In the picture I am wearing a bright red dress. My hair is frizzy and I am pouting. My eyes look swollen as if I had just cried. My brother is wearing a plaid shirt, blue jeans and boots. He is playing with a toy car that has three out of the four wheels. This picture was taken by my aunt in Mexico in 1998, and she sent it to my parents who were in the United States. My brother and I were born in the U.S. but my parents were not. They came to the U.S. illegally because they wanted a better life for their family and themselves. When I was only three months old my father was caught by immigration officials at his job. He was deported back to Mexico and my mother packed our stuff and the three of us followed my father back to their country. They knew there were no jobs for them in Mexico, so they decided to cross the border again. They decided it was best for my brother and me to stay in Mexico with their family while they worked really hard to save enough for our plane tickets. Eventually they bought our plane tickets and we were reunited. My father still cries when he sees this picture. It gets to him because he never wanted to leave us in Mexico, especially since we were so young but my parents didn’t have another choice. This picture is currently in my room in a frame. It represents sacrifice, separation, hope and love in my family. It makes me proud to say “Oh I’m Mexican," because it reminds me of reminds me of my parents' struggle and how they overcame it.

– Michelle

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