My mother Martha Vazquez
Personal Interview of Martha Vazquez
By Andrea Vazquez
I interviewed my mother, Martha Vazquez, because I wanted to find out what she thought about her life here in America after having to leave her family behind in Mexico. She had a lot of stories to tell about her journey coming to America. My mother came from Cuidad Guzman, Jalisco at the young age of nineteen. Her life was full of excitement in Mexico but it was hard. She had to work at the age of nine to support her brothers and sisters and also her parents. My mom's older brother came to the Napa Valley because he had really close friends there. Years past and he brought his sister and my mother to the U.S.A. My mother expected to live in a place like Los Angeles or New York City with lots of skyscrapers and busy streets. Instead she ended up in the Napa Valley with rolling green hills and miles of vineyards.
Her journey was really sad because she came to a place she didn't know and she had to leave her family behind for a better place and for her future. My family thinks the American Dream means being rich and owning a business, and having nice things. They didn't have that in Mexico, our family was very poor. They knew in order to survive they had to leave and go to a better place. The difference between Mexico and America is that Mexico is a poor place and lacks education and other opportunities. America seems like a rich place full of opportunities. People in the Napa Valley treated her very kindly, but she couldn't understand English and she felt left out in a place she wasn't used to.
The American Dream for my mom would be to actually have the opportunities she has heard about because all she wanted was to have a better life. She sees the big homes on the hills here and realizes that there is a big difference between the opportunities of those people and her. She wants the same thing for her children as they want for theirs, but the road for her is a lot longer and harder. It hasn’t been easy for my parents to give us everything they dreamed about giving us. We don’t own a house but we do get by. They work long hours and several jobs. I learned that my family took their search for the American Dream to a whole other level. I appreciate my parents for coming and giving me a better life, not just for me but for them too. I know we don’t have a lot and there are things that hold us back but it is still better than it is in Mexico.
By Andrea Vazquez
I interviewed my mother, Martha Vazquez, because I wanted to find out what she thought about her life here in America after having to leave her family behind in Mexico. She had a lot of stories to tell about her journey coming to America. My mother came from Cuidad Guzman, Jalisco at the young age of nineteen. Her life was full of excitement in Mexico but it was hard. She had to work at the age of nine to support her brothers and sisters and also her parents. My mom's older brother came to the Napa Valley because he had really close friends there. Years past and he brought his sister and my mother to the U.S.A. My mother expected to live in a place like Los Angeles or New York City with lots of skyscrapers and busy streets. Instead she ended up in the Napa Valley with rolling green hills and miles of vineyards.
Her journey was really sad because she came to a place she didn't know and she had to leave her family behind for a better place and for her future. My family thinks the American Dream means being rich and owning a business, and having nice things. They didn't have that in Mexico, our family was very poor. They knew in order to survive they had to leave and go to a better place. The difference between Mexico and America is that Mexico is a poor place and lacks education and other opportunities. America seems like a rich place full of opportunities. People in the Napa Valley treated her very kindly, but she couldn't understand English and she felt left out in a place she wasn't used to.
The American Dream for my mom would be to actually have the opportunities she has heard about because all she wanted was to have a better life. She sees the big homes on the hills here and realizes that there is a big difference between the opportunities of those people and her. She wants the same thing for her children as they want for theirs, but the road for her is a lot longer and harder. It hasn’t been easy for my parents to give us everything they dreamed about giving us. We don’t own a house but we do get by. They work long hours and several jobs. I learned that my family took their search for the American Dream to a whole other level. I appreciate my parents for coming and giving me a better life, not just for me but for them too. I know we don’t have a lot and there are things that hold us back but it is still better than it is in Mexico.
In these vivid recollections, recorded both in Mexico and the U.S., 90 Mexican-Americans share their innermost thoughts and feelings and reveal a wealth of experiences: the risks they take, what they left behind, their dreams versus the realities, and how immigration has changed their lives.
Book review by Andrea Vazquez. This is a book full of stories about Mexican Americans and their experiences immigrating to this country. I think it is important for all people to realize the sacrifices immigrants make in coming to America. so they don't just see them as a drain on the economy. Many people have no choice but to come if they want to survive.
If you are interested you can purchase it on amazon.com.
If you are interested you can purchase it on amazon.com.
This is an oral history interview found online as part of an Oral History Project. I liked what she had to say. -Andrea
My interview was Ms. Irma Perales Mireles. She is a teacher of government at J.W. Nixon High School. I had the pleasure of meeting her this year, due to the fact that she is my teacher for Accelerated Social Studies. When I first entered her room I was taken away by all her patriotic decorations as well as her purple belongings. When I first chose this topic, the first person that popped into my head to interview was Ms. Mireles. She has said and will continue saying “I bleed red, white, and blue.” She has not one ethnicity in her blood, but many. Although predominately Mexican-American, her ancestry includes German, Irish, and “who knows what else.”
In our interview, she told me that she had been discriminated against, and she did in fact experience segregation first-hand when she was younger. She was not living in Laredo when she experienced segregation, but moved to Laredo to escape it. Ms. Mireles lived in Encinal, Texas for the first part of her childhood. She was your average kid who loved to make friends and play. She lived next door to a little white girl who was her best friend. The problem was that they would have to go to separate schools. They would hangout and go to each other’s birthday parties, but they could not attend the same school. She did not know that she was experiencing segregation, until later on when she got older. Despite what was going on she has never lost her patriotism for this wonderful country. She acquired most of her feelings toward this country from her home-life. To her, being an American means being able “to be myself.” She expresses a love for her country despite other Americans’ discrimination against minorities. Minorities, in general, have been discriminated against, but you will find that they are some of the proudest Americans you will ever meet. Ms. Mireles feels that being American means having liberties that people in many other countries do not, and that we should not take freedom for granted. An ideal American to her would be a person who is multiracial appearance-wise, and should have an open mind, respect, and help others. Living in Laredo, we Latinos do not experience racism, but economic discrimination instead. We the people of Laredo are attached to our Mexican heritage, but at the same time feel very proud to be American. Ms. Mireles is your average Laredoan. She feels that noone is perfect and even though she has been discriminated against, she has not ever lost her respect and love for her country.
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Interviewee: Irma Perales Mireles
Interviewer: Daisy Moore
Date: May 17, 2007
Response to interview by Andrea Vazquez
Ms. Mireles brings up a lot of good points in her interview. She talks about how in America there has not only been discrimination and racism but also economic discrimination. Many people of color and who have lower economic standings are being discriminated against more and more in the America of today. There is a large inequality and it keeps growing. I agree with her when she says even though she has suffered discrimination she still loves her country very much. My family feels the same way. We are very grateful for what we have here even if it isn't all that it should be. We would like to see America get back a bigger Middle Class so that more of us can reach the American Dream.
Ms. Mireles brings up a lot of good points in her interview. She talks about how in America there has not only been discrimination and racism but also economic discrimination. Many people of color and who have lower economic standings are being discriminated against more and more in the America of today. There is a large inequality and it keeps growing. I agree with her when she says even though she has suffered discrimination she still loves her country very much. My family feels the same way. We are very grateful for what we have here even if it isn't all that it should be. We would like to see America get back a bigger Middle Class so that more of us can reach the American Dream.
