A SERIES OF EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS, CHRONICLING THE UNTOLD STORIES OF MEXICAN AMERICAN YOUTH AND THEIR RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
By Arya Hanumara/ President/ Co-Editor In Chief/ Social Effects Head/
(IMAGE SOURCE EMBEDDED IN PHOTO)
Border Crossing In The Morning
It was a quiet morning for Ashley Morales, a 16-year-old student at Francis Parker High School. She walked into the kitchen of her Uncle and Aunt’s home, and felt the cool breeze dance around, flowing through the open windows. Her only worry was what her aunt was making for breakfast. It was like any other regular school day for Ashley, when she would stay with her cousins in the United States. She would promptly leave for Tijuana, Mexico on the weekend, ready to spend a few days with her father and mother. The family had tried a variety of arrangements, even embarking on an attempt to cross the border to get her to school every morning. This meant that Ashley would often have to wake up at one or two o’clock in the morning and arrive at her final destination at four, sitting down on one of her school’s various benches, and eagerly waiting for the Library to open. Soon, the family decided that it was best for Ashley to stay with her aunt, who lived in the U.S, with the main intention of allowing her to sleep more and reduce the additional amount of stress attributed to the daily crossing of the border. Although this was more convenient for Ashley, there was still a lingering anxiety of having to be away from her parents for the entire school week. She was keenly aware that the other kids at school could just drive home to see their parents every night or make a quick trip home to get a permission slip signed minutes before it was due. This was never an option for Ashley, who counted on herself to work hard and study, praying that doing so would secure her a bright future- one where she could make her somewhat distant, but loving, parents proud.
News From A New Land
Ashley left for Tijuana the minute she heard that school was cancelled, afraid that the border would close and she would have to spend all of the quarantine without her parents and siblings. While many kids were spending days cruising through social media, posting about their excitement in regards to the school closures, all Ashley could focus on was getting home to her parents. She hoped to take care of members of her family that had compromised immune systems. Upon crossing the border and entering the one place that truly felt like home, Ashley breathed in the lingering smells of chili and cinnamon, watching the various motorcycles and cars pass by on the somewhat dirty streets of her town. It was only a couple hours away from her school, yet it felt as if she had landed on a completely different planet. Soon, this land that she so proudly called home slowly started to become a source of constant fear. Not only was it impossible for her to leave her house because of the virus, but various murders and conflicts were also on the rise in Tijuana. Since the start of the virus, about 1,000 people have been brutally murdered in this city. Ashley had heard 8 of them, evident from the various yells and screams ringing through the vibrant city. The motives behind these horrific events were ultimately centered around money, as most people’s salaries had been drastically reduced due to the virus. Not only are the various economic struggles that numerous Mexican people are enduring during this period devastating, but it has also resulted in a completely heartless response from local business. Several grocery stores have dramatically raised their prices, meaning that the already sparsely distributed paychecks would quickly run dry by the end of the week.
The Anxiety of Grocery Shopping
Additionally, Ashley has to endure various arguments and scoldings from her parents, most often in response to the grocery store’s strict rules which proclaimed that only one member per family may enter at a time. This creates a further disconnect between Ashley and her already distant parents. On top of this, Ashley has been recently struggling greatly with coming to terms with her womanhood and is constantly a receiver of criticism from various entities surrounding her. Ashley states that “[her] dad does most of the shopping for the family, and it’s really uncomfortable, because sometimes [she] needs to get certain feminine products, and it's very overwhelming for [her] to have to explain everything to [her] father, who has a complete lack of knowledge in the subject manner.” Although Ashley struggles with her father’s lack of knowledge of various feminine products, there are other conversations that she needs to have with him that she feels are unbelievably awkward. She feels it is difficult to discuss her femininity with someone with rather conservative ideals, who is trying to believe that his daughter is the young girl he imagines her to be.
In regards to crossing the border, Ashley constantly fears for her father’s travels as he needs to get to work every day, ultimately putting his life at risk to aid in his family’s financial well being. At the beginning of the quarantine, people were merely advised to not cross at all. As the conditions dramatically worsened, laws passed stating that everyone who crossed could be detained, and furthermore, not be allowed to enter the United States at all. Also, lines to cross the border drastically increased in length, meaning that Ashley’s father had to wait 5 hours to get to the United States and prompting unjustifiable disappointment from his employer.
A major benefit of Mexico’s approach to quarantine is the citizens' dedication to government rules and regulations. Ashley never sees a single person walking around on her street.
The Limitations Of Her Hometown
Ashley is quite passionate about soccer, and she says that one major disappointment she has experienced as a result of the quarantine is the lack of ability to play soccer. Most kids in the U.S. have the opportunity to throw around a ball and keep up their craft. In Tijuana, space is often limited, and considering the trend of empty streets, it could be assumed that one could be punished for going out without a mask or proper protection. This could also lead to the depletion of basic hygienic necessities for the general public. The United States initially struggled with this issue, most commonly joked about as the “toilet paper crisis,” but soon, goods such as masks, gloves, and cleaning sprays started to become more accessible. Many stores accomplished this by limiting the number of products per person. This has not happened in Mexico, leaving the general public without access to masks and other products. This allows for government punishment as a result of the lack of access to proper sanitary equipment.
An Online Quinceanera?
“A major milestone that so many Latina and Latinx females face is their quinceaneras,” claims Ashley, who had her ceremony last summer. COVID-19’s effect on these events has not only made girls feel incomplete and damage their relationship with their culture, but it also has led to several families losing vast amounts of money. Many families spend years saving up money to afford large ceremonies and provide their daughters with the true cultural experience of a quinceanera. Upon hearing about the cancellation of many events due to the virus, many families were not offered a refund. “My little sister was so excited for her quinceanera, and then we had to cancel it. Now, my family has lost all of their savings dedicated to the event, meaning that we lost out on money that we could have used to prevent my mother and father from risking their lives and continuing to work during the quarantine,” states Vanessa Rodrigues, a 17-year-old resident of Rosarito, Mexico.
Furthermore, Ashley Morales has not heard from a single one of her peers in the United States, admitting that she feels “disconnected,” as if she’s “living life in the third person.” All Ashley really wants “is a break.” A break from classmates ignoring her, a break from the harsh reality of the outside world, and a break from watching her city become something that she can’t quite recognize anymore.
"I Feel Different"
Additionally, Ashley has a much different experience with the online learning program at her school than many of her peers. She is in a completely different country, with worse cell and internet service, making her unable to concentrate and do her work. Ashely exclaims that “[She] doesn’t know who [she] is, and that [she] can’t do it,” finally stating that she feels, “different.” Not only does she feel different in a self-realized sense, but she feels different from her peers, from each worker at the 7-11 where she would often go after school to pick up a snack, and ultimately, she feels different from everyone in the United States of America, regardless of her citizenship.
What Does Ashley Want Us To Know?
When asking Ashely if there was anything that others should know, she passionately responded, “I want everyone to know that some people think that because they’re young, nothing will happen to them, it will go away. I have older relatives, grandparents, family members with health issues. And it's hard being in such a tight-knit community, and if one person gets it, all of us are impacted. I’m just scared. Everything can fall apart in a few seconds. I just want people to be mindful of others, because everyone’s dealing with different situations, and it’s just hard because I know people that don’t have any food and are living in boxes with a small piece of wood on top of the cardboard, stapled together. And then, people who have suitable homes, who have roofs and food, aren’t doing what they're supposed to be doing and they’re hanging out with their friends.”
Your Life is More Important Than Lattes!
Before questioning whether you should go out, or sit in that newly opened restaurant and cafe with your friends and family, remember Ashley’s story. Remember that you are not just doing this to protect yourself, but that you are doing this to protect compassionate, hardworking students who are eagerly waiting for their chance to head back to school. Remember that in other countries, people don’t have the luxury to go on a safe stroll without the fear of being attacked or murdered. Be grateful for everything that you have, and remember that we, the people, make our own history, and we can learn from these horrific times. We can become smarter and safer, but only if we listen carefully to others’ stories.
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