Kevin talks about the struggles he faced living without his parents.
He talks about the horrible experience living in the U.S with his parents, and how his life changed. Kevin tells us the ups and downs of his childhood and how they effected him emotionally.
Transcript:
Esther Merida: How was your childhood like in Guatemala?
Kevin Merida: Uh, My childhood in Guatemala was really fun. I got to experience living life without technology, so we were always outside playing soccer. I got home from school around, what? 1 pm and after that we’d just be outside the whole day until… until 10 pm I’d go home. I am always on the streets, and being on the streets, well mostly because my grandma was always working, grandpa was always working, my uncles were always outside. And I didn’t grow up with my parents. My parents were here in the USA so I got to do whatever I wanted. I was in the streets anytime I wanted, could do whatever I want, and there was a time where the people from the streets, you could say… you could say rebels or thieves, they would come to us and they would use us to rob buses.
EM: Fr?
KM: Yeah. I was one of the people- I was one of the kids that went inside the bus, and I would grab the money while they were with the weapon.
EM: That’s crazy.
KM: Yeah, and. They gave me alcohol when I was like six years old. I would drink, even started smoking- I smoked my first blunt when I was six years old.
EM: Damn what the hell.
KM:Yeah it was me and Kenneth, Kenneth was my best friend. We grew up together, we’d do everything together. We would go to different neighborhoods. We would get beat up a lot, we would get beat up. And then one time, we started fighting with these random kids from the neighborhood, and I remember one time, it was me against this other kid from another neighborhood. Well you know in that hill we used to live in.
EM: Yeah.
KM: Yeah?
EM: Mhm.
KM: There was always a- some hole because the street would always break into like an underground hole. So I remember I was fighting with this kid and I threw him in the hole.
EM: Damn.
KM: And he hit his head on one of the rocks and started bleeding out. Had to take him out of there, I thought I killed him. But nah, he, I think, I think he survived, I’m not sure I don’t remember. And what else? Um. education, going to school was super fun. Ther- we wouldn’t really learn anything, we would just sit down and start socializing all day. Teachers would just sit down, they would teach us for like an hour but then after that we’d just do whatever we wanted. And then we could go outside, play. Play around at whatever time. It was a really nice experiences, yeah.
EM: How- you said how that your parents- that you grew up away from your parents. They were living in the U.S. How did it feel like to be away from them?
KM; Uh, well I wasn’t really aware of having parents. I think my parents for me were my grandparents. So I didn’t feel anything [inaudible] I think, well mom and dad say that they would call me, but I don’t remember, I don’t remember anything. I think dad said that he came for one of my birthdays but I don’t remember.
EM: Damn.
KM: Yeah, so it felt like nothing.
EM: So like when you came here, how did it feel to meet them and, and cause like you know, Wendy, our sister, she was already here, and you had never met her. How did it feel like? Like were you happy or were you, like, awkward around them?
KM: I think, so the first time that mom, and I think it was just mom and Wendy. They went to Guatemala and I met them for the first time. It was.. I didn’t feel anything. No love, no nothing, just uh you know. My grandma was like, my grandma told me that’s your mom and I was like oh that’s whatever. I didn’t feel anything. And then Wendy, she was like a little friend to me… you know like someone you just met, a friend. So it was, it was. I would say it was weird, it was just like meeting some new person. That’s it.
EM: And- And when you came here and you started living with them. Was it like different? Did you feel like out of place?
KM: Damn. I think [sigh] coming here was a horrible experience bro. I mean first of cause when… my grandparents and my whole family took me to the airport in Guatemala. I was crying like crazy. Cause they were separating me from my grandma cause she was my mom, you know. So it felt like my mom died to me because they took her away from me, they took me away. So there was a point where I was crying and no more tears came out. It was just pure I think, even like a little bit of blood. Cause that’s how hard I was crying. And then uh, when I got here it was dad, the one who came to pick me up cause mom was still in Guatemala. I remember when dad asked me “what you wanna eat?” And I told him I wanna try McDonald’s for the first time, so I was 11 years old when I tried McDonald’s for the first time. And… living here getting used to the American way, it was horrible. I was used to being in the streets so much and when I got here I was just in the house, you know. Dad was never home, dad was always working, so to me it was a really bad experience mostly because there was a point where I started hating mom, dad, the family cause I didn’t want to be here, you know I was like. Why am I here? I don’t belong here. [inaudible]
EM: So if… if you were to go back what would you relive?
KM: If I was to go back to my childhood. I mean there’s a lot of memories. But I think getting on a plane for the first time was one of the best experiences just-
EM: How so?
KM: Well because I, well just… feeling how the plane takes off, feeling the adrenaline and once your up there you can see everything from there. In a plane you can see all the- I mean not the people, but like the buildings are so small, you can see the ocean. And that’s when I wanted to become a pilot. I’m not a pilot but I wanted to become a pilot when I was a teenager. So yeah I think that’s the. I would relive that moment.
