Tag Archives: El Salvador

Seeking Better (El Salvador)

              I began the interview by asking my mother something I have asked about many times before – about her life in El Salvador. “Well I grew up very poor, my family did not have much. However we were happy, what we had made us happy, and even though we lived in poverty we ... Read More »

Leaving War Torn El Salvador

    My name is Alex Rodriguez and I am the Uncle of my interviewer.  I was born in El Salvador in 1983.  I was 8 years old when I was forced to immigrate to the USA for a better life, leaving some of my family in El Salvador. Now living in CA, I have a job and I am ... Read More »

Construction Worker from El Salvador

        My father is originally from El Salvador and he migrated to the U.S when he was twenty two years old because he wanted to have a job there. He explained to me that his country was on the horizons of poverty and he would do anything to help his family. So he came to the U.S ... Read More »

Making Her Way as a Teen to New York City (El Salvador)

                I was born and raised in El Salvador in a small pueblo in Guarnecia. It was a beautiful and peaceful country of coexistence and with lots of things to do. I lived in an ugly, baby blue, two-story house surrounded by many refreshing lakes and fruitful trees. The lakes were our only ... Read More »

“The Air Smelled Like Trees” (El Salvador)

      My name is Javi (name changed). I lived in a small town in the country of El Salvador named San Francisco Menendez. I was born in 1979. I used to play with friends on the soccer field and play with the marbles we had. The landscape was very rural and the air smelled like a chicken coop. ... Read More »

The Experience That Changed My Life (El Salvador)

My life was so difficult in my country, I was really poor and didnt have alot of money which made me be more humble. The love that I had for my family made me decide to travel to the U.S. When I was in El Salvador, my life was really different than now. I had 11 siblings, 8 brothers, and ... Read More »

The Great Wall of America (El Salvador)

“Mijo, it’s time to go.” My papa wakes me from a deep dream of beautiful cities, promise, fortune, and most of all the food awaiting us in America. It was about  3:30 and we had been very tired due to the long trek we’ve already made into Mexico since we had no money to buy transport nor owned any vehicles. ... Read More »

Immigration Changed my Life (El Salvador)

I was ten years old carrying a broken heart and tears that cover my eyes when I emigrated to the United States of America from El Salvador with the innocence feeling of only wanting to be reunited with my mother and father. At the instance, I was not chasing the American Dream. All I wanted was to be able to ... Read More »

Leaving Children to Pave the Way (El Salvador)

My aunt Esmeralda (name changed) was born in El Salvador in 1978. She decided to come to the United States because she wanted a better future for her sons. In El Salvador it is so difficult to find a good job and also they don’t pay enough money. She and her sons lived in a house made of aluminum so it ... Read More »

Away From Gangs (El Salvador)

Yalitza (name changed) was born in El Salvador. She stopped going to school after third grade because her mom couldn’t pay the fees. She started working with her mom selling fruit in the market. When she was 16, she started working sewing clothes in a factory. She had me when she was 18. She worked hard so I could go ... Read More »