What Oaxaca means to me / Lo que significa Oaxaca para mi

When I come back to Oaxaca, I come back to a home, not "my home" the official one, but the one of my birth and childhood, not the one I chose (as I've chosen NYC) but the one I was given.

This home has had many significant values in my life, especially in the past when I held on to it much stronger. I left when I was 13 and try to come every year to visit, I come to nurture the child in me who was here, growing with the food, the cultural jokes, the market colors...

There is much beauty here and for the most part, everything is so organic compared to NY. However, there are also things I don't like and its usually in the first days that it hits me: very litte water in Mexico, no garbage cans on the streets, a terrible government always in distress, machismo and getting catcalls on the streets, informal services or bad client services in general...

However, I stay, and I keep comming because what I love  beats what I don't: the mountain scenery, the warm climate, the festive traditions, the warm hearted people,  the rich food, the drinks, the people, the culture and music

                                         wearing my new Oaxacan rebozo dress

                                   "que se te olvido" sign means: "what did you forget " and I take this      literally when I come and overdose on food lol

"tunas" my favorite childhood fruit, note: everything has  added spicy here ! even the fruit  haha !

                                                   every flavored fruit water

                                                             piedrazos en vinagre !

                       "piedrazo" bread in vinegar and spices, unique in all the world

                                                                @ The Market

                                                       my favorite Oaxacan bread

"Tlayudas" a staple of Oaxaca, the tortilla is thick and huge. Here there is added "Tasajo" meat