After Thanksgiving Life

The last couple of weeks after Thanksgiving have been rough, chaotic, and stressful. Had to study for finals week, thankfully I had just one, in STATS. I had to finish up some final projects that would help my grade. I even had to be filmed talking in Chinese for a whole 8 minutes. Then I decided to start interpreting again which has been a blast. I enjoy it a lot and am glad that I can be of service to other people. Even though sometimes the patients can be rude at times. Then I received my work permit which means that I can officially work legally once I get my social security card all thanks to President Obama. Then a couple of weeks later my two sisters also got theirs. My family and I also found out that my grandma is coming to live with us. I love the idea of having her here since she is suffering from Alzheimer and will need the best care possible. Then we were told that we were going to go to California for a whole week and be able to go to Disneyland for the first time, however, that did not come true since we had to help bring my grandma to come live with us. So our Christmas will be spent in Utah with my family and all of my extended family.

Starting on Thursday December 13, we have been getting these little presents on our front doorsteps from strangers. We are grateful to whoever is doing it, but it creeps us out because the first night that it happened it was just my sister and I who were in the living room and it was really late like 10:30 and we hear the doorbell, so we answered the door and no one was there so we thought that it was just a doorbell ditcher, however, we found a sheet of window decorations with a note that started off by saying "On the first day of Christmas your true friends, give to you......" and the note went on to explain what was given and for what reason. And we thought that it was a practical joke however, every night since then we have been receiving different items and with little notes but they follow the same pattern as the first but they keep following the story line of the famous Christmas song "The Twelve Days of Christmas" and even though they come at different times we still try to catch a glimpse of the people responsible but they are very sneaky and they ring the doorbell as fast as possible and they book it as fast too. So we can never see who it is. But we hope that on the Twelfth day they will show themselves so that we may thank them for what they did because it means a lot. 

Anyway I hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year. I will write a different post about our Christmas time and then another about our New Years time as well. :)

Feliz Navidad 

Black Friday Adventure

Yesterday was Black Friday but my family instead of going shopping and trampling over people we went on an unexpected trip down to South Jordan with a friend, where for the first time we rode horses. It was the most incredible and exciting experience ever. Even though I know that since I am Mexican I should know how to ride horses, but I have never done it until yesterday. At first I was scared and I just pulled the pony that my little sisters enjoyed riding, however, our friend brought out his two other horses that are bigger and more beautiful. However, they look scarier up close and personal, the best part of the day was listening to my dad talk about his past and how much fun he had with his horse when he was younger even though that horse is dead, my dad still remembers all those memories from so long ago. He felt so alive, we could see it in his eyes, we could hear it in his laughter as well.

Picture of the family except for Yazmin she is taking the picture :)
First time Vicky is on a horse, she was ecstatic.
Pony's name is "Algodon" aka Cotton

My brother and I on the two black horses
I felt more comfortable on the one that my brother was
riding instead of the one that I am riding. 

This was my second time and I was still scared but I
faced my fears and kept riding which was really fun.

This was the first horse I rode and I was really scared and
yelling at the top of my lungs, and my family just kept laughing
at me. This horse may look calm but he was very rough to
ride because he still got crazy when he saw mares. 

Anyway, we had a blast and we really hope to go see and ride the horses again some time soon. Hopefully some day I will be able to own a horse and ride it everyday and have my kids start riding from when they are little so that they are not scared of them like my siblings and I were yesterday since we have never ridden or seen a horse so up close. It was fun and scary at the same time, it was one of the best experience I have ever  had. I really enjoyed it, being in rhythm with the horse and its trot felt amazing.

However, the second time I was getting off was probably the best part of the day because as I was getting off  with the help of my dad he decided to hold the saddle in place into of holding me and I felt on my bum, which was pretty hilarious since there was dirt everywhere and poop here and there, but I had a lot of fun and with the fall we just laughed for 3 minutes straight. Anyway it was fun and hopefully we do it again very soon. :)

*Anyway later this week I will be doing posts on everything that has happened to me since July. Until next time.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is the day to give thanks for everything and everyone who is part of your life well I have so many thanks to give: my family, my teachers, my friends, my religion,military!!!!! :)

I am grateful for my family because they have been and will keeping being by my side no matter. They have been with me through the good and bad and will keep being their for me. They always give me constructive advice that helps me become a better person and what has helped me become the person I am today as well  as the one that I will become tomorrow. They have forgiven my past and all the hardships that I have put them through. I know that they love me and that they will always be there for whenever I need them. :) I know that even though we are far we will always be united by blood and will always have each others back and will rush to help if ever needed.

I am also extremely thankful for every single one of my teachers, because each one believed in me, to become the person I am destined to become. Each one gave me the confidence and the courage to be myself and to never be ashamed of that. They taught me to always be true to who I am and who I want to become as well as they always told me to be fair, and to never lie because then I am only failing myself and no one else.

I am grateful for my true friends have had my back since day one, I know that they will always be there for me, even in the most darkest of my time. I know that I will be able to go to them and talk to them about anything and they are always open minded and will always have the best advice that could ever be available. They know exactly how to cheer me up when I am sad they know when I need a should to cry on when I am sad. I know that I will always have them in my life even when we grow old and drift apart we will always find our way back to each other.

I am thankful for my religion, I know that God is true and that he has a plan for everyone. I know that he watching our every move. And I know that families are eternal and that one day I will get to see all of my family that has died and become not only a star in the sky but also another guardian angel taking care of us. I know that wherever life takes me God will always be present.

I am also very thankful to the men and women who are serving in the military to make sure that we back in the states are safe. They that sacrifice their lives so that we may live in peace, may they always be in our prayers. That they come home safe and sound to their loved ones, just like they are keeping us safe so that we may enjoy the company of our loved ones. Thank you so much for fighting so that we may enjoy our freedom of being able to be with our families freely without having to worry about the next. And just living one day at a time. Gracias con todo mi corazon. :)




Finally, I am grateful to this country that I have been able to call home for the last 17 years,that even though there are times where they might welcome people like me (undocumented) I know that I am in a country where freedom is very important, where you can feel safe walking to and from school. Without having to be checking your back every 5 seconds. I am thankful that I am with my family and loved ones and that we have food on the table even though it may be beans and rice.





Off topic but it pertains to tomorrow which in the U.S.A is known as "BLACK FRIDAY"

MIA From Blogging

Hello blogging world and those who read my blog. Sorry I have not been up to date on this blog. But I have been busy with life and events that have had major effects on me as a person. So I will make a bullet list of everything that has been going on and then later I will dedicate a post to each bullet so that you are caught up on my life.
Events of the past 4 months:

August

• My cousins got in a car accident
• My cousin Mario died because of the car accident
• Full day at Lagoon
• School starting again

September

• Finally applied for the deferred action for childhood arrival

October

• Fingerprints @ USCIS Building

November

• First LDS Homecoming
• Changing Majors

Hasta la proxima

Until next time when I update you on everything. :)

Lots of love from Yessi ( undocumented student)

Lately, what I have been up to :)

Where to begin it has been way to long since I last blogged. I have no idea where to begin. So I will start by listing some of the most important items:
1. My brother graduated from junior high
2. My little sister graduated from Pre-School
3. We went camping for the first time :)
4. Went with my sister on her field trip to the Rec Center
5. We started working at Bangerter Farm
6. I stopped being an interpreter for the University of Utah Hospital and Clinics
7. My three little sisters got baptized into the Catholic Church :)
8. Went for the first time up to the "B" with my great-aunt and great-uncle
9. My two male cousins got baptized into the catholic church :)
10. Two of my uncles came to visit from California for the 4th of July and they came for one week
11. I tried for the first time Beets Green, I hated the Greens but loved the beets part :)


Later I will have posts about each one of these important items until then :)

Weekend

My weekend started a day early on my birthday, really didn't have anything planned, and then my cousins from Tooele came to visit and convinced my dad to let us go to the movies. First time in a while since the last time we went. When we got to the movies I knew exactly what movie to watch, I had been waiting since the first official trailer came out and I find out that it was going to premiere on my birthday of all days. The movie contained my favorite actor "ZAC EFRON" and the story line is great and what else it was based on a book that is written by my favorite author Nicholas Sparks.

This movie is amazing, I loved every single minute :)
However , be caution on who you take because even though it is rated p-g 13 there are a few scenes that are much more mature than that.

After the movie we decided to get a snack so we went to McDonald's where we order some spicy chicken, mcdoubles, small fries and drinks. This birthday was one of the best birthdays I have had thank you to my cousins and siblings who went to the movies with me. Also thanks to all my Facebook friends who wished me a happy birthday every single message means a lot to me. :) My aunt  and her family gave me a birthday present two cute blouses, and make up. Ironically, I don't wear make up and if I do its because of very special occasions. :) With that said I really appreciated the present

Saturday was a fun day too, in the morning we cleaned the house and worked on homework then my cousins came over again and so did my other aunt and we had carne asada with chicken legs and grilled onions. We all received a great surprise on this day because we finally got to meet my cousin's fiance, who is living in the Dominican Republic not face to face but through Skype. He is very nice and talks super fast but I am happy that my cousin is happy with him. I can't wait for their wedding.

Finally yesterday we went to go sale as usual, however, I wanted to do things differently with taking homework so that I could work on it while selling however that did not work because I kept getting distracted, so instead of working on my homework, I helped my parents sell. Then we went to an ice cream shop that sells natural flavored Popsicle  which were delicious then we went and ordered dinner from Tacos Daniel (best place to order authentic Mexican food), Finally we went home and ate dinner and then we did homework and watched a little bit of television.

Right now as I am writing this post, I am finishing my math homework and studying for my anthropology final tomorrow and getting really excited for my little field trip I am taking with my sister on Friday to the Living Planetarium in Sandy :)

Teenage years are gone.

I will no longer be a teenager tomorrow, why well because it is my birthday and I will be turning the big 2-0 :)

It seems like just yesterday I was getting ready to celebrate my sweet 15 in big :)

Even though I do not have anything planned for tomorrow, I hope that I can go to the movies with my siblings and cousins as a small party.

I hope that I can watch The Lucky One featuring Zac Efron based on the book written by Nicholas Sparks :)


On another note tomorrow is also my parents 21st wedding anniversary :) They show my siblings and me what a happy couple and marriage should be and look like.

If you pay attention you will see that they celebrate one year extra than me :) that is because they were married exactly a year before I was born.

Their wedding anniversary was April 20, 1991 and I was born April 20, 1992 and in the Mexican culture that makes me the little mermaid of the family or how you say it in Spanish

La Sirenita de la familia :)

Anyway, this post was talking about how big of an importance the 20th of April is, because it represents my birthday and it also represents my parents wedding anniversary :)

Happy 21st Wedding Anniversary to the best parents in the whole entire world :) 

Happy 20th Birthday to me! No I am not being selfish or anything but  I wanted  to wish myself a very happy birthday :)

El Consulado de México

or Mexican Consulate is where all the Mexican nationals have to go and request/ receive the Mexican passport and the Matricula consular which is the official Mexican Identification Card. So today was our appointment and  it wasn't until 8 am however, we arrived at 6:30 and did not leave until 10:30 because there were confusion with my passport and my I.D. card. Anyway since it was my sisters and my first time getting the passport and the I.D. well it was very nerve wracking, and extremely stressful and to add to those feelings the building was in full chaos, since there was no organization at all between the manager and the employees. There were errors on behalf of the staff, because they did not know to operate correctly, they made us wait one hour in a half because of unwanted errors. 

A funny thing is that half of the people who went were from the same state and area that my family is from :) it was amazing to finally meet people who were from the same state as me.

This is my home state :)

Yesterday......

was one of the scariest day in my life, because my brother and sister's school was put on lock down, because two students (sophomore girl, and junior boy) set a bomb in the spiral staircase where it exploded, luckily it exploded during the time that the students were in class so no one got hurt.

Anyway my mom and I, we were scared when we first heard the news, however, after they kept updating us on what was going on we felt a little better, especially since my sister was able to text my mom to tell her that they were okay.

We were so grateful to know that it was solved and that the children were able to continue with their classes, however, there is one thing that I find weird, which is why put the kids on lock down when there are chemicals in the air that the police officer could be dangerous instead of having them go outside. But I guess it was because they didn't want the two suspect to get away.

Anyway here is the link to the video news report on ksl: http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=19946458&title=2-students-arrested-following-chemical-explosion-at-school

Weekend Recap

On Friday my aunt and uncle and their three kids came to visit which was  a surprise especially to see my cousin who goes to school down in Cedar City with them, anyway we hung out and talked about everything and anything and we just chatted and as they were leaving my little boy cousin wanted to have a sleepover with my little brother and after the adults talked and it was decided that they were going to have a sleepover and then my other cousin was going to have a sleepover with her "big sister" from her college sorority group. With my cousin sleeping over it was a good combination because my aunt and uncle were going to come over on Saturday because we were going to make Tamales. My brother and cousin did not go to sleep until 2 am.

On Saturday we woke up early and started getting everything ready for later in the afternoon. We also cleaned the entire house because the landlord was going to visit and so we had to fix it up. We had some of our family come over like my dad's two brothers and my dad's two cousins. It was fun and very loud, but everyone enjoyed the company and everyone was eating like nothing else mattered. Then that was when we found out that my cousin Viri is engaged to her boyfriend that she met while serving her mission in the Dominican Republic which is where she is right now with her mom and her sister. They make a very cute couple anyways everyone had a great time and they all left really late so we did not go to sleep until 11:30 pm.

Yesterday we woke up at 6:30 am to get ready so that we could go sale at the Redwood Swapmeet. Which was very busy and full of people. A great surprise we got when we arrived was that right across from our spot my uncle was stationed and I think that, that might be their permanent spot just like ours is for us. It went well we did better than last Sunday but not as good as two Sundays ago. Anyway when we were done packing everything back into our van we went to the restaurant to order take out. Then we went home and ate a very late lunch but an early dinner and then my dad talked to my aunt who lives in Indiana, who by the way might come visit us in June (*fingers crossed that it does come true). Then since none of the family had made plans to get together to do a big Easter egg hunt like other years my mom and my sisters and I, we decided to make a minituarizedversion of an egg hunt in our backyards and my little 4 year old sister really enjoyed it and then we watched a Spanish soap opera which was an oldie but very cute especially for sisters since the dog talks.

The Spanish soap opera that contains a talking dog.

Anyway that was my weekend, very unproductive school work wise, however, it was a lot of fun having
family over at our house all weekend. :)

On a side note there are 11 days until I turn the BIG 2-0, I am excited and at the same time we will be celebrating my parents 21st year wedding anniversary :)

Why?

Why, did I choose the title of "Girl living in the Shadows!" Well because that is how I feel even though I don't show it because I am always focused on my education and I am always happy. However, there are times when I feel like an outcast, like if I did not belong, or if people were talking behind mine back. I have always felt like this however, it was a lot stronger in 7th grade of junior high because that was when I found out that what I had thought all along was false because I thought that I was just like everyone else maybe with a different skin color but the same, however, then I found out that I was undocumented, and that there were many things that my friends were doing that I was never going to be able to do like travel to exotic places, or get full-ride scholarships to colleges or even attend a college/university. Ever since that day I have had the feeling everyday and especially stronger when I come to circumstances where I have to make major decisions that will affect my life forever. I feel that the decisions I have made so far have had a great impact on my life. I have grown up in a white-orientated city where I never hung out with other Latinos, because they had their own cliques, and even when I got into high school and into college I could see that everyone was part of cliques where they didn't want to have other people interrupt their harmony.

Well now you know how I feel and the reason for why I chose the title I did. Now you know a little bit more about me and my life.

I can't believe that.........

I have completed 154 hours out of the 200 hours required, for my volunteer position as an interpreter. Which includes everything from February 9 to April 4, 2012. That means that I am 46 away from my goal and I am glad that I am almost done with the requirements however that doesn't mean that I am going to quit, what that means is that I am going to keep volunteering until I can no longer do it.

I hope to one day work there as an interpreter and be part of a department that enjoys working together. Oh well one day I will be part of that department but for now I am just a volunteer who gets along with everyone and who enjoys everyday what she does.

The other day the supervisor told me that the boss was hearing my name, I felt really honored, however, I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing oh well. :)

Continuation of the last post........

as I stated before on my last post, I am watching a soccer game between Mexico and Honduras and after 90 complete minutes and 2 15 minutes extra time, Mexico won 2-1 barely missing the possibility of going to penalties :)

MEXICO EN LA SANGRE!!!!! 

MEXICO, MEXICO, MEXICO

SI SE PUEDE SI SE PUEDE 

Lately....

I have been doubting about my the choice I made for my major. One because I suck at math and any type of  business-related major always deals with math. And two because I want to do something that is related to healthcare since I have been volunteering at the University of Utah Hospital for the past month and a half. However, I have been receiving advice from my family and they say that I could probably do something related to healthcare and also to administration. :) Anyways beside this problem/dilemma my life is great right now. I am enjoying my volunteer job at the U of U Hospital, I am also working hard in school and trying my best on a daily basis. My weekend was productive and very funny at the same time.

On Saturday we had family pictures taken in my backyard so that my aunt's sister could take them to my paternal grandmother this month sometime and then we made plans to meet at my uncle's house and we had a barbecue with carne asada, hot dogs, grilled onions, rice, picadillo, cilantro, guacamole, Salsa Verde, and cilantro and even guajes :) it was very delicious and it was great just hanging out in family, just reminiscing the past events.

On Sunday dad and two siblings went to sell, while they were selling the rest of the family went to church down the street, then we stayed and mingled a little bit in the gym for some coffee and donuts which was very delicious and we got see chat with some old friends that we hadn't seen in a while.

Anyways while I write this post I am watching the Concacaf Men's Olympic Qualifying Final Game between Mexico and Honduras and right now they are in their second 15 minute overtime and its very excruciating. Right now they are still tied 1-1 and I hope that Mexico wins.  MEXICO EN LA SANGRE "Mexico in the Blood" The Honduran team is playing extremely dirty oh well in the end I hope that Mexico wins :)

Since I last wrote a post....

I have just been going to school and volunteering at the Hospital nothing new except for the fact that last Wednesday and Thursday I put my interpreting skills to use and had the opportunity to interpret for Spanish-speaking families who were going to 7th grade orientation at Millcreek Junior High. Anyway it was a lot of fun and it was an amazing learning experience I would like to thank Mrs. Schaefer for giving me that opportunity. So on Wednesday I had the chance to interpret for a good friend of my dad who we haven't seen much of lately and I went around with them through out the whole school and even though the cheerleaders and officers were not on their best behavior and they could not give a proper tour I gave them one of my own personalized tour where they were able to ask questions and just have time to breathe in all of the information provided. Then on Thursday I saw my two cousins, which was fun, however I did not get to interpret at all but I did get to help in the cafeteria and it was very fun seeing and talking to Mrs. Johnson about how Mitch is doing. Which I should ask for his mission address so that I may write him a letter.

Then as a thank you gift they gave me a gift card for $50 to wherever I wanted which I chose Kohl's because I need to buy more dress pants for my volunteer position at the Hospital however, I am also going to share with my sisters and my mom so that they have a chance to buy something :)

The weekend was okay stayed home all of Saturday. However last weekend on Saturday when I was saying how it was boring and how I had nothing planned, well I did have something plan; my friends baby shower, and I had totally spaced it and I didn't remember until Wednesday when my mom told me "Yessi, did you have something planned this past Saturday, the baby shower of your friend that you were so excited for," and then I remembered and I was mad at me for forgetting because like my mom said I was so excited for it and I was counting down the days until the baby shower because it had been a very long time since I had seen my friend, so friend I am very sorry :(

Finally yesterday, it was fun because we were out of the house all day, because it was our first day back at the Redwood Swap Meet  or what other people call it FLEA MARKET it was fun and we had a lot of fun just being out in the sun as a family and we had fun selling, and we also had a lot of fun seeing everyone who went, we saw a couple of familiar faces friends and family. From now on we will be there every Sunday just as long as it doesn't rain. If you would like to go buy something or just walk around and see the various artifacts that can found then you can find us at the Redwood Drive-in Theater :)

3688 South Redwood Road

West Valley City

Random Facts about me :)

1. I love learning new stuff about anything and everything.
2. I have never had a boyfriend before.
3. I have never been kissed.
4. I love to dance (Duranguense, Cumbia, and sometimes even tribal).
5. I am known in my family as the serenita ( or little mermaid) because of a myth our culture has.
6. I am the teacher for my younger siblings ( I help them with everything, stay up till 3 or 4 in the morning just helping them)
7. I have faced and overcome a lot of obstacles that have helped me be the person I am today.
8. I'm obsessed with Coke, Secret Circle, Gossip Girl, Hart of Dixie, Once Upon A Time, Bachelor, Bachelorette and Dancing with the Stars, Amazing Race, Jane by Design, Secret Life of the American Teenager, and What Would You Do?
9. I am a fan of Nicholas Sparks, and recently Karen Kingsbury
10. If I could wear anything it would be shorts and a t-shirt and flip flops all the time
11. I hope to one day be able to play soccer on a team of any kind
12. Right now I am listening to One Direction
13. My ultimate career goal is to return to my hometown and start a printing business there, as well as be an English teacher to all the student age citizens.
14. I have lived in Utah for 16 years, and not once have I gone camping or hiking or gone to any of the national parks located around the state
15. I have never been to Disneyland and the sad part is that my cousins and aunts only live like 20 minutes away from it and when we visit them we usually never have time to go. :(

Weekend Recap

Well this weekend was boring as always, there was nothing eventful going on. But lets start with Saturday we stayed home all day until like 4 then we went over to Burger King for some dinner as a family, and while we were there my aunt called and she wanted to know when we would be home so that we could Skype and whether or not she was planning on coming out to Utah this June, after dinner we were heading home when my mom decided to go visit her comadre, so we called her and it turns out that they would be home a little later so we went home and just dropped off some stuff and we went over to Farmington to visit them and to see their new house which was really pretty and then we ate Lenguas (cow tongues), it was delicious and then we went over to Smiths and rented two movies from Red box "Mr. Popper's Penguin" and "Transformers Dark of the Moon" which were both really great movies and we stayed up until 1 in the morning watching them. :)

Then on Sunday we stayed home the whole day and watched "Transformers Dark of the Moon" again and then we had carne asada for lunch and my sister made a cake for dessert. And then finally we just watched the TV and we worked on homework and then we finally went to sleep at like 11 and right now I am waiting for my sister so that we can go to Starbucks and buy strawberry smoothies. :)

Weekend.....

Was fun and very boring at the same time because on Saturday we did not go anywhere even though we did make Tamales which were delicious and then we delivered some to our neighbors so that they could taste them, everyone was excited to receive them, which made me very happy :), then we sat down as a family and watched movies.

On Sunday we woke up late because of daylight savings time and so we went over to my uncle's house and we also ate with Tamales which were delicious too, however, before we left my mom was making Posole. Then when we were done we went to visit Marcos and my Padrino's house were we met their new grandson, who is way cute but very small. Then we came home and my mom cooked Carne de Puerco, and my tia mago came to visit while I helped Karen on her math homework and then Irma and her family came as well. Noemi was very intrigued with the bunny and Leo was intrigued by the birds. Then when I was done helping Karen, I helped my two brothers (Marcos and Jose) on their research projects with Marcos we finished at 11:30 pm however with Jose we stayed up until 1:00 am and then we woke up this morning at 5:00 to be able to finish it. Which we did.

Anyway that was my weekend and today is the first day of my spring break, which I have nothing to do except volunteer at the hospital and work on anthropology :) and maybe see my cousins. :)

Life so far.....

This past week I have been focusing on math and on anthropology as well as my volunteer hours at the hospital which is very fun and very hectic at times. On Thursday, while I was volunteering, all of the paid interpreters decided to leave me alone in the office with 6 phones and a pager which I had no idea till that moment on how it worked. Anyway at first it was calm and very boring, however all of a sudden all the phones rang at once and I had to answer them all so I did and I put two persons on hold and I transferred another call to an over the phone interpreter that could help them and then I lost two calls in the middle of this chaos I also got a request from the emergency room if I could help out in one of the rooms as an interpreter and at first I did not know how to work the pager and it took three turns to figure it out and I finally did and I told them that I would be there as soon as I was free. So when I finally figured everything out with the phone calls I went over to the hospital where I ran into one of the other interpreters and so I gave him the pager and I went to interpret, when I left that interpretation I went home where I told the story to my mom and dad, where they both stated their joy at me for being able to accomplish such a thing in so little time.

Then on Friday when I went to my job (since that is what I call it even though its just a volunteer position), my friends all said hello and then I was off to my first appointment even though the lady never showed, then I had another one where the appointment was cancelled that morning, then I had an appointment at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, where I did have a job adn when I returned I found the supervisor Jafet talking to Axel and to Ericka. And while I was going to sit down the supervisor asked "are we keeping you busy" and I said of course and that was when both Axel and Ericka told him about the day before and at the end of the story, he said that was one of the reasons why he accepted me as a volunteer because he saw that I could handle any situation that I was put into no matter what was required. Then right as he was saying this I went to the Emergency Room for an interpretation assistance. When I came back to the office everyone was chatting about their weekend and so I decided to relax and then they called from the Labor and Delivery department that they needed an interpreter so I decided to go and that was when the supervisor gave me a little note that said " Thanks for all your help in the interpreting department. We greatly appreciate your dedication to the department and willingness to work extra hours of the week." And I felt really blessed to have been able to take on this volunteer opportunity. Then I got home and my parents were happy for me and were proud that the supervisor had recognized all of my efforts to always keep doing my best :).

That's my week in review :)

This past weekend......

was fun, boring and even brought a big surprise. :) There were many events that made this weekend weird and exciting at the same time.

First on Saturday my grandma's sister had her birthday party where she was turning 72. She is an amazing lady, she is a person who I can look up to for advice. The party was way fun, I was able to talk with my aunt and cousin about everything in life. And thanks to the advice that my aunt gave me I have decided that I would like to minor in medical field somehow, I don't know yet in what exactly but hopefully soon I will be able to know.

Also on Saturday I missed my friend's open house shower because my dad wanted to spend the whole day with his aunt that I wasn't able to attend, but I hope that my friend had a fun day and I hope to make it to her wedding.

When my grandma's sister party was over, my dad invited them to come over to our house so that they could see it and we had a big sleep over party where my parents just keep reminiscing about when they were younger and how they enjoyed each day just hanging out and living free and in the open.

Then on Sunday my family woke up early so that they could spend as much time with my grandma's sister before she left for Cedar City. They talked about Mexico and how my dad's uncle wants us to visit them in May for his birthday, and my dad said maybe. :)

Something really weird happened this weekend..... I found out that my dad has an older sister that we had never met until yesterday. My dad knew that he had an older sister, however when he tried to communicate with her, she wasn't living where my dad thought she was, so then he just stopped trying to contact her until on Saturday when we were at my grandma's sister birthday party that my aunt said out of the blue "Hey Antonio, you won't believe who I found on Facebook, your sister." And my dad was like what so my aunt explained that she found someone who has the exact same last name as us and everyone knew that it was true because not many people have the last name of TIMOTEO because it is more of a first name instead of a last name. So I sent her a friend request through Facebook and she accepted me yesterday and we started chatting and she asked me who my grandparents were and how many siblings I had and how many siblings my dad had and so finally I asked her for her Skype account and right after she accepted me on Skype and right after that she video called me and we talked for two hours just catching up and she even told us that she might come visit us in June. Now I have an aunt who lives in Indiana and also now I have 7 more cousins that I have never met that I would really like to meet.

Any who that is what my weekend was about and I am happy that my dad was able to communicate with his long lost sister and that we found out that we have an aunt when we thought that we would never have one. :)

feeling uncomfortable.......

is how I felt on Monday in my economic class. Why, well because they started to talk about immigration not only legal but also illegal and as you may all know I am an undocumented student. Well the professor asked by raise of hand who was against illegal immigration and if they could explain why? Well at least 10 people raised their hands and out those ten people only 2 answered the question of why. Their answers were:

• We took away the jobs of Americans (what he meant to actually say after a very wordy explanation is that we lower the wages which then cause the Americans who want to do the job at the right wage not receive because they see it as the employers realizing that they have a bigger profit using illegal aliens labor instead of citizens.)
• That we send way more money than we are supposed to back to our home countries and that at least 80% stated by my professor is being sent to foreign countries and that somehow deflects the American economy. And the person who said this, also stated he hated that fact that they were sending some of their paycheck back home instead of helping improve the American economy

With this said, I felt really uncomfortable because one of the person who does not like illegals was sitting right next to me, I felt fear at first, but then I took a deep breath and finally came to realize that he did not have a clue of my legal status. Then the professor decided that he wanted to do a little questionnaire to see what would be some reason that people would immigrate to other countries from their home land, and I did not participate, because I know exactly for what reasons I would leave my country to immigrate to another. Sometimes I don't like the fact that people just say stuff automatically without really put any thought into their thinking.  I am sad that not many people like us being in the U.S., but when asked if they would do the jobs that immigrants take then they say no because they are of higher class and those are for lower class citizens.

Oh well I just hope that one day there can be a solution to this major problem that the United States is facing. Either this year or in the years to come. :)

This weekend......

was a lazy one out our house, on Friday we stayed home and watched Rio. It is a funny movie and more if you  are watching it in Spanish, I recommend people to watch that movie, its a very family friendly movie. We ate popcorn that was made from scratch, from one huge bowl, the popcorn had chili Tapatio and salt. It was delicious but it was also a little spicy. :) Then yesterday, my mom went with my aunt to the store to buy masa (flour) so that we could make Tamales Nejos, Mole Verde y Rojo and Chicken, which was delicious and was a good way to have an all girls day just being around the kitchen table, and making some very traditional Mexican food. While all the girls were making Tamales the boys were watching Cars I and II, which is another very family friendly and by the time that both of the movies ended the food was ready and we sat around the table and ate and talked about old memories :) Which was very interesting to hear about my parents memories and how they lived a very happy life when they were younger. Anyways, today we slept in and did not go to church until 1:30, which was amazing because we had a very long night yesterday. Then we went to buy like 30 Conchas for breakfast tomorrow, however, since we went and visited my aunt, and my dad had the great idea  of bringing down the bread, and everyone ate 2 each now there are only a total of 10. Which means that my siblings have to go to school and eat breakfast there. Then we picked up my bunny that I found last year at Bangerter Farm, to bring home when we said our goodbyes to my aunt we went and visited my cousin at their new apartment and then finally we got home and we watched a Telenovela, which was produced in the 70's. It is a very original soap opera that my dad loved watching when he was younger so now he bought it for us so that we can see it as a family :). After a while we ate dinner and now as I am writing this post we are watching Ice Age 2 and The Terminator on t.v. just the kids the parents are relaxing in their rooms :). So this weekend was fun, and full of family time together that I am blessed to have in my everyday life. Some pictures of this weekend :)

Favorite dessert to eat on the weekends with a very ice-cold  soda :)
Conchas :)

Favorite Classical Telenovela right now.
Thanks dad for presenting us
with this great soap opera to watch :)

Watching right now in Spanish :)

My brother's like this movie

One of my favorite movies

Another favorite movie :)

Another favorite movie :)

Hot sauce that we put on the popcorn as dressing :)

Tamales Nejos made with either banana leaves or maize leaves very yummy :)

Mole Rojo with chicken

Mole Verde with Chicken

Volunteering...............

is something that I love to do, I try to do it as often as I can :). Lately I have been dealing with adults which is fun to do because not only am I helping them, they in return will give me advice that will improve my life and will help me become a better person. For a year and three months I was volunteering as an English teacher at Guadalupe Schools in Salt Lake City, I started this volunteer opportunity through a class that I was taking at the University of Utah (Ethnic Minority Families in the U.S.A) which was a very informative class, where I was able to learn about all of the minority families including families like me (Latino). To receive credit for taking the class, we had to do the classwork but we also had to do service learning hours and we had to tie it into the class. Well the professor gave us options, but the only one that I found interesting was the opportunity to teach English to economically disadvantage Immigrants so that they can find employment or  be able to communicate to help their children's educational experience. This was very rewarding, for me because I was able to learn a new skill, however, I was also able to make some great friends that have given me and will keep giving me advice on how to be the best friend, daughter, niece, cousin, mother and everything that a women is. They were great friends that will be forever in my heart and even though I do not volunteer there anymore we still communicate in both Spanish and English so that they may practice the language that they are trying to learn :)

Even though I could not find a picture of the school here is the official logo for the school.

With this opportunity I was able to learn the skills of becoming a teacher, and that way I will have gained experience so that if I ever have to return to my home country, then I will be able to live off of something, because I will be able to teach English to the people of my village :)

That is one experience that I will never forget, I am thankful for the staff and all their loyalty to helping the economically disadvantage immigrants learn English (not only is it for Latinos but also for other immigrants from Europe, Asia, Africa and all those countries) :)

Life right now..........

is okay. School is good, I really enjoy my anthropology class, and I learn a lot in my Economics class, but I really detest my Business Calculus class. I hate having to always be on the look out, having to always pay attention to the news to see if there is anything on passing the Dream Act, or of having an immigration reform. :( However, I get distracted with my volunteer job as an Interpreter at the University of Utah Hospital, which I am enjoying. Even though I really haven't done it by myself I hope to one day be able to go interpret by myself so that I may provide an easier way of communication between patients and healthcare providers. I have been volunteering since Thursday February 9, 2012. First I only went on Thursdays and Fridays, but now I go everyday Monday through Friday, and it will be that way unless I loose focus on school.

This is where I volunteer everyday for 4-5 hours :)

I would love to that after I have completed my required 200 hours I could work as an interpreter, however, if they ever do ask I have to reject even though that would be an amazing opportunity :(

Study Abroad?????

Everyone at the University of Utah have asked me if I ever plan on doing a study abroad. Well the answer is yes, I would love to do a study abroad especially to a country from where I am either learning the language or understand enough to speak it. However, when they ask me exactly when I will do it, then they get a long explanation about how right now I am studying so that I may find a job that will be able to help me fund the trip.  Nevertheless this is a partial truth, because I need to find a job that will help me fund it, but since I am undocumented I am not able to work which means that I will not be doing any study abroad at this time in my educational experience.

The places where I would really love to do a study abroad are:

This place is known as the city of LOVE that I would love to visit one day. :)

                        France especially Paris so that I may improve my speaking and talking in French. :)

Germany would be fun to visit and see the different cities and practice speaking  the language.

                        Germany anywhere but I think that it would be fun to be in Munich, where German is spoken so that I may have a chance to improve my speaking :)

China would be an amazing place to travel to, since it has so much rich history, that you would have an amazing time  learning about it :)

                         China as well any region would be very pretty to visit, I would love to do all of the exploring in this country, just to be able to understand the history and culture behind every object. This will give me the opporunity to improve my lanuuage skills in the Mandarin Chinese vocabulary. :)

Those are my top 3 places to do a study abroad, I would prefer China 1st, Germany 2nd and finally France 3rd. Even though these are my top three choices there is one more place where I would like to study abroad and that is in Mexico, my home country. I would love to use all of the small secret passages to teach and to have the opportunity to study materials that are taught in Spanish and see how similar and differential the education is here in the U.S. compared to Mexico........ :)

This is view of my hometown, and even though I am far away and cannot visit as often I will forever have it in my HEART :)

Feeling of Scare

10 minutes ago I was sitting in the family room working on homework, when my sister Yazmin said that she was going to sleep and she secured that the front door was closed and then she went downstairs. 3 minutes after she left, the door all of a sudden opened and I got this feeling of anxiousness. It felt really weird anyway, I got up and made sure that the door was locked and closed properly, but even though I made sure that the door was closed I still had a feeling of anxiety, so now I am in my room downstairs trying to calm my nerves and writing this post...... Hopefully this accident doesn't happen. :)

An Undocumented Student in School

I have been attending the University of Utah for the last 2 years. I am loving it, however if you would have asked me three year ago if I was planning on attending college I would have said "IDK" why would I say this well because my junior year of high school while I was getting ready to apply for school and trying to figure out which scholarships to apply to, which is how I finally realized that there were setbacks, that would prevent me from furthering my education. Before this I never thought that I was different than anyone else, maybe because of my skin color and my ethnicity, but never because of my citizenship status.

Anyway it was way hard trying to figure out what my future was because of my status. I was an excellent student in high school and junior high, I had a good GPA, and so I had many scholarships presented to me, because of various achievements, I received many awards, and accomplished many things that no one ever thought I would accomplish.

I am a shy person who is not very social unless I feel very comfortable around so I never talked about my status with anyone, however, there are a few people who I have trusted this big secret that is always having me to double think stuff, two of my teachers that have been supporting me and have both been a blessing in my life in different ways. And to my best friend from high school, who knows exactly what my point is in everything, I feel that with these three I people's support and that of my family, I know that I will progress through life and be very successful in anything that I do.

When I first heard about college I was excited, because I was going to be able to further my education, and become someone in the world. However, when I finally found out that I was undocumented and that because of that little information I was almost not able to attend college at all. Nonetheless with the help of my two high school teachers I found out that I would be able to attend college and pay in-state tuition and that was a relief knowing that I could still attend college.  After I applied and sent in the required documents (BTW I only applied to one college instead of two or three like everyone) I finally heard back from my number one school the U. I was excited and so were my parents.

With this acceptance I was able to prove to everyone who thought that I couldn't go to college that I can and that I will take advantage and become the best person I can become. :)

About Me :)

Well, I am a 19 year old Mexican girl who will be 20 on April 20. I am a student at the University of Utah, where I am studying Business. I am Catholic in a state that is primarily LDS, which can be difficult at times when the people around you have different beliefs than you do.


My family is the most important thing in my life they are the ones that have gone through everything with me the good and the bad and they will be the ones that will be with me in the future. They are the ones that know exactly how to make me feel safe and make me laugh. My family consists of 11 people.

My dad and mom have worked so hard in this country that is foreign to them. They have done everything possible to secure a better future for my siblings and I. They have worked day and night just to be able to give us shelter and food and clothes. They are working hard just so that my sister and I may attend college to get a higher education, and to have a better life than what they had back in Mexico. They have family living in the U.S. but they live in other states and they either never or rarely see them.

I have 5 sisters that are younger than me, Yazmin is 1 year younger than me and she is studying neonatal nursing at the University of Utah, Yuridia is 2 years younger than me and she is a junior at Bountiful High School, Esmeralda is 11 years younger than me and she is a third grader at Bountiful Elementary, Marisol is 12 years younger than me and she is second grader at Bountiful Elementary and finally the youngest sister Virginia who is 15 years younger than me and she is in Head Start at Bountiful Elementary. I have three younger brothers. Tony is 3 years younger than me and he is a sophomore at Bountiful High School, Marcos who is 4 years younger than me and he is a ninth grader at Millcreek Junior High, and finally Jose who is 7 years younger than me and he is a seventh grader at Millcreek Junior High.

My family is very unique and we all have our own personalities, even so we support each other to always do our best. :)

Beginning

So I have decided to start a blog about my life. It will talk about my life, the issues that affect me personally. It will be a fun way to record my everyday insights. It will once in a while talk about my experience as an Undocumented Student living in the U.S.A.