My mother, Maria, was born and raised in San Salvador. San Salvador is the capital city of El Salvador, is the smallest country in Central America, and for her childhood and teenage years, the country was in a civil war. This civil war started in 1980 and lasted 12 years. In the summer of 1990, Maria decided to visit her eldest sister, Fatima, for the winter holidays. Fatima and her first daughter, Karla, had first immigrated illegally to Houston, Texas in 1983 with the help of Mexican Coyotes – “people smugglers” who helped with the migration of people across the Mexico–United States border, and then finally to Vancouver, Canada in 1985 where she gained refugee status for herself and her family. During this time, Fatima gave birth to another
…show more content…
However, Maria’s parents wanted her to return to El Salvador as there was no formal discussion over this idea. There was generally nothing wrong with the country of El Salvador as the civil war was nearing end, nevertheless, Fatima was a living example to Maria of how better life was after leaving El Salvador to pursue a better, “North-Americanized” future, and the fact that Fatima had no other family in Canada really pulled Maria to stay in Canada. After three weeks of influencers pushing and pulling her in different directions, Maria made the final decision to apply for refugee status in Canada. Even after Maria applied for refugee status, she was still uncertain if what she decided was right for her, fearing the future, and questioning if it was a waste of time. And the cold-rainy Vancouver winter weather did not help when she was used to sunshine every day. Maria had a challenging time letting go of her life in El Salvador, including her family, friends, future career in journalism and …show more content…
Eventually, she found work with help from Fatima at a local nursing home where she cleaned wheel chairs for the residents twice a week. Maria did not enjoy this job at all, but it was providing her with some money and experience. After a few more years of working small jobs as a babysitter and at fast-food establishments, Maria received an offer to work for Que Pasa Mexican Foods, which was not her preference, but it was an opportunity for income and went for
However, Maria’s parents wanted her to return to El Salvador as there was no formal discussion over this idea. There was generally nothing wrong with the country of El Salvador as the civil war was nearing end, nevertheless, Fatima was a living example to Maria of how better life was after leaving El Salvador to pursue a better, “North-Americanized” future, and the fact that Fatima had no other family in Canada really pulled Maria to stay in Canada. After three weeks of influencers pushing and pulling her in different directions, Maria made the final decision to apply for refugee status in Canada. Even after Maria applied for refugee status, she was still uncertain if what she decided was right for her, fearing the future, and questioning if it was a waste of time. And the cold-rainy Vancouver winter weather did not help when she was used to sunshine every day. Maria had a challenging time letting go of her life in El Salvador, including her family, friends, future career in journalism and …show more content…
Eventually, she found work with help from Fatima at a local nursing home where she cleaned wheel chairs for the residents twice a week. Maria did not enjoy this job at all, but it was providing her with some money and experience. After a few more years of working small jobs as a babysitter and at fast-food establishments, Maria received an offer to work for Que Pasa Mexican Foods, which was not her preference, but it was an opportunity for income and went for