Ana Maira immigrated to the United States in 2001. At the young age of 22, Ana Maira knew it was time to flee from her abusive partner then, so she came to the United States for a presumptive better life. "I took a bus from Nayarit to Tijuana. From there I walked across the border into Southern California. I was later picked up in a restaurant and taken to Los Angeles. From Los Angeles, I was taken to Fresno to work in grape vineyards. After Fresno I got on a “Raitera” (that being a series of minivans that dedicate themselves to transporting immigrants across the United States) that took me to Oregon," Ana Maira says. When asked about her journey, Ana Maira describes, "Everything was difficult. I did not have any means of transportation, I did not know the language. I couldn’t even figure out how to use public transportation. However, I was determined in my vision that I was going to lead a new life away from domestic violence." Ana Maira describes her self and her own well being as the 'object' that has significant meaning in her migration story. She, like many others fleeing domestic violence, came to the United States with only the clothes she were wearing and her dream for a dignified life. She urges those thinking about fleeing abuse, "...to try it. Things will not be easy, yet the rewards are immense. One's success is within reach. It is a question of having the grit, determination, and willpower to be audacious. You must always have the vision that, in the end, everything will become better."

– BM

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant