Mi Hometown
Sometimes it takes some distancing yourself from something you’ve taken for granted to realize how great it really is.
This was my experience with the town I grew up in. It probably is for lots of people who fantasize about leaving and “finding yourself” and then realizing that who you are is completely shaped by where you come from. I think, though, that being born and raised in a border town is a cultural experience unlike any other.
“Ni de aquí, ni de allá”. It’s the bittersweet identity crisis of countless 1st generation Latinos in the US. As confusing and frustrating as being a daughter of immigrants can be, I wouldn’t trade my culture and upbringing for the world. And frankly, I always knew being Hispanic meant being a minority, but I never felt the impact of that until I moved out of Laredo. In Laredo, being Mexican-American is the norm. Speaking two languages interchangeably is the norm. Chips and salsa being served as an appetizer at your favorite sushi restaurant is the norm.
Once I moved out of Laredo for college, I suddenly found myself surrounded by people of so many different backgrounds, cultures, and ways of thinking. I realized that border towns are truly unique places that teeter on the edge of two worlds and combine the best aspects of each. Every time I go back and visit Laredo now, there’s new places to visit, more art being appreciated, restaurants of all kinds opening up, more people speaking up about what matters to them. My generation is one that has grown up more connected to the rest of the world than ever, thanks to technology, and that globalization is now shaping Laredo in ways I never dreamed possible.
I am so appreciative of my hometown, the wonderful people and experiences in it that have made me the person I am today, the things about it that make you laugh and say “nunca cambies, Laredo”, and the many ways in which it’s now changing for the better. I truly believe that I lucked out being born in the town in which I did, but there is something to be said about appreciating the place that you’re from. I’ve been living in Austin for almost 6 years now - wow, time really flies by, huh? I’m starting to feel like a real Austinite now (although I know I never will be a “true” Austinite by some people’s standards) and it’s a weird feeling to have to pause for a second at the question “Where are you from?”. Soy de aqui, y de alla. I’m from Laredo, I’m from Austin, I’m from Texas, I’m from Mexico, I’m from the places my family traveled to get me to where I am today, and I am from all the places that my life will take me.