Mexican Immigration Narrative

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As a child, I always loved to explore and learn about livelihoods that differed from my own. This predominately stems from when I traveled with my grandmother at age seven to Mexico, a country I barely knew and whose language I did not speak. My goal was to strengthen my bond with my extended family and learn Spanish. While I have been to Mexico once before with my immediate family, I never obtained an ‘authentic’ experience as I had my siblings to speak English with and remained mainly at my grandmother’s house or the touristy areas of the city. However, this trip showcased another side of Mexico I never saw –– the real Mexico, in my opinion. Within the first week, my cousin brought me to a flea market in an area he called “the slums of Mexico City.” That is when a vendor approached us to purchase a …show more content…
During this time, there was a high rate of kidnapping for ransom, with many being American. This induction did not make me fearful of what was forthcoming, but excited to see a more real side of the city and country. Following this experience, we visited my grandmother’s ancestral town in another state. On the drive, we passed such extravagant houses; however, as we drove up the dirt road, I saw a house made out of sun-dried bricks and sticks with a hay roof – the original house my grandmother grew up in and where my great-uncle still resides. There were no bathrooms, lights, or doors, and I learned that the country allows people like my uncle to live there for free so long as he continues to care for the land. This was my first exposure to such poverty, but it did not limit the wonderful time I had, nor the connections forged despite the language barrier. Despite being away from my family in a country I hardly knew the language of, I had an unforgettable time that profoundly impacted my motivations and

Mexican Immigration Narrative

distractions and embrace the philosophy of ‘keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground’. Daydreaming or falling victim to distractions was never an option for my Mexican family. We endured a full year of separation from my father, as he humbly accepted an immigrant’s dishwasher job. He worked tirelessly in order to finance the immigration expenses of his wife and children who had been left behind to endure the crime, poverty and desperation of our village. As a monolingual Spanish-speaking four-year…

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Manifest Destiny Analysis

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Essay on Immigration

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The Devil's Highway Summary

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money is not invested in local city to create more jobs and prevent this problem of immigration? In The Devil's Highway, Luis Alberto Urrea presents to the readers a macabre story, which exposes the readers to all the hardships that the twenty six men went through but only fourteen could survive while crossing the border between The United States and Mexico. These men became examples for other Mexicans because they risked their lives in order to gain a better future. The details given…

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By analyzing scholarly articles and personal narratives, this paper aims to explore the following key themes: identity formation and cultural belonging, challenges…

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