Who is Maria Elena ?
Maria Elena is my mom. She is married to my dad, they have been married for 20 years. She is the mother to 4 kids, Diego, Mariana (me), Lucia, and Daniel. She has been there for me every step of the way in my life.
My mom and I sat down and talked for about half an hour, about her childhood
My mom and I sat down and talked for about half an hour, about her childhood
The Story Maria Elena Told Me
I was born in Baja California, I lived there my whole childhood. In elementary, we walked passed a bridge that a train passed by and the wood planks were pretty seperated, I was scared that my foot would get stuck. There were also times that we would be waking and the trains would come so we had to hurry and I got scared, there was no where to move off to the side and below the cars would pass by. We crossed the Black Bridge everyday on our way home. We went on the bus every morning to get there, on the way back we would walk so that we wouldn't have to pay the bus fee. When we were in middle school my older brother who worked and drove, took us to school at 7 in the morning He had a pickup truck from work, and on the way he would pick up classmates that would sit in the back trunk. He would stop suddenly to play with the kids in the back. We would laugh at them and they would laugh too. Now that I think back I think how irresponsible of him. The kids would have fallen off and hit the sidewalk, but it was all fun in games for us. We were having fun.
I met my husband in high school, he was in a grade below mine. I never really talked to him, I just knew him because he was a twin and there wasn't many twins back then. When I graduated high school and i started working at the school library, I saw him sometimes there since he was still in school but we didn't really talk. I then saw him again at a wedding I was invited by the groom and he was invited by the bride, we sat at the same table. He asked how I had been. I told him where I was working and what I had been doing and vise-versa, he took me out to dance and then asked for my number. He asked me on a date, and we went out on dates for about a year until he asked me to be his girlfriend. We later went out for about 4 year until he asked me to marry him. I said yes of course.
When we had our first son, your father would leave early for work and the baby would still be asleep, then come home at night and the baby would be asleep too. Your father worked in the U.S.. So we decided to move so that he could spent more time with him. We started to look for houses and we came. In the first 10 years we were here I crossed the border every day, all of our activities were in Tijuana and then you were born. When we first came I had the idea that we were going to go back, that we would get our citizenship and then go back. When we became citizens, we had your brother, you and I was pregnant with your sister, and the situation in Tijuana was worsening. Safety was a problem and you were settled into school so we stayed. Returning wasn't the best option.
When your dad decided to change work employer, there was an uncertainty. Knowing that we didn't have a steady income was scary with 4 kids. Not knowing if he would find work right away, because it was at the time that a bit of the recession came and there weren't many construction projects. Those were some of the hardest moments but I knew that we could go back to Tijuana, we have somewhere to go back to, we have our apartments, we could have rented out our house and go where life was a bit cheaper. I supported him in his decision. Those where some of the moments of should we go or should we stay.
I met my husband in high school, he was in a grade below mine. I never really talked to him, I just knew him because he was a twin and there wasn't many twins back then. When I graduated high school and i started working at the school library, I saw him sometimes there since he was still in school but we didn't really talk. I then saw him again at a wedding I was invited by the groom and he was invited by the bride, we sat at the same table. He asked how I had been. I told him where I was working and what I had been doing and vise-versa, he took me out to dance and then asked for my number. He asked me on a date, and we went out on dates for about a year until he asked me to be his girlfriend. We later went out for about 4 year until he asked me to marry him. I said yes of course.
When we had our first son, your father would leave early for work and the baby would still be asleep, then come home at night and the baby would be asleep too. Your father worked in the U.S.. So we decided to move so that he could spent more time with him. We started to look for houses and we came. In the first 10 years we were here I crossed the border every day, all of our activities were in Tijuana and then you were born. When we first came I had the idea that we were going to go back, that we would get our citizenship and then go back. When we became citizens, we had your brother, you and I was pregnant with your sister, and the situation in Tijuana was worsening. Safety was a problem and you were settled into school so we stayed. Returning wasn't the best option.
When your dad decided to change work employer, there was an uncertainty. Knowing that we didn't have a steady income was scary with 4 kids. Not knowing if he would find work right away, because it was at the time that a bit of the recession came and there weren't many construction projects. Those were some of the hardest moments but I knew that we could go back to Tijuana, we have somewhere to go back to, we have our apartments, we could have rented out our house and go where life was a bit cheaper. I supported him in his decision. Those where some of the moments of should we go or should we stay.