This past weekend I finally went to visit my grandma in Mexicali. It had been at least a year since I had gone to see her. Has it really been that long? Man time flies. My grandmother is always SO happy to see us. As soon as I walk into the door she says, "Joannita!" and gives me a big hug and tells me how much she's missed me. She usually squeezes my chunky arms and tells me how pretty I am. Who doesn't love to visit grandma?
My grandpa passed away 2 years ago this summer and my grandma gets so lonely being home alone by herself. I don't know if I just never noticed when I was younger or things have really turned left in Mexico. My grandma gets too scared being home alone and usually goes to sleep with one of my aunts. Even I was a little worried at night time.
The day I got there, my grandma greeted me with everyone's favorite thing... her home made frijoles and tortillas. I mean, heaven on earth. She loves to cook for her grandkids. She's usually in the kitchen making something and it's always the most delicious thing ever. I swear even her spaghetti is the best I've ever tasted. I'm convinced she puts a little magic in all of her foods.
This is the holy grail....wait for it....
TADA!! (insert fire work sounds) When we used to go to grandma's house we would hurry and give her a kiss and a hug and run to this container. I mean, we had to hurry up and beat Joel to it because he would devour (and still does) all of grandma's tortillas. It's as if the kid doesn't even breath while he's eating. Take a chill pill, Joel. Leave us some.
But seriously, what does she put in those beans?
My grandma loves me so much and is always showing us by waking up early and having breakfast ready for us to eat. Everyone who sleeps in her house wakes up to the sounds of the tortilla stick hitting the table. My mom says that when they were little the tortillas wouldn't even make it into the container. They would snatch them up while they were nice and hot.
My mom tells me of stories of when they were little and had nothing to eat. She said one time there was nothing in the house and the lady in front came over with a basket full of food (definitely a miracle) That was the only thing they had to eat. My mom says that looking back she realized all the times my grandma skipped a meal and let her kids eat first. Gulp! A mother's love, I'm telling ya.
The next day after breakfast she said she wanted to go to the 'sobre ruedas'. I really didn't know what it was and then I realized that's where she gets her food and supplies.
I was kinda sad to see the quality of the food there. I refuse to be ungrateful for every little thing that I have. Even clean grocery stores. But look at her, so happy. And she's probably going to make the most delicious salsa you've ever tasted out of those tomatoes :)
I thought it was so different that the lady was buying eggs with feathers still attached to them, what! Seriously, I'm too much of a germaphobe, I need to live in the country for a little while.
I gave my grandma money to pay for all her groceries and guess what she did? She bought food to make ME while I was there. She's so selfless, goodness I love my abuelita.
Every time I go to Mexico, I'm reminded of what my life could've been like had my parents not moved to California. I can't even imagine what my life would be like. I'm so incredibly blessed.
I saw a taco stand on the corner with tacos de Borrego, so tempting. It reminds me of visiting my family in Tijuana and my aunt going out to buy posole and we all would wake up to the smell of posole and menudo in the house. My family has so little but yet they always receive us with delicious food and so much love.
I asked my grandma if we could go to the tortilla factory a couple of blocks down. I LOVE the corn tortillas here. They are so soft and warm still out of the machine. They are the best ever. I'm so sad I forgot them but it's okay because they stayed at grandma's house and I know a lot of hungry cousins who could use some tortillas with their beans :)
Another thing that you always find at grandma's house is dates in the middle of the table. The palm trees are always producing these nature's candies.
My uncles were always climbing these palm trees to get the dates.
Another thing that you always find at grandma's house is flowers! She definitely has a green thumb. She has the prettiest garden on the block. She loves watering her plants early in the morning. She's gets so worried if she's ever away because who's going to water her plants.
Apparently my mom got her this lemon tree for mother's day. She's excited to get some lemons. She said, take a picture of me by the tree :) The last lemon tree she had was so abundant. Hopefully this one does the same.
My grandma is so sweet. She loves to call us on our birthdays and play happy birthday to us on her harmonica. It's the best thing ever to wake up to in the morning. She loves to sing too. She's always doing the harmony. She's great at it too. Oh, and she LOVES poems. She will recite poems from when she was little. She says, I don't know how I can remember all of those poems and I can't even remember my kid's names, and then she laughs :)
This is her saying, take a picture of me by this flower, it's so pretty.
I love how loved we all feel as soon as we walk into grandma's house. There's no love like a grandmother's love.
Another thing you find at grandma's house, cats!
More of her garden. She takes such great care of every single plant.
Oh and this house to the right of grandma's house has always given me the creeps. Doesn't it look like a murderer lives there? I have never seen the man who lives there in my entire life of visiting, creepy.
My cousin moved to the left side of grandma's house. I think one my grandma's brothers used to own it. It's nice that my cousin can live next door and help her with anything she needs.
In front of grandma's house is one of my aunts. She usually goes over there to sleep during night time.
Most of my cousins were around my age growing up. I grew up with so many friends hanging out around grandma's house. The boys would usually play soccer in the drive way or we would hang out in the porch and sing songs and harmonize to each other with our guitars.
I swear my grandma can build a tree from a leaf. There's pots every where filled with little baby plants.
In the drive way is usually where we made a fire around Christmas time. The men usually hang out around the fire while the women hang out inside. This is also the place where we BBQ carne asada, or make pollo y papas al disco...mmm my mouth is watering
Loading up the pictures I realized I was having so much fun that I didn't even take any pictures when we went to my aunt's house and visited all of my cousins, woops! Even though I haven't visited in so long they get so excited and yell, "Joanna!" when I walk into the door. I have such a welcoming and loving family. On ALL sides, up down left right, I mean I am truly blessed with a loving family.
When I was leaving my grandma said, thank you so much for coming, it was nice being home and sleeping in my bed without being scared...man, crush my heart into pieces why don't you grandma. I definitely need to visit more. I loved the time I spent with her just talking and listening to all of her stories. I better document them some day for my children to know how amazing their Abuelita Neni was.
