Its Saturday evening now in the barrio. The entire neighborhood went silent at 5:00 PM when everyone went to mass. Its now 7:45 and the area has literally sprung back to life with the setting sun. I can smell food cooking and people young and old are strolling the streets for the sheer joy of being out and together. Mariachi music fills the air from every yard where families relax and enjoy the cool evening air. The men next door are singing while one of them plays the accordion expertly. Street vendors with push carts and jangly bells are making their way along the alley selling fresh made tamales, menudo, sweet bread and a variety of other Mexican specialties. Just now my neighbor Juan came over to meet me. He welcomed me to the neighborhood and told me Id have no problems here. Mr. Juan is an older gentleman, dressed in polished cowboy boots and a starched white cowboy shirt with hand stitched embroidery. The pale shirt makes his hard, tan face appear like weather-worn leather. He couldnt emphasize enough that Americans are welcome here. The cumulative experience of this day and evening make me feel that my homecoming in yet another foreign land is almost complete. :-)
Posted on: Sun, 17 Aug 2014 03:08:57 +0000