Transformative Experience

My parents would tell me that in the near future we will be living in America and that here we’ll find peace and success. All the necessary proceedings to start our lives in America were being done. I was a girl with big dreams, and I knew that America is the land were dreams come true, so I was thrilled to know the decision to move was concrete. When the day to depart started getting closer, I was full of mixed emotions. I was eager to live in the States and accomplish my dreams, but the thought of leaving my friends and part of my family behind was very

As a child I faced many difficulties that most children at my age would never face, but in order to understand my story you must first understand my background. I was born in Mexico City, Mexico at the age of four my mom made an incredibly important decision that wouldn’t only affect her, but also me as her son. My mom, Rosalia, made the decision to move out of her country that she had grown up in, and the country that I had begun my life in, in order to move to the United States so that her son could not only be with his mother, but also his father. At that age I didn’t think much of it, but today I sit here and respect the decision that my mom made at that time, and appreciate the amount of courage and strength that it took my mother to make

I remember the day me and my family had left. It was one of the most emotional events of my life. I couldn’t believe I was going to become an American citizen. As we got closer and closer to the border, my heart pumped faster and faster. I felt like if I were in a dream, where as I was unstoppable. After the 10 hour drive to the border, we had arrived. I was a bit nervous at first. I kept thinking what if the customs didn’t let us go through, what if they

It seems like just yesterday Mom was telling me to pack my bags. We were living in a small farming town just outside Catarina, Mexico. Times were really tough and Dad had lost his job. My family knew of people moving to the United States for work, but my family never considered it. Our entire family resides in Mexico; the thought of moving was unbearable.

My mother’s journey began in her hometown, Mexicali. She had heard that there were reliable coyotes who could get you to the US through “La Tierre de Nadie” (No Man’s Land). My mother spent the first few months of her pregnancy working any jobs she could find. Even as her belly grew larger and her feet got more bloated, she spent every hour of her day working. Her whole existence was devoted to escaping poverty. My mother was terrified that her due date would arrive before she was able to reach the States. She walked alongside the wall everyday on her way home, dreaming of the life she would make for her daughter. Finally, my mother had saved enough money to pay the coyote and traveled to Tijuana to find one to hire.

Three months ago I was studying my last moments of high school in Mexico. I had already planned the university I was going to and the major I wanted to course. Everything was happening really fast when my father told my mother and I that he had a job opportunity in the United States. He didn't wish to force us to go with him, although we did accept to leave because both of us consider that the most valuable thing in this world is family.

Many people come to the united states for opportunities and a better life for their children. My grandmother came to the united states at the age of fourteen years old with no documentation or someone to take care of her. She was born in Mexicali, Mexico in small town named vai de la tirneda were going up with seven other siblings was very difficult for her parents. They struggle to make living and provide food for the family. Because of the situation that she was facing at home she made the hardest decision of her life to go to the united states at such a young age. Her aunt and uncle had come to visit it her and her family. It was then when she knew it was time to go. She packed her belongings and left. She was afraid she remembers. Having

I came to the United States on October 1st 2009. As an eight-year-old, I didn’t realize the changes my life was about to go through. I would always dream of coming to the united states because of the amount of opportunities that I could have here, that I could never have in El Salvador. Although, I didn’t comprehend that would mean leaving my whole family and making such a huge change in my life. Growing up in El Salvador I got used to depending on my family and having their support no matter what. After I moved the changes were really hard for me: Not having my family around, learning a new language, and getting used to a new lifestyle; took me some time to get used to.

Our first year in the United States was one of the most difficult and challenging years of my entire life. I remember watching my mother cry every single day in the closet of that small one-bedroom apartment. Cried, because she missed home. Cried, because everywhere we went, she would feel the intense racist stares and mugs of people towards the new "immigrant family" in the neighborhood. Cried, because our way of life in Mexico was worthless here. My father struggled to find a job as his electrician certificate in Mexico was nothing more than a piece of

This winter break, my family and I woke up at 4:30 in the morning on December 26th, packed our minivan, and drove to the O’Hare airport. During the three hours of driving in the dark, my siblings and I were too excited to sleep, and we eagerly awaited the week ahead. We flew directly into Phoenix, Arizona and drove for another two hours, to Green Valley. When we reached Great Grandma June’s villa, she ran outside and gave my dad a huge hug. Excited to see us, she cried until she had hugged each one of us. My brother and I hadn’t visited her since 2008, and the rest my siblings hadn’t ever officially met her. After years of phone calls and sending

the next morning as we are packing for the trip back to Mexico, i went outside to say my goodbyes to my friends. But they were already on the bus going to school. I felt my heart dropped remembering about school. I went back inside to finish packing. mama and papa were in the back of the tent discussing about our trip. we walked to the train station and bought our tickets. soon after it was time to board. sitting by mama i could see tears running down her cheeks. at that second i felt like we are never coming back

Coming from Mexico was a difficult transition, but looking back at that memory, it is a reminder that anything is possible. I remember the sun felt like an oven most days. Sweat ran down my back and through my clothes. One summer day I walked to meet my new future,however, I kept thinking and admiring my beautiful country: Mexico. Time passed by quickly From the time I woke until the time I reached the airplane. My feet weakened with pain and excitement. Pain because I was leaving my family behind to find a better future or myself. I knew,the trees, the beautiful flowers: the lilies, the Violets, The marigolds, and the strong yet satisfying smell of el chile. I felt excitement because I would be able to see something new that would become

Some of my favorite memories are of my mom, older sister and me, dancing around the kitchen, laughing, sharing memories, listening to Bachata and reading recipes. Some days my family and I baked cakes together and laughed with flour all over our faces. Other days, the loud sounds weren’t of laughter, but arguments with family. “Lizmery, tu sabe to el esfuerzo que yo eh hecho por ti y tu hermana, que te esta pasando?” “Lizmery, you know how hard I’ve worked to give you and your sister everything! What is going on?” My mom asked this every time she received my middle school report cards which exposed my failing grades. My mom arrived to the United States in 1999, alone and pregnant with me. She started working at Gondres Bakery in Jamaica Plain using her mother’s recipes to make cakes for the Dominican Community and create a better life for my older sister and me.

In July of 2007, I migrated to Planada, California from a rural town in the mountains of Durango, Mexico. This event was the beginning of my educational journey, my liminal identity and has fundamentally shaped the person that I am today. I was born and raised in a tiny rural village call El Palmito, in the Mexican state of Durango. El Palmito lacks many resources and opportunities for women: I remember that our school consisted of only one room, with only one poorly trained teacher to teach grades zero through nine. When I was thirteen years old I immigrated to California with my parents, however my parents were not able to adjust to the lifestyle here and decided to go back to Durango. Wanting the best for me and my education, they allowed

On January, 20, 2003, was the day In which I left my country and family and said hello to my new life In the United States Of America. I was 6 years old, living in Colombia, Medellin. Hours before my mother and I left, my family made a small farewell reunion. The meeting was set in my aunt's living room, which was small with orange walls and was decorated with my mother's paintings. The room was full of emotion, people crying, laughing, sharing shared memories. One by one, people stop in front of me telling me how much they will miss me and how lucky I was to get the opportunity to live in the Unites States Of America.