Walking On A Dream
History:
Constructing a sectarian divide, the Mexican border extends 2,000 miles across North America; producing the United States of America and Mexico. For many years, immigrants have been using many ways that are frowned upon to enter the United States. According to the Washington Times, in 2014 about 2.5 million illegal immigrants were recorded to have settled in the U.S. One of the illegal forms of infiltrating the United States that some immigrants opt for is the Mexican border. The figure that the Times provides isn’t only of immigrants that cross the border, some people may over stay their visas, use false documentation, among other ways that will define their immigration status as illegal or alien to the United States. Due to geographical advantages countries that are part of the continent, such as Latin America enter the United States illegally by using the border. For many years, the United States of America has been stigmatized with the American dream. Dictionary.com believes that the American dream is: (noun) (1) the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American. (2) a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.
Choosing the right coyote:
Before making your eventful trip via Mexican Borderlines you need to reserve a coyote. The coyote will be your guide to reaching America. Prices range from $4,000.00 to $7,000.00. I remember that my mother and I spent $8,000.00 when we hired our guy to help us cross the border. The coyote is responsible for the following:
1. Greeting you in Sonora, Mexico and gathering you with a group of ten to twelve more people that will partake in the journey.
*please note that after making full payment to the person that is in charge of connecting you with a coyote in Mexico. You will receive directions about the time and place where you have to meet with the rest of the group and the coyote. This information can only be disclosed with family members that are sending you over and will be receiving you in the United States.
2. Having full knowledge of the trails and paths that keep everyone away from being incarcerated by border patrol.
3. Knowing the schedule of border patrol to have a full itinerary for the five-day trip.
4. Ensuring that everyone is safe and that if food runs out, there will be another way.
5. Hope.
Transportation:
There are many ways to get across the Mexican border that you will be offered when booking your coyote. Airplane isn’t one of them.
A. Swimming is an option but it is extremely dangerous because of the currents of the water and the surprise appearances of the police.
B. La Bestia: commonly used by Central Americans, “the beast” is a threat the moment that foot is set in it due to the fact that people climb on it and ride on top of the train with their leader until it stops. Some people jump off because their anxiety gets the best of them. Others starve because their food gets stolen by other travelers. Very few get lucky and will find some people from near towns that know about the migrants and will throw bagged sandwiches or fruit as the train rushes by their villages.
C. Walking: The options that is said to be the safest and it will start like this:
At midnight you will understand why running shoes are extremely essential for your journey. Your guide will wear a shirt that reads: If you aren’t running, you’re doing everything wrong. Communication with your body at this time is very important. Please tell yourself these words and you won’t regret your short stay: Stay awake and alert. However, this doesn’t mean that you will be moving at all times during the night. The running period comes in waves and you are allowed to rest in small increments. I must say, your eyes are in for a treat. (*refer to “if you like” for more details)
At sunrise: Your eyelids will feel the wrath of carrying weights, thus find yourself a serene place and bring out your blanket and just sleep.
At noon: remember to remain still; breathing is allowed but I encourage that you pace yourself. So when you decide to appreciate the crisp air you do it in rhythm with the moving hands of your clock. At this time of the day, allow yourself to feel the heat in all your pores and just let it sink. While you enjoy the luxurious heat waves please enjoy your meals in small portions. On a trip like this it is important to maintain a healthy diet and to maintain precaution with your meals.
If you like:
Astronomy: you will be amazed by the amount of constellations that your naked eye will NOT be able to distinguish because there is no air pollution. As you are walking through the barb wire you might feel restless, consider just taking a glance up to the infinities that will give you hope. Note that a full stop might upset the group leader but who is he to stop you for five minutes? Realize that the sky has no borders, policies, amendments, laws or restrictions. And if you grew up like me and learned to count using the stars or appreciated the stories of the upper atmosphere as told by grandma on your daily walks, reality will strike, you will make a wish and realize that it isn’t written in the stars. Your mind will dilate your eyes back to the obscure paths that coyote has created along the hills.
What distinguishes the Border:
This trip will educate in the most unforgettable way that a part of you will be glad you got to experience the journey. Maybe not. After travelling for five days, water will become scarce but you will begin to see change in the dirt that you are travelling on, it will turn to dry land and eventually sand. The children that are in your group will begin to cry and the guardians will lose patience. Perhaps you will be mourning the death of a group member that fell off the hill you were climbing. Or got shot by the cartels that are around the border but even worse, some might have even been abducted while everyone slept. So your group might be a head or two down. Sometimes you will have to make two attempts because border patrol might find you, incarcerate you and send you back to Sonora, Mexico. I must say that at eight years old I was the child that cried because I saw things that gave me a lot of pain. I saw my mother get hurt while walking up a hill and nothing spoke to me more than seeing her rise up and reach for my hand. I was hurt in my tiny body because as I was running away from la migra (border patrol) I fell into an animal trap with thorns and had no time for recovery. Lucky for me I was wearing a body suit and didn’t bleed too much. I cried at the end because I wanted to go home and when I saw my last sunrise along a highway by the desert. However, I can tell you this traveler:
You will reach Arizona and when you do there will be a truck with water that will take you in based on how the coyote divides you up according to your destination. The truck will have food that you might not be able to take because it is making its way to a grocery store. But you might as well bite into one apple or two, they may not even notice. After long hours in the back of the truck you will stop for gas and bathroom breaks. You will be captivated by the drastic change in air and the different language that your ears can’t seem to recognize. And if your destination is New York City, you will learn that the stars that were visible in the endless atmosphere have transformed into sky crappers that light up at night. But the best part is that you of all people will be more than happy to see your relatives for the first time in years and you will say that you may even decide to share that along the way you had a working definition of the following:
American Dream: (verb)(1) To spend days walking and seeing things that remain best unsaid. (2) to move to a new place to make your family proud and receive opportunities that will provide for the ones that stayed on the other side of the 2,000-mile-long line. (3) persevere for an education just like everyone else without defining yourself as American, illegal or an Alien but human with nothing but a dream.
