First Mother-Daughter Vacation
Last year, my mom and I took our very first trip together as mother and daughter. Destination? Mexico City. My mom and dad were both born and raised in rural Mexico and me and my siblings spent most of our childhood summers there with my grandparents. Mexico City was the place you did not go to because it was dangerous. Perhaps back in the 80s and 90s that was true, and the legend endured until present day. After seeing current photos and videos of the city, I decided I wanted to take the risk and go see for myself. Flights were inexpensive and I convinced my mom that we would be okay. My mom came with a plan for her purse and an escape route (just in case). She passed those fears onto me and I began to waver in my certainty that we'd be okay. I can't say I fault her. She grew up her entire life being told that Mexico City was equivalent to El Cucuy, and you don't outgrow that quickly.
What we were met with was nothing like those images we'd seen on TV or the stories we'd heard growing up in Mexico and the United States. Instead, we were welcomed with open arms and met with a city that was thriving and beautiful. Everywhere I looked, there was an opportunity for a photograph. We spoke our native language, learned about our Indigenous roots, and basked in a life that could have been. We had coffee in the cool mornings with our pan dulce and drank freshly squeezed fruit juices. In the late afternoons we enjoy the cool breeze and the smell of the daily rain hitting the pavement. We marveled at the giant monsteras that grew like vines and the bougainvillea that hugged the colorful homes around us, just like the kind my grandma used to have. All the while, I snapped photos of everything I could. At this point, I only had my iPhone with me so I captured what I could without any fancy lenses or settings.
The farmers markets that take place on Sundays were nothing short of spectacular. We both mourned over the fact that we could not take any of it with us and that we didn't live somewhere that had such easy access to such amazing, fresh produce. People were kind and let us sample their weirs as we apologized for the fact that we couldn't buy anything.
Mexico City was not the place we were taught about growing up. It was a dream and somewhere I would live if I had the opportunity. Soon I will seek my dual citizenship and perhaps it'll be something I can do in the future with my tiny family. No matter what, I'll always have the memories and the photos to go along with them.
