By Chad Martinez
I was only about 10 years old when my dad decided to take my brother and I to Mexico for the first time to meet some of my family members. While on this trip, I was able to meet my grandparents who had been the most eager to see us.
We arrived to Mexico City by plane and then took several taxis to the small town where my grandparents lived in. Their home was not close to big cities.
It was located a bit far from the larger cities, near a volcano. When I had first heard of this, I was afraid to go because I worried that the volcano would erupt. But then my uncles mentioned that it hadn’t been active for years, and this made me feel more safe and relaxed.
From a distance, I could see the house that my uncle had described they lived in. It was a brick house with two of small, wooden cabins around it. The house was located on a hill, which was pretty high up. As we came closer, I felt nervous and excited to meet my grandparents and uncles for the first time.
We were only a few steps away from the door now and I could see the warm tamales, crispy chicken and spicy sauces she had prepared for us. Once my father knocked, I remember hearing the excitement in my grandma’s voice as she said “I’m coming.” She knew we had arrived. She came out and greeted my dad and uncle, but once she saw my brother and I, she couldn’t help but shed tears of joy. My grandpa followed and hugged us as we came into their home.
Once we came in, we met one of my uncles that had been living with my grandparents to help them out and take care of them. After we all greeted each other, we all ate dinner and had extremely long conversations that lasted until midnight. I was exhausted after that long day.
We only stayed at their home for a few days because we wanted to visit other cities where more family members lived. This experience helped me learn a lot more about my parents’ home country. There was many things I learned about my family’s culture during my time there, but overall, I was happy that I was able to meet more of my family. I could never connect with them prior to our visit.
We were not able to go often to Mexico because we really only had summer break to do so, but this made trips to Mexico far apart from each other. We were not able to go to Mexico every summer but when we had a chance we took it.
I recently talked to my brother about what he thought of going to Mexico again to see our family again this summer.
“I would like to go to Mexico again to see them, I just hope it doesn’t get too hot over the summer,” he said.
Traveling to another country can be very mind opening because there is just so many new things to see that you probably have never seen. I was also able to meet a large portion of my family that lived in Mexico, and if I never went, I would’ve never met them. My brother also shared his thoughts on travel.
“I like to travel to Mexico because I feel more connected to my family’s culture and what their home was like when growing up. Everything seems different in Mexico, it is not like the US at all,” he said.
According nbcnews.com, it has been scientifically proven that travel positively impacts you. Larry Alton states, “Men who do not take an annual vacation show a 20 percent higher risk of death and 30 percent greater risk of heart disease.” Travel is not only able to help you relax but also stay mentally and physically healthy.
We hope to get a chance to visit our family in Mexico again this summer. Every time we go, it feels like we have learned something new about the country or my family. I think it's important to connect with all your family to get to know them better. There are many things you can learn about culture when traveling to another country and this can open your mind to more things.
We arrived to Mexico City by plane and then took several taxis to the small town where my grandparents lived in. Their home was not close to big cities.
It was located a bit far from the larger cities, near a volcano. When I had first heard of this, I was afraid to go because I worried that the volcano would erupt. But then my uncles mentioned that it hadn’t been active for years, and this made me feel more safe and relaxed.
From a distance, I could see the house that my uncle had described they lived in. It was a brick house with two of small, wooden cabins around it. The house was located on a hill, which was pretty high up. As we came closer, I felt nervous and excited to meet my grandparents and uncles for the first time.
We were only a few steps away from the door now and I could see the warm tamales, crispy chicken and spicy sauces she had prepared for us. Once my father knocked, I remember hearing the excitement in my grandma’s voice as she said “I’m coming.” She knew we had arrived. She came out and greeted my dad and uncle, but once she saw my brother and I, she couldn’t help but shed tears of joy. My grandpa followed and hugged us as we came into their home.
Once we came in, we met one of my uncles that had been living with my grandparents to help them out and take care of them. After we all greeted each other, we all ate dinner and had extremely long conversations that lasted until midnight. I was exhausted after that long day.
We only stayed at their home for a few days because we wanted to visit other cities where more family members lived. This experience helped me learn a lot more about my parents’ home country. There was many things I learned about my family’s culture during my time there, but overall, I was happy that I was able to meet more of my family. I could never connect with them prior to our visit.
We were not able to go often to Mexico because we really only had summer break to do so, but this made trips to Mexico far apart from each other. We were not able to go to Mexico every summer but when we had a chance we took it.
I recently talked to my brother about what he thought of going to Mexico again to see our family again this summer.
“I would like to go to Mexico again to see them, I just hope it doesn’t get too hot over the summer,” he said.
Traveling to another country can be very mind opening because there is just so many new things to see that you probably have never seen. I was also able to meet a large portion of my family that lived in Mexico, and if I never went, I would’ve never met them. My brother also shared his thoughts on travel.
“I like to travel to Mexico because I feel more connected to my family’s culture and what their home was like when growing up. Everything seems different in Mexico, it is not like the US at all,” he said.
According nbcnews.com, it has been scientifically proven that travel positively impacts you. Larry Alton states, “Men who do not take an annual vacation show a 20 percent higher risk of death and 30 percent greater risk of heart disease.” Travel is not only able to help you relax but also stay mentally and physically healthy.
We hope to get a chance to visit our family in Mexico again this summer. Every time we go, it feels like we have learned something new about the country or my family. I think it's important to connect with all your family to get to know them better. There are many things you can learn about culture when traveling to another country and this can open your mind to more things.