“Ceri que aquí iba ser una mejor vida como todos pensamos todos los mexicanos pensamos.”

Matilde Vargas was 19 years old with her oldest son when they came to the United States and once she got to Los Angeles she spent most of her time at her grandmas house taking care of her child and making sure the house was well organized. Once she got a job to work with, she moved out and went to live with her now husband in their own rented house. Later on she had four more kids and out of all her kids she had a girl.

She explains what she wanted and why many Mexicans come to the United States to have a better lifestyle. She somewhat believes her goal of having a better lifestyle for her children is true. She also talks about how she faced the challenge of getting a job.

TRANSCRIPT:

Citlally Chacon-Vargas: ok then, tell me things about you? 

Matilde Vargas: oh well, my name is Matilde Vargas, I have 5 children, 4 men, and they join, one daughter, I am from Mexico, Jalisco my town is called San Jose de La Tinaja Zapotiltic right now I do not have potatoes I already died and I have a sister Aya in Mexico and a brother and here in Los Angeles I have another 2 brothers, and what else?

CC: How old were you when you came to the United States?

MV: when I came I was 19 years old, my penis with my first child, my oldest son is from Mexico and the rest are from here in Los Angeles

CC: With whom, was it no more Edgar who was with you?

[nodded head]

CC: How many days would it be from Mexico to the United States?

MV: How many days of a day to arrive. 

CC: OK umm, when you arrived it was the pier things that you are or like?

MV: Well, when she arrives, she arrives with my grandmother for her. I was the one who swallowed me there. I lived with her for about 6 years. I didn’t work or anything because my help and I helped her to clean and everything with that my pay what the rent or bought things to my son. 

CC: Ok, what year did we move to this house?

MV: Here we moved when my third son was one year old. 

CC: You don’t remember the year. 

MV: Well, 2003.

CC: Ummm it was your first job. 

MV: My first job was in a clothing company where they painted clothes, and after that, my faith was changing jobs, teaching other things and faith by rods, I was in several companies I work at others printing companies where the shirts prevailed there in that, in is to work hard like another 6 years and that’s how time went by. 

CC: When you were little as you want when you grow up?

MV: When, well, my illusion was like what I studied, that in Mexico I studied accounting, but then that I finished, I graduated but how [inaudible] I came here because I no longer go on, I knew that here it would be a better life as we all think all Mexicans think that one comes wants to be if there is a better one and everything but about your studies and that you can not do anything because you have to continue studying but since I already had my children because it was harder for me to continue that is how exercise my in what I graduated.

CC: When you were in high school what is that?

MV: What is your middle school. 

CC: What were your grades like?

 MV: I always had good grades, sometimes sometimes one was wrong, but thank God I always did my homework like that, and I always had good grades.

CC: And umm, like what subject you, for you I kiss you hardest of all?

MV: Ummm, well, all classes liked math, history umm, because in all of them, not all of them until now, I don’t feel that anything was difficult.