Sister

Hi
How are you? Has your husband been able to find work yet? How are the kids?

You should consider coming here. If he can’t find work soon, you should come to the US. It’s easier here to work. The jobs are plenty. They’re labor mostly, field work, working the farms or sometimes on the railroads. It can be hard. It’s exhausting work, but the pay is decent and sometimes they will notice your work and pay you more. You really should think about it and come soon. I’ve been hearing rumors about the border. They plan on charging more, imposing rules, something to make it harder to cross over.

I’m planning on moving soon to another province. The officials here are pushing me into the army. They’re trying to make me fight their wars. I am not treated like them. I can tell. The pay here is much better, but I hear what they say when they think we cannot understand and it’s far less money than they used to pay the white workers when they would still do the jobs. Less pay, harder work, worse treatment, and still they think I would fight in this war on their side. Still, don’t take this against life here. The money is enough to live better here than at home. Your children will have more here. In the place I plan to move there are schools and communities full of Mexicans, most from the northern provinces, but I hear some from Guanajuato too. In these places, it is like villages back home. The woman who do not work take care of the children together and the children still learn spanish. They’re nice. Our kids could grow up together the way we always wanted, close to their cousins, knowing who and where their family is. We can bring papa too. Wouldn’t that be better?

With all of us together, and us living in these communities, we won’t miss home as much. The men I’ve talked to say it’s like you brought home with you to America. It’s just as good. You’ll see, you can make this place home too. And once the border is worked out we can make trips home, see Mama’s grave, visit other cousins and friend, have the kids meet everyone else. Think about it. Please. I’ve been doing okay raising him on my own, but it I’m not a home, and I worry he won’t grow up knowing enough about you, and our home. But with you here, and papa, all of us together, it will be home. He’ll really grow up Mexican still. Will you think about it?
Te Amo,

Zef

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