Originally
from Guatemala, MIA’s parents, Mario and Maria, came to the US illegally in
1985. This was shortly before Ronald
Regan gave amnesty in 1986. They paid $5,000.00
to “coyotes” to get the family across the border. They were abused and went hungry for two days
during their trek and it was a hardship.
They were weary from weeks of walking and little food and water. Still, they believed in their hearts it was
worth the sacrifice. Once in Texas, they
made their way to, and settled in, Florida.
There, they added to their family with a set of twins and then Miguel
was born.
MIA’s
parents were laborers at first. They
lived with other Latinos until they could afford a place of their own. Then the babies arrived. Fortunately, Mario was a carpenter by trade
and it wasn’t long until his skills stood out and he was able to be in charge
of other laborers that were hired. He
knew his inability to speak English held him back so he began taking classes at
night and practiced as often as he could.
He would rise at 5:00 AM and work until late in the day. He had time to go home, shower, eat, and head
to the school where the ESOL class was held.
He eventually gained a mastery of the confusing new language and was later
hired by a gentleman who owned a construction company. He was no longer in a position of authority
but he understood, due to the size of the projects being done, there was
security with this company. Also, he
believed that when he had full command of English, he could move up.
Meanwhile,
the little ones in the house were the translators for their mother at
home. They watched TV and started
picking up English. The parents where
amazed at how quickly the youngsters learned English. When they started in school, it seemed they
were fully bilingual after the first month.
Of course, each successive child wanted to keep up with the older ones,
so it wasn’t long before the whole family was bilingual.
While
they were happy to get amnesty a mere year and half after arriving in the US, they
were saddened by the outrage of the citizenry over illegals that continued
across the border. They knew many
illegal immigrants and fully understood the hardships they endured getting to
the US and after they arrived. Still,
they realized it was better for people not to come to the US by illegal means. Illegal is illegal, right? They wished there was a way to make it all
work out. They knew many people that
were a benefit to their new country.
They worked hard and in many cases, paid taxes. They didn’t receive the governmental gifts
that many people assume they get. Like
most people, they had to work for everything they had.
During
Jack’s time there, he came to understand that everyone is given talents and
gifts. The whole Andaluz family was
pushed by their parents to utilize them to the fullest. Maria’s favorite bible story was Matthew 25,
about the talents that are given by the master to his servants. This topic was often brought up when Maria
felt one of her kids weren’t giving their all or leveraging their talents to
the best of their ability
Jack fully
appreciated the family. It was easy to
see their hearts were good. They wanted
the best for their family and expected the best from each other. Mario and Maria fully understood how
different their lives could be. They
still had family in Guatemala. Most of
them would probably never be seen again.
Jack came to realize the price that these wonderful people paid for the
life they wanted. In spite of heartaches
and hardships, they were happy. Even
though there were people who discriminated against them, they turned the other
cheek. Somehow, in their gentleness and
kindness, the clouds began to part in Jacks life.
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