In the Land of God and Man

Silvana Paternostro’s “In the Land of God and Man” had an interesting approach of writing. She wrote the book in a storytelling format which made it easier for me to read and she also captured my interests about the topics that she discussed. The topic Paternostro was talking about in her book was about women’s sexuality in Latin and Latino America. Various people she interviewed in order to write were women from different types of backgrounds, factories, brothels, and boardrooms. She also wrote about her own experiences in the book. My favorite chapters from the book were chapter one: The Invitation and chapter four: A Love Story. Chapter one discussed about her life in Colombia and she also mentioned that she attended a private school where they were taught to be “proper ladies” in society. It was drilled in their head that were to stay virgins until they got married because if they had sex before that they would be looked at as whores or “easy.” I find it to be a double standard that women are to remain virgins or else they would be looked down upon. Whereas, men were allowed to do anything they wanted including have sex with other men then go back home to their wives. I loved Paternostro’s style of writing which drawn different types of emotions.

Enrique's Journey

The story of Enrique’s Journey really opened up my eyes to the world around me. Having never heard any stories of this nature from anyone in the Latin community, all I know in regards to the immigration process was what I saw on TV. Television often portrays illegal immigrants from Latin American countries as uneducated and violent criminals that come to the United States in search for basic necessities. It never however looks at the children of immigrant works that are left behind as a result of the journey that their parents make. It also does not show the kind of hardships that Latin American immigrants face while having to deal with the immigration process. Not just the customs and police inceptions at the border, but also the long journey from their small villages in rural Latin America to the United States border.

Anyone who is interested in the top should take a look at the movie “ Which Way Home”. It is a great documentary film that gives great insight into the issue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFPqHzfX-70

Felipe's Jouney

As another MayDay demonstration has been completed, I came across some food for thought, and it's still kind of lodged in my throat - so call me Adam, I guess. First and foremost, I am absolutely FOR immigrant rights - let's make that crystal clear. Just because most of my father's side of the family was able to gain their citizenship papers or resident status decades ago when it was so simple, does not mean I wish to see anyone denied the same blessing they were afforded. In wake of all the blatantly racist actions and propositions against illegal immigrants around the nation, I applaud Mexican President Felipe Calderon for his comments blasting such proposals as SB1070 in Arizona. However, I applaud him sitting down. I would stand and applaud him if he also demanded human rights to those immigrants brutalized while crossing into Mexico and through Mexico. Countless horror stories throughout the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca are often looked over by Mexican officials. On the other hand, the slightest violation against a Mexican immigrant on US soil is highly combustible fuel for them. Enrique's Journey by Sonia Nazario has gained well-deserved fame and accolades for its description of a young man's journey from Central America through Mexico. The book describes wonderfully several bloody events at the hands of rural police, the Mexican migra and gangs. In reading this book, it is clear that the brutality, sad to say, is ten-fold for a Central American trying to cross through Mexico - yet, Calderon has not made a public stand since he has taken office years ago. As the conclusion of his term draws near, only he knows how he will exit in regards to such issues. I love a comfortable seat as much as the next person, but I would gladly get out of it to stand and applaud Felipe if he was to ever undertake this particular journey.

Maid in L.A.

Unfortunately the situation many undocumented and immigrant women find themselves in positions of live-in nannies or house keepers are not unfamiliar to me. I am and have been aware of the deplorable work conditions, extreme isolation, violence or abuse, inadequate compensation and extended work hours through personal and academic readings such as Barbara Ehrenreich book Nickel & Dimed. In addition, you see these types of situations occurring in film (for those who truly deconstruct the messages in films and movies) such as Precious (the young Jamaican girl who cleaned for a woman's house and was being laughed at by her peers because the woman rings a bell to summon her and gets paid little to no money for long, hard hours worked) and the Nanny Diaries (even though Scarlett has options available to her, you can see the hierarchy and demands made from the heads of house holds onto their live-in nannies). I must admit until I read Piennette Hondagneu-Sotelo's article, Maid in L.A. I held the belief many Americans do of immigrant domestic workers as those who are less fortunate, uneducated and from rural areas or as Maribel Centeno states, "the same as any other girl from the countryside (31)." I think this attitude stems from the belief if someone is educated, smart and culturized they would not accept or seek employment in such labor intensive and unrealistic in demand types of jobs. But after reading the article and analyzing its content, the legal status of these women leave them vulnerable to having to accept these types of jobs because they have no other recourse available.

I also view domestic work as equivalent to slavery. Employers and agencies are very well aware of the naivete of these women who are seeking employment in these fields. They are intentionally underpaying these women, isolating them from contact with anyone outside the home to limit access to knowledge and information on their living conditions and/or holding their illegal status as leverage to further take advantage of the situation. Case in point of Maribel Centeno who was hired (in the article) to be paid $80 a week to clean a twenty-three room house, Margarita Gutierrez who slept in the corner of the three-year-old child in her care and Gladys Villed who recalled at one of her live-in jobs, the senora had graciously told her to help herself to food to eat yet there was nothing in the refrigerators (33)"

I do find the racial preferences and prejudices from both the employer and domestic workers quite odd and stereotyped. Naturally all stereotypes formulate from some sort of truth but cannot be applied across the board. I find the assumption/stereotype of employers stating, "They viewed Latina domestic workers was responsible, trustworthy, and reliable employees who have a "really strong work ethic"(57)." Or those of workers as, "Anyone marked as "nonwhite," it seems, is at risk of being denounced as a cheap, abusive, and oppressive employer, one to be avoided at all costs (58)."

I see systematic red tape and double standards as means to perpetuate and take advantage of immigrant women doing these types of jobs. I don't know what can be done to stop this as heads of households are looking for cheap labor and illegal immigrants allow as such. I really feel for these young women, it is such an sad and troubling practice still common today.


http://academic.udayton.edu/race/02rights/immigr08.htm

Enrique’s Journey

"Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario was an interesting book that made it hard for me to put it down. The book was very emotional because it discussed the topic of a mother who left her children back at home in Honduras in order to travel to the United States to find a job and continue supporting her children back at home. The little boy Enrique is determined to find his mother in the United States and in order to do that he needs to travel from Honduras to Mexico and then cross the border over to the United States. Through the entire trip, Enrique had to run into thugs, corrupt police, bandits and he even endured a few beatings. His courage and bravery through all the torment he had to face is an inspiring story for people to read. I could not believe on how young he was when he started his journey, in the book it also mentioned on how there were others that were no more then four years old and traveling to find their mothers.

When I was watching the Oscars one of the nominations for best documentaries was similar to what Enrique and the others had to go through. The documentary “Which Way Home” directed by Rebecca Cammisa, follows child migrants through Mexico on their route to the United States by a freight train that they call “The Beast.” I think if people liked the book “Enrique’s Journey” they should also check out this documentary which is similar about young children finding their mothers.

The Absurdity of Ignorance

It is quite unbelievable to me the strong hold that religion often has on people and the way this hold will often blind and mislead people. "In the Land of God and Man," by Silvana Paternostro shines light on the way religion has mislead people's perception of sex and sexuality, in Latin America.
Instead of educating people on sex and sexually transmitted diseases especially HIV and AIDS, the church has imposed their religious ideologies and made people believe that these things only happen to whores and gays. It is through the enforcement of ignorance that so many people continue to be infected, many of which are women who have followed the rules of the church.
Proper sex education goes a long way. The thing that is so mind boggling to me is that inadequate sex education does not only happen in Latin America, it happens right here in the United States. By only teaching teenagers that abstinence is the ultimate contraceptive, many young adults are left victims to unwanted pregnancy and STD's,
We need to acknowledge that teenagers are engaging in sex whether we like or not and it is our job to ensure that they are properly educated. If we do not provide proper information we are ensuring a vicious cycle of ignorance.

Enrique's Journey

It took me a little longer than expected to finish reading Enrique’s Journey. It is a tragic story. I never really knew about the drastic sacrifices that immigrants must face, fight and defeat for the greater good of their children and families lives.

I cannot even begin to imagine how it must feel for the mothers who leave their children and families behind because in their minds, it is the only way to give them a chance for a better life. On the flipside, the mere thought of what the children of Mexico must undergo to simply be with the mothers who had left them breaks my heart in more ways than one.

Sonia Nazario did an extraordinary job in telling the true story of the detailed experiences and hardships that Enrique encountered during his quest for his mother, Lourdes. It is obvious the great lengths Nazario went through that led her through a journey to accumulate the necessary information to write this book.

As depressing as it was to learn, reading Enrique’s Journey helped me to better understand why mothers would leave their children behind and move to the United States to work. I never realized the extent that parents go through just to be able to provide for their children until I had my daughter. This story makes me think about the kind woman who cleans my mother’s house. It makes me wonder about her life. Does she have children? Do they live with her? Are they in the care of other family members? Or, are they in desperate search of their mother?