Borderlinks

          I have recently had the opportunity to examine another culture entirely different from my own. I visited various community-gathering places in an area with high concentrations of Mexican migrants. A labor pick-up site and a shopping center known to be used frequently by immigrants were targeted. Many aspects surprised and impressed me from my trip to the “border.” After observing and interviewing Mexican immigrants several conclusions were drawn.
          Primarily, I learned that Mexican-Americans are extremely hard working and make many sacrifices to improve life. First, I visited a labor pick-up site at Twenty-ninth Street and Greenway. A large group of Mexican men stood on the corner starting at 5:00 a.m. just hoping for the chance to work. The article “Dying to Work,” posed the question, “Are undocumented workers exploiting America or is America exploiting them?” To answer this question we must ask ourselves how many average Americans would stand on a corner so early in the morning just hoping to work the most labor intensive jobs, such as landscape and construction, and accept only $8.00 per hour of work? In my mind not many would. American culture does not feel the need or have the desire to work such hard, long hours for minuscule earnings. After interviewing several of the men, there is no question that Mexican Americans contribute to the development of Arizona through their hard work and their sacrifices. These men were proud of their roles as workers: unafraid of hard work under difficult conditions or low pay.
          I interviewed a man named Fernando, who was able to speak English adequately. He was proud to work as a day laborer even though he was a stucco specialist who couldn’t find a job within his trade. He told me that no employer is willing to risk such a task to a day laborer. This opened my eyes to the fact that Mexican Americans in Phoenix are often unrecognized as a valuable resource. I observed that Fernando was very talkative and open to my questions, which is a stark contrast to other cultures. I learned that he is from a small town in Mexico. I asked him the reason for leaving his hometown. He stressed economic factors when discussing the reason for migrating. His hometown held no opportunities for him and construction was not expanding. There was “no money” as he told me. So like many others he crossed the border illegally. After reviewing the article, The New Immigrants, I was able to better analyze my impression from this interview. In the reading, Daniel A. Stein, the executive director of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said that he feels what has vanished “is the old immigrants’ idea that you would never go home, that you were so proud to learn English that you would be insulted if someone spoke your old language. Immigrants are no longer grateful to be here.” I find this a bit off base. From interviewing Fernando I found he is very grateful to have found work here.
        After talking with Fernando I was also reminded of the video shown in class, Death on a Friendly Border, about the Mexican workers who cross the border, and the sacrifices and the troubles they experience. Fernando said it was very difficult to get here, and once he did he felt good about the amount he could do. I was told about his son, still in Mexico, named Sergio. He smiled, and told me that his dream is for his son to come to America and get educated, and be able to live without the extreme poverty that is Mexico.
Next, I observed that Mexican-Americans have very strong family values: a strong emphasis on kinship, family, and neighborhood relationships. The second location I explored was a grocery store in downtown Phoenix (Food City off Twentieth Street and Thomas). I was able to observe family interactions. Different from my own culture was that the families were very large. Most of the families I saw had between 3-6 kids. It was very difficult to distinguish between cousins and siblings. Several families included a grandparent, which differs from my own culture. I found that most of the families lived with at least one extended family member and that they seldom turn a family member away. This truly illustrates how family oriented Mexican-Americans are. In addition, I learned that even though most families had a lot of children and little money, they were very positive and generous. The children were not selfish; for example, a child who was given a pack of gum made sure all of his siblings were given the same amount. It was amazing to see how the families interacted with each other. Another illustration of close family relations is the reason some of the women migrated. Most of the women indicated they migrated because of family ties or family reunification. One women said, “I followed my husband here, he needed the work…. my sister lived here too.”
        From this small sample of observations I have come to the conclusion that Mexican-Americans are hard working, generous, and family oriented. I have learned a great deal about Mexican culture from my observations and interactions. I have put myself on a limb, and ventured outside my everyday comfort zone. I was able to see a lifestyle that differs greatly from my own. Meeting and learning about a culture that is so much a part of Phoenix has enlightened my views about a culture I often did not think about or look at in a respectful way. For this, I am grateful.