When I started my final project I originally wanted to tell the story of my parents journey to what many call “the land of opportunities”. I had recorded a conversation with them in a very comfortable setting. At the dining table, after dinner, we drank a few beers. This in itself felt like a ‘Platica’. Although I am gone for most of the time from home because I need to be here in Ithaca, I have found that when I return (most of the time) we stay up late and have a platica. This was no different. Starting off with my questions we ended up talking about their lives in great detail with many stories that feel too personal to share.
One of the first questions that I had was about their education. This really intrigued me because education is one of the first things that dictate the pathway for one’s life. They talked me through their journey where I was able to understand how their goal, to send money back to their parents, gave them the strength to face the many challenges in the United States. Their own identity and background had prepared them for these challenges as nothing ever came easy but with work and determination. As you can hear in the audio my father’s early education wasn’t the best but he was able to continue school and worked as well to be able to afford school. My mother in the other hand had very little education and as soon as she was out of school, she quickly started helping her family by working. They both had determined that coming to the US was the best option as they would be able to earn more money than in Mexico. This was true but it didn’t come easy.
Another thing that I wasn’t able to add into my final project was pictures of my parents during their first years here in the United States. I didn’t have time to digitize these pictures to create a slideshow but I noticed that my parents had a very fashionable look. Like the Zoot Suits which were a style at the time, there was a fashion style in the 80s during the prime time when my parents had lived between New York, New Jersey and Chicago. The blown out hair, v shaped attire, and many new fashionable trends. It was a way that my mother used to assimilate to the United States culture.
Overall looking back at my project I learned so much and many of the topics and the conversation itself connected to many of the concepts that we talked about in the class. Although there were so many things I wish I could have improved in my final project to make it better, I really appreciate the ability to learn about my family’s past and their connection to their identity and goals. At the end of the day, I live with the same mindset that my parents have “No Te Preocupes”.
Published by