America Is My Home: A Guatemalan Emigrant's Story

America Is My Home: A Guatemalan Emigrant's StoryGrowing up in Guatemala, Sonia Noelia Mendoza suffered many hardships. Her mother loved her dearly but was worn down by a hard life. After suffering from severe emotional distress, she passed away, and young Sonia was devastated. Her father was very strict and demanding, and Sonia struggled to take care of her younger siblings. When she was old enough, she moved to the city to try to provide for her family, but it did not work out as she had

Growing up in Guatemala, Sonia Noelia Mendoza suffered many hardships. Her mother loved her dearly but was worn down by a hard life. After suffering from severe emotional distress, she passed away, and young Sonia was devastated. Her father was very strict and demanding, and Sonia struggled to take care of her younger siblings. When she was old enough, she moved to the city to try to provide for her family, but it did not work out as she had envisioned. She had to stay in cramped quarters with various friends and relatives, and she was bounced from bad job to bad job. After several failed attempts at romance, she meets a young Japanese businessman. She does not immediately love him but believes she can learn to and that life with him will better her circumstances. When she becomes pregnant, however, the young man is clear that he does not wish to have children in his life. Many years of hard work, saving, and sacrificing follow as Sonia struggles to raise her young daughter. Finally, she is able to go to the United States. She settles in San Francisco, but she soon discovers that life for an immigrant is not easy in America, either. She must continue to work demanding jobs and worries about her ability to support her daughter. Finally, after years of hardship and bouts of depression, she is able to find light and happiness in her life. Ms. Mendoza becomes a U.S. citizen and is proud of all she and her family have accomplished.

About the Author

Sonia Noelia Mendoza currently resides in Daly City, California. She is the proud mother of one daughter and grandmother of three. She wrote her story to instill the value of faith and perseverance in young people.