On War & Immigration:

I think people in Tucson should know that war is not the best way to solve problems with other countries. We should talk about what we want for our country and what other countries want for theirs until both countries agree. War should also not be happening because a lot of innocent people die from that.

Similarly, innocent people die in our Southern Arizona deserts because of immigration. Life in Mexico is not easy at all. That’s why a lot of people hop over the border fence to come to the U.S., searching for a better future and a better life. A lot of men leave their families in Mexico because they can’t afford to bring them into the U.S. They get a job here and send money in a mail or in remittance. Sometimes, even if they can afford to bring them into the U.S., they still don’t because they don’t want to risk getting caught with no passport, visa, a green card or papers. If that happens, they will be deported back and it’s not worth it because then they paid a lot of money to come for nothing. These immigrants work very hard to feed their family and they deserve a chance to live in the U.S. legally.

Both war and deportation should be stopped because a lot of people just want the best for their family.

Autobiographical Writing:

Past

As a kid growing up in Mexico, I was a footloose nine year old, meaning that I didn’t care about anything and that I was in the streets with my friends most of the time. I used to go to the cemetery once or twice a week, just for the fun of it. I also used to play outside in the dirt a lot.

On weekends, my friend Pablo and I would play in the dirt in my back yard all day. We would dig holes, put the dirt to the side, and create a huge mountain. I would make tunnels and stick my hand all the way in, and then poor water in it to make a little river. One day all my family in Mexico and I went to the beach. We had a great time there. My younger cousin Ignacio, who we all call Nacho, helped me make a castle. It wasn’t too big or too good looking, but we had fun creating it.

I think we used to go to school at eight. During lunch, we would buy things to eat: like chips, nachos, sodas, and candies. There was no cafeteria or anything, so we had to take money to buy candies and all that. Or, we could have taken our own lunch, but I never did because I never thought of it. I guess it was because I was a kid and all I wanted was to play with my friends.

I also liked to go to the cemetery with my friends after school or on the weekends. After lunch, we had about one hour left to be released from school. And that’s when my friends and I would go to the cemetery to chill for a while. I don’t really remember what we used to do there, but I remember it wasn’t school related.

Even though I was a carefree person, I never tried drugs, smoking or any of that. As a matter fact, I was a geek at school. I was usually happy, and I used to obey my mom all the time. She would tell me to go to the market to buy her ham, bread, milk, etc. I would go. I remember she even used to tell me to go to my grandma’s house to get tortillas from her for us to eat.

I was free and I went wherever I wanted, did whatever I wanted, and however I wanted, but I was still a good person.

Present

As I grew older I began to be lazy at school; well, sometimes. And I’m not a geek anymore. I do my work, I’m smart and everything, but I’m not the same straight A student as I was before coming to the United States. And, of course I grew bigger. I was probably about three feet and something when I came to the U.S. Now I’m about five foot six inches. My attitude has changed a lot. I’m not saying I have a bad attitude, but I don’t obey my mom as much as I used to. I know I can change that back because I trust myself. I think my attitude is alright because I don’t talk back to the teachers at school and I follow most of the rules. But if I really want to follow all the rules, like come to school everyday, and do what I’m supposed to do all the time, I could do it.

I feel I’m reborn. I feel reborn because I have learned a totally different language, I made new friends, and because I’m in a different country with different people. I also have more friends now than I did in Mexico. I guess it’s because I talk more and I’m not shy or nervous to meet new people. In Mexico, the only friends I had were my classmates, and now I have friends in the streets too.

The difference here in the United States is that people gain more money to feed their family. And here we don’t struggle too much as we used to in Mexico. And that’s part of the reason why we came here.

Future

I would like to grow up to be a doctor. I want to be a doctor because I would feel like a hero for saving peoples’ lives. A job as a doctor is one of the most well paid jobs. I have also been thinking of being a lawyer. I want to be a lawyer because I think it feels good to know that you’re able to get people out of jail or out of trouble. I also know that lawyers are wanted by a lot of people all over the world.

Now, I would love to be a famous person. Like a rapper, a singer or an actor. Whether I rap, sing, or act, I would just do it for fun and not for fame. And I don’t really care about being a very well known person. All I want is to be a rapper, a singer, or an actor. I would rather be a singer or a rapper to learn more about music, the lyrics, the flows and all that. Then I could even write my own songs and make my own beats. I could even be a music producer. If I were a producer of music, I could even make beats for other singers and rappers.

And last but not least, I would like to be a couple of things that don’t get you money, but they get you far in life. First of all, I would like to keep being a good person. By being a good person I mean to go on the right path all the time, day in and day out. To be a good person you also need to be a man without problems. I wouldn’t like to get in trouble with the law. Even if you don’t get caught by the cops, if you’re doing something bad, you’re going to probably end up getting killed by someone. I would also like to be a good father to raise my kids the right way. I’m going to keep them out of drugs, alcohol, and gangs. I just want the best for them. And I know they can live life without doing bad things.