By Alex Gutierrez
On a sunny morning, my mom was talking to my grandma in the kitchen about the big journey she was going to have. She said she was sad but excited to start a better life.
Maria Yanet Sandoval is a woman who has been through a lot but still manages to continue through life, and she is my mother. She was born in Mexico and traveled to the United States when she was sixteen years old. In Mexico, my mom loved going to school, but my grandmother couldn’t afford high school so she made my mom get out of school.
When she traveled to the U.S. she came with my aunt and my aunt’s husband. My mother came to the United States to help my grandma who was having money issues in Mexico. They arrived to San Jose and from there they went to Colorado. My mom tried her best to look for a job but it was hard for her due to not being able to speak English. My aunt’s husband had a good job so he took care of my mom. As a living, my mom liked to go to the beaches and parks to have fun with her sisters.
I asked my mother why she came to the U.S. she replied with “me vine para estados unidos para ser una mejor vida y para ayudar a mi abuela .” [I came to the U.S to have a better life and to help my mom out]
When my mom was old enough to pay her own bills, she moved to Oakland with her sister and rented an apartment. During that time, she met my father, Gonzalo Gutierrez. He seemed like the right guy so my mom decided to have a kid with him which is me. After a while he started to act very weird and wouldn’t let my mom have her freedom. He wouldn’t let her go out with her sisters, wear shorts, and wouldn’t let her wear tank tops. If she did any of those things he would abuse her. I wasn’t born yet so I couldn’t do anything about it.
I asked my mom why she decided to stay with him she responded with “ sali embarazada de ti y yo quise que tu tuvieras tu padre en tu vida.” [ I got pregnant and I wanted you to have your father]
My mom was young so she just stayed quite. One day she got tired of it and told him to leave her alone and that they’re done. He got really mad and he left to another state.
My mother never told him that he couldn’t see me. When I was five he came to see me and we went out. After that fun day, he never came to see me and I realized why my mom left him. My mom has played both roles she is a mother/father to me. When he left and never came back I was upset because I was still small but now that i'm bigger I don’t really care.
Another question I asked was when he came to see me when I was five, what was your reaction? She said, “ yo estaba feliz porque te mire a ti feliz.” [I was happy for you because seeing you happy makes me happy]
***
There’s been a lot of accidents all over the world where kids burn themselves. When I was two years my auntie was making hot chocolate. She left the pan on the table where my pacifier was. I tried to get my pacifier and I accidently hit the pan and it poured all over myself. My mom called the ambulance and was put into a room where it was cold.
I asked my mom what was her reaction when she saw me get burn? She says “ mi ración fue llame a la ambulancia y te quite la playera.” [my reaction was I called the ambulance and took of your shirt]
My mom was crying, seeing me there with marks on my neck made her feel like she wasn’t a good mother. A social worker started talking to my mom about what happen. When the social worker stated that this was a big case and there’s a chance that I might get taken away from her, my mom broke down even more. At the end of the day nothing happened and we went home together. After that day, my mother always watched me with carefulness.
***
A lot of people in the United States suffer from poverty especially single mothers. Living in California is very expensive, especially in the bay area. The bay area includes San Jose, Oakland, And San Francisco etc. My mother came to oakland and suffered from poverty for like 10 years. She worked so hard to get her money to bring food home and have a roof for us.
For a living she cleaned houses and got paid less than minimum wage. No matter what, if we had money or not I was always Happy and that’s all that matters. I remember that we always went to the park, Disneyland, Great America, the flea market. Everything we did always had happiness.
I asked my mom how much she got paid? She responded with “ me pagaban ocho dólares la hora no era mucho pero mientras te traía comida a la casa no era problema.” [ I got paid eight dollars an hour but as long as I brought home food I was fine with it]
Now my mother works for a big company and makes pretty good money. She is always there for us and tries her best to spend time with us. I always thank her for everything and tell her that when i'm 18, she is not going to have to worry about anything, that I’m going to pay of everything.
Another question I asked her was, now that I’m older what do you feel about me? She responds with “ Estoy orgullosa de ti eres un buen niño y eres estudios y tienes buenos pensamientos buenos.” [ I’m very happy for you, your a good kid,you have good thought on how you want to live your life]
I learned that my mother been through so many things and she did everything for us. My mom deserves everything. There is only one mom so don’t take it for granted, no matter if she has money or not try to live the best moments, one day everything will pay off. A mother tries her best to make a son/daughter happy.
On a sunny morning, my mom was talking to my grandma in the kitchen about the big journey she was going to have. She said she was sad but excited to start a better life.
Maria Yanet Sandoval is a woman who has been through a lot but still manages to continue through life, and she is my mother. She was born in Mexico and traveled to the United States when she was sixteen years old. In Mexico, my mom loved going to school, but my grandmother couldn’t afford high school so she made my mom get out of school.
When she traveled to the U.S. she came with my aunt and my aunt’s husband. My mother came to the United States to help my grandma who was having money issues in Mexico. They arrived to San Jose and from there they went to Colorado. My mom tried her best to look for a job but it was hard for her due to not being able to speak English. My aunt’s husband had a good job so he took care of my mom. As a living, my mom liked to go to the beaches and parks to have fun with her sisters.
I asked my mother why she came to the U.S. she replied with “me vine para estados unidos para ser una mejor vida y para ayudar a mi abuela .” [I came to the U.S to have a better life and to help my mom out]
When my mom was old enough to pay her own bills, she moved to Oakland with her sister and rented an apartment. During that time, she met my father, Gonzalo Gutierrez. He seemed like the right guy so my mom decided to have a kid with him which is me. After a while he started to act very weird and wouldn’t let my mom have her freedom. He wouldn’t let her go out with her sisters, wear shorts, and wouldn’t let her wear tank tops. If she did any of those things he would abuse her. I wasn’t born yet so I couldn’t do anything about it.
I asked my mom why she decided to stay with him she responded with “ sali embarazada de ti y yo quise que tu tuvieras tu padre en tu vida.” [ I got pregnant and I wanted you to have your father]
My mom was young so she just stayed quite. One day she got tired of it and told him to leave her alone and that they’re done. He got really mad and he left to another state.
My mother never told him that he couldn’t see me. When I was five he came to see me and we went out. After that fun day, he never came to see me and I realized why my mom left him. My mom has played both roles she is a mother/father to me. When he left and never came back I was upset because I was still small but now that i'm bigger I don’t really care.
Another question I asked was when he came to see me when I was five, what was your reaction? She said, “ yo estaba feliz porque te mire a ti feliz.” [I was happy for you because seeing you happy makes me happy]
***
There’s been a lot of accidents all over the world where kids burn themselves. When I was two years my auntie was making hot chocolate. She left the pan on the table where my pacifier was. I tried to get my pacifier and I accidently hit the pan and it poured all over myself. My mom called the ambulance and was put into a room where it was cold.
I asked my mom what was her reaction when she saw me get burn? She says “ mi ración fue llame a la ambulancia y te quite la playera.” [my reaction was I called the ambulance and took of your shirt]
My mom was crying, seeing me there with marks on my neck made her feel like she wasn’t a good mother. A social worker started talking to my mom about what happen. When the social worker stated that this was a big case and there’s a chance that I might get taken away from her, my mom broke down even more. At the end of the day nothing happened and we went home together. After that day, my mother always watched me with carefulness.
***
A lot of people in the United States suffer from poverty especially single mothers. Living in California is very expensive, especially in the bay area. The bay area includes San Jose, Oakland, And San Francisco etc. My mother came to oakland and suffered from poverty for like 10 years. She worked so hard to get her money to bring food home and have a roof for us.
For a living she cleaned houses and got paid less than minimum wage. No matter what, if we had money or not I was always Happy and that’s all that matters. I remember that we always went to the park, Disneyland, Great America, the flea market. Everything we did always had happiness.
I asked my mom how much she got paid? She responded with “ me pagaban ocho dólares la hora no era mucho pero mientras te traía comida a la casa no era problema.” [ I got paid eight dollars an hour but as long as I brought home food I was fine with it]
Now my mother works for a big company and makes pretty good money. She is always there for us and tries her best to spend time with us. I always thank her for everything and tell her that when i'm 18, she is not going to have to worry about anything, that I’m going to pay of everything.
Another question I asked her was, now that I’m older what do you feel about me? She responds with “ Estoy orgullosa de ti eres un buen niño y eres estudios y tienes buenos pensamientos buenos.” [ I’m very happy for you, your a good kid,you have good thought on how you want to live your life]
I learned that my mother been through so many things and she did everything for us. My mom deserves everything. There is only one mom so don’t take it for granted, no matter if she has money or not try to live the best moments, one day everything will pay off. A mother tries her best to make a son/daughter happy.