A Long Trail
- Reynaldo Fuentes
- UNITED STATES
- 17
During the civil war in El Salvador, life wasn’t really good for either rich or poor. Everyone saw the United States as a way of getting away from the misery of war. So in June of 1983, my grandparents decided to move to California in search of a new life.
But in order to come to the U.S with no legal papers they had to get smuggled here. it really wasn’t that easy to get past the boarders with no papers. That being said, they paid the fees and were on their way to a new life. The journey wasn’t really that easy, with not much to eat or not enough money to spend on food. Although it sounds easy to get smuggled, times were hard back then because of the war. They got imprisoned when caught by the border patrol and sent back to their native country.
Looking for a new life outside of your own country makes it very difficult with no papers, but that didn’t stop them from leaving their country. They saw the worst of the worst, people getting killed for money, females getting raped and some kids were kidnapped and held for ransom. Also, on their journey they encountered many obstacles like jumping over borders and even swimming through rivers to get by. Sometimes they had to run and hide because they were spotted by the boarder patrol.
But they reached their goal and made it to the U.S safely. Ultimately, they touched ground in California safe and healthy. Meanwhile my grandma’s uncle sheltered them while they searched for jobs and money. Time passed and not much was going their way. They founda job was found but it didn't pay enough so they could move out on their own. Eventually, they saved up and got enough money to rent out an apartment in Los Angeles. All in all, their lives changed for the good.