Valeria

 Tacos, School, and the Borderline by Valeria Barajas Hello again everyone!! Throughout my life, I've developed art from different discursive communities, which have shaped my identity, the way I communicate, and have always made me appreciate the beautiful things in life. In my experience, these communities not only represent a taste or a style, but also what it means to live in two worlds. Today, I want to talk about these three discourse communities that define me: the Tijuanense, the academic community at SDSU , and the border community. Ser tijuanense If you're a true “Tijuanense,” you know that the term doesn't just mean living in Tijuana, it means surviving traffic and los baches, eating tacos at least once a week, and bragging that there are no better ones. Being a tijuanense means knowing what "el otro lado" is, and of course, being a tijuanense means believing yourself to be the best of Mexico . Photo by Chitokan C. on Pexels.com ...

 Celebrating two cultures by Valeria Barajas " The Day of the Dead "/ CC0 1.0 When I was a child, my home celebrated American traditions that not all Tijuanense did. Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Saint Patrick's Day were very normal, as was waiting for Santa Claus instead of Papá Noel. I always believed we copied traditions from the United States and were cooler for doing so. However, my perspective changed a lot when I started studying at San Ysidro High School . There, I discovered that the border isn't just a place that imitates its neighboring country; it's a place where the traditions of two countries come together and coexist.  " Salute to America 2020, Fourth " by National Archives and Records Administration/ CC0 1.0 My high school was the closest to the border, and because of this, 80% of the students were born to Mexican parents. This is why the school embraced a very beautiful culture, celebrating both Mexican and American tradit...

 Living Between Two Worlds by Valeria Barajas Photo by Magdiel Diaz on Pexels.com Hello again! Today I want to start with the topic of life on the border. For me, living between Tijuana and San Diego border has been a unique and very enriching experience. I spend Monday through Friday in San Diego, where I studied, and every Friday after school I return to Tijuana to spend the weekend with my family and friends. Experiencing different cultures and enjoying the opportunities offered by both places has taught me a lot about who I am and how I relate to the world. In this blog, I want to share what it's really like to live between two cities, two countries, and two ways of seeing life, from the everyday to what makes each community special. Crossing the border has become normal for me. I can wake up on a Saturday morning, have breakfast in Tijuana, cross into San Diego to buy something, and still come back for a good night out. I've always said that living between two worlds mea...