Map of the regions of Mexico
Carlos (name changed) was born in Mexico. He lived in Guadalajara with his parents and two sisters. When he was 14 years old he stopped going to school because his parents didn’t have money. He worked in construction with his father every day and also he fell in love. He and his girlfriend went to church together with his family every night. They didn’t want any trouble. He was always happy. The only problem was that her parents didn’t like him because they were not religious .
There was a lot of violence in his neighborhood, so his parents didn’t want him to go out without them because all the time in the news there were deaths, many crimes and many extortionists But he always wanted to be with her all the time. He decided to come to the United States to work. He made a plan with his girlfriend. He said he would make enough money to return to Mexico and have a business and a home and they could get married. She said she would wait for him.
Two months after he moved to California, his friends told him that his girlfriend was with another guy. When he found this out, his life completely changed. He got very depressed for a week and he thought about his future. His only motivation then was his parents. He decided to go to church regularly. He always asked God a lot to show him a good path. At the same time, he decided to go to school. He got his high school diploma and now he is studying to be an engineer in college.
He got a great job as a server in a nice restaurant in the Bay Area. He is very friendly and he earns good tips. Actually just yesterday he was promoted to be the manager. His dream is to be a computer engineer. When he graduates he knows his parents will be so proud.
This story was written by a co-worker and friend of Carlos.