I remember when I was driving the 240 bus route about a year ago and I would ride through these Mexican neighborhoods and wonder what it would be like to live among them, and learn from then what it was like to move here to the United States, preferably California, and totally start over. Why they moved, how they moved, and what they found once they got here.
What it was like to leave behind everything that they knew, and so often leave key members of their families behind in Mexico. Now, I am living in a predominantly Mexican neighborhood and I am a bit fearful. Not that I am afraid to live here, just a little anxious about trying to document their lives.
I don't know where to start. I had forgotten about this idea all together, but I find myself right where I was wanting to be, and I feel that now I have to do something about it. I moved into a building that is behind a front house that consists of three apartments. Two of those apartments are studios and the other is a one bedroom. They are nice looking apartments with wood laminate floors and full kitchens.
Upon moving here I found a Mexican couple with three boys all living in the smallest of the two studios. One of the boys is about 16 years old, and the other two are about 11 and 9. I have noticed that Mexicans do for whatever the reason is. They don't live beyond their means as we Americans do, atleast it doesn't appear that they do.
We may think that how in the world can they live on top of each other that way, but they have to live, which means they have to have a roof over their heads, and the studio maybe all that they can afford, so that is what they do. I also noticed that the mother is pregnant, and is possibly a stay at home mom. Today was the first day that the van was gone all day and it was pretty quiet around here.
I really don't know how to approach this project without making it look like a project and not making them feel like a project, my project.
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