(Read the article first and then scroll down to the see the photos).
Although my town here in Guatemala hasn't seen nearly as much migration as the Mexican town of San Miguel Cuevas, some of the images are similar-mainly the ones dealing with planting and harvesting corn. I thought these images especially highlighted the fact that the elderly and children are the ones left behind, with the elderly grandparents caring for their grandchildren as the generation in between struggles to find work in the States.
Immigration is something I think about quite often. People occasionally ask me my thoughts on immigration, mainly wondering whether or not I agree with the strict measures put in place in Arizona and now Alabama. I'm going to hold off giving opinions and instead remember a young girl I got to know a bit last year. She goes to one of my schools up the mountain and I remember her firstly because I saw her shopping with her mom and sister in the supermarket in the city and she stopped and said hi. The next time I saw her, she was at school and we talked about her friends and family. She said she didn't have many friends, which made me sad. I had my camera that day so we took lots of pictures, and she is in some of them, kind of standing apart from the rest of us. I saw her a few more times before the end of the year. This year when I went back, I looked for her-I could still remember her face-expecting her to find me in the crowd at recess and say hi. But, I didn't see her. Towards the end of my visit, her sister came up to say hi and I asked where her older sister was. She told me she had gone to the States with their mother to be with their father. I was somewhat horror-stricken, images from the movie "Sin Nombre (excellent movie) running through my head. I can't imagine how horrible the trip can be for adults, let alone ten-year-old children, especially with escalating violence here in Guatemala and in Mexico. Her sister told me that they made it safely to the States, but I wonder how much emotional toll the trip took on her. I hope and pray that she is living as normal a life as possible in the States and that the whole family will eventually be reunited.
With her story in mind, I could never say that I hate immigrants. I would have never said that before anyway. I simply respect the fact that people are willing to take risks to find a better life for themselves and for their families. I know that jobs are scarce and the economy is still struggling in the U.S., but even on our worst days, our lives are still much more comfortable and stable than many south of the border.
That's all. Have a good weekend and happy (almost) Independence Day!
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