My Grandmother As An Immigrant In Guatemala

Nearly one of every four Americans—70 million people—is an immigrant or the child of parents who came from another country. Some fled war, persecution, or environmental disasters; others pursued the American ideal of an opportunity for all. Furthermore, on June 8, 1995, my grandmother was born in a small city in Guatemala. In Guatemala, there was the wealthy, who had money and lived a great life, and there were the poor, the majority who lived in grueling poverty. Fortunately, my grandmother was born to a wealthy Guatemalan family with two younger sisters. She lived in the middle of Guatemala City with her family in an amiable home located in a quiet neighborhood. Her childhood consisted of her father’s political views and his hostility to …show more content…
Devastated, my grandmother lost her home, school, and childhood friends. In addition, her family was ordered to live a low-profile life in hopes that the Guatemalan government would leave her alone. After three years of exile, her father and his family were allowed back in Guatemala. However, my grandmother’s time spent in exile caused emotional distress within her life. The unbearing distress and the irascible amount of fear in her life would later become one of the major factors that influenced her decision to immigrate to the United States. After her time in exile, my grandmother tried to continue her life in Guatemala as it was before she left. The idea became problematic, for Guatemalan life had been drastically altered while she was gone. A normal life would be near arduous, little did she know her life would never be the same. During her time in Guatemala, my grandmother finished elementary school and high school. Eventually, she attended the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and continued to study the English language as her …show more content…
Even though she relished her time at the company;however, she felt that it wasn’t advancing her career. She desired an occupation that would allow her to understand herself better and travel around the world. On that condition, being bilingual has its advantages when the United Fruit Company needed a secretary at their Boston office in Massachusetts. It was then that my grandma took the opportunity to leave her home, Guatemala. It was her chance to escape the dangerous gang violence, receive better payment, and gain more opportunities to travel. Regardless, it was difficult to say goodbye to all of her family in Guatemala and emigrate to a foreign country, but my grandmother was determined give herself a better life. Without my grandmother’s determination, my life would’ve been extremely different including my nationalities and native languages. Her stubborn and persistent attitude towards life helped her achieve many different goals. Some of those goals included a journey for happiness, her family, and grandchildren. In spite of leaving Guatemala, she still considers her home to be where her loved ones are located,