Life in Mexico: A perspective from immigrant students
by Rosaba Aguilar, Antonia Lopez, Adan Ibarra, Rocio Gabriola of the U.S.
Life in Mexico is very hard. It's hard because in some places there aren't many jobs, and in other places there are jobs but the salaries are not high enough for a family to cover their needs.
Mexicans immigrate to the United States because here there are more jobs; there are more opportunities to have a better life. Our first months in the United States were very hard. We didn't know anything about the American way of life. Perhaps the language was the most difficult thing to adjust to because we didn't know how to speak it. Another problem was finding a house. The first days we were here, we lived in our family's house. It's very hard to find a house because the managers ask for references, and the immigrants from Mexico don't have any because they've just arrive from their country.
Our people believe that there is discrimination in the U.S. against those who have dark hair and dark skin. For example, many Mexican people have fewer rights than white Americans. It's almost impossible for many immigrants to obtain the legal papers required to remain in the United States of America.
People have to wait up to 10 years to receive their legal papers. Without legal documentation, its difficult to find a job and there are many civil rights violations. For example, when an immigrant completes a long day at work, sometimes their employer refuses to pay them. Because the worker is illegal, he is afraid to complain to the authorities.
Because of the different concept of time in Mexico, life there is very calm and relaxed; it seems like a year is an eternity. The people in Mexico are more sociable. Mexican people like to have many family reunions because family is the most important thing in their lives and it helps to maintain family unity.
Religion is a constant in our lives. In the U.S. there are larger numbers of religious people than in Mexico, but the U.S. has less catholics.
In education, American schools are free through High School. However, in Mexico, although the majority of the schools are public, the students have to pay for books and other fees. In Mexico the academic standard is higher than it is in the United States.
Mexico is our country, and although we are living and working here, we are still Mexican. We are very proud of our country, but we were forced to leave it in order to find work. Some day we want to return, and we know that many other Mexicans also miss their country and one day hope to return.