This book is dedicated to...

My family. Thank you for all you have provided for me. I wouldn't be where I am today without you.

Preview audio:

storyj.mp/aizsdfqpk4ht

One morning, I woke to the sound of my mother yelling "no more living lives filled with poverty, unemployment, drug trafficking, or high crimes! Finally, freedom! Finally, safety! Finally, opportunities!"

I rolled over in my bed and saw a suitcase on my floor. What was going on? I panicked. I called for my mama and she came rushing into my room with a smile on her face.

"¿A dónde vamos mamá?" I asked, worry in my voice.

"To a better land!" She exclaimed. "You will be happier there, my daughter."

While I packed my things, I began to worry.

Will this new country be safer? Will I make friends? Do the people speak Spanish or will I have to learn English?

I packed my teddy bear, clothes, my religious book, and a photo frame of my best friend into my suitcase. My mama packed a vase that my grandfather gave her, a bag with all of our family's money in it, and clothes. My papa had his wallet, clothes, and his most prized possessions in his suitcase. We were almost ready to begin our journey to this strange country.

I was going to miss my bestfriends more than anyone. I told Maria and Xime good-bye while I had tears in my eyes, and I told them that I would see them again one day.

I knew that my family would be with me on this journey to The United States, and that's all the company I would need.

I think that I was going to miss the country of Mexico the most. It was the land that I had grown up in and now I was leaving it after all these years.

The journey to the U.S. took several days. First, we rode a train which took us to the border. There, we had to present our reason for coming into the U.S., which was that we were joining relatives in Texas. We received our green cards after several applications and papers were filled out. Around us, people were being denied their entrance into the U.S. It was sad to see so many families not being able to have the opportunity to come to America.

The security guard told us that many people attempted to enter illegally- either by hopping on freight trains or crossing a large desert between Mexico and the U.S., both ways were extremely dangerous, and many died before reaching freedom.

The security guard waved us through, we got into a bus alongside of other Mexicans, and for the next couple of hours, I began to get excited for my new life.

Many of the Mexicans travelled to the states of Texas, California, Arizona, and Florida. My family and I went to Houston, Texas because that's where my aunt and uncle lived.

The state of Texas was unlike anything I had ever seen before. While the bus travelled through streets, I peered out the window and saw buildings announcing all kinds of food and stores that were available to anyone. The roads were clean, and all the people looked kind.

I looked over at my mom, and she had a huge smile on her face. I could tell that this new land was going to be good to my family and I.

We finally arrived to my aunt and uncle's house and it was so much bigger than our house.

When we got out of the bus, a dog greeted us. I bent down to pet the fluffy animal, it was something I never had back home but what I had always begged for.

We knocked on the front door, and then my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Ben both opened it and welcomed us with a huge hug. "Welcome!" she exclaimed. Behind her, 30 people were waiting with huge smiles on their faces and were each holding balloons. Everyone I had met in America so far was so kind towards us and I was so happy to be here.

For the next few days, I was as happy as could be.

That is, until I was enrolled into school. "It will be fun, daughter," my mama said.

That next day was one of the worst days of my life.

I hugged my mama good-bye and walked up the stairs to the school. They were all speaking a language that I didn't understand at all. I was beginning to get nervous.

I heard someone speaking Spanish behind me and I turned around. There was a boy, my age, who was saying words that I understood! I greeted him, and I told him that I just arrived to the U.S. and told him about how nervous I was to be there.

He helped me to my first class, English with Ms. Reid, and told me not to be nervous, that school was fun. As soon as I entered the classroom, I said "hola" to my teacher, and she smiled very large. "Hola" she said back to me.

By the end of the school day, I had made several new friends. Most of my teachers could speak both English and Spanish and I had already learned so much! I learned how to say "Nice to meet you," in English, and that was very exciting for me.

However, as I was leaving the school, I began to walk down the stairs, but three girls were blocking my exit. I tried to say "excuse me" in English but I accidentally said something entirely different, and the girls began to laugh at me. "Hey it's the new Spanish girl, the illegal one!" One of the girls yelled. "Yeah, you shouldn't be here," another girl said. I couldn't understand what they were saying, but I knew that it was something mean.

I walked away from them, and as soon as I got in the car with my mom, I started crying. I now hated America and all the people that lived here.

I told my mother about my bad day and she comforted me and said everything was going to be alright, and then she told me that she had had a bad day too and that they happen to everyone so I shouldn't be worried.

When I got to my aunt and uncle's house, my family was seated around the dinner table.

My mom told us that she went to the town and went to try and get a job at three different places, but each of them turned her down because her english wasn't very good. My mother was upset, and she was worried that she would never get a job. My dad said that he tried to buy some wood at the hardware store, but he didn't have enough money, and the cashier was laughing at him. Humiliated, my father left the store.

It seemed as though America wasn't treating anyone in my family well.

That night, I prayed that God would bring happiness into my family again.

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This book is dedicated to...

My family. Thank you for all you have provided for me. I wouldn't be where I am today without you.

Preview audio:

storyj.mp/aizsdfqpk4ht

I rolled over in my bed and saw a suitcase on my floor. What was going on? I panicked. I called for my mama and she came rushing into my room with a smile on her face.

"¿A dónde vamos mamá?" I asked, worry in my voice.

"To a better land!" She exclaimed. "You will be happier there, my daughter."

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"from Mexico to the U.S. - A true story"

mcelliottgolf

A young girl and her family leave their home in Mexico to start a new life in the United States. The story follows their journey, struggles, and eventual success in their new homeland.

(30 pages)

Privacy level: PUBLIC

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