English 4
January 25, 2014
Period 3
Things do not happen. Things are made to Happen
Most people can argue that things just happened but I believe that things never happen magically, but we have to make things happen like my dad did. He had to learn survival skills by working for food and shelter. He left Honduras for a better life here in the United States, his way here wasn’t easy though. He watched from afar what the people had to do to cross the Rio Grande, while other people who were guided by the coyotes crossed. But some may argue that you don’t have to work for success, if you are meant for success things will just happen because that was your destiny. I strongly disagree, first reason is because many people that are successful aren’t fortunate of having a gold crib as a baby, many people started off with a dream; to be someone and have more than their parents did as children. Everyone in some way have to work their way to the top of the hill at some point in their lives.
My dad was one of the people who were looking to have a little more than what his mother had. He crossed the desert to give his mom a better life along with his sister. He planned big and accomplished some of his goals. He started at the age of 8 when his father passed away, he worked when he turned 10 years old planting grain and working in fields in Honduras. He sometimes worked loading bananas but was too hard of a job, but it didn’t work out because his pay was low and he was the only one supporting his family with money, since his dad was no longer a live at the time. They ate what they could; beans if they were lucky, and sometimes tortillas with salt when they didn’t. His mom asked people for food, in forms of loans to be paid off on the weekends, because that’s when he got paid. Eventually he built a house, made out of some tree leaves that were resistant to inclement weather and some kind of wood that was strong and durable. He only managed to do so from the small amount earned at his job. He built it because his mother was temporarily living with her daughter in law, and they didn’t get a long, but for them it was the best house they’ve had in the longest. He wasn’t able to buy clothes for himself because all the money was for food. There was never enough money for food, so there wasn’t money to spare for the luxury of clothes.
When he was finally able to, he bought shoes made out of rubber. His other older brother didn’t provide because he liked to drink and wasted it all in liquor. He tried going to Belize but was denied his passport because he was a minor. His mom signed a paper so they would grant him his passport to travel to Belize for a better pay. It was hard for him because he had never left his home, but when he thought about the hunger and how poor they were at home, it encouraged him to leave the house, but it was hard for him to leave his mom and little sister behind. His intention was always to build his mom and his sister a better home. Once he got to Belize he was captured by immigration. He was a minor and had to be taken out by his parents. The conditions there were inhumane, there were no restrooms, so there was pooh everywhere. He became friends with this other minor in prison and did him a favor by taking him out and giving him shelter at his home. He stayed there and got a job called mango whack. He left his friend’s house and worked at mango whack for food and shelter. His goal was never to stay there his goal was to come to the United States since he left his mom and sister.
He only stayed about 4 months, then he left to Mexico and stayed at Yucatán with a Christian family, and told him about the dangers he would face on his way over here, to the United States. People were killed and if they didn’t get killed the train killed them; he didn’t have money to pay for a coyote so he planned to work his was over her. He stayed in the Christian family’s home for about two weeks then left. On his way over here he