The current outbreak of COVID-19 has affected all things “ordinary” and has made the extraordinary the new normal. We have changed the typical habit of simply walking into the market with a bare face and a smile to hiding our emotions behind a mask that’s reasonably required at all times to protect the health of all of those around us.
But how has it impacted traveling?
In this series, I will be interviewing students about their recent travels and give you a personal insight into what is going on outside of California during this global pandemic, starting with my visit to Oaxaca, Mexico this summer!
Oaxaca is one of the most artistic indigenous states located in Southern Mexico. It is known for its interesting cuisines, such as Tlayudas (huge toasted tortillas with delicious toppings), chapulines (cooked grasshopper snacks), molotes, tejate, and chocolate drinks. As well as its culturally rich arts and crafts, that, fun fact, inspired the Disney film, Coco!
Every summer that I’ve traveled to visit Mexico I’ve been excited to encounter the rich Oaxacañan culture, as it makes me feel more connected to my own Latin American culture that one cannot fully experience in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, this year there was a drastic change in the way everything was exhibited. For example, the zocalos (plazas) where everyone gathers to buy beautiful artifacts from artistic merchants, were bare, and annual extravaganzas, like the Guelaguetza, were postponed. What I admired was how artists continued to publicize their art by encouraging citizens to wear their masks by depicting a huge mural painting of the 26th President of Mexico, Benito Juárez, wearing a mask (as shown in the collage). Tourist locations that were further from the city closed off to the public and safety precautions were noticeably implemented more than they were in California during August. For example, in every public location you would visit, you were required to apply hand sanitizer provided by the employee and get your temperature checked before entering, which at the time I’d observed that cities in California hadn’t done.
As expected I spent most of my time in the pueblo (town) my family lived in and, to my surprise, I was able to help set up my cousin’s new diner which was interesting to operate during a pandemic. We couldn't have a huge grand opening, as we all would’ve liked to have, in order to be safe and take precautions. Thanks to our supportive community, we had many customers ordering take out and a few who were able to dine in. Which is another thing I admire about Mexico, its supportive neighborhoods. Even though I was only there for the first four days of my cousin’s diner opening, I appreciated seeing countless of our neighbors come visit and make the effort to buy at least one dish to support my cousin’s new business, despite COVID 19 and it being located in a rural area. I’d like to apply what I saw in Mexico to what’s going on in the US today.
After observing all the incidents that have occurred this year in the United States, particularly the events associated with the Black Lives Matter community, it’s important to take away that regardless of how small or big one’s community is, it’s crucial to remain open-minded, caring, and encouraging towards others that require our support. Similar to how people supported my cousin’s diner, we can take action by contributing to the Black Lives Matter Movement by supporting Black-owned businesses near us. We can take other forms of action to support the BLM movement by raising funds, attending webinars or events that will inform us more about the Black community, doing our research and informing others of what is happening, making banners for protests, and attending protests to show our support. The Black Lives Matter movement is only one of the many social issues that require our support and as human beings, we need to strive to take action to help our diverse communities as supportive allies, mainly during times like these where we are all isolated from each other. Once we begin having conversations at our workplace, with our families, and friends about social injustices we begin making a change in our society because as we learn more about what others have experienced, the more we can help each other and grow.
Earlier this semester I attended the Scholar Strike at Cal State Long Beach, and I would like to share a Go-Fund-Me link that the panelists shared, who are doing their best to financially help a single Black mother here in Long Beach. Her and her family were evicted from their home in the middle of the COVID-19 Pandemic and they still need all the financial support they can retrieve from us to recover, especially now that we are coming close to the end of the year. Please, use this case as an opportunity to start making a change with a loving donation or spreading the word!
Click here to donate to her family!
If you would like to be featured in this series by sharing your own international trip experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, DM us on Instagram @csulbhonorcode or email us at csulbhonorcodemedia@gmail.com.
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