U.s. State Department Advisory

I was so thrilled that I finally got to see them after a decade as well as exploring the pueblo that I had distant memories of. When we landed in Mexico, my brother and I immediately received many looks from the people over there. At first, I didn’t really think much of it, but as the trip progressed, I realized that they were staring at us because we looked “too American.” I found it humorous actually because they thought we didn’t speak any Spanish. When I ordered my food, they expected me to speak English, but as soon as I started speaking Spanish, their eyes lit up in amazement. Every time I spoke an ounce of Spanish, my extended family was surprised. Pretty much everyone was surprised. While it’s sad that they would invalidate me as a Mexican since I was born in America, I know that there is no perfect way of being Mexican since each of us are mixed and come from different

I came to US during my 8th grade and that was a life changing moment in my life. It was first time traveling aboard and that also not for a trip but for to permanent settlement. I was nervous my whole time been in the plane that how I will cope up with new environment and with bunch of English speakers. I got more. When it came pilot call for, that it's time to land on the Detroit Airport, tighten your seatbelts and be relax. As soon as the plane landed on American soil, I knew that this was the place where I’d to start a new life. Even though I knew America is the “Land of Opportunity”, everything here seemed so strange to me, the streets, the language and the people that was my first time traveling abroad.

I grew up in a small town in the state of Michoacan, Mexico until a few weeks after my seventh birthday. In 2001, after six years since my father petitioned to have us come to the United States with him and finally he had received a letter from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that his request had been approved. Being of that age, I was my mother’s companion everywhere, however, all I could grasp from those conversations was that we were going to the United States. I don 't think any of us knew what this meant or to what extent this would change our lives, not even my parents whom I thought knew it all.

Despite my limited Spanish and her limited English, our conversation continued in Spanish for more than an hour. Jessica, her name I later found out, had lived in Peru her whole life and was on her way to Cusco. With the occasional pause and an intermittent language lesson or two, we covered everything from her career, my interests, her son sitting beside us, and our travel aspirations. It wasn’t until the plane began its descent that we noticed that the once barren landscape was now scattered with houses and woven by roads.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Truer words have never been spoken. Coming to America was my greatest adventure and my biggest fear. I had never traveled to a foreign country before. I was intrigued about the culture, the people, and the country itself. What will it be like? Will I be able to adjust to that pace of life? Will I make new friends? I would have to find answers with experience. Moving to another country meant starting a new life over again, in an unfamiliar place with strangers i have never met. Being the “new kid” is never comfortable.

The first time I set foot in Mexico was when I was four years old, with my uncle and cousins. We had gone to see the circus, but at that time my parents didn’t understand how important it was for me to have a

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the United States military is estimated to contain around 1.4 million active duty personnel. Even in times of peace, having a strong force ready to protect the U.S and its citizens makes living in the U.S better than it already is because we don’t have to worry about being bombed or invaded. But, when the United States takes on a larger operation, the military may need more help. Backup might be needed, so the military may need to call up more forces. In a major conflict, the United States may even set up the draft, requesting soldiers from the civilian population. The idea of the draft has been around since ancient times. The United States has enforced many different draft systems to fill its

What else do you need to know as you look ahead to your Mexican escape?

The United States Department of State classifies 58 different organizations as foreign terrorist organizations (US DOS). Of those 58 FTOs only one is located in South America, and none are located in Mexico. Despite the lack of official FTOs in Mexico, non-state violence is at an all-time high and the country is more dangerous than ever. This is because of the presence and prevalence of drug cartels throughout the country. These drug cartels employ violent tactics as part of their drug trafficking network. But these cartels are more than just criminal organizations. The scope of the violence, the fear they instill in the population, and the influence they have on policy shows that these organizations should be considered as more than petty criminals trying to make money. While economic gain remains one of the main goals of these groups, there is much that falls under the umbrella of terrorism.

I was so flustered; I had no idea what was going on. Everyone was asking me about my dress, I was getting instructions, my mother was teaching me how I should stand and smile for the pictures, my aunt was muttering in the back talking about what she was going to do with my hair. I hadn’t even been in the country for two hours and instead of a cordial hello, I was getting asked about my Quinceañera.

Finally, as my trip to Mexico came to an end I realized that I wasn’t going to be who I was before. This experience had changed me for the better. I learned so much from everything there; it truly was a learning experience I would never forget. One cannot simply be exposed to so much and remain the same. Sadly, being so naïve about where I was born and being influenced by the way other people looked at Mexico and its people made me ashamed at one point of who I was. I would try to change as much about myself as possible just to fit in. I dreaded the color of my skin and grew to despise the blood that ran through my veins. Where I grew up I was always the elephant in the room and I hated it. However; I learned to celebrate my differences and

“It's time to go”, said my mom. My stomach was churning and anxiety was running through my veins. Today was the day! It was the time to start a mountainous trek to the Mayan city, Machu Picchu. We had signed up for a four-day trek through the Andes Mountains to get to the lost city of Machu Picchu. We started the trek in the city of Cuzco. We were not allowed to go by ourselves up the mountain, so we had to go with a group of people and a tour guide. We would stay with the group for the four days of the trek and would go where they would go. We had porters who would help carry our belongings to each campsite. As we started the trek on the first day, it started to rain. I wore my rain jacket and kept on going. By the time I got to the three-mile mark my legs were hurting and I wanted to sit down. I knew I had to keep going. Finally, after 2 hours I saw the campsite. I washed my hands and ate dinner. After a long day of hiking, we went to bed.

Waiting in the line to cross the border I started thinking about how long it had been since I had been Mexico. This part of Mexico isn’t where I’m from, but I can’t help but be remembered of what my life used to be when I did live in Mexico.

“Don’t make any noise unless you want to get caught!” whispered El Coyote. We were inside a small van all squished and laid flat so that border patrol won’t see us. I tried not to breathe due to the tension and adrenaline I was feeling at the moment. However, I felt my heart pumping so rapidly and so loud, if I were at a concert right now, my heart would have been louder than the music and the people combined. Suddenly, we were dumped out in a vast field filled with tall dry grass and only a couple of trees. Immediately, we started traveling by foot at around 12 in the morning, looking towards the future and forgetting about the past. Since we are traveling through a tall grassy area, it would be easy to camouflage or hide in between the grass. “We are now in American Territory,” stated El Coyote, but that didn’t seem to soothe anyone since we knew we knew we were in even more risks. After about 30 minutes of walking, everyone was exhausted, even El Coyote, since most of the trail had been constantly up and down, and there was still no sign of a small Pueblo or town or anything. All of a sudden we spotted a light ahead, and as soon as our hopes were started to go up, they quickly plunged to the floor because they were not street lights as we thought; it was the border patrol! As we started to make a run towards some mountain up above, things got worse since we were being followed by a helicopter now, flashing its light directly at us. As we started our way up, the border

This event caused an enormous fuss at the airport, and I could feel the heat of my red face boiling of shame for being the center of attention at that moment. Once the clutter of the corrupt employee quieted down, I went to check my luggage. Although the line was not so long, it took an eternity for me to receive assistance, since the only two clerks available at the time for that function had a lively talk and did not appear to be in any hurry to attend the line of impatient travelers. Finally, my turn came! The young woman took my documentation with such slow movements that her arms gave the impression of having five-pound weights attached to each hand, and then she asked me to put my luggage on a digital scale to my side. I did not have much in my suitcase, only clothes for a week, a couple of family photos, and a small, fluffy, pink bag with my makeup, body lotions, and my favorite perfume that smelled like the ocean in Hawaii impregnated with the exotic fragrance of the Plumerias. Since everything was in order with the weight, they tagged my luggage and put it on the baggage belt while my eyes followed it until it disappeared behind the curtains.