Hazel Flores Hernández
Artwork
A little Part of me. Un pedacito de mi.
From where I am
I'm from Altavista El Salvador.
Where my family is very close
I'm from a home with French windows
where the streets have tumuli.
I am from mango trees
That's why I always smell good.
I am from majestic rivers and peaceful lakes
I am from the sky of purple and gold
I'm from bean and cheese pupusas
where in the afternoons we went out to play hide-and-seek.
I'm from when you get on a bus they rob you
Where people in the market say, "he's going to want love"
I am from travelling across borders of other countries.
I moved away from my land El Salvador
I came to the USA for a better future.
Now I live in Pasadena
With a desire to return to my land
But now I have a more comfortable life
I can go outside in peace without anything happening to me.
Well, the saying goes
"Nobody knows what he has until he loses it"
Now I feel good here
And I hope to go to my country and see my family one day.
Where my family is very close
I'm from a home with French windows
where the streets have tumuli.
I am from mango trees
That's why I always smell good.
I am from majestic rivers and peaceful lakes
I am from the sky of purple and gold
I'm from bean and cheese pupusas
where in the afternoons we went out to play hide-and-seek.
I'm from when you get on a bus they rob you
Where people in the market say, "he's going to want love"
I am from travelling across borders of other countries.
I moved away from my land El Salvador
I came to the USA for a better future.
Now I live in Pasadena
With a desire to return to my land
But now I have a more comfortable life
I can go outside in peace without anything happening to me.
Well, the saying goes
"Nobody knows what he has until he loses it"
Now I feel good here
And I hope to go to my country and see my family one day.
The reason why I came to the USA
My parents always talked about coming to the United States because of the gangs and the violence in my country of El Salvador. They said there were more opportunities in the U.S. than in our country. I had a friend who migrated to the USA with her father. She travelled by land but her mother and little sister stayed behind, so my parents asked her if she had the coyote's number. I saw her one day and she gave me the coyote’s number. I almost threw the paper away because I didn’t want to leave my country, but I didn’t. My parents met with the coyote and they worked out all the details about the route and the payment.
The day my mother and I left was a Thursday. My father had to go see if they would give him the visa on Friday. My father was going to leave us until the border of El Salvador, but before we reached the border, we passed by eating some pupusas. They were delicious - and also my last pupusas that I liked so much. We finished eating, and we continued till we reached the border. The man arrived, but also not only did my mother cross but also another young man who I knew from my colony But he left a long time before me.
To make a long story short, we walked a lot to catch the bus, and we arrived at a hotel. The man told us to go to eat. We went to eat there in Guatemala, and it was night. Next we had to get up at 4:00 a.m. We took the bus and we arrived in Mexico. The man took us to a house where a family who were good people were friends with him. Seriously, we stayed there for all this. We had traveled so much. In two days we arrived in Mexico. But my dad told my mom that they denied him the visa, and my dad got very desperate. He wanted to come with us. He told my mom to talk to the coyote to see what I could go and bring him and the señor said yes, but the Lord waited for my father in Mexico. My father toured what we had traveled in Guatemala alone. He met the man and after two or three days he arrived where we were. We were very happy. We hugged him tightly, and we both had to go now (when I was in Mexico I had a lot of fun - I went out to play ball with some friends that I made there).
We said goodbye and continued our trip. We got to where other people were, but there were only a couple who told us they would take us to where the river is. They took us to the river and some men in a boat that was like a float but bigger. My mom, my dad and I walked about 30 minutes, and we saw a helicopter. We made a sign for him to see us. They saw us, and they sent a patrol to attract us.
The patrol took us where many more people were, as a few days ago we left there and they took us to the coolers there. It was very cold. We slept on the ground. After two days, they called us again and took us to another place that was much better than where we had been. We slept on a mat. To eat, they gave us a burrito, potato lays, milk, apples and sometimes a hamburger. Then they called us and took us to a church, but there we had to sleep separately, women with women and men with men. We did not want that, and I went to bring some mats and we slept outside looking at the sky. Later, we saw how we had to go and get to where my mother's father was. We went by bus. We were going to go by plane but it was too expensive. We arrived and that’s where the trip ended. We hugged my grandfather, and they all talked a lot with my parents.
In the first days I felt bad. I cried to return to my country, and we all missed each little thing. That is where we learned the value of things. Time passed. Today I feel good and I do not want to return to my country. Maybe if I visit but stay there I'm not well here in the US.
My name is Hazel. I am 16 years old and I am from El Salvador. I came here to the United States on April 15th. I want to be a horse and dog veterinarian. I really love horses and I have always dreamed of having one and going to jumping classes. I miss my grandparents and my cousins and uncles and I hope to see them soon and go to my country again.
The day my mother and I left was a Thursday. My father had to go see if they would give him the visa on Friday. My father was going to leave us until the border of El Salvador, but before we reached the border, we passed by eating some pupusas. They were delicious - and also my last pupusas that I liked so much. We finished eating, and we continued till we reached the border. The man arrived, but also not only did my mother cross but also another young man who I knew from my colony But he left a long time before me.
To make a long story short, we walked a lot to catch the bus, and we arrived at a hotel. The man told us to go to eat. We went to eat there in Guatemala, and it was night. Next we had to get up at 4:00 a.m. We took the bus and we arrived in Mexico. The man took us to a house where a family who were good people were friends with him. Seriously, we stayed there for all this. We had traveled so much. In two days we arrived in Mexico. But my dad told my mom that they denied him the visa, and my dad got very desperate. He wanted to come with us. He told my mom to talk to the coyote to see what I could go and bring him and the señor said yes, but the Lord waited for my father in Mexico. My father toured what we had traveled in Guatemala alone. He met the man and after two or three days he arrived where we were. We were very happy. We hugged him tightly, and we both had to go now (when I was in Mexico I had a lot of fun - I went out to play ball with some friends that I made there).
We said goodbye and continued our trip. We got to where other people were, but there were only a couple who told us they would take us to where the river is. They took us to the river and some men in a boat that was like a float but bigger. My mom, my dad and I walked about 30 minutes, and we saw a helicopter. We made a sign for him to see us. They saw us, and they sent a patrol to attract us.
The patrol took us where many more people were, as a few days ago we left there and they took us to the coolers there. It was very cold. We slept on the ground. After two days, they called us again and took us to another place that was much better than where we had been. We slept on a mat. To eat, they gave us a burrito, potato lays, milk, apples and sometimes a hamburger. Then they called us and took us to a church, but there we had to sleep separately, women with women and men with men. We did not want that, and I went to bring some mats and we slept outside looking at the sky. Later, we saw how we had to go and get to where my mother's father was. We went by bus. We were going to go by plane but it was too expensive. We arrived and that’s where the trip ended. We hugged my grandfather, and they all talked a lot with my parents.
In the first days I felt bad. I cried to return to my country, and we all missed each little thing. That is where we learned the value of things. Time passed. Today I feel good and I do not want to return to my country. Maybe if I visit but stay there I'm not well here in the US.
My name is Hazel. I am 16 years old and I am from El Salvador. I came here to the United States on April 15th. I want to be a horse and dog veterinarian. I really love horses and I have always dreamed of having one and going to jumping classes. I miss my grandparents and my cousins and uncles and I hope to see them soon and go to my country again.
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