When I was working as a newspaper editor, my boss called me over to her office. Usually, when this happened, it was because something very good or very bad was about to transpire.

As I sat down nervously, she began. ”Cristina: do you have your passport ready? Are you available to travel? We're sending you to Europe to write a story about La Banda El Recodo, the Mexican cultural institution who have been playing together for 60 years."

“You were selected to cover the band’s trip to Hannover, Germany, where the musicians will be performing at the 2000 World Expo. It’s going to be only four days long, but considering your advanced English, you are a perfect fit for this assignment," she said to me in a tone of voice that was calm but showed restrained excitement.

While I smiled and accepted the assignment in stride, inside I could hardly contain my happiness. Up until this moment, I had never been to Europe, and the only stamps on my passport were from different Ports of Entry in the United States.

Without missing a beat, I responded, “Is this real? Oh my, of course my passport is ready! And I was born ready! Now, the challenging part is to become an expert in El Recodo's music!" At the time, I had little to no experience with the band.

After the shock of traveling to Europe for the first time subsided, the reality became apparent -- regional Mexican music was outside of my comfort zone. Although I was working in the daily entertainment edition back then, El Recodo was hardly on my radar. Was this going to be a bad start?

”No!” I said to myself. “This is a great challenge, and from now until my flight, I’ll listen to their music and research their backstory day and night." Of course, I needed to know more about Germany, the World Expo, the food, the culture, the language . . . Would I need any documents besides my passport?

Ultimately, I was amazed to see the reaction that international audiences had for the music of my home country. They surprised people with their infectious harmonies and tightly syncopated rhythms. The four-day journey became a twenty-day trip with follow-up concerts at the invitation of the King of Morocco. What started out as a new challenge became one of the most rewarding experiences of my journalism career.