Family Relations Week 4

 This week in my Family Relations class, we talked a lot about culture. We had a reading assigned about different families in Mexico crossing the border and coming over to America. It was truly heartbreaking learning about all the hardships that those families endured, and for so long. We read about all the financial burdens, the families being separated for years at a time, legality issues, and the danger of the trip itself. And it's not like it has all stopped happening. It continues to this day. It seems strange to me that people would put themselves through it all. But then you hear them talk about wanting to to give their children, and their grandchildren, and all the generations to come a better life, and it becomes inspiring. So many people knowing the struggles to come decide that they will do the hard part, so their families can thrive in the future.

In class we actually acted out a scenario of a family who decided to cross over to America. We had parents with two daughters, and aunt, and a grandma. I played one of the daughters. It was interesting to me to really put myself in the shoes of someone in that family. When our teacher asked different questions, it made me think of how deep some of the effects could go. My pretend dad left to the U.S. first, and was gone for three whole years before the rest of the family could come join him. I didn't have my father in my life for three years. I've heard similar stories before and I think that it's sad, but when I was trying to actually be in that situation and answer questions about how it felt, it made me see it in a whole new way. I can't imagine how hard it must have been for so many families. My character was thirteen when her dad left. Her mom had to go to work to help support both households. Because of that not only did she not have her dad to turn to, but her mom wasn't around as much either. Her grades started dropping, she started hanging around a bad crowd. When they finally did move, her relationship with her father was strained. She was getting into trouble. It effected her in big ways. I felt bad for her and her family.

It's crazy to me the amount of people who do this. We briefly talked about this in class, but another reason it is a difficult decision to make, is because it can be very dangerous. People pay to get across the border safe, and the very people they pay will likely rob and harm them. I've hear a lot of stories about young women making the trip alone, because their husband and/or father left before them, and the get abused, raped, and even trafficked. It's scary to think about but it happens. We live in a world with some very sick people. It terrifies me, and I don't think I would ever be brave enough or have half the courage as some of these people. A lot of time the fathers and mothers can't even get a descent or stable job. They get taken advantage of, sometimes criminally, and they don't do anything about it because they are afraid of being deported. They live in bad areas, because it's all they can afford. They can't even communicate with most people, because of that language barrier. The families who go, are really risking everything to try and give their future generations a better life.