Mexican teen discusses life south of the border

Andrea Celorio

By Cynthia Hager
Poca High School

Andrea Celorio is a sophomore at Poca High School whose family moved to West Virginia from Guadalajara, Jalisco a few years ago. Here, she gives the inside scoop on Cinco de Mayo and life in Mexico.

The very first thing she said about Cinco de Mayo was, “It is not Mexico’s Independence Day! Mexico’s Independence Day is Sept. 15.”

“Cinco de Mayo is the day that Mexico fought the French,” she explained. “It was fought in the town of Puebla. In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is called La Batalla de Puebla.”

Though many Americans think that Cinco de Mayo is a day of much celebration for Mexicans, Celorio said that that is not the case everywhere in the country. In fact, where she came from, they rarely celebrated.

“There are some states that celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but where I used to live, we didn’t. However, there is no school for students on this day.”

Besides discussing Cinco de Mayo, Celorio also talked about what Mexico was like and how it differs from Poca and West Virginia in general.

“I used to live in a city, so West Virginia is different because it’s very rural. Where I used to live, there were no school buses. Your parents or a public transportation bus took you there.

“Another different thing is in West Virginia, everyone has the opportunity to attend a nice school no matter what social class you may come from. In Mexico, if you are poor, you get less advantages,” she said.

“Another difference I’ve noticed here is family ties,” she continued. “Families are not as close here as they are in Mexico. In Mexico, families mean everything.”

“Also, in West Virginia, businesses are all spaced out,” she said. “In Mexico, everything is within walking distance.”

Celorio encouraged everyone to take a trip to Mexico at least once in their lifetime. With places like Mexico City, Cancun, the Mayan Ruins and Guanajuato (home of the mummies), Mexico has a lot to offer. The only rule, according to Celorio, is to always use the buddy system due to dangerous people in the streets.