Got Mexico?

Hola! 

Como estas? 

This week was a real eye-opener for sure. I want you all to think about Mexico for a minute. Maybe some of you lucky people have been there before. Maybe some of you haven't! Lots of you eat chips, salsa, and quacamole. You enjoy burritos, enchiladas, and tacos as a normal part of your diet during the week. I know I do. You probably even say words in Spanish as you talk to people or see movies with the big sombreros, pinatas, and bright colors. You might even have Hispanic background in your genes, live near people of that nature, and love these amazing people. I know many people who are in this situation, whether it be the first-generation or several generations ago.

In class this week, it featured the Mexican people who have been able to find their way to the U.S. for different reasons. We talked about the different situations that were and are faced by families who decide to immigrate here. And we kind of did a "role-play". For some people, you'll know what that is (returned missionaries). A role-play is when you pretty much pretend and act out what you would do in a certain situation. We chose a mother, father, a 14 year old son, an 11 year old daughter, a cousin, an aunt, an uncle, and a grandmother as part of this Mexican family. We began with the whole family together, with the immediate family very closely related and involved with one another. Mom and Dad were good and happy together, the kids loving life with their friends and doing well with growing up. We then move to when the father decides to head to the United States to start building a better life for the family. It was interesting to me to find out that most, if not all, of the Mexican immigrants, made this huge move for the benefit of their children. They just want the best for one another, and that was something that stuck with me throughout the whole class and even afterwards as I thought about immigration, how it isn't just for Mexican immigrants, but all immigrants who face an entirely new world. Once the father got to the U.S.(this was all just a scenario played out by college students, the real stuff takes years and years and years and involves so much more heartache and pain than I can ever put into words...), things got harder than he thought. No matter what the qualifications he had in Mexico, he would still struggle to find a stable job enough to provide for himself, let alone for his whole entire family whom he had left behind in his beloved Mexico. Often, he would be living in a small apartment with other men in similar situations. Over the period of time when the family is separated, a lot of changes are experienced... Mom becomes the head of the household and the main provider for the family. The son begins to grow up in his teenage years without a father figure in the house. The daughter feels alone, with Mom at work all the time and only her moody brother for company. She misses her dad, and doesn't know how she's going to handle the changes comign up in her next few years. Mom always seems grumpy. Grandma, Aunt, and Uncle are doing their best to help out where they can. Life is so different now...

(FAST FORWARD 3 YEARS)

Everything is ready! The family is packed up and ready to make their journey to the United States. Dad is there waiting for them. It's been three years since Mom got to see her husband, and they barely ever got to talk over the phone thanks to expensive phone rates. The son has shot up in height and attitude. The daughter is now reaching those crucial years. When they reach the U.S., they can barely understand what people are saying, despite practicing English long into the night. It's so much harder in person! The family moves into the same apartment Dad has been living in, because he couldn't afford anything more. Mom's relationship with him feels strained...Whenever Dad tries to exercise paternal authority over the kids, they just resist...They aren't used to having him try to be the father, so there's no way they're going to listen to someone they don't know very well anymore. And something that occured to me about this situation was how sad it was for EACH MEMBER of the family. Dad just wants the best for his wife and kids. Mom just wants to support her husband and raise her kids with good things in life. The kids love Mom and Dad, they just haven't been able to get to nuturing they need. The family seems to have drifted apart, and it's no ones' fault...

There was a lot more to the story, and many other different kinds of stories. This definitely doesn't represent every situation and family, but this really opened my eyes to the Mexican immigrants, since they are so prevalent, but even to just all immigrants in the United States. My ancestors from Europe probably experienced many similar things when they dropped everything they knew to come here to  the other end of the world to find a better life for their families, which means me. I am effected by this concept, and every single one of us can be affected in different ways.

I thought it was so cool to learn, and it really opened my eyes to the depth that these situations can have, and we only see headlines and statistics about immigration. I'm so glad to have learned about this, because it makes me so much more willing to accept people and to even offer help when needed! It just makes me more determined to be tolerant and loving to ALL, no matter who we are or where we come from, in relation to the last post!

I hope you'll look into it more. There's a great article we read in class that changed about half the class' perspective on this whole situation. Let me know if you want it, I can totally get it to you!

…. Amaos unos a otros….

...Yonn renmen lòt…..

...Любить друг друга...

...LOVE ONE ANOTHER...