How many times do you think you thank someone for what they have done for you? I think it is really important for us to let that someone know how much we appreciate it. I mentioned in one of my post about a Hispanic cab driver in New York City. It was my way to thank him for what he did; of course I did it face-to-face too. And here is another chance for me to appreciate their gestures. Yes, I am again talking about Hispanic people.
I never thought I would be able to have fun in the place like Silver City in New Mexico which is very close to US-Mexico border. This is a place where the only good place to shop is Wal-Mart and few stores behind the Walgreens by Route 180. The city "city" close to this town would be El Paso, Texas (2.5-3 hrs drive towards South East) and Tucson, AZ (3-4 hrs drive towards West). The downtown here is barely a street but to my surprise there were some good restaurants like Diane's and Isaac's; a coffee shop, the interior of which reminded me of the old civilization and a bakery called Diane's Bakery, which would give you the best cakes (of course in the town).
I don't need to tell you that this place is full of Hispanic people because of its proximity to Mexico. It was an altogether different experience to be here. It's amazing to see and analyze the difference in different cultures. It was hard for me to accept the fact that his is how the Hispanic culture is and people are.
The Culture:
Although I could not get as close to understanding the culture as I would like to but I still tried to get hold of it barely. I was working mostly with Hispanic people and I was in a room with three other ladies of the same culture. I am someone who would like to make the best use of time especially by learning new things and this time it was “culture”. They have a different perspective about life and how they want to live it. The common thing was the bond between the family members. But they had a different perspective about marriage and having kids. They get married twice in Mexico, in a civil way where they get married in front of the judge and in Church, in front of the Minister. If you do not get married in Church the marriage is not considered valid. The children go their own way even though the parents are strict and most of the females are ending up being single mothers. And it was a shock to me that they were so cool about the fact.
The People:
They all like to eat and eat well and a lot. They make some amazing guacamole and salsa and I did get some recipes from them. The people are care free too. They believe in enjoying every bit of the life and they are satisfied with whatever they have and where ever they are. They live close knit with their families. I have seen people staying with their families even after getting married unless they have to move out because of work.
My Experience:
I got a chance to hang out with the people here and I made some really good friends. They made sure that I could get to see in and around the area. I got a chance to go with the ladies I was working with and their family to Catwalk, a walking trail on a mountain 1.5 hour away from the city. Yes, it was me who badly wanted to do something over the weekend and I pulled the ladies into my plan and they made it a wonderful day by having their better halves with them and doing a barbeque in Catwalk. The walk through the mountain was tiring and full of fun, adventure and water. They made sure that I am enjoying to the fullest and did not make me feel even a bit, out of place.
Who would do so much for you just so you can have fun and enjoy. I like horses and would as much enjoy horseback riding as driving. So considering my interest in horseback riding, my new Hispanic friend asked one of her friends if we could do horseback riding on their horse. The owners were really nice people and came in their SUV with all the gadgets to deck up the horse back to make us able to sit and ride. Honestly, I could not understand the name of any of them. It was like a tongue twister for me so I asked them to give me easier version of their name.
I was standing there watching them put all the stuff on the horse, looked around and realized what a simple life they are living, away from the rush of the big city and close to the nature. So close to the nature and reality of life and existence of this very way of living, that I could not stop feeling nostalgic. I could see a part of “My Country” here, the part that carries a lot of significance yet unnoticed and unappreciated by most of the Indians, a part which is made up by the people who almost do every possible thing to grow in their farms, living away from big cities, living away from the life that is just the reflection of our imagination and our selfish behavior, the part that we call village but that’s where we learn the real meaning of the life that started thousands and thousands of years ago.
I would like to thank these people who made me realize that judging someone by their caste, color and culture is least we could do to human kind. We should not misjudge someone, if we cannot judge them right.
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