You may need to stretch to find the connection; that's ok. In stretching just make sure to fully articulate what that connection is.
For this reflection:
- State connection between at least 2 narratives from the text and interactions and observations at your community partner site.
- Support this connection with textual evidence (at least 2 quotes from each narrative) and with specific details from your interactions and/or observations. Respect the confidentiality of the people you observe and/or interact with and don't identify someone by name if you feel that there is anything sensitive or that this person would not want shared.
Hector & Desiree
ReplyDeleteWhen I first read Hector's story all I could think about was the many people living in the Canal neighborhood who lack insurance and are afraid of getting help when needed. The connection I have to my service learning experience is that Bahia Vista School educates a large portion of Latino children. Although these children are seen everyday, their parents are often invisible. Others outside of the community often do not know they exist. This idea connects to Hectors story and his fear of telling anyone he was injured on the job. As Hector is describing the incident he says "I was out there alone, so I didn't know if anyone had seen me fall" (pg. 97). These are the condition that many of the parents of children who attend Bahia Vista go through everyday. They are invisible when they go to work and their children are waiting at home for them, but it is a risk that they might not come home each night. Another part of Hectors story that reminded me of the population surrounding Bahia Vista school was when Hector had to abandon his home and move in with his cousins (pg. 98). I live in the Canal and I see my neighbors with their 6 person family living in a one bedroom and I cannot help but relate it to this story. It also reminds me of my upstairs neighbors, who have 8 people living in a three bedroom condo. All over the canal are undocumented men and women who are struggling to get by day to day. They rely on each other just as Hector relied on his cousins for shelter when he needed them the most.
When I read Desiree's story it made me instantly connect as well to observations of the students at Bahia Vista School. At one point Desiree states "I'd say I grew up too fast" (pg. 264). Over half of these children at Bahia Vista have been forced to grow up too fast. They speak like adults, act older than their ages, and have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. I look around and see them taking care of their younger siblings because their parents are forced to work all day just to get by. It is heartbreaking to see them lose their childhood and to know their parents are working so hard and yet they can barely survive. It is not fair. Another area of Desiree's story that reminded me again of the children of Bahia Vista parents was when she stated "I worked...at Mc.Donalds from 3-11, on my two days off from Mc.Donalds, I worked another restaurant in back" (Pg. 270). This is the exact life that many people live in the Canal. You will see that all the cars that were parked on the street the night before, are gone by 7am, even on the weekends. You will also notice that if you wake up around 6-7am the bus stations are crowded with people trying to get to work and they will not come home until much later in the day. The children go to school and are often left at home until their parents finally are able to get off work. Some of these people living in the Canal work so hard, harder than I can imagine working to survive.
The Invisible Among Us
ReplyDeleteSo far, I have really enjoyed reading “Underground America”. I have been friends with undocumented people, but these readings have definitely given me deeper insight into the entire situation. On the other hand, I have known a whole family that was murdered by an undocumented criminal, who had committed crimes in the past, but was able to stay in the county due to San Francisco’s sanctuary policy. I am glad to be reading this book and be working in the canal because I did become biased for a while after the murders three years ago. The book and my time that I have spent thus far at Bahia Vista, in the Canal District, definitely go hand in hand. Many of the stories in “Underground America” remind me of situations that challenge a lot of people living in the Canal.
Lorena’s story reminded me of what some of the kids in the Canal may have to go through in the future. It will be difficult for any undocumented teenagers to get a job and probably impossible for them to find a decent paying job. It is not easy to survive as an undocumented immigrant, especially in Marin County. Everything is so expensive. I can just imagine some of the children I was with might have to go through. Lorena used her cousin, Sabrina’s “name and Social. Sabrina has good papers…She was helping [Lorena] get work” (189). It was very easy for Lorena to initially use her cousins papers to end up with a good job, but she was very lucky and could have got into a lot of trouble for lying and not following the law. Now, and especially in the future, I feel that it would be extremely difficult for any of people living in the Canal to do that, unless they know someone who is willing to put themselves at risk, just for the undocumented immigrant to get a job. Also, many of the children’s parents are probably struggling to just get by for food and shelter. I can imagine the stresses and struggles that these families go through and how it affects their overall lives and their children’s lives.
Hector’s story reminds me of many people living in the Canal, too. Many times, when I am driving around that area, I see men, who are probably undocumented, lined up, waiting for work. These men are here nearly every single day for hours, just waiting, hoping that they can get paid less than minimum wage. This is sad to see. Reading Hector’s story brought a lot of insight upon the situation that I often see in the Canal. The main sentences that struck me in Hector’s section was “I used to do all kinds of work in the fields around here. I worked for year and years harvesting grapes, removing leaves from tomato bushes, cutting peppers. I’d do everything else they needed, also” (p. 97). This reminds me of the men waiting for work, willing to do anything to make any little amount of money. It’s very sad that these hard working people are not able to find a good job and become citizens. I do not think that an undocumented person should receive disability money like Hector does. I think that’s a very contradicting part of America. The government makes it extremely difficult for law-abiding undocumented immigrants to get citizenship, but they give them disability money. That makes no sense to me. Anyways, reading this book just really has opened mind to a lot, but on the other hand, it only shows one side of the story.
Seeing the "Real" Picture
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, I think that “Underground America” is a pretty interesting book so far. Reading the narratives from the book gave me a clear idea to see what the people in the Canal deal with, if not, worse. I believe that these stories are giving us all pictures of what immigrants in need of support are experiencing. I think that while we partake in our service learning, this book will be a great resource to view these people’s undocumented lives. It will help us understand the lives of the people we help and hopefully be able to build a connection. In Loreno’s story, it talked about a woman who had a rough life growing up and was on a journey to cross the border with her mother, siblings, and stepfather. When she made it to California, she took her cousin’s identity, Sabrina, because she did not have the paperwork to legally stay in the United States. This story reminded me of how immigrants and illegals do not have the same opportunities as most of us do. They cannot go to school or watch a movie when they want to. Most of the time, they’re dealing with issues of finding jobs, supporting their family, etc. When Lorena was explaining her mother’s situation, she replies, “She kept telling the boss that if she didn’t do something about all the people that were working there without documentation, she would go to the police. So they had to let all those people go, and my mom lost her job” (188). This quote made me think of how many people in the Canal or who attend MCCS deal with problems such as these. Many don’t have the right kinds of documentation to legally stay here but struggle there way through it so they can while still being able to support their family. Out of all places, especially in Marin County. When Lorena came clean about her true identity, Fred reached over, hugged her, and replied, “Don’t worry, we’re going to take care of you. You’re going to be okay” (196). It shocks me to even think of what people like this in the area are dealing with. After reading this story, it made me realize how difficult it is not only for people to find a job, but to even support their family with shelter/food. It amazes me to think of how these people can make their way through this while dealing with all these extra difficulties. Liso’s story talked about a south African woman who wanted to come to America to find a job and pay off her debt. From her own knowledge, she saw America as the dream place to be and find work. In her experience, she was able to compare the differences between teaching in Africa than teaching in the states. Liso noticed how people were treated with much more respect. “But there’s another big difference between South African and here—respect for teachers. When you are a teacher in South Africa arriving at school with your bags and books, kids run to help you” (83). This quote reveals the distinct difference to how the social life and people are between the two environments. Through this new experience, Liso was able to see how there are completely different aspects in working. What I liked about her character was that she cared only about doing hard labor and did what she believed. “I try to explain to people here that South Africa is not like other countries in Africa” (95). I think that this quote basically indicates that Liso has dealt with a lot in her life especially coming from South Africa. I believe that this connects with how people in the Canal or from other types of support organizations deal with so many horrible things in their lives and many fail to see that.
Valuing What We Have:
ReplyDeleteLorena and Desiree are both Mexican-American women both living in Fresno and Berkeley, California, respectively. Reading their stories definitely makes me think about the kids I work with at Bahia Vista. Many of these children probably are or have a relative that are going through situations similar to Lorena and Desiree. Both Lorena and Desiree come from Mexican families with very strong beliefs. They both had to work very hard to stay here in America as well.
Lorena worked diligently at a bakery, a type of internship in North Carolina, and eventually an office job for employers who helped her out because they knew how hardworking she was. In fact, her employers were understanding and kind enough to keep her when she confessed to them that she was using her cousin Sabrina’s identity to work for them. She states on page 196, “I loved my job. Sabrina’s from New York. If she lived in California, we could both use her Social and pretend she was working two jobs or something. But she couldn’t be working in New York and California at the same time.” In the midst of all of this, she was going to school and worked these jobs to help pay for her tuition. I see that she truly values her education as she states on page 202, “We risked our lives to come to this country, and I had the opportunity to go to school… I always thought I was pretty smart. Because I don’t have very many tools to defend myself with, I know that knowledge is the only thing I can arm myself with. When you have an MD after your name, very few people are going to tell you no, for anything.” This is a characteristic I see with most of the kids at Bahia. Recalling my elementary and middle school days, many of my classmates took their education for granted. This isn’t something I see amongst the Bahia kids. I notice how excited they are about learning new things. I have talked to several of them, and some of them even said they wanted to be a doctor or a policeman when they grow up. I see that they understand that in order to achieve those things, they must work hard in school.
Desiree proclaims on page 267, “For five months I went to adult ESL classes at the back of the Methodist Church.” Desiree worked hard on her English skills as to not feel humiliated at work, a notion that maybe some of the Bahia Kids and/or their parents might be struggling with. During her time at McDonald’s, she felt frustrated with the school kids who would call her “Mexican” in a negative connotation whenever she got their order wrong. But, she didn’t want to be stuck working in the back of the restaurant where it wasn’t required to know English in order to work there. But, as she states on page 275, she starts working at another restaurant that helped her overcome this barrier. She expresses on this page, “Doing that job proved to me that I had learned enough English. That was my biggest fear before, that I wouldn’t be okay in front of customers.” Although most of the kids at Bahia know English very well, I know I have heard from some of the kids that they have parents and/or grandparents that only know Spanish. I can only imagine how hard it is to come into this country and not being able to communicate with others because of this language barrier. Furthermore, there must be some kind of responsibility that some of these kids must feel because they have to be the translator. It might not seem like a big deal from the outset, but I would consider that a huge responsibility for kids at the elementary age.
The Invisible Citizens
ReplyDeleteUnderground America gives the perfect picture as to what undocumented workers face everyday. They are often in great fear because at any day someone from immigration services might knock on their door, and send them back to their home country where they might face poverty and oppression. "Undocumented immigrants have no way to tell you what they have experienced or why, or who they are, or what they think."(p. 1) No one ask undocumented workers about their quality of life. This quote really brought me back to my service learning because many students there are children of undocumented citizens so they can't always get the extra help that they need for fear of being deported. Some of the students at MCCS do not speak english which puts them in a harder situation, because the test they need to pass high school is in english, and without a high school diploma they will make significantly less then those with a high school diploma. Another story that I found to be very moving was the story of Liso from South Africa. Liso who had come from the poorest continent in the world pictured America in a very different way than it actually is “in America, you find dollars lying in the grass, every leaf on the a tree is a dollar.” (p. 81). The way that Liso thought America would be like is very heartbreaking because she was so disappointed, and the people she came to work for actually exploited her for cheap labor. Although this exact scenario does not happen at MCCS, many of the students are exploited by people because the kids there will do anything to help their families. Undocumented workers are so invisible that anyone can do anything to them and not have any consequences. The story about Hector, also showed how undocumented workers are exploited, once he was unable to work his life went into a downward spiral. Towards the end of his story he was homeless, and unable to work living only off of disability (p. 98). Another story that I actually found a lot of similarities with my service site was Estrella’s story. Estrella was six weeks old when her and her mother walked through the dangerous terrain of southern California. Estrella is the oldest of five sisters, and she currently lives in Modesto, California which is my home town. I found a lot of connection between her story in relation to the students at MCCS, and the undocumented citizens of Modesto who I often encounter when I am at home. With Estrella not being a US citizen like her sisters, it causes her many difficulties since it will be a challenge to find a job, and get financial aid. Many students at MCCS have problems like this as will, because of their undocumented status, finding a job and being self sufficient will prove to be a very difficult task. Overall, Underground America, gives a face to those who are invisible, although illegal immigration is a hot political topic, we must look past that to see that we are all human beings who deserve to be treated a certain way.
Lauren Rocha
Moving to a New Place
ReplyDeleteI have not had the chance to connect with anybody of my partner site yet. However, I can relate to Lorena’s story and I’m sure a lot of Latinos that go to Canal Alliance. Lorena’s story is similar to mine: “Lorena left her home in Puebla, Mexico at age of six.” (pg. 183) . When I was five years old, my dad decided to move to the United States. His plan was to come here and make a better living than what he was earning in El Salvador. For those who don’t know, El Salvador is a third world country with very bad Economy and high in violence. It was very hard for him to leave us there, but he had a plan to bring us to the U.S in the near future. And when I mean the near future, it wasn’t so near after all. Ten years later, I was ready to move to the U.S. When I first arrived, I was fifteen years old. I had something to my advantage, I learned English since I was five years old. I was taught grammatical structure, but the conversation part is another deal. I thought I’d be prepared to chat right away, but it’s different when you’ve never really spoken a language before. It’s great that you can read and write, but then you’re thrown into what I called “the jungle.” At that instance, you have to survive and overcome any language barrier. I had a really hard time speaking to people; it took me a whole year to be confortable-speaking English. The language barrier wasn’t the only obstacle. There was a major culture shock as well. I felt that individuals were cold and kind of impersonal. Another factor was the change of weather, El Salvador is a tropical country as opposed to here that we have cold winters.
There were many factors that made me miss home. I left most of my family in El Salvador. Just like in Lorena’s story, “everyone missed their kids and their wives” (pg. 202). I miss my grandpa, which I used to call “dad.” After all, he raised me for ten important years of my childhood. Up to this date, I miss my family from back home. They come visit me and I visit them. However, it is not the same as having them near you. So my story is just like many Latino families stories, including Lorena’s from Underground America.
I am sure that I will be able to connect with the students from Canal Alliance. I’m sure I’ll hear some frustrations similar to when I arrived to the U.S. And I hope that I can be of help to the students at Canal Alliance, maybe they will feel they are not on their own. I know when I first arrived to the U.S I needed support. I was lucky enough that I was nominated to be a part of Summer Search; a non-profit organization that gives you mentoring and helps you develop leadership skills. While in that program, I was able to get all my frustrations out and felt in a safe environment.
-Carla Garcia