23 May The First of Many Adventures! Una De Muchas Aventuras Que Vienen

I was raised in the outskirts of the Los Angeles county in a little town within the San Fernando Valley named Pacoima. This little town has much history,  and it has gone through some hardships, however this Barrio continues to strive and continue to envelope the culture of Latinos. This is where I give all the credit of my growing success in my personal life and my  professional journey, but  more importantly it is where I call home. The sound of the air in Pacoima is filled with the sounds of motors, bicycles, sirens, and most of all people. In my home,  I would wake up every weekend morning to the smell of my Mother’s tortillas cooking over the comal. I would hear the coffee post whistle through the hallway into my ear saying that it was time to get ready for the day. My Father would try to mimic the singing of  Jose Alfredo Jimènez  in the kitchen and  my little sister would joyfully come into my room and say ” E-deet ya es dia , despiertate!” My other sister would come in roll her eyes  and sarcastically say ” Get upppp or ‘Ima’ punch you.” This is the town where I have met all my friends and it is where some of my most valued memories originate from. From the Murals painted all across town to the elotero riding down the street ringing their little bell, there is so much to take in. From this is little town I found my interest in learning about music, in comic books, reading, playing Magic, video games, hiking, working out, basically  everything that makes me started here. So what is a Pacoimera doing at Craters of the Moon? Good question. At first when I saw the worried face of my father as he came to realize that we were 800 miles away from home and the rural plains of Idaho would be my home for the next 10 weeks. His worries made me worry, and  I was doubting whether I could survive. Keep in mind that I have never been away from home so  much as a night. I did not know what to expect from Craters of the Moon. This deep fear started to sink in as I left my father at a bus express in Idaho Falls to go back home and started to drive away to the site. That fear suddenly vanished as I entered into the site and was in complete awe when I first saw the black rocky hills. As I was getting out of my car, I was greeted by an extremely cute chipmunk the size salt shaker. It looked up at me and wiggled its itty bitty nose as if to say ” Hi Human, welcome to my home.” I look forward to these upcoming weeks and what adventures await!