826 Valencia

El Salvador is a country in Central America with 7 million inhabitants and 3 million Salvadorians in the U.S. and the rest of the world. El Salvador is a small country; it's a country that unfortunately has experienced war, earthquakes, and right now they’re experiencing war with gangs. With all that that they’re going through right now, people are still working, still dedicated to making life better for their kids. “We haven’t been left standing,” Jose said. “The workers, which is us, are people who work hard no matter what job we have.” That’s why the country is still standing. There are many Salvadorians in the U.S, and Jose thinks they contribute to the country and make it more powerful. As he said, “ It’s the government’s fault that the economy is doing so poorly in El Salvador.” Despite this, Salvadorians still persevere.

 Jose lived his childhood in a town where there was a lot of war. He lived in the middle of bullets. He lived in the middle of poverty. His mother entered the FMLN, a guerilla army, which has progressive beliefs. His dad was a military sergeant in the armed forces, which were conservative. He was raised with his grandparents since his mom was in combat in the mountains. The only one that would sometimes visit him was his father. His mother would see him only once a month, but not always. His mother would sometimes come disguised. He remembers one time she was disguised as a monk so they wouldn’t see her because she was a target and the military wanted to kill her. So he was raised without a father or a mother; He was raised with his grandparents. His grandma had a little business making candy. He would have to get up really early to help her sell candy. “Now I see that childhood was better when I was a kid than it is for kids today. Back then, we didn’t really have any electronics, so we dedicated ourselves to playing soccer. We played with marbles and yo-yos. That’s why I enjoyed my childhood,” Jose said.

Soccer has always been a big part of Jose’s life. When he was eleven years old, he got into a soccer academy called Audaz Jr. When they were in that academy, they had to practice two times a day. They’re trainer loved working with the kids and was also a scout. He taught them things like how to kick the ball, where to run, and different strategies. Jose had a lot of the qualities to become a soccer player, and when he was fifteen years old, he debuted in the third division. He was also selected for the U-15 national team for El Salvador, and he went to a Central American tournament in Guatemala. He was able to score a free kick against Costa Rica. This is when soccer started to have a huge impact in his life. Then at sixteen years old, he debuted in the second division. He scored a lot of goals, and the team close to his home bought him, and that’s where he played for three years. “Those three years are the years that I will never forget. I was the highest scorer and I was an idol in that region,” Jose said. They paid him well. In fact, they wanted him to play in first division. But because of the lack of support, he didn’t go and he felt better there. At the moment, soccer is still a part of Jose’s life.

“When I was young I had friends that were from my town and we played soccer together. We went and partied together. We were also classmates. We were friends that enjoyed our childhood. But they were also friends that introduced me to bad habits.” When he was fifteen, they told him to start drinking his first beer. In that moment, he was at the best part of his soccer career, but they told him “One beer isn’t that bad,” and he believed them. He started drinking one, then two, then three. But in the end you have to choose your friends. “I really enjoyed my childhood, and I also enjoyed my friends,” Jose said

 Jose graduated from high school. He studied Fisico Matematicas. He really enjoyed Math. He started going to college, but because of the poverty that he lived in he couldn’t finish college. Going to college in El Salvador means wasting a lot of money. But when he did study before college, he won academic awards for being a good student. Sadly, he couldn’t finish college.

When asked about a memorable memory Jose said,” Just my childhood because we grew up without technology and we spent more time outdoors playing things like soccer and other Salvadorian games. I feel honored to have spent my childhood in El Salvador because I know I enjoyed it more than I would have in the U.S.”

Jose came to the U.S. because when he was seventeen years old when his girlfriend (who is now his wife) became pregnant. He had problems with his father-in-law and he came to the U.S. because he wanted to kill him. Plus, his mother had already gone to the U.S. and she told him to come. His girlfriend was the only daughter in her family, and she was sixteen and her family was really mad. His mother was scared that something would happen to him so she sent a coyote to bring him to the U.S.

Jose’s  journey to the U.S was overall very dangerous. He arrived in San Francisco after a month of travelling. He had to go through a lot of difficult things. “I remember I was in a trailer with about 80 people. We were hungry, thirsty, and sometimes we couldn’t breathe”, Jose recalled.

When asked what he misses most about El salvador he replied by saying, “I miss everything. You can’t compare the country you were born into another country. Even though my country is a violent and poor country, it is also a fascinating land. My family, my culture, my friends, the streets, I miss all of that. The beaches, the stadiums, soccer, these are all things that I miss. Even though I have many years in the U.S., I wish I could go back.”

Jose compared life in El salvador to life in the U.S by saying, “The life in El Salvador is a much calmer life. You’re not stressed about many things, you don’t live a fast life like you do in the United States. Since this country is a capitalist country, it’s a place where it’s all about working 24 hours a day. This is a robotic lifestyle. Sometimes you go to your house just to sleep. You’re stressed all the time. You have many bills to pay. You can’t miss a day of work. Sometimes you have to go to work sick or tired. In my country, even though we live a life of poverty, we don’t have to live with that stress. You live with happiness. You can have everything here, but you live with stress.”

Josephine has very good memories of the Philippines. She always loved the warm water and weather of the Philippines. When growing up she would swim in the river before school would start. It rained a lot there, instead of snow days they would have storm days. She said, “Everywhere would be flooded so we wouldn’t have school.” She and her friends would listen to the radio to see if school would be cancelled.

Josephine says people in the Philippines are very friendly, it’s all about close family. She reflected, “We love each other. It’s not just your immediate family, it’s everyone!” She said that at a regular birthday party, more than 500 people would be there. It would be like the whole town was there celebrating with you. She said that besides the immediate family, there would be aunts, uncles, cousins, second degree, third degree cousins, almost the entire town.

When Josephine was in her 20’s she made a big decision and went to Japan for the first time. She went back and forth between Japan and the Philippines for several years. She explained that at the time, Japan was where all the tech innovations were. Her first job was for a Japanese tech company as a computer engineer. She said, “It was challenging, because in the particular department I worked for, I was the first female engineer that they hired.” In fact, in meetings people would turn to her and say, “Are you really an engineer?”

One of her biggest problems was the language barrier. She needed to learn enough to communicate with the customers. She felt she was successful and can still speak Japanese today.

Travelling from the Philippines to Japan, she caught a travel bug and that sparked a sense of adventure. It was something that impacted her whole life

Her next move was to come to America. She said, “I guess growing up in the Philippines, you hear about America as a land of opportunities so I thought why not, let’s see what’s in store for me.” When she came here, it was for work. She came to help with a bug for Y2K and she ended up staying. Another reason she stayed in America was to continue travelling. For her travelling was a humbling experience, it gave her a chance to explore the world, and it opened up her eyes. She explained that she would look for the best restaurants but would also go where the locals went. She liked to be spontaneous and to be open to what’s out there.

When asked about her wishes for her daughter she said, “I want her to live the life she wants however she wants it to be. I mean I understand and respect that everyone is not the same. Thank goodness everyone is not the same for it would be a boring world, I want her live her life, and whatever makes her happy, to go for it.

Even though she is enjoying a successful and happy life there is still one thing she misses about the Philippines-the mangoes. “We have the best mangoes in the world.”

Yanira sat down and decided to answer some questions involving what it was like adjusting to a new home. Yanira, a mother of 9, is a very hardworking mother who has experienced a lot when it comes to immigration. As an immigrant, her life overall was definitely more challenging than others as she was settling into a new country with a new language, a new school system and many other things that she went through to transition here. She sat down and described her life as a child in El Salvador. It began briefly where she recalls living with her Grandparents on a small house that her grandparents owned including a large piece of land where they raised some animals.

She grew up with her cousins but no other siblings as well as some children who lived in the area with her. Yanira was never wealthy in her childhood but considering the poverty in her neighborhood she was somewhat wealthy to have her own house and land. She described her life as a comfortable place, no luxuries just enough to be satisfied with. Schooling in El Salvador was very good to her. Her school wasn’t very good but she was a smart student who worked hard and made lots of friends. However at the time there was a Civil War happening which made life somewhat dangerous.

It came a day when Yanira’s mother told her she would have to move to the United States and she dreaded leaving. Not only did Yanira not want to leave her friends but she did not want to leave her house because her memories were all there. As much as Yanira wanted to stay she accepted it and realized that her mother only wanted what was best for her and her future. Yanira’s mother left to the US first and in a couple years, Yanira had saved enough money to move to the States. Once all her things were in order, she moved and sadly left behind her past as well as her Grandpa who could not go with her.

The transition from El Salvador to the United States was somewhat difficult for Yanira. Once she settled in here, her mother remarried and had a new husband whom Yanira now saw as her father. He was a very kind man who helped her in everything including her English learning. She attended a very good school known as Newcomer High School, where immigrants and other students were accepted and taught the basics on how to live and adjust in this country. It was a very good school that benefitted Yanira greatly and she excelled very well among the other students. She was always ahead of the class and she was so good that she was given permission to attend a regular high school which was eventually Mission High School.

Life, as she described it, was very strange to her considering the tall buildings, the people, the language and even the food was all a new experience for her. She never admitted it was easy but she adjusted well compared to her other schoolmates who she noticed were often homesick. From school to her home, her new Grandpa would always find a way to teach her something new. Her English over the years improved because of her Grandfather who taught her in every way possible to speak the English language.

From life then to life now Yanira has seen how much her life improved from a dangerous and poor place to a more comfortable home here where she transitioned quite well. She sees life harder however for new immigrants. She imagines little girls like her who seek a better life but are stuck due to the harsh treatment of immigrants now. Life as an immigrant or even as a newcomer isn’t as easy as it once was. In conclusion, she is thankful to have lived her life the way she is living it with 9 kids and a husband. She gave up most of her childhood for her future as well as her kids and that is what makes her a great mother for an interview like this.

Everything starts with a big motivation. I see El Salvador very far away and in front of me there is a new land--Guatemala is my next step. When I arrived most of the things were the same, but I didn’t feel at home. With my siblings we slept the first night together, and we were excited for what should be our second day. New people from all parts of Central America went with us on the journey. We took a bus from a bus station at Guatemala city, and from there we traveled a little more than eight hours until we arrived to a part close to the border. When we entered a little house we got a big surprise; there were too many people. I think we were like sixty or more people. I felt shy, very shy, and the only people I knew was my brother and sister, no one else. Finally I fell asleep because I was so tired from the journey. When I woke up I didn’t remember where I was, everything was so confusing, but after a while I realized what was happening.

After five days we finally took the next step. Now I was seeing Guatemala so far away, but what I didn’t see in front of me was the first big challenge. A deep darkness was in front of us. That darkness blockaded the new land, which was Belize. After too many falls and wounds, finally we had seen the light in front of us. It was a very nice feeling. We had to cross a river to get to Belize. Belize felt very sad; I felt it in this way, and there was my first experience with the English language. I felt weary because I didn’t understand anything about that language. But we just took ten hours to pass it. Now my second big challenge was coming. We had to cross a jungle to enter  Mexico (the third step). It was terrible; we walked like two hours without eating and everyone was very tired. Thanks to God we got out of there and we crossed a road. In the other side there was a van waiting for us.

In this part the only important thing to me was that we don’t give up since already my siblings and I got it. We took the last bus to get to Monterrey, Mexico. There we arrived to the famous “Hieleras” (a place where every immigrant arrives to prepare for the most important step or challegent, which is crossing the border Mexico-United States). I felt so proud of myself and of my siblings because we achieved something impossible since some people can’t do it or died while they try it. We arrived there at the morning and we left in the evening. Everything was happening in my mind I felt a big adrenalina rolling inside my body because we were ready to cross the famous border. In a point I felt how all my hope was leaving me ‘cause ICE was above us while we tried to cross. I thought “All this effort for nothing!?” But then something magical happened -- the ICE agents left. We got to the other side, thanks to God.

At this point life smiled on us. We started to walk when ICE came back for us, took us and drove us to the jail, where they processed our personal information. Finally it all ended, but what my brother and I didn’t know was . . . we couldn’t stay anymore with our sister, because she was older of eighteen  years of age (and the laws here don’t apply to “adults”). I felt like my life was tearing apart; all my life spent with them, they were my confidants, my best friends, my siblings, they were my everything. But the most painful part was that this journey made us inseparable and created a great confidence between us. After a while I got courage and I prayed to God for strength, and  just from that I contained my tears. With my brother we arrived to a “house-home” in Virginia, made for young immigrants.

Something changed in me in that moment. During a week of staying with them, I traveled with my brother to San Francisco. The arriving was special ‘cause the was my first time I saw again my parents after a good while. Everything was incredible; finally the piece I missed I’d found. After ten years or more I came back to my parents’ arms. Little by little my concern grew larger since now a new piece was missing me -- my sister’s. During my first school day, everything was horrible. I didn’t like the school, my classmates, I hated the language, the teachers; I really didn’t feel safe, I didn’t feel at home, and it was deepening my concern about what would happen with my sister’s case. The first month at school was very hard because I didn’t understand anything. The time was passing and we didn’t get an answer to my sister. By three months we lived in the darkness.

When the time arrived, my sister’s case was approved and she was sent to us. Finally again my family was complete and more together than ever. From this point I knew everything would change; I improved in school, I set up my grades, and I focused to learn the language. I had some classmates that told me, “You just have a little time here. You’re studious now, but just wait to get confidence here . . . you will be in gangs and this kind of thing.” Now I laugh at them ‘cause I show them the opposite, and it makes me happy because inside of me, I see my grandpa’s image standing up with a big smile, proud of me.

I lived in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, before coming to the United States. My family has been in America for almost two years. Coming to the U.S. with a lot of hopes and wishes encourages me to do my best and achieve my American dream in this country.

Crossing the Pacific Ocean to the United States in July of 2015 was the longest trip I ever had, a trip with all my hopes and dreams of the future. Fifteen hours is not too long, but it is enough to feel homesick and worry about my new life in the United States. My life turns a new page and I will make it more colorful and enjoyable with all my efforts. The life in America is totally different. People live their own lives. I am living in my aunt’s home with lots of relatives. I expected to have fun in America right away. When I was adjusting to the homelife, I was disappointed because it was less fun than I thought because of my relatives in America. Also, I feel that my relatives are also my neighbors. It seems like we are strangers in the home. Luckily, I have my uncle to help me feel more comfortable at home. He drives me around the city at night and gives me a chance to explore San Francisco.

America is a fantastic dream for all people around the world including me. I want to stay in America to fulfill my dream and achieve my hopes in the future. One of the big ways I can do this is get through my education and my degree. For example, I would like to pursue pharmacy. My dream is also to travel around the world to learn new languages and cultures. So I have to make future plans to achieve it as soon as possible as I can. I know America can provide this for me. However, it is not all the dreams I want. Even though America is supposed to be land of opportunities and equality, it is not like that in my house. Actually, my relationship with my mother’s side is kind of overwhelming. They have lived in the U.S. for almost twenty years, but their idea of lives and the way they treat people is not equally. My relatives treat others based on who lived longer in America, who makes more money...Sometimes I do not want to talk much because of my tiredness, but they think it is because I want to hide something from them. They expect me to respect elders in my home, however, they never respect me or my family or even our opinions. They want me to do something for them but have they treated us kindly or listened to our words even once? No, they haven’t.

Sometimes,I have difficult times in the U.S., especially in school because school in my country is definitely different than in the U.S. In Vietnam, most of my time is to stay in class and wait for the teacher to come, but in the U.S. I sort of have time to get from one class to another class. Also, the most difficult thing not only for me but also for all immigrants is the language barrier. Imagine how hard it is for people to communicate or ask for help or how parents sacrifice for us to get education in the United States. To me, the first day in Mission High School was quite nervous because I didn’t have friends who could help me find the class or someone from my country. But now I feel more open and comfortable to support students who are from my country. Although it is hard to adjust to America, it is still possible. I am great example of that.

My aunt got a backpack for us and made us put some stuff to take on the journey. After getting everything we needed, we started heading to a hill outside of my town, La Libertad, El Salvador. My oldest brother Gustavo, who was fourteen, knew what was going on and where we were going. I didn't know what was happening. I was confused just like my other twelve year old brother Jorge. We were the youngest and didn't understand anything, so we just took everything as a game. When we got to the place where the van would pick us up, Jorge and I started playing around, but we noticed that my grandma and aunt were worried and nervous. Still we ignored them, even when we were in the van. We just looked at them and I looked at my older brother who never showed emotions. He was always serious, but I’m sure he was afraid and mostly worried about us. Then the van left and our eighteen day journey started.

After walking through the desert, forest, and rivers, we arrived in Los Angeles with my brothers. It was really weird. We never had seen so many lights in one place, but the first thing that we did was make a stop to get food. The guys driving us ordered food and that’s when we tried our first taco. After eating we got to a house where I felt asleep. Waking up I saw a man who was looking at me. My sight was foggy. I couldn’t see well but when I opened my eyes right and focused my sight on him, I recognize him; he was my father. All I did was run to him and say, “dad!” He crouched to hug me and just laughed. After hugging me he stood up and he thanked the guys for everything that they had done for us and for taking care of us. All I did was look at him, and then we walked out and got to the truck that my uncle was driving and we left. When we got to the car I fell asleep and slept the whole way.

When I woke up they were just parking. We were at my auntie’s house in San Francisco. I didn't know anything, and I just felt lost being in a place that I’ve never been to. The city was too loud and it was really dark that day. I didn't know who was my mom and who was my auntie. I just ran and said “mom!” She hugged me and started laughing and told me, “I’m not your mom,” and pointed and told me that she was my mother. They had their hair colored yellow and they were similar so I wasn’t really sure. My aunt headed to my mom told her what happened. Then she looked at me at laughed. The city was really different. There were so many cars in the city and there was light everywhere. I had to get use to it. After being with my family, my parents decided to head home. We all said goodbye and left. When we got to my parent’s house, there was only one big bed. It was only one room and a bathroom. There were five of us and we all slept in the same bed.

After a while, I started school at Mission Education Center in second grade. It was weird being in a school where they had floors and the students were mostly Hispanic. On the first day I had people showing me which was going to be my class. It was all the way in the top with a teacher named Ms. Rosalinda. She was a nice teacher and everyone in the classroom was friendly. Most of us were only speaking Spanish, but in the process we were learning the basics of English. What I found most difficult was getting to know the school, but after a while everything was easy.