It Feels Like Home to Me

This past weekend, we were invited to one of our neighbor's home for a party.  We had a great time...I mean a GREAT time!!!  You see, we recently had some neighbors move in that are Hispanic, like us.  Though they are originally from San Antonio, they are Mexican-American like me.  

We got to their house and I seriously felt like I had traveled 800 miles, like I was walking into a house in El Paso.  They had many traditional Mexican features in their home, like a Last Supper and Virgen  de Guadalupe in their dining room.  And then we went to the backyard and they were playing Mexican/Tejano/cumbia music.  There were about 15 other adults there and maybe 10-15 kids there.  

Our neighbors, Nelly and Max, were VERY hospitable.  Not only did they invite us into their home, but they treated us like family all at the same time.  They had carne asade, homemade salsa, Mexican rice, and little corn tortillas, and lots of soda and beer to go around.  

It was Max's 40th birthday, and though they don't have kids, they had a bounce house (or as we would call it, a "brinca brinca") in their backyard for all the kids.  And after everyone sang Happy Birthday to Max, we proceeded to shout "¡Que lo muerda! ¡Que lo muerda!".  Basically, what this means is that Max was supposed to bite into his cake, while people behind him pushed his face into the cake.  

This really made me terribly homesick and completely warm and welcomed all at the same time.  I really felt like I was at one of my tio's houses with all my family and cousins around.  I cannot tell you how many pictures I have of me with cake all over my face from when I was little after my family would push my face into a cake.  Every party that my mom ever has at her house has a "brinca brinca" at it.  And though I long ago gave up eating beef, I could not help but eat up every last bite of my carne asada...that right there is my comfort food...it makes me feel like home.  

And apparently nature is stronger than nurture, because Jillian is every bit of Mexican as me.  I can honestly say that I do not think that Jillian has heard much Mexican/Tejano/cumbia music in her life.  But within 5 minutes of being at Nelly and Max's house, she was begging me to put her down so she could shake her booty and clap her hands to the music.  And she was eating all her food by the spoonful...she could not get enough of it.  We spent easily one hour in the brinca brinca...she just LOVED it!

She even found a little Mexican boy friend.  Much to Julian's chagrin, there was a little boy at this party who was wearing a t-shirt, plaid shorts...and cowboy boots.  Not like country cowboy boots...like Ranchero cowboy boots.  He was dancing and stomping right along to the music and he and Jillian were tearing up the dance floor together.  Like I said, Julian was not too thrilled about this and he kept commenting on how he was not quite ready for this.

***This really is not the best video in the world, as I took it on my iPhone...but you get the gist***

I know that some of you who are reading this...my family/friends in El Paso...you are probably thinking "what's the big deal? This is what I do every weekend...".  And my friends here in College Station, I am sure you can sympathize on some level about something that makes you "homesick" or something that reminds you of home.   But never in College Station have I felt so at home, so completely in my element, so Mexican...if that makes any sense.  

I hope that one day, I can explain to Nelly and Max how much we appreciate their hospitality in opening up their home to us, not just for great food and a great time, but for making College Station feel like home to me.