What It's Really Like To Grow Up In A Border Town | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Community

What It's Really Like To Grow Up In A Border Town

El Paso, Texas. Also known as Chuco town or "one of the most dangerous cities in the US" due to it being located right next to the city with the most deaths in Mexico. But in reality, El Paso has been one of the safest cities in the US for many years in a row, it is beyond what political figures have decided to label it as.

451
What It's Really Like To Grow Up In A Border Town

I've lived in many places but living in one of the biggest border cities in the US has been something beyond anything anyone could ever describe. Something that really stands out about El Paso is the homelike vibe here, and it makes you feel like no matter what happens you will always have a home.

Growing up in a border city comes with being able to be exposed to many different Latino cultures also. Most people here grew up being fluent in both Spanish and English to be able to communicate within ourselves and with others. The culture here is a very tight nit too, people here genuinely care about each other and are very understanding of each other and where they come from.

Most people that do live here have either lived here their whole lives or have grown up here left for a couple of years and have come back with their new families. I personally was born here but had only lived here for two weeks and was able to come back after 10 years. And all these years that I have been here, El Paso has evolved from being a little town to one of the big cities in Texas where more and more artists have started to come to perform.

The craziest part of growing up in El Paso is the fact how much of an affect Mexico has on everybody's life. For instance, you are able to see what Mexico looks like by simply driving through the freeway, and you are able to realize how fortunate you are that you have a nice home above your and be able to have a meal every day. Also, there are bits and pieces of El Paso where it feels like you are right in Mexico especially when you go to the local farmers' markets that they hold ever so often downtown. They sell everything from grandma's extra spicy salsa to the prettiest handmade pots to put plants in.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Things I Learned my Freshmen Year of College

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

2205
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

301489
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments