Hey--That's my story, too!

I recently read an article in the Salt Lake Tribune about a man who is a natural citizen of the U.S. and his wife was an undocumented citizen. They have a daughter (who was born in the U.S.) and they applied to get his wife a spouse visa....she was denied and given a ban (like Enrique). The man is living in Salt Lake City and his wife and daughter have been stuck in Mexico for the past year.....oddly familiar.
Here is what I wrote (and emailed) to the author of that article:


Hello,
I recently read your article titled:
Immigration: Where love and law collide
and couldn't help but pause many times and say, "Hey! That's my story, too!" I am a female, born in the U.S. who has been living and working in Mexico City for the past two years because my husband was denied a visa and given a ten-year ban from reapplying for a visa. He was denied in 2007 before we were married. We have since married (in Mexico) and we now have a daughter (who was born in the United States). The only way for us to live as a family is to be in Mexico. The best job opportunities are in Mexico City (I am a teacher with a Masters of Education and an ESL certificate). My husband has no formal schooling and it is very difficult for him to find work in Mexico City. If he worked full0-time, he would make about 4,000 pesos per month (less than 400 USD). So, I am the bread-winner.

Before we were married, my then boyfriend was an undocumented citizen from Mexico who had been in the United States for about 9 years. We sought legal advice once we were engaged, bought a house, and were told to file for a finacee visa (they were being processed more quickly than spousal visas). My fianceee left Utah in December 2005 for Puebla, Mexico (since we had to file from his home country for our visa). His interviewed was granted and scheduled for Jan. 2007. He was denied his visa and given a 10-year ban for illegal presence in the U.S.

I was able to stay working in Utah as a teacher at a year-round school and was able to travel about every 3 months to visit my husband in Mexico. I became pregnant and stayed in Utah to have our baby girl (my husband was not allowed even a tourist visa to witness the birth of his daughter). He held her for the first time when she was 2 months old and we were able to travel down to visit him. When she was 6 months old, we moved our lives to Mexico City so we could actually live together (for the first time in our married lives). We have been in Mexico City for just over 2 years now. My daughter and I travel back to SLC every July to visit.

Thanks for doing stories that show how the issues surrounding immigration are layered and really affect many other people (than just undocumented citizens).
Thanks for reading this.
Sincerely,
Stephanie

Maybe one day somebody who has a say will read something like this and have a heart and push some legislation to help families like us out!

Gotta Remember

I've just gotta remember that this trial is for a reason. We may not be together in Utah, but at least we are here together. We are growing as a family and Enrique and I are growing as a couple. We are about to celebrate our third anniversary on Wednesday! Wow!
We've been thinking a lot lately about why we are here in Mexico. Why would we be going through this? We've decided there are many perks:
1--great for my career. I've had many opportunities to teach teachers, develop curriculum, and be a coordinator. I don't think I'd have any of these opportunities so early on in my career if we were in Utah right now.
2--great for Gabby's language development. By living here for the first years of her life, Gabby will be 100% bilingual. That will definitely be a plus and wouldn't happen if we were in Utah, because she wouldn't have the same Spanish.
3--private school for Gabby. Because I am lucky enough to have a great job and generous employers, we don't have to pay for Gabby's private school tuition each month. Great education equals great future.
4--close to the in-laws. Although this does have its drawbacks at times, it is great for us to be close to Enrique's family, since his mom is older and he is the baby of the family.
5--most of Mexico is beautiful!. Even though Mexico City is dirty, crowded, and dangerous, there are many parts of Mexico that are amazingly beautiful. We have been to Acapulco, Valle de Bravo, Itxapa....and there are many more places to visit while we're here±
6--great friends. We have made some fantastic friends and have a great support group here! Thank you everybody!
7--business ops. There are more opportunities for us here to open a business. Homework help in English, English school, restaurant, importations, writing teacher handbooks.

Just gotta keep it all in perspective. It's not how I expected, but it's alright. In the end, having taken this path will make our family stronger.

Ixtapa

We had a blast over Spring Break in Ixtapa! Our good friend George was able to come for a visit and it was fantastic!We left super early and drove to Ixtapa, spent a couple of hours trying to find a hotel (no reservations on the busiest weekend of the season???) but we eventually found a villa (Villas Ixze) and it was great! We went walking on the beach then went back and played in the pool.
The next morning we sat by the pool and had a great breakfast, packed up, and moved to our hotel on the beach (Hotel Fontan). It was beautiful! They had awesome pools and we totally chilled on the beach all day! In the evenings they had shows and we happened to be there for a Disney show. Gabby loved it!

There were great shops to walk by and window shop, and we also went to the marina and saw the most beautiful boats and yachts! One day I'll have one of those! On our last day as we were leaving, we stopped by a crocodile sanctuary. That was very cool.

It was awesome hitting up the beach and hanging out with George! Our next vacation is for Gabby and I in July in SLC!

Tragic

Another deadly weekend across Mexico. The Mexican drug cartel is killing people left and right. How refreshing for our family. This weekend an American consulate worker was killed in Juarez--one of the most dangerous cities in the world, and the location of the US Embassy where interviews for visas are conducted. Really? The US can't find a better place to conduct the interviews? And Enrique really can't get a visa yet? Can we please be allowed to leave and come back to Utah? Whose ass do I have to kiss to get him a visa? What do we have to agree to?
Even though we do not live on a border town, fortunately, it pretty much sucks here. I miss the suburbs. I miss my teaching job. I miss my family and friends. I miss Utah. I love my husband and father of my child, so I am forced to choose. And, here we are.
There is a march in SLC this weekend for immigration reform. If you can go, please do. If you can't please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Something has got to change to bring us home!
XOXO

Lately......

Oh....boy! Gabriella is just growing up! She has been singing "Happy Birthday to You" as of late, asking "Quien es" when you are talking on the phone and dying to say hi, she counts to 10 in Spanish and to about 5 in English. She will tell you great stories and explain how her day went. I cannot believe that she is speaking in phrases. It seriously blows my mind. She learns so much every day.......good job, Papi for spending so much quality time with her. What a blessing that we have had that opportunity. She is mostly potty trained and doing soooo well with that adventure as well!

I have been very busy with work. Still teaching full-time, coordinating for the English dept.,and giving professional classes in the city. I really like my job, the people I work with, and my students. It has been a great year so far. I am looking forward to the summer when I can spend all day with my hubby and baby girl!

Still missing my friends and family in Utah. I sure hope we can come back one day soon. Enrique dreadfully missed SLC and is anxious to go back, see friends and family, and work a 9-5 again.

We had a great New Year and Valentine's day. Looking forward to Spring Break and seeing my mom and Mr. J! Georgie G as we like to call him down here.

XoXoXoXo