Even though most people have their worst fast food experience at Taco Bell (i.e. diarrhea), one of my fondest memories took place at this infamous restaurant. As you can tell by my height (5'6"), I didn't eat my vegetables as a child. It was so bad that my mother couldn't even get away with sneaking pureed mushrooms into my spaghetti without me noticing. I can say, without a doubt, that feeding me vegetables was one of my mom's top 5 life goals. And it was always my goal not to eat them. Some days she would get away with mixing minced mushrooms into my curry-rice, and sometimes I would flat out reject my dinner because I find a speck of garlic in my food. This battle was relentless, my mom's petite stature doesn't do justice to her determination, and this fight went on for at least a decade.
I eat vegetables now. One of my friends in high school was making fun of me not being able to eat vegetables, and I had to prove him wrong. (oh, the powers of peer pressure) The carrot wasn't bad, so I started eating other greens and eventually, after traveling through India and China, I can eat just about anything.
But before all this happened, the magic of my conversion happened at Taco Bell. The "Yo quiero Taco Ball" commercials with the talking chihuahua just started airing on T.V., and what can you say, I loved that fucking dog. Because of that tiny mexican dog, I asked my mom to take me to the nearest Taco Bell, and I had my first taco. I loved it. And so did my mom. My mom was so happy everytime we went to Taco Bell because inside that crunchy taco was lettuce- which is a vegetable.
It's a stupid and insignificant memory I have, and I'm sure you were bored reading all this (and I thank you for getting this far).
It's been almost 7 weeks since I got to NY, and it's been good. Not great. I think the joys of studying what I love outweighs all the struggles I've had, and I also hide things well- even to the point of not realizing them myself.
I had Taco Bell for dinner today, and I rememdered all of what I just wrote and of something she said to me recently over the phone. After telling her that this month has been though, she said, "it's because you're an eagle."
You see, I'm 23 years old, and before I left for NY, she still treated me like I was still her child who didn't eat his vegetables. And everytime she treated me like a child, I told her, "I'm an eagle. Let me fly on my own."- it eventually became our little inside joke.
She explained: You always said you were an eagle, and now you have to be one. All eagles fly high, but sometimes it's not easy to fly. And when eagles struggle to fly, they learn how to fly higher.
I guess I'm on my own now, even more so then the 3 months I spent in China, and eating my crunchy taco alone today helped me realize that I've finally left the nest. I have to admit, I really miss home, but the skies I must fly are here.
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