Saturday, January 3, 2009

A Saturday story

This is a story about a good friend of mine.
Sandra and her family moved to Burlington when she was about eight. She had two brothers and a sister, later her mother had another daughter, but when they came to the US they were four children and two parents.
Sandra grew up in Burlington.
All of her family lives there. When I say all, I mean aunts, uncles, cousins --everyone--hasta los abuelos vinieron hacen unos anyos.
There is no one left on the ranchito in Mexico.
Sandra met Efrain who happened to be from the same place in Mexico as her.
Her mother remembered him when he was a little boy.
Efrain happened to end up in Burlington after leaving Mexico with his brothers when he was really young--no parents went with them, and living in Chicago etc.
He had a rough time of it, I think.
Efrain came to the US illegally.
Sandra and her family, as time passed, were all in the US legally. Sandra and her family almost all have become citizens as well.
So, Sandra, in all her smartness, decided to get Efrain's papers. When she decided this they were married and had a child.
One would think, oh easy, he is married to a US citizen--get some papers, no problem, but that is not how it works anymore.
So they applied and then they had to go to Juarez to the consulate so that Efrain coudl present himself in front of someone etc.--
This happened last February.
Despite being naturally pesimistic, like me, that is probably why we get along so well, Sandra was a bit optimistic in this case.
We were all hoping that after a short stay in Mexico they would just all come back.
But no. Efrain was told that as a punishment for having come to the US illegally in the first place he had to go there and stay until they (folks at consulate) told him he could re-enter the US with papers this time.
Meanwhile Sandra had to move back in with her parents.
She could not afford to save money and pay rent in an apt. too.
She has traveled to see Efrain several times and she has taken their child to see his dad.
But no word on the legal papers.... no word, y no word.
She is there now.
They have a house there.
Efrain sent her pictures of him this summer, planting corn with a plow and a mule.
His family makes spanish tile out of clay on their land (the kind you see on roofs), so that is what he has been doing.
So, the latest word from Sandra is that if he does not some notice of what is going to happen by May, she is going to just move back there.
She misses her husband.
She is tired of her son not being with his dad.
Sandra and Damian are US citizens, and one time when she went to Mexico some official decided to give her hell about whether or not she had a visa to stay there, (she is no longer a Mexican you see).
So Sandra will go back. She will eat meat one time a week. She will drink soda one time a week. She will walk everywhere. She will wash clothes in a creek or something. Things will be very different for her.
Sandra said she would NEVER go back to Mexico.
Her mother told her to never say never.
I think her mother would love to go back to her house there. Whenever Angela would go back to Mexico for a visit she always came back looking refreshed and younger. :)
Keep you fingers crossed for them.
I always wonder, where is Efrain's , "paperwork"???

I am off to play blocks! :)

1 comment:

Bethany said...

At this point in immigration law, I would not like to be the one straightening things out. Hopefully Oh New Leader will have some insight, so that unfortunate situations at least have an end in sight?? I will be hopeful for Sandra. I, too have a friend named Sandra, from Colombia, :) here legally & married to a Palestinian. Oh the troubles they have, visiting family!

Spot on!

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