I Moved to Tijuana... Then Everything I Believed Changed

[00:00:00]4 months ago, I packed my cameras and moved from Los Angeles to Tijuana.

[00:00:04]Almost [music] everyone told me the same story. Cartels, violence, drugs.

[00:00:09]>> Dozens of stores, cars, buses, [music] trucks set on fire. Chaos erupting among the public.

[00:00:15]>> The media made it sound like [music] crossing this border meant stepping into danger. After living here every day, I realized something didn't make sense. If everything [music] we've been told is true, why are so many people still moving here?

[00:00:30]Explosive firearms and weapons are prohibited.

[00:00:35]Well, I got a weapon right here.

[00:00:37]A camera. I'm not joking.

[00:00:39]>> Hey, what you doing now?

[00:00:40]>> I'm filming.

[00:00:41]>> Oh, no, no, you ain't filming me, are you?

[00:00:43]>> Well, I'm filming my experience.

[00:00:45]>> Oh, yeah, yeah, I'm filming. Oh, yeah.

[00:00:46]>> The most interesting thing is that I feel as safe as I were to be [music] back in Bell Gardens.

[00:00:52]Uh, this is a very peaceful morning here in Tijuana. The headlines really make it seem like you're going to get stopped right away by organized crime. You're going to get stopped by [music] police.

[00:01:01]Unfortunately, that has happened, but it's never happened to me over the past 5 years. I respect the laws just like in Bell Gardens. I make my full stop.

[00:01:09]People greet me instead of me greeting people back in Bell Gardens. There's nothing [music] that I can possibly think about that's happened to me that I've I've ever felt in danger, [music] uh, somebody has tried to assault me, or I feel targeted. I think most importantly, [music] feeling targeted. But, there is a big difference between hearing about a place that actually living there every day.

[00:01:33]The longer I've lived here, the more I realize there are two versions of Tijuana. There is the Tijuana people see in the news, and then there is the Tijuana millions of people experience every morning. The city where coffee shops fill up before work, where new businesses keep opening, where apartment buildings continue rising, where families walk through neighborhoods, vendors prepare for another day, and people keep building lives. That is what started confusing me because if everything we hear is the complete story, why are so many people still coming? People do not open businesses in places where they see no future.

[00:02:16]>> I think this is a very strong representation of [music] what a lot of you folks still remember Tijuana as, right there.

[00:02:24]And [music] it's it's very powerful Revolución.

[00:02:28]You got this luchador guy.

[00:02:31]And you got this lady right here with, you know, with some money on her leg right here.

[00:02:36]And that still happens to this day, of course, I'm not going to deny. This still happens. It is very present, but I don't think this is the Tijuana I'm showing you guys anymore. For many of you guys that haven't been here for years, this is the image you have, right here. You're like, "Yeah, I'm coming from Los Angeles, San Diego, anywhere in the world. I'm going to go hunt this, right?"

[00:02:57]But a lot of things are changing here that I think this is just to leave here for memory lane.

[00:03:08]Oh, and the best pizza right here. La eh la pizza salvavidas. My lady told me about this pizza. Oh my god. Late at night, oh. It's like when you're in LA, you got your nice spots. This is the nice spot right here.

[00:03:23]Gana.

[00:03:25]Gana España.

[00:03:45]Sí, verdad? Como caminan mucho, han dicho que también Messi ahí nomás anda caminando, tocadita aquí y ya se acabó.

[00:04:28]>> [laughter] [laughter] >> The most surprising thing about Tijuana is the ability to create. I feel there's a lot more flexibility. There's more opportunities to express yourself in not only this, but in many other things. I'm not the only one that's going to say that. There's a lot of people are going to say that as well.

[00:05:19]And I think that's one of the biggest factors why I wanted to grant Tijuana that opportunity. One of the best experiences I've had here in Mexico is the Baja Food Fest. And quite honestly, it was a humbling experience. I've never felt so alive in a long time. I was talking to my lady telling her, "What is the last time I felt alive?" This alive where all Mexicans got together. no inequality, no politics, just all Mexicans got together to cheer para la selección mexicana.

[00:05:56]>> [screaming] >> Uh we're on vacation in San Diego, and we came down today to watch the Mexico game. The fans are better than America.

[00:06:08]>> He's not an eagle.

[00:06:18]>> [cheering] >> Aquí sí son aficionados, [music] you could see to feel it. I don't think I felt that patriotic in my life. I've never felt patriotic about USA, ni de allá, ni de aquí. I I I I've never felt American.

[00:06:35]First generation Mexican from Mexican parents.

[00:06:39]And I can't even say I'm full Mexican because there's so much to learn. That's what it's all about, right? You want to be in a place where you feel connected to, where you feel like you're learning, where you feel like you're growing, and this is why I'm here letting you know this is one of the events that's changed my life in a very positive way.

[00:06:57]Looking at our Mexican culture unite, you know, the love and care and the fun, just cheering, high-fiving each other, and I really think that's what it's all about. Like we want to be in a place where we feel welcome, where we feel like we could talk to each other, where we feel like we could connect, where we feel like we we're being heard, where we feel that I can generally just ask a question to anybody, a a complete stranger. I've met so many of you that came up to me or I went up to you to ask you questions, and I really appreciate all the love and care. Until this day, I don't think anything can top this, to be honest.

[00:07:35]Damn, we're already done with the coffee, but while I have you here, do you have any suggestions for content?

[00:07:41]I'm shifting my content on Eric Ramirez TV. Please drop them in the comment section below.

[00:07:48]I'll be full-time here in Tijuana, a little bit of part-time in LA. The closest thing here is, of course, San Diego, San Ysidro, Chula Vista, Escondido. If you want to see anything around those locations or area, let me know. I'll keep an eye on those comments. Thank you.

[00:08:07]I am not here to pretend the city is perfect. It is not. The traffic can be exhausting. The streets can be difficult to navigate. Some sidewalks feel like obstacle courses. There are areas that need investment, better planning, and more attention. Those problems are real, but every major city has problems. The existence of problems does not tell you the complete story of a city. What surprised me the most was not the food.

[00:08:34]Even though the food here is incredible, it was not the weather.

[00:08:38]It was not even the fact that the United States is only a few minutes away.

[00:08:43]It was the feeling of community.

[00:08:46]The same coffee shop started remembering my order. The taco stand began recognizing my face. People I had never met started saying hello. Little by little, the city stopped feeling like somewhere I was visiting, and it started feeling like somewhere I was beginning to belong.

[00:09:05]Maybe the question isn't, is Tijuana dangerous? Maybe the better question is, why are so many people choosing to build a life here?

[00:09:13]>> I've been here for 11 months. People are just just grateful and kind. The energy's different. And what the moment I came here, I knew, all right, I know where I'm supposed to be, so it's time for me to go ahead and make that move.

[00:09:25]So, within a month, I had found a place.

[00:09:28]So, in San Diego, we got gangs in San Diego, you know. We got And it's like, okay, if people talk about the car If you're involved in gang activity, you're probably going to, you know, stuff's going to happen. But, if you're not involved in that, the chances are a lot, lot lower. And so, I think there is a misconception about that. The every What I see, people are just living their lives here.

[00:09:46]They go to work. They go with their families. You know, they go to eat. They go like they go to the beach. They're just living life. The thing is that I said, "Damn, why didn't I move here 10 years ago?

[00:09:56]I should have been here long I should have been here long." But, the fear, you know, the the the programming over there, they're telling us all this stuff. And it's like, "Man, come on, man." And people are just people are just living life, man. And I'm living life, too. So, I got no complaints.

[00:10:11]>> I'm willing to give up all my citizenship to be a full-time resident down here.

[00:10:15]>> Okay.

[00:10:16]What do you love so much about Mexico?

[00:10:19]>> Uh the the raw culture. Like, I don't go to resorts. I don't do that crap. I go exactly where the people I break bread with the people. And when you meet the real people, like, they're super humble and appreciative. They love us.

[00:10:34]Just like their own family. Like, there's no difference going on here.

[00:10:37]Whatever y'all fighting about and think is this and that, like, you come down and you spend time with the real people, mi mi casa es su casa. Like, I love it.

[00:10:47]They treat us right.

[00:10:49]>> Come for the food. The food.

[00:10:51]>> There you go.

[00:10:52]>> Yeah, the tacos. The best.

[00:10:54]>> How do you feel about Tijuana or Mexico?

[00:10:57]>> It's it's safe.

[00:10:58]It's safe. I'm not scared.

[00:11:00]I'm not scared to bring the kids out.

[00:11:02]They love it. The beach, the water. They love the sand.

[00:11:07]Huh?

[00:11:07]>> Yeah.

[00:11:08]>> Yeah. You ready?

[00:11:08]>> It's >> Ready? I got the blonde hair, blue eye, white kids. All the people in the media want to tell you don't bring them that it's a threat that you need to worry.

[00:11:19]Throw that in the garbage. Like, they love my kids. My kids love it here.

[00:11:23]We come every year. We spend as much time as possible. And they are as safe as anyone in this world.

[00:11:29]>> Tijuana is very special.

[00:11:31]I still can't even put it towards to you guys yet of what is Tijuana, you know? I'm I'm I'm going through different people, different questions, digging out more information, and I don't think I'm quite there yet.

[00:11:45]I'm really enjoying this journey. The culture, its people, the love and the care of everybody here is what keeps bringing people back, but there's so much more to that.

[00:11:57]And I think I'm just going to leave it at that. If you have a story from Tijuana, you were born and raised here in Tijuana, or any story you would like to share, please please drop it down below because Tijuana is the first stop, to be honest.

[00:12:11]I want to see I want to go deeper into Mexico.

[00:12:14]And this is just the beginning, and I think it's the perfect beginning right here at the border. So, I'm excited.

[00:12:21]And that is it for today.

[00:12:23]Catch you on the next one.

[00:12:24]See you.