Earlier this week I started to get sad about being far away from home for the holidays this year. When I took my position as a US-2 I made the decision to not go home this year for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It seemed too early to already head home when I made that decision back in July.
So I thought it would be good to stay busy today. I found out about a church nearby that was having a dinner for all. I went to go volunteer but instead found myself served. When I arrived I walked up and was greeted by many. I told them ‘Hi I’m here to help’ and was told oh that’s nice but we have plenty of volunteers just sit down and go eat. Now it was 10am and I had just had breakfast so I decided I don’t like turkey enough to have it multiple times today so I just went and sat down. The volunteers were all wearing these red shirts that said “Para Servir” or “To Serve”. One volunteer had a warm smile so I decided to sit at her table. As I think I was the only Caucasian there she had her son come over to see if I wanted food. I responded Oh no I’m fine gracias, to which she said, oh habla espanol! (or essentially Oh you speak spanish!). I spent the next hour listening and speaking primarily in Spanish. Several volunteers came over during the course of my visit and brought food and asked if I wanted a drink or just introduced themselves.
I was sitting next to a woman there with her two children, a nine year old daughter and a three year old son. The son and I were sitting next to each other. I adore children and often find the langauge barrier interesting with children. They love attention and love to play no matter what language you speak. However they also don’t quite understand why I can’t always understand what they’re saying. I look like an adult, why can’t I understand what words they are saying in Spanish. So essentially I think I understood like 4 words he said to me, but we had a great time taking on and off his coat and playing with his food. He had the most adorable smile and clearly was a boy who gets into trouble! As the hour passed that I was there the mother and I began to talk to each other. She asked me if I was cooking turkey to which I responded Oh no it’s way too much work, she agreed! She asked if I was spending time with my family today to which I responded no, my family lives in Virginia. Her family all lives in Mexico. She told me about how she wishes to go visit her family but alas cannot. It’s too hard and dangerous to take her young children so she and her husband stay here, in the US. She has an aunt and cousins here but we agreed, it’s not quite the same as your parents and siblings. Our conversation was a great reminder as to why I am here in Los Angeles. I am here because our current immigration laws are not fair to people, to our brothers and sisters. While I am sad to not be able to see my family it was mostly a choice I made. While it costs a lot of money I can afford it if I want to. This woman cannot go visit her family. It’s not just a matter of money for her, it’s a matter of our immigration laws which do not allow her to freely cross borders. Our conversation was a reminder to me of the injustice that our immigration policies are for families. This Thanksgiving I’m thankful for churches that provide direct services to immigrants in their midst and who advocate for immigrants in their midst. I am thankful for people who are not satisfied until our immigration policies are changed and there is an end the detention and deportation of persons who have only committed a civil offense. I am thankful for the reminder that I am blessed in too many ways only because of where I was born.
