My fathers last day in the U.S.
By: Luis Sierra-Campos
For decades, bad economies abroad forced the separation of families as people left loved ones to seek better opportunities in the United States. Now that the U.S. economy is faltering, some immigrant families are being separated again as some family members decide to return to their home countries, and others continue to hold onto the American dream. Often, these difficult family decisions come down to generational differences, as Youth Radio’s Luis Sierra reports.
This is my father, a few minutes before he left on a plane to go back to Mexico, for good.
“I’m leaving. I’m going to Mexico, my beautiful Mexico, and I’m leaving by myself. I came by myself, and now I’m leaving by myself”
My father has been living in the States since the seventies. He’s always gone to Mexico occasionally for vacation. But this time, he’s not coming back, even though it means leaving his family behind – me, my older brother and sister. And what’s happening with the economy has a lot to do with it.
“If it was up to me I would want all of us together, but you all don’t want that. I’ve been telling you that you can go there, and finish your schooling there. And maybe someday you can return back to the U-S and work. But there are jobs there too, people don’t starve there.”
Ten years ago, my dad would never have been so optimistic about my opportunities in Mexico. But now that he sees that recessions can happen anywhere, he figures he might as well re-invest in his home country. He’s been trying to wire most of his money back to Mexico.
And my father’s rants about moving to Mexico with him make a little more sense these days financially speaking. I’m a struggling student with no job prospects out of college. A place like Mexico, where people don’t have to deal with crazy mortgages and high gas prices, sounds pretty good.
Like my father, Sara Castillo is going home. When she leaves for Guatemala, she’ll leave her daughters behind. Sara has lived and worked in the U.S. for over thirty years. But in recent years, things have not gone as planned. In the late nineties, she lost her job at a sewing factory. And now she has to short sell the family house because the mortgage payments have become too high. Here’s her daughter, Ana:
“For people who have immigrated, yes it’s always been a struggle, it’s always been a challenge. But those challenges have always been there. And that hasn’t changed. Maybe it’s changing for the middle class.”
(Sounds of restaurant music)
The night before my father left for Mexico, we had dinner at the restaurant we always went as a family, when I was younger. This time, it was just the two of us. His friends, a group of musicians he has known for years, surprised him with a song called “Camino de Guanajuato” — Journey to Guanajuato, the state where my father is from. The song speaks of a traveler going home, and the road that triggers memories of joy and pain.
(Song: Camino de Guanajuato)
It’s sad to see my Dad leave, and to disappoint him because I’m not going along. But I am determined to follow my own path: finish college, work, save money, and hopefully by the time I reach my 30′s, I’ll be able to invest in the American economy and buy a house of my own.
If that plan doesn’t work out, maybe I’ll follow in my father and Ms. Castillo’s footsteps.
Aired on NPR news Morning Edition, December 26th, 2008.
