While my experiences have been dull, there is one I recall vividly. There have always been ups and downs in my life but this one tops the cake. We will have to go back a couple of years to relive that, specifically 10 years. Learning to appreciate the things we have is not only important but essential. Things, time, life, none of these are guaranteed.
I only have one week left here, and although I have enjoyed the company of my grandparents, I cannot wait to get back home. A month of no internet, all I had was mountains, grass, animals. Who am I kidding, I have had family around me everywhere and that is what is most valuable. The quality of the air was very noticeable the minute I got here; it most certainly beats the city by a mile. I really miss Mom and Dad though, 1 more week and I will be back on that plane flying to the airport, taking the car home and straight into the comfort of my room. Yes, that sounds better, more convincing.
6 more days, that is all that is left. I got stung by a bee for the first time and fell in cow shit. The highlights of my day. My little brother laughing at me crying about my sting and how I fell only made it better. Luckily for him, this trip has been smooth sailing for him. Yes, he has been bored from his mind sometimes, but he has not gotten a single mosquito bite, I on the other hand have felt those insects every day. I am slowly starting to resent the place my parents grew up in and to be frank, I do not want to come back here again. Just 6 more days and I will be watching YouTube and eating my favorite meal from Mcdonald’s.
5 days left until I am in the good ole USA. Today has been better than usual. I spent the day with my uncle learning how to ride a horse. Or was it a mule? They were both the same to me, it had four legs so close enough. Getting back to my grandparents’ home and finding my brother playing with our cousin, my grandmother in the kitchen cooking. It is indeed a chill day. Do not get the wrong idea, I love my grandparents, my family there, but I do not know how I would be able to live there year long. A month alone felt like a year. I am glad my parents moved to the United States. “Hey, I’ll take you to go play some football tomorrow, how does that sound?.” That is what my uncle asked me as he left. Personally, I will never turn down the opportunity to play. Football as in soccer by the way, I was not in the United States. But I will be soon, 5 more days.
4 more days until I wake up at four in the morning, having to wait in the long TSA line. 4 more days until I face my fear of planes again. You know what, staying here did not sound all that bad anymore. It was raining extremely hard last night, more than I have ever seen. The lightning striking down as if it were right next door, the deafening thunder, I would not be surprised if it blew this entire house away. How is anyone sleeping through this? Me and my brother have been sharing a bed this whole month and to my surprise he was sound asleep. He is crazy. That morning, the roads were muddy but somehow still drivable. My grandfather went to his ranch to check on his animals with my uncle to make sure they were all safe. I have not gone back there since that bee sting and did not plan too. I did something better. I spent that whole afternoon asking question after question about my family, how they were able to live in these conditions all these years. I never put much thought as to why my family had moved to the United States, leaving everything behind. All this time I have been acting like a spoiled kid who felt like he needed every unessential “necessity.” I have been ignoring all the factors of what it is like to live in a rural community in Mexico. It is built on a foundation of hard work. That explains my grandfather’s willingness to go out in those terrible conditions to check on his animals. His livestock. I guess you can say I had a moment of revelation. Suddenly that month went from feeling like a year to one week. Maybe I’m saying that because I only had 4 days left here but suddenly, I found myself reflecting on the past month and quickly called my mom and dad to tell them what I had realized. To thank them.
It was my last day in the place where my parents were born and raised. Tomorrow I will be heading to Mexico City to spend the last 2 days before heading back home. A four-hour drive from here to there. My uncle kept his promise of taking me to football which could not be fulfilled yesterday due to the weather. My brother stayed back with my grandparents as he could not be bothered to go. He is only 7 so that makes sense. I could not wait to be goalkeeper, I felt as if no shot would be able to get past me. Nothing was going to get past me. We lost 6-0. But it was fun, we had a great laugh, great time. I would not have spent it any other way. After our team paid their bet which was a 3 liter of Coca-Cola, it was time to head out as the long-awaited night had come. It no longer felt long awaited, and I learned to appreciate my time there. In fact, I wanted to stay longer. But that time had come. My other uncle offered us a ride back which was well needed. My uncle, who lived close by, went walking home. I never get to ride shotgun back at home but here, it is the only place I sit. I could get used to this. My uncle stopped by the store to get some milk and other things, but I was ready to get back to my grandparents. As we got back into the car, the music played for a good 5 seconds and then stopped. Suddenly we found ourselves speeding down the hill, heading towards the edge of the mountain. Heading toward a 100 feet drop. This is it as I duck and curl into my seat.
“Where am I?” It is my first thought as I lay in an uncomfortable position. I heard my name repeated repeatedly; it was my uncle calling me to get me out of the car. My first thought was to jump out of the driver’s window which was facing up. I remember seeing those movies where the cars explode after a crash, I am not going to get caught in one as well. All I did was end up bruising my ass. Somehow my uncle managed to crash the car into the side of a hill preventing a nosedive which certainly meant death. Aside from my ass being bruised and the headache, I had no injuries. Neither did my uncle. This is not how I imagined my last day here would go but all I could do is laugh it off. The car had malfunctioned to my luck. Sums up the luck I had this whole month. Aside from that, it was certainly a trip I needed and enjoyed.
10 years later I have been there three more times, visiting my grandparents. Enjoying life there, the land of my roots. My uncle, who I spent the most time with, is no longer with us but the memories made from my visits were unforgettable and I was grateful for the times he gave me. Looking back, I realize it was more than just a mere trip, it was a lesson.