¡Hola! My name is Kris De la Torre and I am excited to share my journey back to Mexico with you. My great grandparents are from a state in Mexico called Zacatecas, but my grandparents began their lives in the Borderlands of El Paso, Texas. When I visit Mexico, I feel connected to my ancestors and inspired by all the beautiful colors and interesting people I meet! I like to travel and have lived in many different places including Colorado, England, Alaska, Illinois, New York and the United Arab Emirates.
I love working with young people and I especially like talking about gardens and how to grow food together. I work at the Chicago Botanic Garden, where I teach teenagers how to build and take care of their own vegetable gardens. We also build an aquaponics system every year where we keep fish that provide nutrients to grow our vegetables, instead of using soil. The Aztecs used a similar method, called chinampas, to grow food when they settled in what is now Mexico City.
Whenever I travel, I am on the lookout for gardens or farms where I can talk to others who also care about growing their own food. Although I have visited Oaxaca many times, this time I will be hunting for beautiful gardens and delicious pre-colonial foods while I work on a course for my graduate degree in education from Harvard University. I hope to find inspiration for a project with the creators at Sesame Street that will help young people make better eating decisions.
