I want to introduce you to a different side of life. In this blog I am going to take you beyond the monotony of living in Tucson, Arizona, and reveal the beautiful and unique sides of the Old Pueblo that have been brought here by our Mexican neighbors, and have become an integral part of what it means to be a Tucsonan.
My relationship with Tucson has been what you might describe as a "love-hate" relationship for the 24 years I've lived here. In my teen years I was itching to leave this city and head somewhere more exotic; preferably overseas, and preferably somewhere with some rain and grass. In the coming years I flew off to Ireland, lived in England for a few months, visited the entire UK, Italy and Croatia.
I think that most people who travel learn to appreciate what makes a city or country special. I started coming up with key words to explain my feelings for various places I'd visited. York, England is "charming." Scotland feels "jolly." Croatia is "intriguing," and the list goes on. But what I find fascinating is that my long-time "hate relationship" with Tucson began to change the more I traveled. The more I saw what made some of the most famous cities in the world unique and wonderful, the more I began to appreciate the "spice" of Tucson.
Tucsonans have the privilege of living in America while also experiencing some of the most beautiful and interesting parts of Mexican culture. The merging of our two cultures has left a mark on Tucson that makes this city a place I will always be happy to come home to. In this blog I aim to explore and understand some of the things we have borrowed from Mexico that make Tucson the "spicy" little town it is today.
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Interesting sites for the week:
Maybe I've just been in the dark, but did you know Tucson has a "sister-cities" program going on with Mexico (and 5 other countries) to encourage peace and understanding between our countries? Visit the Sister Cities Web Site (a bit out of date) or the Volunteer Solutions Web Site for more information about this program.
