Yemen To California

Improved Essays
Yemen to California All who live in California today have a story of how they got here. Some families have been in California for many generations while some have only been here for a couple months. Some have come to California easily and others struggled to get here almost reaching their breaking points. Some immigrants were discriminated against and some were hated just because they were migrants. The point is that we all have our own story to tell of how we got to be where we are today.

My father’s uncle was the first to enter the United States and the only person who helped my father into the United States. My father’s journey to California started when his uncle, who lived in Ohio told him of the golden opportunity he would have if
…show more content…
When my dad arrived to New York he then took a bus to Ohio where he was finally able to see his uncle. My dad stayed with his uncle in Ohio for only two days and then set out on another bus to Lodi, California where he had to find a hotel to stay in and then look for work. Both of these were things he struggled greatly with because he didn’t know anyone in California and didn’t know how to speak English besides a few simple words. Those few words surprisingly got him a job picking asparagus for a couple of weeks until he set out again to Sunnyville, California. In Sunnyville is where my dad found another job in the fields picking apricots and peaches. He stayed there for about two months. He worked in fields in other places in California like, Modesto, Sherlock, Porterville, Merced, Madera, Stockton, and Delano. He then went to Los Angeles to look for a job and got hired as a dishwasher but got fired that same week because of not being able to speak the language. After getting fired from that job he still managed to get another job as a dishwasher in the cafeteria of Caltech in Pasadena. He worked in many different positions but mainly was constantly switching from being a dishwasher to working in the fields in many different cities. After going from switching on and off with different jobs he had finally saved up money to buy himself a …show more content…
He went through a state program called the ME6 program that trained people in the areas necessary for them to work where they wanted to. There he learned construction and started working on homes and hotels like the Disneyland Hotel. When he turned 27 he went back home finally after being gone for so long. When he went back home he Married my mother and only stayed in Yemen for about six months before he started with his journey back to California. He worked in construction for three more years and then returned back to Yemen for about eight months where he saw his first born son for the first time at two years old. He went back and forth and would stay a couple of years in California and then return for only a few months in Yemen for about four times. While going back and forth he worked in construction for twelve years. The fourth time when he went back to Yemen he had finally saved up enough money to bring my pregnant mother and four other siblings to Bakersfield, California where he had already bought a

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    My Personal Michigan Hero Can you describe a person in your life that you would call your hero or inspirer? My hero is my dad, and he is about 5 feet 8 inches tall with black going on white hair. He grew up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, and his family had moved 8 times by the time he made it to high school. He is respectful and encourages you to do your best. My dad is my inspiration because he taught me that I need to work hard and do my best in school.…

    • 527 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine living in a small, deteriorating and dusty pueblo where not that many options for jobs and income would arise. This would cause great difficulty to living a comfortable life as it was difficult to obtain food, clothes and shelter which are vital necessities for living. This uncomforting and jobless life was the life of my great grandpa, Pancho who was living with his family (his mother-in-law, father-in-law and his wife) somewhere in Sinaloa around 1940s without any luck. As he was searching for a job one day around 1942 he overheard someone talking about this Bracero program which intrigued him. He found out that it was a program where he could be immigrated out to work in the United States.…

    • 837 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    California has a long history prior to it’s entry into the United States. Indigenous Americans inhabited California for thousands of years before permanent European settlements occurred in the 1600s. California was occupied and claimed by Spain and Mexico throughout the 1600s to the late 1800s, contributing to California’s culture and history, before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo concluded the United State’s war with Mexico and ceded California to the Unites States. In 1849 a constitutional convention was held that consisted of forty-eight delegates who represented various regions of California and who crafted a convention document . The document was was approved by the voters and on September 9, 1850 the U.S. Congress admitted California as the thirty-first state.…

    • 1438 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Immigration Dbq Analysis

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Every year, even in the 1800s, hundreds of immigrants come into the United States looking for something they needed. Immigrants went through many hard times and had to give up a lot to get what they thought of as the life they wanted for themselves and their families. They found out what being an immigrant was like, faced push and pull factors, and found out how hard it was to get into the Unite States and become a citizen. What it’s like making it as an immigrant in the United States is a lot different that you would think. Many stories are told from an immigrant’s point of view and I find it shocking, “He [a labor boss] gave us very little money, and our clothes were some of those that were found on the street…”…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    I grew up in what is considered a low income family, but I’ve always wanted to go to college. Before I even understood the concept of degrees, I would tell my parents “I want to go to college for seven years!” because I thought we could just choose how long we could go to college for. As I grew up, my goals became realistic. Instead of being president, however, I now want to do something that involves helping others and educating.…

    • 1191 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    I considered myself to be an anomaly of a high school student. Being a Latino Student, the odds were not in my favor that I was enrolled at a four-year institution. Furthermore, I differed greatly from tradition Latino students as I was 4th generation college student. I came from a college educated Latino family. Although most of my family was educated in Peru, many have since immigrated to the United States acquiring jobs that utilize their foreign college degrees.…

    • 1395 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    He also needed some money after burning all of it, so he applied to a local fast food…

    • 611 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hispanics in California Ever since California first became a state in 1848 it has been a major gateway for immigrants, making it an incredibly diverse state. As of today, California is home to more Latin immigrants than any other state in America, including several members of my own family. Hispanic immigrants have hugely impacted California from economics all the way to art and entertainment. Seeing the several contributions that Hispanics have made to our state makes me incredibly proud to be a part of this group as a Mexican American.…

    • 875 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Central Pacific History

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In the year of 1861, in the midst of America’s Civil War, Congress authorized one of the most ambitious projects that the country had ever envisioned: the construction of a transcontinental railroad. At one end of this immensely long railroad system which was planned to be over 1,700 miles long __ was the Central Pacific Railroad which stretched across the lands of California, the harsh granite walls of the Sierra Nevada and onwards to connect with the Union Pacific in Utah. Through my research of many historical articles by reputable sources I have found that even though the Central Pacific was built by a many different ethnicities the primary source that had the biggest impact on the advancement of the railroad system came from a group of…

    • 1726 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Personal Statement Almost everyone had a rod in hand as they walked through the main street headed for the pier or docks to try and reel in a tasty morsel for dinner. In my small fishing village surrounded by serene mountains and lush waters, I grew up distant from many of life’s amenities and creature comforts. Surrounded by family and relatives, I lived in a capsule of love. Little did I know that in several years, I would be on a plane bound for the United States, uncertain about my future but resolve in my dreams.…

    • 978 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Coming to America was a terrifying and uncertain journey for my parents, who came to the United States as young adults. Despite the dangers, it was a risk that they were willing to take to ensure their family with a better future. As children, my siblings and I were told stories of what our parents had to endure while growing up in Mexico and what was required of them from a young age. Throughout the years, they taught us to aim for the impossible and not to settle for less than what we had the potential to accomplish. They constantly reminded us of the opportunities that we had being raised in the U.S. and taught us the value of working hard to dedicating ourselves achieve our goals.…

    • 362 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Based on the course readings, the Apache were the predominant group in the resistance against the colonial conquest. According to Richard White, “In 1680, rejecting the imposition of Catholicism and Spanish rule, the Pueblos rose in revolt. In cooperation with some of the surrounding "Apaches" (either Navajos or actual Apaches), they destroyed the missions and killed 21 of the 33 priests. Of the 2,350 colonists, 375 died in the fighting, and the rest fled the province (WHITE, pg. 12).” The Apache’s efforts caused many Spanish communities to fear them and change their form of interaction.…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Mass Migration

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The post-war years in California also led to a mass migration of people into the state. As many people were coming to the state the demand for housing increased. As a result, many suburban areas were developed across the state (Textbook, 489). However, not all people who came to California, or who were already living in the state, experienced the same opportunities as others. During the post-war years, African-Americans experienced hostile attitudes from white Californians.…

    • 816 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    California Race And Class

    • 1645 Words
    • 7 Pages

    The United States of America is known as a safe haven for immigrants searching for a better life. Immigrants are eager to start their new life in America where it is said that everyone has equal freedom and opportunities regardless of their race, religion, or any other factors. While that is mostly true, recent events like police brutality toward African Americans questions whether all races and classes in the United States have the same rights. Race and class are often two things used by self-proclaimed superior races to harm another. California, one of the most populated states, has a distinct history regarding race.…

    • 1645 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    My families’ migration story dates back to three generations. My great-grandfather came to the United States for the first time through the Bracero Program; a program that “brought millions of Mexican guest workers to the United States [which] grew out of a series of bilateral agreements between Mexico and the United States short-term, from 1942 to 1964.” Unfortunately, my great-grandfather passed away a while back when I was very young, therefore, for this assignment, I decided to acknowledge my parents’ migration story, a story that relies on a series of events that tore our family apart but simultaneously brought us closer together. I interviewed my mother and my father regarding, their own individual migration stories while also focusing…

    • 1107 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays