my father
From afar, life in America seems to be a wild dream to those in foreign countries. But as fairy tales tell us, dreams do come true, and for Angel this is his dream come true.
Having a one on one conversation, Angel tells me what he experienced and what kind of adversity to make the leap into, what is now, the best decision he could have done for his life and the lives of the ones in his family.
Born to a poor family of six and raised in the rural areas of Mexico. There was slim to no chance for this nomads’ child to ever live in such a great country or ever succeed in the life outside farming and local merchant customs. For Angel the typical day was waking up when roosters crowed and to the smell of his mother cooking beans over an open fire in their little shack. After household chores Angel, would then get prepared for school. It was about a four mile walk with his mother and three siblings on dirt roads to school. After which, when school was over, he would then walk about two miles to a sugar cane field and began cutting sugar cane with his father, whom was cutting the cane while the children were at school.
While Angel was speaking of his childhood, tear drops began to form in his eyes and began blinking excessively. I knew that I struck a chord when it came to his childhood. He later began telling me that he would move place to place and never really had a place to call home. I knew that the pain resonated with the feeling of never living like a kid, but instead as a grown man.
He chuckled, and said “you know, I was grateful for whatever I got, I never complained, I was just thankful to be alive, have my family, and food in my stomach.” I felt the warmth in the tone of his voice; I knew for a fact that this answer was so sincere and so different from the days that people now live in. He told me the best day that he remembered and it was when he and his family went to the city and just spent time together. Looking away he began wiping his face and
Having a one on one conversation, Angel tells me what he experienced and what kind of adversity to make the leap into, what is now, the best decision he could have done for his life and the lives of the ones in his family.
Born to a poor family of six and raised in the rural areas of Mexico. There was slim to no chance for this nomads’ child to ever live in such a great country or ever succeed in the life outside farming and local merchant customs. For Angel the typical day was waking up when roosters crowed and to the smell of his mother cooking beans over an open fire in their little shack. After household chores Angel, would then get prepared for school. It was about a four mile walk with his mother and three siblings on dirt roads to school. After which, when school was over, he would then walk about two miles to a sugar cane field and began cutting sugar cane with his father, whom was cutting the cane while the children were at school.
While Angel was speaking of his childhood, tear drops began to form in his eyes and began blinking excessively. I knew that I struck a chord when it came to his childhood. He later began telling me that he would move place to place and never really had a place to call home. I knew that the pain resonated with the feeling of never living like a kid, but instead as a grown man.
He chuckled, and said “you know, I was grateful for whatever I got, I never complained, I was just thankful to be alive, have my family, and food in my stomach.” I felt the warmth in the tone of his voice; I knew for a fact that this answer was so sincere and so different from the days that people now live in. He told me the best day that he remembered and it was when he and his family went to the city and just spent time together. Looking away he began wiping his face and