M.G.C. El Expreso al Sueño Americano
The Farewell to my family
When I left Guatemala on April 18, 2016 it was an unforgettable and sad day for me because it was not so easy to leave my good family where I spent my childhood. It was a tearful farewell that hurt a lot, but I needed to come in order to know my true mother who I had not seen since I was three, because living with grandparents is not the same as living with your true mother. When I was six years old, my mom told me on the phone that I would join her here in America, but I did not think much about it at the time. Later, when I was thirteen, I started to think more about joining her here because I was too far away from my mom and I always missed her pretty smile, her pretty look. She had always called me on the phone, but that is not the same as seeing someone in person, so I made my decision to come to America to join her.
The Trip Through Mexico
When I left San Gaspar, I first traveled in a taxi to the border between Guatemala and Mexico. I arrived at the border at five in the afternoon, and I met the thirty other people who would travel with me. After that, we were in a wagon for a while, and then in the night we continued walking in the mountain. Then we traveled on the bus, I don’t remember how many nights, but it was not long. After that, we traveled in a truck for about four nights. There, we suffered more hunger, cold, dust, and thirst, and as we traveled further, it became more and more dangerous. On top of the train we traveled four nights, suffering from cold, hunger, thirst, heat and fear. The train goes through mountains and cities.
The scariest part of my journey on the train was when one of our guides suddenly told us that we all needed to jump off of the train while it was still moving too fast. People began jumping off safely, but I was the last person, and the boy in front of me almost fell underneath the train tracks and died. Thank God another person pulled him away from the moving train at the last minute and so nothing happened. But then because of this, I was too scared to jump at that time, and I rode the train a little longer until it slowed down a little bit before I jumped, and I had to walk with my uncle who stayed with me on the train in order to catch up with my group. I will never forget that moment when I almost saw someone die in front of me.
I crossed the border to America on May 9, 2016. I was very proud of myself for surviving my journey when I turned myself in to immigration late one night in San Luis. After that, I arrived in Arizona. I stayed for 15 days in a house where the workers treated me very well. I will never forget their kindness. Then I left Arizona on May 25, 2016 and arrived in Alabama at three in the afternoon. When the plane arrived at the airport, my mom was waiting for me. I looked at my mother, and I did not recognize her. But she recognized me, and she came to hug me. Without my mother, I felt a great sadness in my heart because it was such a long time without seeing each other, and I told her that we finally fulfilled our dreams. We cried, but we cried with joy, and now I feel super happy with her, and I have a good life.
In America I feel better than I did in my country. This is a very good country and it has many good laws to protect people. I feel very free. I never imagined that I would be here, but thanks to God for bringing me into a good country, and I feel very proud to be here.
