L: Martha, despite having the
majority of her family in Colombia, was happy finally moving to the United States,
specifically Weston, Florida in the year 2000 with Carlos and her partner at
the time, Pedro.
L: Aside from purchasing a house and
a car, Martha and her family sought to establish themselves legally as well. After
giving birth to her second child, Lau, Martha took several steps to become an
American.
L: Before taking any English
courses, Martha had to face a 90-day deportation notice due to a mistake with
Pedro’s divorce with his ex-wife that prevented a successful submission of
residency for Martha. Thankfully, those 90 days didn’t result in disaster. But
the fear she felt would stay with her for a lifetime.
L: Martha’s technique avoided a
potentially perilous confrontation, eventually leading to a safe acquisition of
her residency and citizenship in the decade that followed. Meanwhile, Martha
remained unemployed until 2008, relying on capital she received from a company
she co-founded in Colombia. In this time, Martha was able to focus on her
children’s educations.
L: Martha hasn’t always been able to
get by with her weak grasp of English however. In 2008 when she was hired to
work at Walmart, intolerant individuals made the experience a nightmare for Martha
to endure.
L: Despite facing challenges at
work, Martha express content with her job.
L: Martha has applied for higher
positions at work as well, seeking better opportunities for herself as a
potential supervisor or department manager.
L: Although having recently
transferred stores, Martha’s job at Walmart has been the most steady aspect of
her life in the last 10 years. Pedro and Martha separated in 2004 and finally
filed for divorce in 2012, allowing her to receive her citizenship as his
spouse but leaving her without a second income to support the home. Having lost
the capital from Colombia in 2008, Martha now faced the possibility of having
her home taken away, prompting her to send Lau to live with his dad in 2014
until things were resolved.
L: Some immigrants have the privilege
of safely visiting their home country and Martha was lucky enough to be one of
them. Martha received her citizenship in December of 2014, giving her the opportunity
to return to Colombia after nearly 15 years of being away, even though it was
to have surgery.
L: Coming back to the US, however,
meant having to come back to a situation where she had lost her home and now
had to live in a rented room in a family friend’s home. Fortunately, Lau was
able to live with Martha and the dog they had adopted in 2012 once again because
of there being another room available. Coming back to the US also meant being
able to exercise her new citizenship in 2016 when she was able to vote for the
first time.
L: Since coming back from Colombia,
Martha’s routine has remained relatively the same. Because of her night shift,
she sleeps from around 9 am after walking their dog, Candy, until 12 when she
wakes up to pick Lau up from school. After having lunch with him and granting
him access to their car, she finds herself falling back asleep with Candy
nearby until about 6 when she wakes up to walk Candy again and get ready for
work. As the sun is going down, Martha is taking a shower, making her lunch,
and putting on her uniform. She then clocks in to work at 10, eventually
leaving at 7 the next day to go take Lau to school. The cycle will continue until
Lau leaves to study at the University of Southern California, where he will
find himself across the country from Martha.
L: Martha’s fear for her son doesn’t
simply stem from him moving out and being far away. In 2017, Lau came out as a transgender
man, forever changing the lives of him and his mother.
L: Martha has expressed confidence
in Lau’s ability to take care of himself regardless of his identity, having no
worries and a clear mind for what she would like to do with her time once he
leaves.
Each "L" represents a different bridge between interviews and subjects talked about. I'll be working on inserting all of the narration during class tomorrow instead of working on the poster since there was a slight malfunction with my artist. She was supposed to have it done by today but was unable to give it to me because she had a medical emergency and had to leave school before I could catch her. I will keep everyone updated on the situation (she's okay thankfully) and keep posting about my progress!
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