Life Story of Javi Rodriguez - Essay Example

Part Interviews The subsequent section is composed of an interview with a Mexican immigrant from Green Bay, Wisconsin. The respondent was selected based on his current residency in the United States for not less than ten years. In this regard, the interview tool entailed open ended questions. In order to ensure simplicity in narration, the interview has been recorded in the first person narrative of the respondent. As a measure to ensure protection of privacy and identity of the respondent, the actual name of the respondent has been replaced with a pseudonym and narrative recorded through hand written records. Javi Rodriguez My name is Javi Rodriguez and I am 50 years old. My home town is Guadalajara, Mexico. I was born there in the year 1964. I migrated to the United States in 1980 at the age of 16 years. My home town was small with approximately 500 people. Although it was not big, it was a nice place. Furthermore, the residents were jovial and courteous to each other like a big happy family. I began working at the tender age of seven as a corn grower back in México. In this regard, I took part in the planting and harvesting process. I also used to work on a ranch back home alongside my parents. My main hobby when I was a young boy in Mexico entailed fishing in the nearby river with my friends. We usually ate the fish and at times we would sell some of it in the nearby market. From the proceeds, I would normally buy clothes, shoes and bring some food home for my parents. By the time I attained the age of 13, I had minimal time for playing since I was engaged in a lot of work. Therefore, I used to assist my father in his duties so that we could have enough money for supporting my other nine siblings. Evidently, I was the eldest child. The life we had in Mexico was a humble, poor life but which gave me much contentment. Despite our poor life, we never lacked some food on the table. I remember my parents used to love cooking beans, tortillas and occasionally meat. The food was always cooked fresh and delicious as most of it came from the ranch and the chicken we reared. My migration to the United States was fuelled by the need to experience the American Dream just like everyone else. At that time, United States was portrayed as a land of many opportunities for progression in life. I wanted to have a better life that would enable me to support my father and other siblings. Therefore, my decision to migrate to United States was born out of necessity than desire. My parents made the decision of me moving when I was around fourteen or fifteen years of age. Evidently, my journey to the United States was quite a challenge and harsh. The bus ride to the border took over forty hours. We then proceeded to walk through a dirt road across the American and Mexican border for two days and nights. The trek was treacherous and dangerous as there are normally thieves in the borders waiting to steal from others. However, through the grace of God, we were able to arrive safely with my father. Our first point of visit was California where I lived in Salinas for five years and Buena Park for nine years. It was quite a challenge to get a job because of my young age. Most of the employees would turn me down by telling me that I was too young to work and should go to school first. I engaged in meager jobs such as washing dishes, counting eggs and cleaning to make ends meet. At Salinas, I used to work in the fields where I would irrigate the plants, tend to them and also function as a foreman. I worked there for ten years and in that period; I was able to attain my green card. In the year 1996, I moved to Green bay with my wife and cousins. I was told by other Mexican immigrants living there, that it was better place to stay in compared to California. My first job there was at a meat packing facility where I used to work overtime and make more money compared to California. In two years time, my wife and I were able to open a store at our neighborhood. The store picked up quite well and later I was able to open a restaurant in the year 1999. I am always busy every day of the week even during holidays such as Thanksgiving, New Year, and Christmas. The only vacation I get comes by once a year. However, I do not complain because life has been good. The first time we arrived in Green Bay, there were very few Latinos living around here. However, through the years, the Latino population increased significantly as after every few weeks or months, New Mexicans families arrive. We have become an interactive community of sorts since every month we invite New Mexican families to church and later share a meal together. Most of the Mexican families in Green Bay go to church at St. Willebrord’s. We love the church as it is like a ‘home away from home.’ I can go there and feel comfortable, talk with other Hispanics and seek advice from each other. Furthermore, the church allows us to take part in our Mexican traditions since there are differences regarding the celebration of holidays between United States and Mexico. For example, during Christmas in Mexico, our tradition entails making of pozole and piñatas. We also take part in singing for Baby Jesus. However, for Native Americans, the Christmas tradition is marked with gifts and dinners and only. In Mexico, we normally celebrate on the streets and the setting is normally like a carnival. In America people like to gather together for family dinners during Christmas and New Year. The New Year’s celebration in Mexico and United States is quite similar. The only difference is that in Mexico we do not partake in alcohol drinking. During Thanksgiving we normally gather the whole family together to celebrate. However, in Mexico, it is not part of the tradition to eat turkey. My major highlight of living in the United States is the good life that I have been able to enjoy. I have been able to make the most out of the opportunities I got. I have come to agree that it is a land of opportunity where determination and hard work gets you ahead. I am quite satisfied with my life in America. The main thing that I miss most about Mexico is the feeling and sense of being at home. It is not that the people in America treat me or my family badly, but someone still has the feeling that it is a foreign land. I miss many things from my homeland of Mexico like my friends and other relatives. I have nostalgic memories of the river back home where I would go skinny dipping in the warm afternoon sun with my friends. I also miss the relaxed and laid back way of life back at home. I have stayed in America for more than 30 years now and I plan to stay here for the rest of my life. My children also have a greater chance of a bright future here compared to America. However, we occasionally go to Mexico for vacations. The people that have been of great influence to my life are my mother and wife. My mother always encouraged me to persevere with my job despite the challenges I faced. My wife has also been with me through good and bad times, providing me with moral support and advice. She has also been reliable in helping the children with school work and attending their school activities. My aspiration is for my children to study up to the highest level because I only managed to reach sixth grade in school. Therefore, I want them to study up to degree level and achieve a sense of self worth. I also want them to develop spiritual values, respect and servitude for others in society. I have a good wife and children and I am very much contented. I am also happy with my life in United States. It has given us much fulfillment from the opportunities that have come our way. In America my family and I have learnt the value of hard work and that it also pays in the end. I thank God everyday that we are able to wake up, eat, sleep and look forward to another day. Part 2: Historical Background The immigration of Mexicans to Wisconsin, United states; the home town of the respondent; can be traced back to the early Twentieth Century. Evidently, the Mexican revolution is credited with the immigration of early Hispanic immigrants in Wisconsin. The Great Depression made many immigrants Mexicans to repatriate back to Mexico due to the massive loss of jobs. However, the start of World War 2 led to an increase of Mexican immigrants to Wisconsin. Most of the Mexican immigrants came to assists in the harvest of sugar beet, small vegetable farms and cucumbers. A federal program during World War 2 contributed towards the placing of eight hundred immigrant Mexicans in Wisconsin. By 1948, the number rose to over 2,600 as most of them became agricultural workers. The Bracero program assisted the respondent and other Mexican-Americans in attaining employment in Wisconsin. The immigration of Mexicans into Green Bay can be approximated at around 1976 when a number of them arrived from Milwaukee. Evidently, most of the immigrants came to work in the meatpacking companies. The respondent acknowledged that one time he worked in the meat packing company. To date, meat packing industries in Green Bay such as Dressed Beef and JBS Packer land continue to lure Mexican immigrants. The population of the Hispanics grew over time as current immigrants encouraged their community members to settle in the city. Green Bay was favored by the Mexicans due to its small stature and less crime incidences. It also offered better wages compared to the big cities. Green Bay experienced a great influx of Hispanic immigrants between 1980 and 2000. This was largely attributed to the growth of the Packer land Meatpacking Company. The respondent was evidently once working at the meat packing company. The reception that Mexicans experienced elicited mixed variations over time. Evidently, the pioneer Hispanic immigrants were confronted with hostility from the Natives due to the language differences.However; the discrimination leveled in the past has mellowed as attitudes changed over time regarding the Hispanics. Part 3: Final Analysis Interpretation The interview conducted with the Mexican immigrant from Green Bay provided significant information pertaining to the experiences of immigrants. In this regard, this final section shall analyze the respondents experiences based on the model of the six C’s. These are class, culture, color, contact, conflict and change. In relation to class, it is evident that the respondent’s came from a humble background while back in Mexico. Evidently, he states that his parents were poor and that he had start work at an early age to assist his father to support the family. In this regard, his migration to United States was a decision born out of necessity to improve the livelihood of his family. Consequently, he respondent does point out that the decision to migrate to the United States was subject to his parents directions. Evidently, the respondent was able to fulfill his American dream by improving on his social class. In this regard, the respondent narrates how his social status improved over time from just a meager hand laborer to an entrepreneur in his own right. At the first point of his arrival, the respondent only engaged in meager casual labor such as washing dishes, cleaning and working on the field. Over the course of his stay in United State, the respondent states that he was able to work hard and own a store and a restaurant. Furthermore, he elicits contentment with his current life and social status in United States. Moreover, he reiterates that he has no desire of resettling back to Mexico since he is happy with his current life. In this regard, his narration provides the perfect example of improvement in social class from his time in Mexico up to his current life in United States. In relation to culture, there is an evident attempt in the maintenance of cultural identities among immigrants. In this regard, the respondent exhibited how the Mexican immigrants would maintain their unique ways of celebrations during holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving. In this regard, the respondent states that they used to make piñatas and pazole during Christmas holidays as a way of keeping in touch with their Mexican tradition. The aspect of contact is also clearly evident in the respondent’s narration. In this regard, the immigrants Mexicans in United States try as much as possible to maintain contact with each other through their interactions with each other. Evidently, the respondent points out that every New Mexican resident in Green Bay was welcomed through the neighborhood church designated for the Hispanic community, that is, Saint Willebrord Parish. The new members were also welcomed through garden/neighborhood parties by the Mexican community. Incidentally, Saint Willebrord Parish has taken up a pertinent role among the lives of Mexican immigrants in Green Bay. The church is not only a religious symbol but also acts as a social avenue for most of the Mexican immigrants. In this regard, the respondent clearly points out that the church was a place that he and other Mexican immigrants would go to in order to communicate, or seek advice from each other. The aspect of change is also another factor in the life of a Mexican immigrant. Change is an evident feature as immigrants leave their live in their homeland of Mexico and transition into a new life in the United States. Evidently, the respondent best captures the aspect of change as he narrates about his life and lifestyle when he still lived in Mexico, and draws comparisons during his migration to United States. In this regard, the respondent narrates about the poor lifestyle he had while back in Mexico. He then states the need for a change in fortunes is what fuelled him to pursue the American dream. Consequently, following his migration to United States, the respondent experiences a change in class and social status. In this regard, his migration to the United States transitions him from a poor social status in Mexico into a well of business entrepreneur in the United States. The respondent was also forced to adapt to the hard work ethic in the United Status. Incidentally, he used to work hard while in Mexico but he hard to work twice as hard when he came to United States. Color, and more specifically race, is an evident matter of identity among the Mexican immigrants in United States. It is quite evident that the Mexicans are drawn to live next to each other due to their racial connection. In this regard, the respondent states that his decision of moving to Green Bay was based on recommendation from other immigrant Mexicans living in the area at the time. Furthermore, the racial connection of color draws Mexicans to confide and seek advice from each other. This is evident when the respondent states that they normally go to St. Willebrord church to talk to other Hispanics and seek advice from one another. The final aspect in relation to conflict is evident from the hardship of being far away from the homeland of origin, Mexico. In this regard, although the respondent enjoys his current life in United States, he misses the life and special events he was engaged in back home. This is evident when the respondent states that, “The main thing that I miss most about Mexico is the feeling and sense of being at home. It is not that the people in America treat me or my family badly, but someone still has the feeling that it is a foreign land. I miss many things from my homeland of Mexico like my friends and other relatives.” Consequently, it underlies the feeling that immigrants go through when they are in a foreign country. No matter how long or peaceful, or successful an immigrant is in a foreign country, the sense of attachment to their hometown never eludes them. Part 4: Meta-Analysis The main aim of this anthropology paper was to describe the life experiences of a Mexican immigrant of United States by documenting his life experiences from Mexico, transition into the United States and ultimate settlement. In order, to achieve an elaborate account of the life experiences, the chosen respondent was a current legal citizen who migrated to United States over 30 years ago. The concept of this anthropology study was founded on research that narrating the viewpoint of a person from a different culture and immigrant would highlight the difference in life experience from a natural citizen by birth. The benefit of the interview conducted is that it provided insight on the issues facing Mexican immigrants in United States. Evidently, one major highlight is the proof of the notion ‘chasing the American Dream’, whereby even foreigners can migrate into the United States and pursue their hopes of a better life and future. This is evident from the positive change in social status and class that the immigrant undergoes following his settlement in United States. The major challenge facing the research was the language barrier that faced the respondent. This was regardless of his long-term stay in the United States. Evidently, the spoken English displayed by the respondent was a mixture of Spanish and English that required the use of a third party translator to understand and transcribe in proper English. The evident limitation of this anthropological study was the general reluctance by elderly Mexican Americans to volunteer as an interviewee. This was largely based on the mistrust that the information would be used in instituting legal proceeding against any past actions. This is in recognition that most elderly immigrants achieved entry to the United States through crossing the border illegally. A phenomenon that still continues to date in the American and Mexican border. In this regard, as a sign of goodwill and trust it was important to assure the respondent that a pseudonym would be used in identification. The use of any voice recorder was also hampered in order to assure the respondent of confidentiality in voice recognition. In general the study was important in providing insight into the life experiences of a Mexican immigrant. Consequently, the study was able to achieve an understanding of various aspects such as cultural identities, importance of family structure, challenges and ultimate lifetime achievements of an elderly Mexican immigrant. Time line of Important Events: Javi Rodriguez 1964: Born in the home town of Guadalajara, Mexico. 1971: began working at the tender age of seven as a corn grower back in México 1980: Migrated into the United States at the age of 16 years. 1982: Married a wife and started a family. 1980-1985: Lived in Salinas for five years when he arrived in California 1986-1995: Moved to live Buena Park for nine years. 1986: worked as a casual laborer in the fields growing plants. 1988: Learnt how to drive and hence became a driver of the farm caterpillar. 1992: Was promoted as a foreman for the farm. 1996: Moved to Green Bay, Wisconsin with his wife and cousins after being convinced by fellow Mexican Americans that it was a better place compared to California. 1997: first job at Green Bay was at a meat packing facility 1998: opened a store at Green Bay with his wife. 1999: opened a restaurant following the success of his store. Read More