Ticket to Immortality

TICKET TO IMMORTALITY

Mexico City, 2013

Jorge Blanquet Camacho is 79 years old. He was born and raised in Mexico City. He is the third child among his siblings: Armando, Bertha and Juan, the youngest. He was born in 1935. He remembers every detail of the streets around downtown, where he grew up. When he goes back in time to describe his childhood and his experiences as a young kid, he seems elated. He used to explore the city on his own and sometimes with his father, Don Manuel, who was the most important figure for him. He taught him about life, work, and being responsible enough to carry on no matter what. His father was a baker and when Jorge was 16 years old, he decided to work with him in the same bakery: "One day I told my father I didn't want to go to the school anymore. I didn't like studying. I told him I wanted to work with him, so the next day, he took me to the bakery where he used to work. Of course, I was very young, but my father thought it was a good idea for me to start learning how to be responsible and being accountable".

Since then he learned how to make bread and the art of preparing the ingredients for the perfect pastries. Jorge felt in love with this job and became passionate specially because he was working with his father. When Don Manuel passed away, Jorge compared the grief of losing him with the physical pain of losing his arm. Manuel was the example of perseverance and hard work. He worked until one year before his death, he was 90 years old. This was one of the few times I watched my grandpa pour some tears even when he always tries to project strength and courage; this loss meant more than tearing his arm as he said. His father was gone but left behind a great lesson through his example, the same one Jorge has been trying to follow every single day. He has never skipped work for any reason. His commitment with his craft is the highest that he doesn't mind feeling sick, or in pain or being sleepless, he always shows up. Thanks to all the effort, he was able to buy his house where he raised a family with his life partner, Raquel: "We were only 21 years old when we got together. One day I watched how she and her family moved in, they were the new next-door neighbors and I just saw her a few seconds and it felt like love at first sight. I asked her out the next day".

They got married in December of 1945 surrounded by their friends and their families. After the ceremony, Jorge went straight to work, they didn't have a proper honeymoon but he always tried to made feel my grandma very special. During their marriage they raised 8 children: Jorge, Carlos, Elizabeth, Angelica, Eduardo, Roberto, Verónica and Adolfo. As all the human relationships, they had ups and downs. Despite the fights or disagreements, they chose to be together to face adversity, sickness and tough times until my grandmother died. Jorge worked long shifts in the bakery between preparing bread and pastries and delivering packages to customers across the city. In the meantime, Raquel took care of their children and the house chores. They did the best they could to live happy as a family; and I can tell they certainly did an excellent job when my mother or any uncle or aunt recalls their childhood as the best part of their lives thanks to my grandparents. In 1993 Raquel passed away due to health complications. Undoubtedly, she left an empty place that none has been able to fill in. When she took her last breath away, it seems she took with herself the remaining peace, love, order and harmony. Even 26 years after her departure, Jorge still sleeps in the same side of their bed keeping the space of my grandmother untouched. As if every night he would secretly expect to sleep over just to wake up after a bad dream and see her laying there, knowing her absence was a non-sense nightmare. My grandfather never got married again neither he never got emotionally involved with anyone after his wife died.

Grandpa, Don Jorge or Carmelito, as I use to call him, has lived years full of stories, his eyes have witnessed many changes like the grow of the city he used to walk around. He has seen the effects of gentrification, the transformation of culture, the awakening in new generations, technological developments from T.V. to mobile devices (he still is reluctant to own one). He has said goodbye to his father, his wife, his sister, his cousin, his grandson and some other friends and family members. He has seen his grandchildren grow up, get married, go to college, graduate, and work. Every party we spent together as family, every birthday he blows the candles from his cake; he is not the only one celebrating. We all are. The people who are lucky enough to know the quality of human being, we are grateful to share life with him. I don't want to turn this into an eulogy, my grandfather has been a human with defects and mistakes but foremost, he has been exceptional man. Aaron Siskind said that photography is a way to feel, to touch, to love: "What you have caught on film is captured forever. It remembers little things long after you have forgotten everything". When I snapped every shot of my grandfather, I hoped to capture the human that I want to remember with all his greatness, his warm and the things that make me love him much every day.

This is a wholehearted project for my Carmelo, who has been a remarkable father and the most amazing human with a heart of gold. Nothing will ever be enough to express the immeasurable gratitude for all the love you have given to me.

In your tears and in your blood,
in your fire and in your flood,
I hear you laugh, I heard you sing,
I wouldn't change a single thing.

For you I'd wait 'til kingdom come

until my day, my day is done.