Migrant Stories

As an exchange student, I had the privilege of studying in a foreign country, which was the United States. The city where I lived for half a year was the capital of Texas, Austin. Typical city in the southern United States, extreme weather, heavy traffic, many public works construction and a large presence of Mexican migrants working. The street where he lived was an image we can see anywhere in that country, that is, a street full of fast food restaurants, shops and small stores selling pizzas or caffeinated beverages. Something about this particular street of which consists of several houses of worship, is a Catholic church, one Jewish, one apostolic and one on Scientology. Walking down the street, we find a large number of students going to college is located across the street. But it is also a lot of flyers dealers, vagrants and persons who collected money for a cause. The homeless slept in the street and ask for money the way I thought was very strange. His sentences were asking for money: "Money in the hand now?" Dying for a beer, give me money?, "I think I lost money in your pocket, give it back?. But the issue which I want to talk about is the large number of migrants who worked primarily in fast food restaurants and construction works were carried out in the street.

Absolutely all the workers in these two areas I mentioned, were of the Latin race or black. Most speak very good Spanish, but few speak English well. When we arrived at a fast food restaurant is pure Spanish phrases heard coming from the kitchens of these restaurants. Scolding, yelling, even jokes could hear, but all working quickly because those restaurants usually are very full at the time of the different meals. When you get to the box and get some product did not even bother talking to me in English, most recognized my Latin-accented English, so I began to speak in Spanish. Some did not realize it, but to see a Mexican 10 peso bill stuck with me in my wallet, I identified as Mexican in Spanish and asked me where I was. I replied that I lived in Guadalajara and suddenly they mentioned any history associated with that city. It was very special to hear the stories because they all showed a great longing to remember your country of origin. A Mexican, Acapulco, Guerrero, mentioned that the 70 was the center of the city of Guadalajara where there were some birds in a small cage to grab a piece of paper that says something about the future of the person.

She reported that the note said it would undertake a long journey, but at the end of your trip, return to where he left. His hopes of returning to Mexico is great, but he knows very well the reality they face, leave their jobs in the U.S. is something that can not do. I met the son of Mexican, Roger Gonzalez was his name. His parents had gone to America in the eighties and had already been almost 20 years working in the United States. Talked the child, the dream of their parents, and when they are older, was returning to his hometown in Mexico, a small community in the state of Morelos. In that small community, left several relatives and a small ranch with four horses, which were released. In the United States are homeless, employment, insurance, quality of life is pretty good, but even so, they prefer their country of origin and their traditions. Another Mexican, Humberto name, worked as a painter in a building where the cafeteria where they usually ate. His dress was a white shirt and jeans stained with white paint completely. He expected that the U.S. had passed two years ago and quickly found work thanks to his Mexican friend.

She said she liked what she did, but was very heavy due to hot weather, 40 degrees Celsius was what marked the thermometers that were outside of several buildings for several days in the afternoon. I worked with really wanted, whenever he passed through the building saw it work. He mentioned nothing about Mexico, perhaps because it takes a few years in America. In a restaurant, I met Ramiro. A Mexican immigrant who was a presumed legal. He came to America and crossed the border by car, by the city of Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas. He gave his papers to the office and began a lifelong journey without return. Its mission was to get U.S. citizenship legally. He told me that in the state of Texas, a program that provides citizenship to foreigners who want to make two specific activities: Being a teacher (a) bilingual (English and Spanish only) or primary nurse (a). He and his wife decided to become an elementary bilingual teachers full of Latino children. The strange thing is that none of them had been teachers of primary school. He has a BS in Computer Science, while his wife is a teacher of Japanese language, but can not exercise their professions verdaeras until after a period of 5 years, when they deliver the ciudanía.

They have to practice as a primary school teacher for 5 years and last year can not leave the United States. They miss Mexico, there are all family. They have no family or friends in America, but still decided to make that decision, because as I said Ramiro: "Here you can quickly make a good house, good car and a good life in Mexico is very difficult ?. In the cafeteria where I ate, served various dishes. Generally there were four different dishes every meal, accompanied by various vegetables or bread. Besides, different ingredients had pizzas, soups, salads, drinks and desserts. As I had mentioned before, all the chefs race were black or Latino. So generally found Mexican dishes. "Chicken Poblano?," Enchiladas with Cheese? and other Mexican dishes with an American touch ruin the taste of the dishes. All these dishes were enchiladas, well, Americans and Europeans simply could not eat because they were considered too enchiladas. Latinos and Asians did not have any trouble eating. Lorena and John were responsible for cooking various dishes such as these a day. I asked them why they gave that touch American, who did not, but they said they found the original ingredients was very difficult and therefore it was impossible.

They cook with ingredients that cafeteria managers were buying. They had come to America three years ago, and came of cooks because it is one of the works which employ more migrants. All his family were already living in the U.S., they two were the last to be lacking. Lorraine wanted to finish his university studies, and John had a job washing cars in Mexico City. They were coming to America when Lorena finished college, but decided to cum before, because a very good chance of crossing them appeared earlier than expected and decided to leave everything and come. All migrants who leave the United States left too much behind to seek a lifetime opportunity to improve the quality of your life and others. Everyone remembers their country of origin to the point that they take all the Mexican traidiciones United States. I went to a supermarket in the city, called Fiesta. As a special, sold all Mexican products imaginable, from soft drinks, beer, sauces and out of the supermarket, wrestlers masks, hats, tops, bearings, soccer balls with a shield of a Mexican team.

Most migrants embark on a journey of no return. Live the rest of their lives in a foreign country and their children will live a new life in a country other than their parents. Every minute, a Mexican goes to the other side in search of employment. While Mexico does not improve as a country, America will become the new home of many Mexicans. Alejandro Moran Güereña

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