When my grandparents first immigrated to America from Mexico, they wanted to be able to provide for their family. They moved to California and decided to stay once my aunt was born. My grandfather recently passed away, but my family has many memories of him throughout the house. My grandfather has a locker in the garage that my grandma has kept, that reminds her of how far they have come. He often picked fruit in Mexico, and his first job in America was to pick oranges, grapes, and strawberries in the fields while my grandmother worked at a plant nursery. Soon my grandfather found a job fixing machines for a major company. He worked with the company for sixteen years, learning how to operate the machines, and was given that locker to put his jacket and tools in. When the company shut down in 1985, he was able to bring his locker home. By that time my grandparents had worked hard to own a house in Monrovia and were able to keep the locker in the house. From then on, my grandfather was able to use his previous experience to get good jobs working on different machines, and the locker continued to move with the family. From picking fruit in the fields to operating machines, the locker demonstrates the time and determination it took for them to establish a life in California. With their goals accomplished and many grandchildren to look after, my grandpa retired in 2003 when he was injured at work. 

– Faith

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant