Thursday, August 21, 2008
Inspiration
No doubt everyone has read or heard of Henry Cejudo winning gold in wrestling at the olympics. His parents are immigrants who came to the U.S. to give him and his siblings a much better quality of life not possible anywhere else. I read the story and was uplifted by his spirit and joy for winning the medal. I can only imagine what it must be like to be representing the U.S. and proving all the nay-sayers wrong that immigrants don't contribute to the U.S. It's funny because his mother moved them at a young age to more out west and my last post was about the immigrants dream being out west. It's stories like Cejudo's that keep the hope alive for the rest of us still in limbo. One day we'll all be celebrating with Cejudo. For now, I'll rejoice in his personal glory.
He has shared everything for most of his scuffled life, from twin beds to sofa cushions to last bites.It only made sense, then, that when he stunningly won an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling Tuesday, the Los Angeles-born son of undocumented Mexican immigrants would also share.That flag gave a chance to a kid who paid for wrestling by selling tamales on the street. That kid now held it tight as he dropped to the mat and dissolved in tears. "I'm living the American dream," said Cejudo, 21. "The United States is the land of opportunity, and I'm so glad I can represent it."
"The United States is the kind of place where you can choose your own path," he said. "We should never forget that."
Saturday, August 16, 2008
The immigrants dream
The immigrant dream is to have a great job, own a home, have kids and live a peaceful neighborhood in which you can raise your children and give them every opportunity possible to make something of themselves. That is what everyone who crosses that border and heads north looks for and dreams about when they think of the U.S. That simple dream of a better life has given millions of people the strength to endure extreme hardships in order to attain that dream life.
Yet, with so many people crossing and and still coming that dream is getting harder and harder to achieve. That's why some people continue heading north and east looking for that dream life and some of them are finding that dream life life out there. It seems that living in the mid-west, the heart of America, is the only place left for immigrants to attain the immigrants dream. My parents are finding that dream out there too. In a years time from moving from Los Angeles to the mid-west, they have managed to start up their own Mexican food restaurant to great success. They still have to work hard to make the place great but my parents aren't strangers to hard work. Ellos le hechan ganas a todo lo que hacen. They live in a great apartment and my sisters, even though they don't like living over there are doing good to. A big part of why my parents moved out there is because a lot of our family over the years has moved over there too. So it only made sense that they do the same after haring stories about how there's plenty of work out there, houses are cheaper and the way of life out there is better than living in the city. All of that is true and I like to think that all the farm animals out there remind them of the rancho. Despite all this, the mid-west is where immigration raids are the heaviest because the majority of jobs out there are in factories and meat packing plants. It was good to see everyone again and to hang out with my sister again just like before.
I left home more than a year ago to come back to L.A. to finish school and make something of myself like my parents want me to. My life is here in L.A. and not out there. It's nice if you want to own a home raise kids and have a nice job, but a person like me isn't planning on settling down anytime soon. I have a lot of work ahead of me. The immigration war is still going on and until it comes to some resolve, I can't stop. Being home put a lot of things into perspective and so did the 25 hour commute back on train and bus. That little vacation has given me found strength to continue on with school and everything else I do. With school starting up in September, I'm ready for anything that can come my way.
Yet, with so many people crossing and and still coming that dream is getting harder and harder to achieve. That's why some people continue heading north and east looking for that dream life and some of them are finding that dream life life out there. It seems that living in the mid-west, the heart of America, is the only place left for immigrants to attain the immigrants dream. My parents are finding that dream out there too. In a years time from moving from Los Angeles to the mid-west, they have managed to start up their own Mexican food restaurant to great success. They still have to work hard to make the place great but my parents aren't strangers to hard work. Ellos le hechan ganas a todo lo que hacen. They live in a great apartment and my sisters, even though they don't like living over there are doing good to. A big part of why my parents moved out there is because a lot of our family over the years has moved over there too. So it only made sense that they do the same after haring stories about how there's plenty of work out there, houses are cheaper and the way of life out there is better than living in the city. All of that is true and I like to think that all the farm animals out there remind them of the rancho. Despite all this, the mid-west is where immigration raids are the heaviest because the majority of jobs out there are in factories and meat packing plants. It was good to see everyone again and to hang out with my sister again just like before.
I left home more than a year ago to come back to L.A. to finish school and make something of myself like my parents want me to. My life is here in L.A. and not out there. It's nice if you want to own a home raise kids and have a nice job, but a person like me isn't planning on settling down anytime soon. I have a lot of work ahead of me. The immigration war is still going on and until it comes to some resolve, I can't stop. Being home put a lot of things into perspective and so did the 25 hour commute back on train and bus. That little vacation has given me found strength to continue on with school and everything else I do. With school starting up in September, I'm ready for anything that can come my way.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Blast from the past
My blogging origins started on myspace with me basically having and online dairy of my daily happenings and adolescent thoughts. Over the years my writing, spelling and drama improved dramatically. Thankfully I can now fully articulate and express myself and my musings in much more descriptive and when the occasion allows for it, comical ways. My purpose for this blog is to share some of my personal struggles as a non legal resident of the United States of America. My main focus for this blog is also to inform and help others understand legislations, laws and how they affect others like me and our families. With that being said, I was looking through my old myspace blog postings and found and old post that kinda explains why I do what I do. I choose my name not just to remain anonymous, but because in some ways I have earned the name "El Random Hero." I have my moments in the spot light, but sometimes the things I do are out of my control. I have a habit of being in the right place at the right time. (Disclaimer: I know that there are spelling errors all over the place and sometimes I don't make sense. Read it in stride and just be thankful that I stopped being so damn sloppy with my writing.)
Monday April 23, 2007
Alisia, The Woman Who Was Getting Beat On By Her Drunken Partner
It rained yesterday here in Los Angeles and I love the rain. The smell it brings, the way the world shuts down everything EXCEPT the drama it causes sometimes. I have walked Harley in the rain before and yesterday wasn't going to be different. The dork and her mom Brooklyn were all ready waiting for me at the back door in the rain and since they were all ready wet I figured ohh well. So I bundle up, put on a beanine and do my walking thing with them. Well for those og you geographically inclined I was on the corner of 1st and Lorena right by the "Mercadito" or little Mexico as it is know. I stop at the corner and realize that my shoes are wet and my socks are getting soggie. Next thing I know I hear yealps and and angry shouts to the left of me. I turn and I see a couple walking so I think nothing of it until the dude pushes Alisia to the floor. I kept my eye on them and then things started escalating so I started debating whether or not I should get involved. After a second I realized I have to go help her or at least do something so I waited for the light to change and I headed over there. As I'm crossing I'm asking God to not let me get my ass kicked, I'll take it if I have to but I can do without getting my ass kicked. I write this because the guy was around my same height, 5'5 but unlike me he was drunk and he had some build to him. After that I start asking the dogs to do me a favor, I asked them to get mean for me, which they didn't. So I cross and get the guys attention because at this point he has her pinned to a wall and pulling on her hair. I knew that I couldn't do the "Hey back the fuck off angle !!!" so I used the "Hey what's going ? get off of her !!!", all of this in spanish of course. He starts mumbling to me that some dude touched her wrong, said something wrong or just looked at her wrong but because he was Mexican and drunk it could have been nothing or everything. He also started telling me something about the rent'a cops and that they hgarrased him or something like that before Alisia came out of nowhere from behind and clipped him right in the bottom of his right eye. All I heard was smack and her yelling "I didn't do anything to you !!!!" He went after her again and pushed her to the wall again and pulled her hair. All the while I'm just about to go in and pull this guy off of her asskicking or not. He suddenly realizes something and just walks away in the opposite direction punching the air, that solidified my notion that it was the boose. She was crying reapiting the samething "I didn't do nothing to him" in spanish at which point a I begin to comfert her and she just let's go at that instant. She's craying on my chest and I tell her let's get out of the rain. I put my jacket over her and as we walk I ask her name and give her mine. I put my shoulder around her to help her and she grabs my hand and squeezes really tight right, as she does this she scares me by having a little panic attack and gasping for air. We walk it off and I tell her that it's the boose doing this and that my father was the same way. I sit her on stairs and do what I can to comfert her and which point Harley puts her head on her lap. She starts laughing and petting her and she starts to calm down. I calm her down all the while the damn rent'a cops do nothing to help her and ask her if she'll be okay. I take off and decided that since we're all wet we might as well go home. As I turn around the dude comes back and I'm thinking here we go but he get's on a bus and takes off so I'm like phew !!!. Walking I think and feel bad that maybe I can do more than just leave her there so I turn around and I find her at the corner. I go back with her and ask her if she want's me to call a cab. At that moment one stops at the signal and I tell her to get in it and to go home. Then out of nowhere the cops show up, I tell them she's in the cab, they pick her up and put her in the car and go after the bus that her man was ridding in. Just like as quickly as it started it finished and I was on my way home again thinking about what I just did and why I did it. The thing that I focused on was how when they were going at it there was a guy right in front of them and he did nothing. People in their cars honked but did nothing. No one would have done nothing until the cops would have gotten there and I didn't want to think what could have happened. It's weird because just earlier in the day I read a story about a guy who ran into a homeless guy in the bathroom and felt bad because he didn't offer him help/. That story crossed my mind and that's part of what made me help her out. I know God had something to do with this one and I thanked him for not letting me get my ass kicked. But yeah I know I mde the right desicion in staying in Los Angeles. I get sings all the time that I belong here
Monday April 23, 2007
Alisia, The Woman Who Was Getting Beat On By Her Drunken Partner
It rained yesterday here in Los Angeles and I love the rain. The smell it brings, the way the world shuts down everything EXCEPT the drama it causes sometimes. I have walked Harley in the rain before and yesterday wasn't going to be different. The dork and her mom Brooklyn were all ready waiting for me at the back door in the rain and since they were all ready wet I figured ohh well. So I bundle up, put on a beanine and do my walking thing with them. Well for those og you geographically inclined I was on the corner of 1st and Lorena right by the "Mercadito" or little Mexico as it is know. I stop at the corner and realize that my shoes are wet and my socks are getting soggie. Next thing I know I hear yealps and and angry shouts to the left of me. I turn and I see a couple walking so I think nothing of it until the dude pushes Alisia to the floor. I kept my eye on them and then things started escalating so I started debating whether or not I should get involved. After a second I realized I have to go help her or at least do something so I waited for the light to change and I headed over there. As I'm crossing I'm asking God to not let me get my ass kicked, I'll take it if I have to but I can do without getting my ass kicked. I write this because the guy was around my same height, 5'5 but unlike me he was drunk and he had some build to him. After that I start asking the dogs to do me a favor, I asked them to get mean for me, which they didn't. So I cross and get the guys attention because at this point he has her pinned to a wall and pulling on her hair. I knew that I couldn't do the "Hey back the fuck off angle !!!" so I used the "Hey what's going ? get off of her !!!", all of this in spanish of course. He starts mumbling to me that some dude touched her wrong, said something wrong or just looked at her wrong but because he was Mexican and drunk it could have been nothing or everything. He also started telling me something about the rent'a cops and that they hgarrased him or something like that before Alisia came out of nowhere from behind and clipped him right in the bottom of his right eye. All I heard was smack and her yelling "I didn't do anything to you !!!!" He went after her again and pushed her to the wall again and pulled her hair. All the while I'm just about to go in and pull this guy off of her asskicking or not. He suddenly realizes something and just walks away in the opposite direction punching the air, that solidified my notion that it was the boose. She was crying reapiting the samething "I didn't do nothing to him" in spanish at which point a I begin to comfert her and she just let's go at that instant. She's craying on my chest and I tell her let's get out of the rain. I put my jacket over her and as we walk I ask her name and give her mine. I put my shoulder around her to help her and she grabs my hand and squeezes really tight right, as she does this she scares me by having a little panic attack and gasping for air. We walk it off and I tell her that it's the boose doing this and that my father was the same way. I sit her on stairs and do what I can to comfert her and which point Harley puts her head on her lap. She starts laughing and petting her and she starts to calm down. I calm her down all the while the damn rent'a cops do nothing to help her and ask her if she'll be okay. I take off and decided that since we're all wet we might as well go home. As I turn around the dude comes back and I'm thinking here we go but he get's on a bus and takes off so I'm like phew !!!. Walking I think and feel bad that maybe I can do more than just leave her there so I turn around and I find her at the corner. I go back with her and ask her if she want's me to call a cab. At that moment one stops at the signal and I tell her to get in it and to go home. Then out of nowhere the cops show up, I tell them she's in the cab, they pick her up and put her in the car and go after the bus that her man was ridding in. Just like as quickly as it started it finished and I was on my way home again thinking about what I just did and why I did it. The thing that I focused on was how when they were going at it there was a guy right in front of them and he did nothing. People in their cars honked but did nothing. No one would have done nothing until the cops would have gotten there and I didn't want to think what could have happened. It's weird because just earlier in the day I read a story about a guy who ran into a homeless guy in the bathroom and felt bad because he didn't offer him help/. That story crossed my mind and that's part of what made me help her out. I know God had something to do with this one and I thanked him for not letting me get my ass kicked. But yeah I know I mde the right desicion in staying in Los Angeles. I get sings all the time that I belong here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)