Special Voices:
Alexis and Miguel

Alexis: What was something that you liked to do when you were a kid?

Miguel: When I was a kid I liked and I will always like watching the cartoons of the pink panther.

Alexis: Why the Pink Panther?

Miguel: The Pink Panther is my personal favorite.

Alexis: When you were a kid what was your favorite food that my grandma would make?

Miguel: I have always liked fish. I liked fish with garlic.

Alexis: Why was that your favorite?

Miguel: Because she made it with a salsa that was very good and the fish was very crispy.

Alexis: Did she teach you how to make it?

Miguel: No I never cooked because over there(Mexico) the circumstances are different here(US).

Alexis: What was your favorite memory of when you were a kid?

Miguel: My favorite memory of when I was a kid is when we would go to the lagoon with all of the friends. We would get the canoes and go to the lagoon just to get wet.

Alexis: Do you know the name of the lagoon?

Miguel: El Lago de Cuitzeo

Alexis: Was the water cold or hot there?

Miguel: The water was cold

Alexis: Why did you decide to be in the army in Mexico?

Miguel: I have always had the intention to be a soldier because I had an uncle that was a soldier. And he had a picture in his house that I liked a lot and I also wanted to have one just like him.

Alexis: How was it like being in the Army?

Miguel: In the Army they taught me a lot of stuff that are very good. How to respect, how to talk, and how to wake up early. They teach you about life, what you are going to find in life.

Alexis: What was a memory that you will always remember from the Army?

Miguel: What I will always remember from the Army is that I was in the three most important parades in Mexico. In the parade. In Mexico it is called desfile. I was in the parade of Guadalajara; it is one of the most important ones on 16th of September and on 30th of September in Morelia and then also in Irapuato Guanajuato.

Alexis: Was that while you were still in the Army?

Miguel: Yes

Alexis: When you crossed the border how was that for you? Like was it hard or easy? Like how did that go for you?

Miguel: The first time that I crossed the border it was something very different from what they tell you. There were times where I wanted to return because I was young. I have left my hometown before but never this far. It was hard crossing it because of everything that someone had to do. Being in the night, walking, passing by tubes, swerve system, it was something that was very hard.

Alexis: What was still pushing you to get to the United States?

Miguel: I have seen it as an option after I wasn’t in school anymore. To be in school you needed a lot of money and I didn’t have the support so there was no other choice other than the United States.

Alexis: How were your first couple of months in the United States?

Miguel: The first couple of months in the United States were very frustrating and the reason was because I remember one time I was eating in a building in my hour of lunch in the night it was like 9pm. I was like I am eating alone in a country where there are so many people and I am eating alone. It was one of the things that made me think twice. If I came to work I am going to work or should I go back right now?

Alexis: Why did you stay?

Miguel: I stayed simply because I liked how much money I made per week when I converted them into pesos(Mexico currency).

Alexis: If you were to say like how much more did you get here compared to mexico how much was it?

Miguel: I would get paid like five times more here than in Mexico

Alexis: What was your reaction when my mom told you that you were going to be a father?

Miguel: I was very emotional and I still have the card that she gave to me that day. And unfortunately the first time she told me I was going to be a father we were not able to because it was very hard for us to conceive our first kid. But thanks to god we did it and we were very happy because we were always waiting.

Alexis: Why three kids?

Miguel: In our plan in the beginning it was five kids. We would say okay 5 kids, the cars fit five people so we would need to buy a van. Later on we saw that living in San Jose would be very difficult to maintain a family of more than 3. Because of how expensive it is here in San Jose we decided to only have three.

Alexis:Why do we have our ages separated as is did y'all have it planned by Lupe, Luis, and then me or how many years did y’all want us separated/

Miguel: No I wanted y’all to only have a 2 year gap because in my family all of us are separated by two years from the oldest to the youngest there is a two year age difference. But when Lupe was born for your mom to have Lupe she had to pass many difficulties. Your mom had already lost two pregnancies and Lupe was the third pregnancy; that was a pregnancy with a lot of risk. But thanks to god everything came out alright, thanks to the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe and that is why her name is Guadalupe. And after there they told us that we had to wait five years to have another kid and that is why we waited five years for Luis to be born. When Luis was born they told us that we had to wait three years. The way that you were born was because I hid the pills from your mom so she wouldn’t take them.

Alexis: What do you mean the pills? Oh those

Miguel: The pills to take care of. I hid them so she wouldn't take them and that was the way she was pregnant again. But she thought again like another five years.

Alexis: How did I get my nickname of Compadre?

Miguel: Your name of Compadre, my buddy Santiago was always that one that would see me and Compadre Compadre and you too from there you would tell me Compadre. You would start to tell me Compadre and then I would also tell you Compadre. That is why I tell you Compadre

Alexis: From your whole life what is your favorite memory

Miguel: From my whole life there is not anything other than when they tell you congratulations you have now become a father there is not anything more beautiful than already having an offspring and who has it’s blood is the most beautiful thing that you can feel being a father.

Alexis: Thank you pops I love you so much

Miguel: I also love you so much