This is where I live: Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.

The home of the Carne Asada

With awful politicians

With two of the best soccer aficiones  in Mexico

And, yes, I will brag about this:

This is the kind of sunsets we have.

Home of the people with double standards, and with the most inequality in Mexico; while we have children who are starving or don’t go to school, on one side, on the other, we have the richest people in all Latin America.

But, at the end of the day, that socially little rancho, is my home. People in Mexico make fun of us because “We’re cowboys” or “Too American from Texas”, but in reality, we are amazing people. We all have our hearts in the right place! Thing is that, our culture, has dictated a “Regio way of living” that is just not cool. I believe that we’re trying to get equality balanced between conservative and open minded people, and that we’re facing a huge generational transition, when it comes to the values of our city.

I am afraid to go back. My friend Arturo (Atlas Corps alumni) told me: “It’s a shock, but then, you see the Rancho with other eyes, and you go like: Yeah, this is my home”.  And I completely feel that; I see it happening to me too. But I guess, I’m battling in between two different stories.

1.- I will go back, it’s actually going to  help me settle down,  finish solving my personal matters, spend holidays with my family, and then move on to bigger things. I get to start my life from scratch, because I know that, nothing is the way I left it. I can have new friends! I can hang out more with people who are aligned to who I am and what I want in life, now.

2.- I know that I will be facing a MAJOR reverse cultural shock,  after DC and California…I know that I will have to go back, and keep my chill, and not get into fights, because I’m calling out people for being racist, homophobic, sexists, classists, or too religious to the point that they deny my freedom; also, my ex-girlfriend lives there; and I’m pretty sure, that I won’t be surrounded by the diversity that I have, here in DC.

Right now, I’m still trying to get my head wrap around these 2 ideas; hoping that I will be able to reconnect with my city, in the best possible way. I’m also excited because, going back, means that I get to fall in love with my city, again -like a diplomat-, and then hop in an airplane, and continue my journey through this world. I also feel excited to go back, because I will be in my comfort zone -My house- , again; and I will get to experience Monterrey with a new perspective. It all changes, and maybe, I needed this change, so I can fight for the city that I want, in the future.

All the rights of these photos belong to:
Eleventy Monterrey
¿Cómo ser de Monterrey?