Enrique's Journey

In high school, I read the book "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario and went to hear her speak at the January Series. This book is about kids immigrating to the US from Central/South America. It's really dangerous. They ride on top of trains. They don't have access to much food or water. There are gangs and thieves. The trains were what really got me. I can't explain how it makes me feel. It's just heartbreaking. They can't sleep because they will fall off. They go through super cold areas and through areas so hot they can see the heat on the tops of the metal train cars. They have to run and jump onto the trains.

Yesterday, I was sitting on my porch with my host mom. A guy came up to our porch and asked for money... basically he was going door to door begging. He couldn't hear or speak very well, but he told us that he had tried to go to the US and had fallen off a train and his arm had been severely hurt. He still had his hand, but he couldn't do very much, I guess. He was probably in his late twenties or early thirties. But there are KIDS doing this too. Then my host mom told me about her niece who tried to get to the US, but had fallen off the train and lost her leg--mid-thigh and down. She had to come back to Honduras. She was 19.

I need to think on this more. I think I'll be doing one of my final essays on this topic. It's so interesting and heartbreaking and unbelievable. I just don't know what to do with it. Reading a book made me think, but I could put it out of my mind for the most part. But meeting people? They're real.