Opinion | Here I go again

As I turned 21, I looked back on my 18th birthday to compare the difference between coming of age in Mexico versus the United States, during the COVID-19 pandemic and after it. Photo courtesy of Emilia Cuevas Diaz

Turning 21 means you’re a full adult now, at least in the U.S. In Mexico, you become an adult when you turn 18, which means that turning 21 now is my second time becoming an adult. 

Three years ago, almost to the exact date, I was in my house in Mexico turning 18 and having no idea what was going to happen with my life.

When I turned 18, it was in the middle of the pandemic. I was a senior in high school, applying to college, and my brother was about to leave for college. It was a weird time. So many things were changing, and ye,t everything seemed to be stagnant in time. 

That year, my mother and my brother surprised me for my birthday by tying some balloons to our dog's collar and sending her into my room in the middle of one of my classes, which I was taking over Zoom. Once I was done with my classes, we had some cake, and I was even able to invite two of my friends to come visit me for about an hour. Crazy. 

Over the weekend, we also invited a couple family members for a small get-together at our house that doubled as a birthday party and going away party for my brother. It was really fun getting to spend some time with our cousins and aunts and uncles, but it still felt like COVID-19. So, we had a small lunch and some cake. 

I think the most 18-year-old worthy thing I did that day was that I started the process of getting my voter ID card. Between that and all the college applications I was filling out, I definitely felt like I was becoming an adult. But it didn’t seem fun at all.

Emilia Cuevas Diaz, opinions editor

Turning 18 came with a lot of responsibilities: voting, getting my drivers license, applying to college, getting ready to graduate and leave home… But it was difficult to find the fun part. The freedom of getting a driver's license and being able to go out with friends was dampened by the fact that we couldn’t due to the pandemic. The excitement of being able to vote was replaced by the anxiety of the importance of the upcoming election I would have to vote in. My college applications just brought feelings of uncertainty of the future and where I was going to be the following year.

Eighteen was definitely eventful, but I don’t know if I would necessarily say it was happy or exciting. 

Fast forward three years, and here I am now: turning 21 in the U.S. And so many things were different this time around.

I did so many things over the weekend to celebrate. This time, I had the freedom to actually leave my house and do whatever I wanted. And I did.

I went to the Witches Brew Night Market in Santa Ana, which was so fun. It’s basically a street market with Halloween-themed vendors, and if you know me at al,l you know that I’m a sucker for Halloween stuff. They had so many cool things: huggable cryptids, murder weapon earrings, creepy sugar cookies, spooky art and about a hundred more things I’m forgetting.

I obviously had to buy myself a huggable yeti and some cute little bloodied knife earrings, as well as some Halloween posters to decorate my room, and my roommate got me the cutest little Zero plushie as a birthday gift.

In keeping with the Halloween theme, we also went to watch “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in theaters, which is one of my favorite movies. This was my first time watching it on a screen bigger than my laptop, and it was just a lot of fun. 

Later that day, my roommate and I decided to go to The Cauldron Spirits and Brews, a spooky-themed bar and restaurant in Buena Park. We obviously dressed up to get the 10% discount, so I went as Wednesday Addams, and my friend was John Constantine. 

The bar had such a cool vibe. The waiters were super friendly, and they all liked guessing who we were dressed as, the decorations made the place look like a witches' lair, the food was amazing and the drinks all had fun themes. And I even got a free chocolate cake shot for my birthday.

Overall, my birthday was super fun and exactly what I wanted it to be. I got to celebrate with my friends, I got to go to the theater, to a night market and to a bar. I got to just be excited about turning 21. 

Compared to 18, 21 was so much better. My 18th birthday was full of unknowns and worries and not a lot of excitement. My 21st was the exact opposite, and I am so glad I got to celebrate it this way.