Becoming California
- Nick Padilla
- Riverside
- MÉXICO
- 18
- This personal story was submitted in English
My father, Andres Padilla, was born and raised in Mexico City (or DF, Distrito Federal) and was one of thirteen siblings raised by his mother and father. He graduated from the Universidad Nacional Autónomo de México (or UNAM) with a degree in dentistry in 1982. Following his graduation, he became a social worker to save up money for his own place, then became an assistant in a dentist’s office. It did not take too long for him to realize that he would not be able to live off of what he would be making and that there would be little chance of opening up a practice. He did not even like the occupation much to begin with; his mother pushed him into studying dentistry and he reluctantly followed her wishes. His older brother Fernando moved to Los Angeles in 1968 to try to make it as a musician and was living around the area ever since. He had a job as an assembly man in a factory. My dad figured that he could work alongside his brother for a few years and stay with him until he saved up enough money to get a better job in either the US or Mexico, though he had his heart set on returning home to live there.
In December 1983, he moved to Los Angeles and worked with his brother as planned. My dad was able to overcome the struggle of everyday life at this point and decided what he should ultimately do. He took night school classes to learn English, became an American citizen and earned a job as a refrigeration unit designer--an area he became interested in during his time at the factory.
His other incentive for staying in Los Angeles was his sister-in-law’s cousin Paola. The two had been dating on and off for a few years following my dad’s immigration. He decided to defy his original intention to return to Mexico to stay in Alhambra with her. He proposed to her and they married in December 1988. My birth on July 21, 1990 started the current chapter in his life.
In 1992 he visited DF for the first time in nearly a decade to introduce his mother, siblings, and cousins to his the newest members of the family. He has held the same job since for two different companies (his current job title is “Systems Designer”). We take trips to Mexico every few years or so and we keep in contact with his family there frequently.
Prior to the interview I had with my father about most of this information, I knew most of his immigration story but did not realize that there were many things I had yet to discover. It was mostly concerning exactly when he immigrated from Mexico to Los Angeles and what he did for a living afterward. I was glad to have done this because it now brings me closer to my dad, the man who has always been my inspiration in life.
Included here are two poems that sum up the above story: Born and raised in DF University graduate 1982 Degree in dentistry Became a social worker And worked in a dental office Did not like the profession Needed better pay Forward to 1983 Made it to LA in December Intended to return home after some time Worked at a factory assembly line With his brother Lived with him and his family there [Brother in 1968 moved here To make it as a musician Married in the '70s] But anyway Not too great Got his own place Tough for a while New job as a refrigeration unit designer Met sister-in-law's cousin Fell in love Got married in 1988 Now it's great Became a citizen And a permanent resident Two years later a baby boy's what they had This was all about my dad. ______________________________
No one's influenced me more than my dad The decisions he made and the hardships he had Have inspired me to every extent He never settled for less, took the best he could get And I'm glad through this project I learned a bit About his past, what was entailed in it I knew of the chapters, not the pages turned Among the few new things I learned Was that he worked at a factory And that he came here at the end of '83 (I thought he came earlier than that) So in general, I'm glad I sat And talked to him about all this Heard things I otherwise would've missed This just brings him closer to me; The story of his immigration to the land of the free.