One special object that symbolizes my father’s journey to America is a bottle opener that he bought when he was traveling North towards the Border. My dad began his journey from Puebla, MX and moved his way up. During this time, he stopped in a small city in Zacatecas known as Villanueva. In this small village, a lady offered him a Mexican Coke with the bottle on top which needed a bottle opnener to open. When the lady opened the bottle, she gave the bottle opener to my dad and told him “ Se que no es mucho y alomejor no te va ayuidar en tu vieje pero dalo esto at tus ninos y recuerdales lo que to hiciste por ellos in cruzar la frontera.” This translates to take this bottle opener it might not mean a lot or might not help you in your travels but give it to your children and remind them that you traveled all of Mexico to give them an opportunity to succeed. This goes hand in hand with the reading in El Norte, Mexican American Experiences. My father was coming to America to seek that American Dream where he would have increased pay and where he would not need to struggle to find a job. The motivation to assimilate and join the American workforce is what prompted my father to cross the scorching desert for that hope that he could succeed in life.  Though he was not able to give us everything he dreamed of, he did give me hope and motivation because of him I succeed in school and try to reach my dreams. When the day comes and I graduate and get my good paying job, my old man will not need to work anymore because his American Dream will be given to him by me. 

– KR

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant