What it is to be an immigrant!

Today I woke up to painters around my building, it kind of brought me back memories of the life Abuela, Abuelo, Nono, Mami and baba lived. I was able to take a picture of the gentleman painting our building and it scared me to see him high in that ladder with no harness in case he falls. I wonder if he has any family here? What if he falls who would take care of him? Does he has insurance? Is he suppose to have harness? What if he falls, his family would not receive his weekly call, who would call them instead?

Then I started to think how sad and lonely the life of an immigrant can be in this country, sometimes these people we see cleaning our bathrooms, picking up our fruits, serving our foods are professionals in their country. Never underestimate a person.

Nenas when abuela came to this country she scrub toilets, clean kitchens after having somebody doing all of these for her back in Colombia. I vividly remember how we will get up at 5 AM walk take a bus for about 2 hours, Abuela would sit me with coloring books while she cleaned, she never trusted anybody taking care of me so she would carry me everywhere. She cleaned homes for about 3 years I was still very small to talk to her about it but I know it was not easy, not that cleaning houses is not a decent job, but when you are not used to it I can only imagine how difficult it can be.

I remember that while I was in high school Abuela, Tio Fabio and I will go and clean a bingo hall every night from 10:00 PM on, I also know that it was not easy for Abuela seeing her children doing that but food needed to be in the table. All of these taught me not to be afraid as longest we have two hands anything can be possible, Nenas work is the best thing that can happen to a human being. Abuela is the perfect example she had never worked in her life but the moment she step in the USA the only thing she did was work hard so we could make it.

I personally know many professionals from Colombia, Peru, Venezuela and Mexico that are here now doing other kind of jobs painting homes, construction, cleaning etc. ~ and I admire them for so many reasons they come to this country to work hard, is sad how many professionals we have in our countries but not enough job openings.

Another point that is very delicate is that many of these immigrants don't have papers meaning papers to work and at a point we were one of them, one has to be in our shoes to know the constant fear of being stop by a policeman and then being deported I was small but I remember Abuela always being fearful but with her hard work here we are.

Nenas always be thankful of being born in this country there are million of people in other places that would give anything to be here. Some cross deserts, I wonder how many make it and how many more die in the process. Some cross seas infested with sharks in small boats that are not even made to sustain the waves of the ocean, but they still try to do it even if it is to clean that dirty bathroom, or paint the building where I am living at now.

So nenas always remember were your family came from!!

Vote & Votar & Entakhabat --- Samia's political Dialog!

So today is the big day in the USA, history is in the making. A few facts I can not understand why make elections on a Tuesday. In every South American country is on Sundays, I will assume it would be so much easier for people to vote, well that is my opinion. Another thing I can not understand even though I have done extended reading about is why electoral votes, it should be the people...how can somebody win the popular vote and not win...well I should not break my head trying to figure out things that I can not change...Samia and Gamila maybe one day you can help mami and baba understand that concept.

I remember being in Colombia and going with Abuelo to vote on a Sunday it was like a family outgoing. Samia this morning when I was dressing you up I was telling you how important it is to vote...I was telling you that is so easy for you to go and vote when you reach the voting age..it was mami's first time to vote. For mami to become a citizen was not easy...starting by the long long long lines at the immigration center. Having to wait outside in many immigration centers New York, North Carolina, South Carolina...hard to believe that in a such a big country my citizenship application got lost and I had to pay the outrageous fees twice. Why outrages fees, because the workers in this centers see us like some kind of bugs so I think maybe they don't enough and they just don't feel like doing the job. I will never forget in North Carolina old people with walkers having to wait in a line outside for hours not even allow them to go inside and wait in the lobby.

Something that always hunts me is that when I went for my interview and test for my citizenship I was treated like a second class citizen...a few months later when I was finally called to swore in, the same woman that did my test and treated me so bad was so nice to me, I guess that I was an American Citizen then, so I should be treated nicer.

Baba's immigration story is long and as well full of flaws just to mention some never receiving our change of address, closing case, etc, etc, etc....Nenas I am so glad you guys are not going to have to go through this hardships...people take for granted what an advantage is to be a USA citizen, this country is so great that people are willing to risk their to come.

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Knowledge of a 2.5 year old about politics. Today when we were coming back home this was Mami's and Samia's dialog:

Mami: When we get home Gamila is going to take a nap, you and me are going to eat, then you are going to take a nap and mami is going to lay in bed and watch some TV.

Samia: Mami you watch Obama McCain

I could not stop laughing

Samia: Mami not funny is silly.

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So today we went to the park for some fun with some friends and like always a park is a great place to take some pictures of the little ones and yes mami goes boberta (no english translation) taking photos.

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Milo and Samiuta baba loves to carry the two of you and be like a trampoline poor baba!!!!