Personal Narrative: My Journey To America

Mario and Maria live in a small town in west Texas where the work to take care of their six children. They are a family that migrated from Saint Patrick deep in Mexico where it was very hard to find work, much less feed six hungry children. As a family they decided it would be better to find a way to America as many of their family member before them had decided. In order for them to come to America it would take a lot of money and could be very dangerous. Somehow they found a way to get out of Mexico. The Journey was a very long and tedious one across the river with the children, this way just the beginning of their new life in America.
In their first few months in America Mario and his family was living with his cousin Jose, Mario and Maria and the children that were hold enough went to work in the cotton fields hoeing cotton for a small wage. They did this for work from the early morning till dusk. It was very hot out in the fields and they would drink lots of water. Maria would wake early in the morning and make a meal of mole a breakfast soup for everyone to eat before they started the day. She would also make frijoles (pinto beans) in to burritos with some bacon mixed in to give them flavor; this would be lunch for the day in the fields.
After a long week in the fields the family would go to town and get new
clothes to go out to the fiesta or the dance. They would take their children with them to enjoy the day with them. They might later go home and make a nice meal with fresh tortillas and salsa. The men would go out and clean up the yard and fix things around the house. The women would do the house work and make sure the clothes were washed and pressed for the next work week.
On Sunday the family would get dressed up to go to church at the Catholics church, After church they would meet with close family and friends for a BBQ or go to the Flea market to see what they could find for the children or the house. At the flea market they would look for clothing and other Knick knacks they could use at home. Maria would look for some fresh fruit and vegetables to make with dinner at a bargain price. It is time to head home so that they may get ready for another day of work. Mario is interested in saving money to buy a car so that they can eventually find a house of their own.
Mario and Maria are interested in taking classes at their church to learn English o that they can get better jobs in the winter months.
The summer is almost over and the cotton will soon all be picked, the family will need to find other ways to make money. Jose was telling Mario that the dry cleaners are always hiring and it does not matter if you can speak English. They could all work at the cleaners while the children were in school. So in the afternoon Mario and Jose went to apply at the cleaners, Mario explained to the dry cleaner that he was looking for a job for his wife as well. The dry cleaner agreed to hire the three at minimum
wage.
The family was doing alright for the winter they would be working for the dry cleaner; Mario and Maria were doing much better since they came to America. They have a roof over their head that did not leak. They could cook in the house, take a hot bath. The children would soon start school in the fall. In Saint Patrick the small house that they lived in was cold and had dirt floors, and no windows. They were lucky to find work so that they could buy food to feed their children. They did not have running water or heat. When Maria made a meal she cooked outside on an open fire. Life is so much better now that they have moved in with their cousin José. There are many Hispanics that have come to America and have real stories that do not end so good for them. They have come here in an illegal way and some are forced to go back to the place they are running from.