"They Used to Tell Me" by Yohana Mejia
My fifth grade teacher, “Maestra Juana”, used to tell us that most of our class will never go to college, that most of use would leave the school and never finish school.That maybe even with some luck less than 10 students of the more than 40 students in the classroom will do it.
My father used to tell me how he never finished school because he had to work to maintain his family and my mother to take care of her little brothers, telling me to finish at least “secundaria” (middle school) or “preparatoria” (High School) because with that I could get better work opportunities when I grow up.
What neither of them told me was that I can go to college and have a career. That even though it looks really difficult and almost impossible, it wasn’t.
In 2013 my parents got the residency for them and my brothers and me, they decided that the best was to leave our native country and go to the United States so we can have a better education and they a better job. Even though my parents thoughts were the best, I was scared, scared of what was awaiting for me in a country which I didn’t know anything about, after all the only things that I knew about the United States was from shows and movies that they pass for the TV.
But now I know there’s no need of being scared, and I am thankful, thankful to my parents that decided to give me the opportunities to follow my studies.
My fifth grade teacher, “Maestra Juana”, used to tell us that most of our class will never go to college, that maybe even with some luck less than 10 students of the more than 40 students in the classroom will do it. Now I would like to tell her that I’m gonna be one of those students, but it wasn’t luck, it was my parents.
La realidad de los Estados Unidos by Sara Aleman
Siempre escuche acerca de como es los Estados Unidos, algunos lo pintan como el mejor lugar del mundo donde consigues todo fácil y ganas mucho dinero…. Pero lo que no dicen es cuanto cuesta obtener todo eso.
Cuando tenía 14 años tuve la oportunidad de conocer realmente como las cosas son, me di cuenta que todos tienen diferentes experiencias, que la expectativa de “todo es fácil” no es para todos.
Pero realmente para un inmigrantes no es fácil, es doble trabajo para obtener “cosas fáciles”. Un inmigrante se levanta muy temprano por la mañana listo con su taza de café para la jornada del dia. Cortar yardas, limpiar casas, trabajar en construcciones y más es lo que un inmigrante se dedica… trabajo pesado para llevar la comida a la mesa de su casa, y ayudar a sus familias de su país natal.
The reality about United States
I’ve always heard about how the United States is, some people paint it as the best place in the world, where you can get easy things and earn a lot of money… But they do not tell you how hard It’s to get all that.
When I was 14 I had the opportunity to know how the United States really is. I really knew how things are, I realized that everybody has a different experience, that the expectation about “everything It’s easy” It’s not for everybody.
For immigrants It’s not really easy, the work It’s double to get “easy things”. An immigrant wakes up early in the morning ready with the cup of coffee for the working day. Landscaping, cleaning houses, working construction and more; It’s what an immigrant does… Heavy work to bring food to the table at home, and helping their families from their native country.
"Faith Moves Mountains" by Melisa Lopez Vega
One day changed my life,I did not know if it was for good or for bad,but that day I thought I was going to die. That day was August 4, 2017,when I was diagnosed with a disease in the brain that there is no cure,only medicine to control it.
When I thought that everything was over to me, my world collapsed, my mom was the person who gave me support to keep going and a sentence that she told me, that today is in my mind, “Despues de la tormenta, sale el sol---After the storm, the sun comes up”.
A few months ago my dream was to study to be a chef,but after my life changed and now I have the clarity that I want to be a neurologist and help all the people,help as they need and not like me just for not having insurance and a social security number,not one wanted to help me,but I found a doctor who did not care about that and helped me.
Now I know what I want in my life and I know that what I have is not an impediment to keep going. I do not know why this happened to me,but what I do know is where I am going and where I want to go and that “ Los tiempos de Dios son muy buenos---God’s times are very good”.