My First Trip To Mexico
By Idalia Maldonado
Leaving the U.S.
My family moved to the U.S. in the early 2000s and ever since then, they have yet to go back to Mexico. Last year in October, my mother received her permanent U.S. residency which gave her the ability to travel outside the United States without any issues. This was a last-minute trip yet the most memorable since my mom had not seen many of her family members in over 20 years! A month later my mom, boyfriend, and I packed our suitcases and headed to Mexico. After a tiring 8-hour drive we arrived at the U.S. and Mexico border. Upon arriving, we were immediately greeted by intimidating Mexican soldiers.
Arriving at the Mexico border (Maldonado).
The first American restauraunt I saw in Mexico (Maldonado).
After crossing
We spent around 2 hours at the border figuring out how to get a permit for our car to cross states. After we resolved our issues we finally arrived at the city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. When we were driving around I noticed how different everything looked. There were no lanes on the road and everyone kind of made their own. The building structures were vastly different than in the U.S. What surprised me the most was seeing a Wingstop, The Home Depot, and a Starbucks. I unfortunately was not able to try any of their food to compare to the U.S. restaurants.
A pretty view of the Mexican flag on top of The Home Depot (Maldonado).
Leaving Matamors.
After spending the night in Matamoros, we continued our trip driving to Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas, which was a 5-hour drive. The views were gorgeous, with nothing but trees and mountains. During the drive, we had to drive through military checkpoints. At these checkpoints, every couple of cars someone is randomly stopped and inspected. They check all their luggage to ensure they are not carrying anything illegal. We were somehow lucky enough to never get randomly checked.
The scenic view during our drive to Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas (Maldonado).
Ciudad Mante, Tampaulipas
After what seemed forever we finally arrived at my parent's hometown. This was very thrilling because I was finally going to see the place where my parents grew up. The first place we went to see was my mom's childhood home. It felt so strange finally seeing the place from all the stories I heard growing up.
"El Mante" sign welcoming us into the city (Maldonado).
My mom's childhood home, now a small shop (Maldonado).
Exploring the Town
We spent the rest of the day in Ciudad Mante exploring all the shops, fruit stands, and just looking at all the places my parents used to go to. All the streets were busy with many people walking around, which was so amazing to see because in the States there are not many walkable cities. We also went to go see the house my parents have been building for a couple of years now. My favorite part of this day was being able to get my favorite snack!
The beautiful mountains of Gomez Farias (Maldonado).
After crossing
On our last day we headed to the breathtaking city of Gomez Farias. Here we went to the town center and looked around the small shops they had and bought some souvenirs. While we were there my boyfriend and I rode bikes to this restaurant that was located next to this beautiful blue river. The food here was delicious. This city was the prettiest one we went to during this trip.
The clear blue river in Gomez Farias (Maldonado).
Honorable Mentions
A couple of ducks in someones front yard (Maldonado).
During this trip there were some furry and feathery icons that I just had to show. This trip was a very memorable and fun. I hope to go back again this summer for a longer time.
Adorable dog strutting down the street in her white shirt (Maldonado).
A fashion Icon showing off his red sweater (Maldonado).
Citations
Maldonado, Idalia. Arriving at the Mexico border. 16 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. The first American restauraunt I saw in Mexico. 16 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. A pretty view of the Mexican flag on top of The Home Depot. 16 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. The scenic view during our drive to Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas. 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. "El Mante" sign welcoming us into the city . 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. My mom's childhood home, now a small shop 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. Driving to "El Centro" . 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. The town center in Ciudad Mante . 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. My favorite Mexican snack, cucumber with chamoy and tajin. 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. My house in Mexico that is under construction. 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. A couple of ducks in someones front yard. 19 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. Adorable dog strutting down the street in her white shirt . 19 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. A fashion Icon showing off his red sweater. 19 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. The beautiful mountains of Gomez Farias. 19 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. The clear blue river in Gomez Farias. 19 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection.
Reflection...
This essay was very different from all my other essays. I believe this is my first ever visual essay. I think I was able to achieve my goal with this essay with my pictures. My goal for this essay was to tell a story of my trip to Mexico and to show everything I found interesting. All of the pictures I took reflect that goal. Some concerns I have with this essay are that there are some pictures I did not take that might leave some gaps in the story, I also think there was not enough detail to explain my pictures. Overall I enjoyed the process of this essay and hope to do more in the future.
Idalia Maldonado - My first trip to Mexico
Idalia Maldonado
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Transcript
My First Trip To Mexico
By Idalia Maldonado
Leaving the U.S.
My family moved to the U.S. in the early 2000s and ever since then, they have yet to go back to Mexico. Last year in October, my mother received her permanent U.S. residency which gave her the ability to travel outside the United States without any issues. This was a last-minute trip yet the most memorable since my mom had not seen many of her family members in over 20 years! A month later my mom, boyfriend, and I packed our suitcases and headed to Mexico. After a tiring 8-hour drive we arrived at the U.S. and Mexico border. Upon arriving, we were immediately greeted by intimidating Mexican soldiers.
Arriving at the Mexico border (Maldonado).
The first American restauraunt I saw in Mexico (Maldonado).
After crossing
We spent around 2 hours at the border figuring out how to get a permit for our car to cross states. After we resolved our issues we finally arrived at the city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. When we were driving around I noticed how different everything looked. There were no lanes on the road and everyone kind of made their own. The building structures were vastly different than in the U.S. What surprised me the most was seeing a Wingstop, The Home Depot, and a Starbucks. I unfortunately was not able to try any of their food to compare to the U.S. restaurants.
A pretty view of the Mexican flag on top of The Home Depot (Maldonado).
Leaving Matamors.
After spending the night in Matamoros, we continued our trip driving to Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas, which was a 5-hour drive. The views were gorgeous, with nothing but trees and mountains. During the drive, we had to drive through military checkpoints. At these checkpoints, every couple of cars someone is randomly stopped and inspected. They check all their luggage to ensure they are not carrying anything illegal. We were somehow lucky enough to never get randomly checked.
The scenic view during our drive to Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas (Maldonado).
Ciudad Mante, Tampaulipas
After what seemed forever we finally arrived at my parent's hometown. This was very thrilling because I was finally going to see the place where my parents grew up. The first place we went to see was my mom's childhood home. It felt so strange finally seeing the place from all the stories I heard growing up.
"El Mante" sign welcoming us into the city (Maldonado).
My mom's childhood home, now a small shop (Maldonado).
Exploring the Town
We spent the rest of the day in Ciudad Mante exploring all the shops, fruit stands, and just looking at all the places my parents used to go to. All the streets were busy with many people walking around, which was so amazing to see because in the States there are not many walkable cities. We also went to go see the house my parents have been building for a couple of years now. My favorite part of this day was being able to get my favorite snack!
The beautiful mountains of Gomez Farias (Maldonado).
After crossing
On our last day we headed to the breathtaking city of Gomez Farias. Here we went to the town center and looked around the small shops they had and bought some souvenirs. While we were there my boyfriend and I rode bikes to this restaurant that was located next to this beautiful blue river. The food here was delicious. This city was the prettiest one we went to during this trip.
The clear blue river in Gomez Farias (Maldonado).
Honorable Mentions
A couple of ducks in someones front yard (Maldonado).
During this trip there were some furry and feathery icons that I just had to show. This trip was a very memorable and fun. I hope to go back again this summer for a longer time.
Adorable dog strutting down the street in her white shirt (Maldonado).
A fashion Icon showing off his red sweater (Maldonado).
Citations
Maldonado, Idalia. Arriving at the Mexico border. 16 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. The first American restauraunt I saw in Mexico. 16 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. A pretty view of the Mexican flag on top of The Home Depot. 16 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. The scenic view during our drive to Ciudad Mante, Tamaulipas. 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. "El Mante" sign welcoming us into the city . 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. My mom's childhood home, now a small shop 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. Driving to "El Centro" . 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. The town center in Ciudad Mante . 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. My favorite Mexican snack, cucumber with chamoy and tajin. 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. My house in Mexico that is under construction. 17 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. A couple of ducks in someones front yard. 19 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. Adorable dog strutting down the street in her white shirt . 19 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. A fashion Icon showing off his red sweater. 19 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. The beautiful mountains of Gomez Farias. 19 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection. Maldonado, Idalia. The clear blue river in Gomez Farias. 19 Nov. 2023. Author's personal collection.
Reflection...
This essay was very different from all my other essays. I believe this is my first ever visual essay. I think I was able to achieve my goal with this essay with my pictures. My goal for this essay was to tell a story of my trip to Mexico and to show everything I found interesting. All of the pictures I took reflect that goal. Some concerns I have with this essay are that there are some pictures I did not take that might leave some gaps in the story, I also think there was not enough detail to explain my pictures. Overall I enjoyed the process of this essay and hope to do more in the future.