the borderlands gave me an appreciation for how a strong cultural identity can transport you to a totally different life, even in the space of just a few miles.
My mom, who is not Mexican, grew up traveling a lot. Her father, whom I called Pawpaw, served in the military which meant that my mom lived on a military base in Germany for many years before her family moved back to the USA. My mom went to high school in El Paso, Texas, but her memories and stories from her childhood are mostly about what it was like to live in Germany. We unfortunately did not travel much when I was a kid, so when my mom showed us pictures of her 5th grade field trip to castles around Europe or told us about the time she took a train with her middle school best friend from Germany to France all by themselves, I could hardly believe her! Her storytelling really inspired me and I knew that as soon as I was able, I would travel the world.
La ciudad de Oaxaca is not what Mexicans call a pueblo magîco, which we will definitely talk about, but it is a place where you will learn the importance of indigenous culture and identity, the flavors of delicious foods only found in Oaxaca, but celebrated around the world and hopefully, we can all share some stories about different cultures that inspire us to leave home in search of big adventures.
