Episode 24:Currency Changes That Leave You with Nothing

On today's episode I had the great pleasure of having Annabel Garcia Torres.  She is the creator and host of Latinx On The Rise and owner of On The Rise Media. She is my inspiration as a Latina creator and I had such an amazing time listening to her outside of her natural element. 

Her madre's story begins in La Joya, Durango MX. Her journey continued on to Chicago where she worked various jobs from factory work to retail and ultimately owning her own store for quinceanera products. We discuss the distorted view of American saying immigrants steal jobs. The choices in jobs that immigrants are stealing can't definitely not be the same ones they are fighting for. She tells me an incredible story about the day her dad retired. The unknown resentment that sometimes comes with our parents field of work is usually never discussed. It not until we are faced with it that we truly see what our parents went through. 

We dive into our individual stories on going to college. How our parents reacted to each scenario. We also discuss the growth that we saw in our parents as we pushed the boundaries of moving out to go to college. How did your parents react to you going away to college?

On today's episode I have the great pleasure of having Valeria Aloe as a guest. She is the author of Uncolonized Latinas: Transforming Our Mindsets And Rising Together.  Her journey begins in General Belgrano,  Argentina. In this episode she discusses the journey of her immigration to the United States. Our conversation was so uplifting and full of promise for us all. She gives many nuggets of wisdom and her positive outlook in her journey is quite remarkable. 

As she tells me her journey we cover  holding on to our Latinidad  in setting that are different from what we are use to. We discuss our safe spaces that remind us of home. For example, my safe space in Colorado was a Latino market down the street. from my apartment. I went there when I wanted to hear our language, our music, and smell the spices. Have you been in a different setting and yearned for your normal? Where was your special Latina safe space. 

We both agree that the responsibility of being bilingual is hard work! We discuss our separate exhausting  experiences being bilingual. Our brains are impressive but being a bilingual brain is incredibly impressive. Our conversation leads to to the expectations of being bilingual and the role it plays in our lives.


Valeria Aloe's book came out last week, January 12th and is now available on Amazon!!! Check it out. You can also follow Valeria Aloe @valeriaaloe_author

On today's episode I had the great pleasure of speaking with Andrea Zeydelis she is the creator of Better Together and the creator of @officialpoderosa Instagram page.  She is an amazing human who was so vibrant in her storytelling. Her hype is also so incredible!

Her madre is from Guadalajara, Mexico. As the oldest daughter of 12 she started working at a very early age. She picked up the craft of hairstyling which allowed for her family to live a comfortable life. Her contentious relationship with her father built her to know she wanted something different for herself. That life was found in a young Italian man that was studying in Guadalajara at the time. 

I discuss how her story reminds me of Sandra Cisneros' short story Never Marry a Mexican. The conflict in the identity behind being a Mexican is always so unfortunate. Not only by other cultures but between us Mexicans as well. If you haven't had the opportunity to read that short story I advise you to do so as soon as possible. It captures an identity crisis that many of us Latina's face routinely. I will always praise this work by Cisneros.

In speaking of the identify crisis we face, Zeydelis confirms hers. She reflects on being from Long Island being half Mexican and half Italian. Where the population is mostly Italian and Irish, she was not Irish or considered fully Italian. So the struggle for her was even deeper than most of us usually face. Despite it all she thrived and recognized a valuable life lesson. 

Throughout our discussion we ultimately unearth that nobody wants to eat a bland salad. Instead what makes a salad extraordinary is the array of items it contains. Listen and find out what this is all about. 

On today's episode I have the other half of Otra X Favor podcast, David Hernandez. A fellow Salvi and Austinite. Finding out our families were in such close proximity both in El Salvador and in the states was unbelievable to me.

His madre is from Sonsonate, El Salvador even from the same Colonia de Santa Marta like mine! Her journey to come to the United States stemmed from the journey that her own mother began. From one luchadora to the next their consejos will always be able to live on because we all saw it with our own eyes. The guerrera mindset that these women encompass is unmatched. 

Through the work of a wonderful local organization Casa Marianella, that provides shelter and help to immigrants here in Austin, they were able to jump start their life. It was wonderful getting to hear the story of the help that this organization has provided first hand. This story is a special story because it depicts how one person can create a safe haven for immigrants that eventually changes a life. If given the chance of a new life, we as children to immigrant parents, have seen the value that it will bring to this country.

We discussed the things we missed out on since both of our parents didn't drive. The isolation that sometimes it came with when we couldn't do the things our other friends were doing. Having to say no I cannot go to that, not because we didn't get permission ,but because we didn't have the means of transportation. When we were already feeling the isolation because we were different the added obstacles were an added struggle.

I wish that if you are listening to this episode and feel inclined please donate to Casa Marianella here.  Casa Marianella welcomes displaced immigrants and promotes self-sufficiency by providing shelter and support services such as ESL classes, legal help and more.Their  ultimate vision is that all immigrants arriving in Austin will have safe housing and access to the services they need to be successful.

Feliz Navidad!

On today's episode I have Ricardo Contreras Plaza, co-host of Otra Por Favor Podcast. Podcast of two Latino hombres speaking on various topics  and living life in Austin, TX.
Ricardo's madre is originally from Mexico City. She was mesmerized by the Eagles  and her life in the United States. And just like that one day she was Already Gone. Ricardo tells us the story of her mother leaving one night.  That is when their journey to the United States as a family began.
Their journey to the United States happened twice. As they were living life in California something unexpected happened. Their life in Mexico after getting a taste of the United States still had a hold on his mother. And just like that she was gone again. The second journey left Ricardo poniendose las pilas and truly recognizing his parents sacrifices. Ricardo's story is one with plenty of scary situations.
We discuss the feelings of anger we faced during the last administration's era. As a DACA recipient, Ricardo discusses his feelings about education and the value he sees in it.

Follow them on Instagram at OtraxFavor and check their website.

On today's episode I have my first Hijo de tu Madre. My very dear friend and someone I truly look up to, Flaco Fernandez. In my time in Colorado I met some great people and he was one of them. He served as my brother while I was away from mine. Like many other's he did not steal anyone's job he sacrificed everything for what he has.
From Durango, MX he tells us his story of coming to the United States and what that was like as a young adult. Stepping into a new life away from a close knit family.
He had to encounter a racist comment when he do not have the vocabulary to defend himself in English. How so many have to walk away from those situations and the long lasting effects of those words.
I think a lot of us have those ready words for those that might someday say, " you're in the United States you need to speak English." Flaco and I both live through knowing what that must feel like for our parents that are Spanish-only. I think for most of us in this situation those words are the cause of so much resentment for America.  The blood boils within us thinking about it even.
Being a child to immigrants will always come with honor, but it also comes with guilt. We discuss what that is like for us.
Flaco not only went to school and worked till 2am. He also started off as an assembler and is now a production supervisor. He didnt stop there, he is now the owner of his own ice cream shop Yummy Rolls. A ice cream shop located in Colorado that thrived during the pandemic. He is now looking for a second location. Follow or visit his shop Yummy Rolls on Insta and Yummy Rolls on Facebook.
I am beginning to dislike calling it the American Dream.  Lin-Manuel Miranda says it best, Immigrants Get The Job Done. 

On today's episode I interview my very own madre in the flesh! This is a Spanish Only episode so if you are Spanish challenged you will not be able to tune in. In this episode I speak to my mom about us and our relationship. I discuss my hiatus and my struggles with the podcast after the Delta spike. 
 This conversation discusses the struggles that I went through as a first generation Latina myself. The constant battle with our immigrant parents to explain our choices. The rhetoric, that I think most of us have to hear, implying that we do not think their jobs are worthy because we try to advance. I think as a 1st generation Latina I struggled with that the most. Having to fight that battle against their struggles and implying that I didn't have my own. 
I also uncovered what was really the issue as to why she didn't want me to go to school.  Then, ultimately get to hear what I think we all sometimes are never told. 
The journey of my mother's story doesn't end at her crossing the Rio Grande. It continues through the raising of three kids as a single mother. It also continues through her hard work in the service industry. It mainly continues with me, her hija de mi madre. We are all a beautiful depiction of the product of immigration. We are bold, strong, and resilient.  I am proud of you.

On today's episode I have Lizeth Cuyan who is the co-host to Modern Day Mujeres. A podcast from DFW. These ladies discuss lifestyle, relationships, and many more topics that need to be discussed  within our community. Check them out!

Lizeth's madre's story begins in Durango, MX. At 2 years old she set out to make the journey with her mom. If you know two year olds you know they are not the ideal traveling partners. Especially in a journey in which you need to move quietly and virtually unseen. She speaks about this journey and the obstacles they had to overcome to reach her father on the other side. We are seeing more and more stories of unaccompanied minors. The decision of wether to bring your child or leave them behind is the hardest decision one can make as a parent. There is no right or wrong answer in a life of survival.

Sometimes the toughest part of our journeys is realizing that our parents cannot go back to see their loved ones when hardships take a toll. It is even harder realizing that you yourself cannot make the same trips as your peers because you cannot leave the country. Liz discusses when she learned about being unable to take a trip outside of the United States. It came with so many more questions as it did answers.

Did you listen to Rock en Espanol growing up? How did it make you feel? Liz and I discussed what this particular music meant to us. What stage in our lives we were in when we started screaming "Beaner" by Molotov. Was that just me or are you normal? Listen to Liz's playlist and also check out a the docu-series she recommends about Rock en Espanol called Break It All: The History. 

I hope you enjoy this episode. It was full of painful memories and tears. Through it all we agreed that we are thankful we had the power to identify our pain to create it into strength.

On today's episode I have Bessy Martinez. She is the Latina behind Austin Latina Bloggers. Her madre's story comes to us from El Salvador. Her story is part of a collective book of refugees stories. In this episode we have a detailed account of her mother's experience during this trying time in El Salvador. Her story as a refugee and how the church constructed an organized Underground Railroad for these individuals.

The things that her mother saw made her fight for the injustices in El Salvador. She continued her work in the United Stated by speaking out against these tragedies. Bessy and I discuss her feelings of being a refugee child and some of the struggles she had to overcome. Living in South Texas came with being surrounded by other Latinos, but it also came with hiding who she really was. The nothing of, "why them and not me" was something she had to deal with as her story was being told in newspapers and tv news reports.

Our community is yearning for our stories to be told. We crave to share our beautiful culture and bring light to its intricate story here in the United States. Even though Bessy and my story are both vastly different we still understand that our mother's sacrifices amount to so much. They amount to way more than we can be thankful for, but we are striving to make something out of their teachings.

Follow Bessy Martinez @austinlatinabloggers on Instagram.

The book we mentioned is called Sanctuary: The New Underground Railroad. It can be purchased on Amazon here.

The YouTube video called Sanctuary Movement-Freeman Reports: Stacy Merkt can be seen here. 

On today's episode I speak with Christie Lazo from Vida with Christie Podcast. Her madre's story comes from Lima, Peru. As the political climate was changing in Peru her parent's started seeing drastic changes. They had lucrative jobs but even they became subjects to the political issues. Their lives took them to Canada! I have often wondered how people get up there and I got a chance to discover that on this episode.

Most often immigration comes with the sacrifice of leaving everything behind. What sometimes we miss to understand are those stories of ones that leave a life full of promise. A life that they thought would allow for comfort, politics destructs. As political issues arose their futures did not look the same. As they made the decision to leave and immigrate to another country they truly lose everything. Their university degrees counted for nothing.

Christie explains how Canada, interestingly enough, was more accepting of her than her own people in Peru. We also dive into indigenous roots and colorism.  I share what I think my indigenous feature is and how I feel about it. Do you have indigenous features? If so, do you embrace them or would you rather change them?

I hope that this episode brings light to really realizing the importance of hearing your parent's stories. Life is too short to uncover this when they are no longer with us. The beauty of Christie's mom's life will always live within her. Knowing her story will allow for her strength to live on. 


Follow Christie @vidawithchristie on Instagram and listen to her podcast anywhere you listen to podcast.