Hola amigos y amigas!
My little sister just turned 5 on Monday. Crazy how time flies, am I right? Well my mother had been planning a trip down to Disney for about 2 years now (talk about planning ahead…), so I figured I would save up some money and meet them there. We had a wonderful time, despite the fact that 80 degrees mixed with humidity made us feel like our faces were going to melt off. And children crying all day.
On Disney’s California Adventure side, I overheard a certain familiar sound. Something from my childhood. Down on Paradise Pier, there stood five radiant women in black and purple Charros. It knocked me out in the best way. Here stood a women Mariachi band. My life was complete.
Growing up in two homes, you have a lot of different cultures you dip into. My mother’s side of the family have a very American culture (if you understand what I mean); Mac and Cheese was our go-to food, and every celebration we had was a very standard-American tradition. However, my dad’s side was a whole new world. Not only was he and all of his family from Argentina, but his girlfriend’s family was from Mexico. You can’t imagine how crazy it was when the World Cup was playing and Argentina and Mexico played. My mother’s house and father’s house were nothing a like.
So, living in my father’s house, with a Mexican girlfriend, was always interesting. Beans and Rice was in every meal (including breakfast, and even if dinner was mashed potatoes), and Alejandro Fernandez was almost always playing downstairs while she would clean the floors. One year for her birthday, my dad asked his friend to bring his Mariachi band TO THE HOUSE and play just for her. I couldn’t hear straight for days, but it was a wonderful experience.
Going to the Happiest Place on Earth and seeing the Latin side of me perk up when these five radiant senoritas come out and play one of the most popular songs to play, Jesusita en Chihuahua, was one of the greatest feelings I’ve had since I was a child. Thank you, Disney, for making memories for everyone, including me.
