The Love Journey

The Love Journey

The story of Lupe and Rafa and how
their love became on their journey
coming to the U.S

In the year 1987 two people seeking freedom and a better life began their journey. Those two people were named Lupe and Rafa. Both were in love and wanted a better life not for themselves only, but for one another. Lupe and Rafa are originally from Guadalajara, Jalisco.

Lupe at the time was pregnant with her first child who she was so desperate to give a good life, or at least a better one what she had. Lupe and Rafa wanted to move because they had bad lives Rafa was poor and didn't have the bare necessities. Lupe had almost no time to spend with her mom and her dad passed away which was very hard. When they crossed the border, their policies weren't very strict.

On their difficult journey to the United States...had to go through the hills of San Ysidro, near San Diego. when they arrived Rafa had to work hard to even get started off. Rafa took any small jobs he could for some money to help him and Lupe. After being in the U.S for a few years they decided to get married and they have been married for 31 years and have 4 children.

Some things they said about the whole experience was " No me arrepiento porque este país me a tratado muy bien me a dado muchas oportunidades y las a aprovechado" is what Rafa said when he arrived in the U.S. This translates to " I don't regret leaving because this country has treated me very well and has given me many opportunities and i have taken advantage of them." " Ahora estamos muy felices ,Me toco un esposo muy maravilloso y muy trabajador" Lupe also said this after she came to the U.S. Which translates to " Now we are very happy, I had the opportunity to have a marvelous husband and hard working husband."

About the Authors: Monica

My name is Monica Marquez and I'm 14 years old. I grew up in a traditional Mexican household. I grew up with 2 older brothers and 2 older sisters. Growing up I always had a very big family, I have many cousins and aunts, and my family is very united. We go on a vacation every summer to Mexico and it's the most fun. I think of myself as a very funny and outgoing person. I care about a lot of things like my family my friends. I enjoy doing things outside my comfort zone I like trying new things and building new habits. I really enjoy traveling and exploring many new locations. I like to be the center of attention and I like to make money but I know to make money I have to work Hard. My dream is to have a high paying job that I enjoy. My dream college is Berkeley. If I go to Berkeley I would like to study either being a lawyer or a doctor.
When I interviewed My mom I felt more calm and relaxed but when I interviewed my dad i felt more nervous. I learned more about my mom's childhood than I actually thought i knew. With my dad he didn't express himself as much as I wanted to, but he still told me things that i didn't know. This project has helped me understand and have more respect for immigrants. I learned more on how to interview a person and how to have patience while doing an interview.

About the Author: Jeremiah

I had a very happy childhood and it was very exciting. I was always switching from Las Vegas to LA. My mom was living in Las Vegas because she was finishing school to be a nurse. My dad was in LA because he had a business he couldn't leave. When i was in 4th grade i started playing football. I fell in love right away. I was really small compared to everyone else but I never let anyone push me around like that. In the league i played in had no weight limit so their were very very big kids. The next league i was in had a weight limit. So most people were my size. I really started to do a lot better and was the captain of that team. The next team is was on i started late so by the time everyone was friends i was new. So i never really made that many friends on that team because we didn't have the time since we were just constantly practicing. I did really good this year but of course i had a few ups and downs. So after i started thinking about what i wanted to start doing incase football never worked, i thought about being a football trainer or do football medicine. I've been injured before and i know it sucks so i want to help people who are also injured. And i want to be a part of a team even if i cant play.
All the immigrants that live in the U.S have definitely shaped America. A lot of great/ good people have done very good things that have changed stuff in a good way. I learned that not all websites are reliable and I should only trust a select few. I learned to not argue with my partner and disagree and agree politely. I learned we should think of immigrants as bad people because some of them have had hard lives and could use some slack. I really enjoyed this project.