Personal Narrative: The Mexican Way

The place I grew up in could be considered above average. I had my friends that I would see every day and my family back at home. However, everything that any of us did would be over the top in every way possible. This became especially evident when my family and I would begin to plan a party or travel, this improvement of activities would be known as the “Mexican Way”. To be more specific, my family and I turned a normal New Year’s Eve party into a colorful and explosive fiesta. At first it seemed normal, we bought all the fireworks, started getting all the food ready for the party, and all my cousins and uncles started to arrive at my house; but as soon as it got dark everything started to get out of hand. As the first bottle rockets went
off, my cousins and I started to do something more adventurous. We started to light some shells, which is a type of firework with a long fuse that is put into a tube and shoots up into the sky and makes a colorful, huge explosion. Even though we almost burned down the neighbor’s tree, we had a wonderful time bonding as a family. After lighting the fireworks, we were so out of breath and still laughing about the disaster that almost occurred, we decided to head towards the kitchen. We were astonished by the amount of tamales, chiles rellenos, and tostadas that were prepared when we were outside. This is one of the few traditions as family that I love to experience every year. To see most of my family having fun, while they also enjoy the amazing food made me realize that interacting with people is important. This experience has helped me become more social and humble. Once I returned to school, I began to open up to my classmates and I started to have a deeper appreciation for what I have in my life. In closing, living in my town I have come to realize that celebrating traditions with my family is something that should be cherished and enjoyed to the highest capacity. I hope to continue these values and share them with a family of my own.