Thursday, March 22, 2007

From Behind the Camera, To Grandmother's House We Go!

I crossed into Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, riding in the captain seat of a blue minivan, crunching the remnants of a month’s worth of snacks beneath my feet, which were no doubt used to keep a car full of kids happy. There were toys strewn from front to back, and a Disney movie blaring from the drop-down screen in front. It was a scene from any other family road trip, but this trip I was going with the Rueda family to visit their grandmother. Most of us go to Grandma’s for a big, hot meal and an onslaught of hugs and kisses. But for little Athena and Amelia Rueda, they have to pass through a checkpoint run by border patrol and present their passports just to see their Abuelita.
Driving through Juarez was just what I thought it would be, but that didn’t help to alleviate the surprise of seeing it firsthand. Tortillerias are on every corner, dogs run through the streets. I saw kids walking down the sidewalks, no parents in sight. People walked just feet in front of moving cars expecting the driver to always notice. And let me just say, we have such a thing as “defensive driving” in the U.S. In Mexico? Oh no, no. There is no such thing as defense on the roads. Driving is very much an activity for those who like to play offense. Colorful dress shops and roadside stands selling flautas and Coca-Cola flew by one after the other. And for every brightly-painted Mom and Pop shop there was a Burger King or even and Applebee’s. The city was definitely a hybrid of Mexican and American culture. So were my thoughts at that point, too. What would “Abuelita’s” house be like? Would it be a safe neighborhood? Would I be able to understand what they were saying? Let’s hope the ‘ole Spanish minor would pay off.
Once we arrived, I felt dumb for even worrying about those things. Yes, there was a barred gate separating the street from the front door and the token dog panting like crazy out front. But once I saw Monica greet her mom and Athena and Amelia be swung up onto their Abuelita’s hips, I knew this family was just like any other. It was a pretty standard visit to Grandma’s: big family dinner and laughing around the table long after the meal was over. Sisters and cousins stopped by for leftovers and joined in the storytelling. They poked fun at each other and every now and then gave the obligatory eye roll to their mother.
I realized that this family was just like any other. They ate tacos and chile colorado at family gatherings rather than hotdogs and hamburgers, but when you get right down to it, they’re the same as you and me. They laugh, argue, and cram in as many hugs as they can when they say their goodbyes.
I went to Juarez looking for the differences in this Mexican-American family compared to American families, but I found more similarities than anything. I left realizing that languages may vary and cultures may collide, but there are certain innate human characteristics that transcend even the most highly-guarded international borders.
That’s what I learned from behind the camera on Wednesday, March 21, 2007.

(By the way, the Spanish minor did pay off. Mom and Dad should be proud!)

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