A Border City
A production with a cause is always something I strived for. Being called onto Jalgouin as an associate producer was a dream. It was one of the hardest production I've ever been on but also one of the most rewarding.
It began in July of 2016 and finished 6 months later. It wasn't the first project I had work on located in Mexico.
But this was the first production where I had to speak Spanish with a majority of the crew. This was was quite difficult for me because my Spanish was quite broken, and although having Mexican parents I was often caught stumbling looking for the words.
But I learned it was ok. I learned that although I am not fluent in this language my parents speak, I should not be embarrassed as they should not when they speak english. It was such a strange concept to me to just speak what I knew and not be shy about how it sounded, but it helped because the more I spoke the more I practiced and the better I got. Everyone was patient with me as I was with them. I also learned so much about the culture....
Because I grew up in the US, I was never taught the traditions of Mexico to better assimilate myself into the American culture. I was in Mexico when Day of the Dead was being celebrated and to see such a beautiful holiday be represented the way it was meant to be was eye opening. This holiday that I had only known before for the photos and makeup was now something real. Something people cried about and something unique and true.
I was also caught by the whole process of what a border city was. Enrique, the director told us that whenever he met someone from the US and told them he was from Tijuana people would be surprised and say wow, I didn't know people lived there. Mexico is such a beautiful country with beautiful people and I hope someday people from the US see this.
I am a first generation American and I know where my roots are from. I know who I am, and I proud. I am proud of the struggles my parents endured to help my future, and although with much turmoil they were able to succeed.