Blog 5

 Blog 5


Friday was planned for us to learn about individual migrant stories. One way we did this was spending the morning in a restaurant called La Antiguita to meet Esther. Ester was deported from the US and had to start her life over in TIjuana. When living in a shelter where none of the food was served warm (a typical meal was cold sandwiches) she was inspired to start Comida Calientita, a program where Esther gives her hot tamales to people in need who were getting the same cold meals that she was. Once when seeing the border wall she saw a message that said “También Hay Sueños en este Lado” (there are also dreams on this side). The message inspired her to start her own business and work hard to achieve her dreams. She said she wanted a car and she got a car. She wanted an apartment and she got an apartment. Esther made sure that we knew that it was all because of hard work. She not only has her own tamale business, but she makes her own salsa as well, named after the message on the wall.

Esther told us her story as we were eating some of her famous tamales, which she showed us how to make. She demonstrated to us how she grinds the corn and mixes it with sugar and butter to make the tamales. Then she showed us her process of taking the corn mix and folding it in the corn husks and we got a chance to try to make some ourselves (we were all naturals).

 In addition to the delicious corn tamales, she also generously offered us cantaloupe juice, rice, beans, and her spicy salsa that we had fun peer pressuring each other into trying. While we were eating, Esther also explained to us that she was going to be part of a film about life in Tijuana and living close to the border. We finished our visit by donating money to Comida Calientita and with her giving each of us a grandmotherly hug.


by Lucia and Teiseat

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