I think I know almost everybody here at Casa Latina, but if I want to point out the real friends, it’s three or four. We all know each other, we all share the space, but each one has their own group. I think you end up going to those with whom there’s more trust or where you have more things to share. But I think everybody shares a beer.
Migrants are what the politicians take and use when they find it convenient, and when it’s not convenient they kick us out. So the Republicans are like the wind: they move when it’s convenient for them and it goes back and forth, and same thing with the Democrats. I don’t understand much of that. I would like to understand it better. I don’t need the visa or citizenship. If they gave it to me for next week then I would go but if they offer it and it’s going to take three years or six years then by the time I get it maybe it’ll be to enter legally back into Mexico.
Here in this picture we are in the Centro La Raza, and we are in a program for seniors. When I have a chance I go there and they give us breakfast especially prepared for seniors. They don’t give us much meat but mostly veggies and fruits and because according to them it’s more adapted to our age. I’m 72 years old, almost 73.
How did you learn to use the computer?
I started to come here to Casa Latina to the computer classes. Here they give you the very basics: how to use email, how to open an account, and how to use it. I learned those basic things here. I would like to learn how to repair cell phones or tablets because there’s a lot of work I can no longer do because I don’t have the strength. But my mind could do other jobs… I dream of doing something like repairing computers. I want to learn other things related to technology.
Why am I here? It’s because at my age in Mexico it’s a lot more difficult to find a job because there is a lot of youth. And here even if you are over 60 and you’re retired and they don’t have a full time job, maybe you can still work. And in Mexico if you go to look for a job and one is younger than me, the other person is the one who is going to get the job. I’m okay here, it’s not that I want to stay but I’m okay. I would like to learn some more technology or learn some skill so that if I go there I’m not just depending on anybody.
Why am I here?...It’s because at my age in Mexico it’s a lot more difficult to find a job because there is a lot of youth. And here even if I am old, maybe not full time but you can still work. In Mexico if you go to look for a job and one is younger than me the other person is the one who is going to get the job. Here it is true as well but less.
Ramón This cartoon shows homeless people who live on the street but they are not as poor as they are supposed to be. They have their laptop, they write on their tablets. And here it says “Save our Jobs” but this is really about Steve Jobs, not about work. I don’t have any money but I like technology and they also like technology. I know how to use technology, even if you don’t understand it all, and it’s a really good tool. You don’t really need to know what is behind it. Just use it like any other tool…
This is the end of workshop and they are giving us a certificate that we participated in this workshop.
Is it the same tree workshop?
We went to a very nice workshop to learn how to do pruning. This was a very nice workshop. First they gave us the theory, how the tree is a live being and you should not hurt the tree, how trees are important in this world. Then they taught us how to prune. At the end they gave us a certificate. It was at the university but as members of Casa Latina we didn’t have to pay.