Timeline by Shinshin Wang

Immigration process: 2006 Day 1 (14 years old)

shinshinwang1_1 — 2024-10-29 16:55:32 UTC

They stayed in Guatemala for a day before heading to Mexico by a van

The smugglers on their heads so that la Migra (authorities) didn’t see them
Afterwards, they walked across the Mexico desert for days
There were 20 people at first but many got lost or too weak to continue the harsh journey

She and her father stayed in Guatemala for a day and then took a van to travel to Mexico, which was closer to the US border. During this process they needed to travel with 20 other immigrants who also wanted to immigrate to the US. They would pile on top of a truck and coyotes (the name of the smugglers) would conceal their identities using cardboard sheets so the authorities wouldn’t pull them over.

Immigration process: 2006 Day 2

shinshinwang1_1 — 2024-10-29 16:56:23 UTC

During this period of the journey, she became very weak due to the circumstances of the traveling, her father needed to pay the coyotes to give her an energy pill to continue their journey.

Immigration process: 2006 Day 3

elsali2 — 2024-10-29 16:56:29 UTC

They then rode a van from Texas to northern California, where they hid in a hideout located under some floorboards for a long period of time, preventing them from getting caught by the US authorities.

Immigration process: 2006 Day 4

shinshinwang1_1 — 2024-10-29 16:57:12 UTC

They were able to arrive in Hayward, California with the help of Coyotes by evading the authorities. This was where her father had lived (before he smuggled her over the border). Once arriving at the destination she was blown away by all of the luxurious items as she had been living in a very underdeveloped area.

2006-2010 After arriving

shinshinwang1_1 — 2024-10-29 16:57:34 UTC

She wasn’t able to go to school because she had to work and find a source of income, thus she got fake papers saying she was 21 although she was actually 14
Her job was doing laundry and she had two shifts a day
After her father realized she was sending money to her mother he got angry and started to hit her, this caused her to run away from home to a friend who lived in San Francisco.
Later on, she was put in a foster care home but her foster mother treated her very poorly and offered nothing for her to eat while making her clean the floors
She was enrolled in a summer school program
With the $600 her foster mother gets for taking care of her, her foster mother only bought her clothes from garage sales while she bought fancy items for own daughter
The social worker never asked her how she was doing with her foster mother, thus she was all alone and had no one to support her

2010 (18 year old)

shinshinwang1_1 — 2024-10-29 16:58:41 UTC

When she was 18 she moved to San Francisco to seek higher education. As an immigrant it was very difficult for her to access housing and catch up to the education system. Eventually she was able to find a job at Safeway where she worked full time while taking outside classes. This was a big challenge for her since she was also living in poor conditions. Through her hard work, she was able to graduate with a degree in liberal studies and criminal justice. She also helps other young immigrants in the homeless youth center by supporting them so that they don't have to face the hardships she went through.

Challenges:

Some challenges she had while living in the US:
- Learning a new language (english)
- Experiencing abuse in the foster care system
- Working multiple jobs while maintaining her education by taking classes

2010-Currently

karenzhao1_1 — 2024-10-29 16:59:29 UTC

She now shares her story with others, telling them that “ the story doesn’t end once migrants cross the border.”
She has accomplished her dream which is to become a social worker and improve the foster system so other children in the US don’t have to go through the experiences that she did.
Also started writing a book about her immigration journey

Push Factors

shinshinwang1_1 — 2024-10-29 16:59:51 UTC

Social factors:

Back in her homeland, she experienced physical and sexual abuse as well as labour at a young age. Her father left the rest of the family when she was five, leaving her to live in the poorest condition. Unfortunately, her new step father was abusive, alcoholic and performed sexually assaulting actions to her.

Economic Factors:

In addition to the toxic social environment she also experienced extreme poverty with her family. This took away many educational and career opportunities which would be extremely beneficial for a growing child (a proper education).

Pull Factors

shinshinwang1_1 — 2024-10-29 17:00:21 UTC

Education:

She moved to San Francisco in order to finish her education, and work full time. The better economy in the US gave her more opportunities to pursue higher education and also opened more economic opportunities for her. These new opportunities would prevent her from returning to the laborious jobs she needed to complete as a child (with no pay).

After her move to the US she was able to enroll in City College to complete her education and got a stable job as a cashier at Costco.

Social:

By moving away from her toxic family setting in Guatemala she would escape all of the sexual abuse and labour which she had to endure. The distance separating the two locations would also act as a barrier, separating her away from her dark family history and abusive family members.

1992-2006

shinshinwang1_1 — 2024-10-29 17:04:01 UTC

Her father left when she was 5
Her mother remarried to Faustino who was abusive and alcoholic
They were very poor and she was made to do laborious tasks (take care of children, laundry and became a servant)
Her mother never believed her struggles and challenges
She was forced to leave the city to work under Faustino's relatives as a servant (no pay)