Is your family the most important thing to you? Just imagine if you had to separate from your family for months, even years. You couldn’t be able to see them because you are away from them. Many people who migrate to the United States have this exact problem. I’m not embarrassed to say that my dad and my mom were immigrants. My dad came to this country to get a better job and to own property so that he could be independent. He also came thinking of his future, planning to get married and have kids.

His first work was in Utah, cutting cherries. He returned to Mexico to marry my mom. When they came back to the U.S., they both started working ina restaurant, Monday through Friday, from 9AM to 10 PM; and Saturday and Sunday from 9AM to 4AM. My mom was a waitress, and my dad was the only chef. When they left the restaurant, my mom started working in a sewing factory, and my dad started working in a factory producing heaters for trailers. After living in Utah for ten years, my parents moved to Delaware and opened a Mexican grocery with the help of my uncles and some savings they had put away.

Aside from wanting a better job, my dad also wanted to own property. He had always thought it was better to own a house than to pay rent. The first thing my parents did when they came to Delaware was to purchase a house and begin working in the store. Each year that they were working, they would buy houses and land in Mexico with the money they had saved. In total, my parents own eight houses in Mexico and the United States.

My dad wanted to own property so that we, his kids would know how hard he worked when he was young. He came to the United States because he wanted more opportunities for us. He knew that the education was better in the U.S. This would give us more chances to succeed. Even though he thought the opportunities in the U.S. were better, he wanted us to know our heritage. He took us to Mexico for four years to know our roots. When he felt that an important time in our education was coming, he brought us back to the United States.

As of today, my dad has worked at the store for 19 years. He has worked hard to give us more opportunities. His dream to be a pilot did not come true, so he wanted to give us better chances. He thought that the U.S. would allow us to have a fair wage. He took risks to give us a better life, and I will always be grateful.