5 reasons I love EP
Senior year is the year of hopes and dreams. Hopes of getting into the college you’ve been longing for. Dreams of making it big and being rich. The burning desire to get out of El Paso.
If it were up to me, if UTEP had a film department, and El Paso was popping in the entertainment industry, I’d live here forever. It’s a beautiful and unique city that cannot be imitated. Yet all throughout high school, and even years beyond, you continuously hear the famous statement—“Ugh, I can’t wait to get out of El Paso.”
However once you’re in a different city, you realize that there is no place similar to my beloved EP. And all the things you never even noticed about El Paso, become clear once you’re out.
1. The Mountains
(image courtesy of findyourspot.com)
Having lived in EP my whole life, I never really payed much attention to the beauty of the mountains. I mean, yeah they were there, they’re hard to miss. I just never cared or admired them. But once you leave, you can feel the vast emptiness of cities that run flat. I remember the first time I went to San Antonio for summer vacation. There was no dimension. There was no scenery. It was the lack of them that made me sorry for the people who had never seen the silhouette of a mountain formed through the colors of a west Texas sunset.
2. Simplicity of right side exits
(image courtesy of giphy.com)
Yes, construction and traffic can give you the biggest headache of your life. But at least you won’t be stuck in your car for hours or be rerouted if you’re not careful. This might seem like a silly thing to be thankful for, but it is definitely one of the reason I love my city. Last October, my friends and I drove to Austin for Austin City Limits. I was the lucky chosen one to drive through the city of SA. It was awful. There were exits on your left and on your right. And these weren’t just exits that would take you to an access road. NOPE. SURPISE BITCH. You’re on another freeway. Sure, it might be easy to navigate once you’re familiar with it. But why stress over memorizing the millions of portals, when you can be memorizing more important things like the entire Macbeth play while cruising down a simple freeway.
3. Mix of cultures
(image courtesy of giphy.com)
Being on the border makes for a very interesting town. Not only can you see a whole other freaking country while driving down the border highway, but you can feel the effects being a border city has on us. I mean, you can’t walk out of your house and instantly be hit with the blend of culture, but when you go anywhere else, you can feel the difference. This weekend I went to Denton for a college visit. It was a really cute, fun town. But the differences between our culture and theirs were not hard to see. Here, we’re composed of a unique mix of Mexican and American culture. That’s why everyone you meet gets a hug, it always feels like home and our language of choice is Spanglish.
4. Real Mexican Food and Chico’s
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Does this really need an explanation? Taco Cabana, Taco Bell, and Taco Bueno is not Mexican food. If you want some good shiz, we got it. Tacos al pastor and tripitas? Got it. Ceviche and aguachiles? We got that too. Let’s not forget about the antojitos. One of my all-time favorite things about El Paso would the snack shacks. Snow cones, apples with chamoy, chamoyadas, papas locas, chilindrinas? Just look for a stand somewhere in a parking lot. That sounds sketchy if you don’t know what I mean… but you fellow El Paso inhabitants know what I’m talking about. And Chico’s. The wonderful taste of flautas soaked in tomato sauce topped with cheese.
5. A real summer
(image courtesy of giphy.com)
Some people hate it, some people love it. But we can all agree that EP is damn hot. Personally, I love our weather. It gives me an excuse to stay in all day during summer and eat endless amount of bolis (ice pops.) There’s no need to invest in a hefty coat for winter. (Well maybe, just a small investment in a jacket because lets’ face it, were all wimps when it comes to winters.) You can save on self-tanners and spray tans, because in this sun, you’ll be nice and crisp within four hours.
