HOW MIGRATION CHANGES MY FAMILY ‘S FUTURE

 

Novermber, 18th 2021

Have you ever wondered about your origin, before your biological conception? Have you ever looked for the past of your family? When I wanted to answer these questions, I had to turn to someone very wise, and with a lot of experience as well. I am talking about my grandfather, who told me a very interesting story, which practically changed my family’s course, and now I want to tell you about it.

The story I’m about to tell you is about how migration from a rural area to an urban one has changed the course of future generations in mi family, starting with mine. So, either you are thinking of moving from one area to another, either you are interested in understand this phenomenon in a sociological way, or either you’re simply interested in the experience of an external family, this blog surely can help you.

So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Previous Context. Intertemporal Dangers.

It was the early 80s, when I was just a kid and my entire family, virtually impoverished, was working in a farm, making as much money as possible. It was hard, specially for my parents, who were young and new to being so: parents. A few years ago, my family had already thought about migration to the city, but, at the time, Marxist guerrilla Alfaro Vive Carajo didn’t make it easy.

Mi family, as if there weren’t enough, had seen a drastically drop in the sales of agricultural products due to smuggling of these products from other neighboring countries. The political context was huge convulsed nationwide, which increased the expected risk when migrating to the city; the nearest one was the capital city: Quito.

Rise of the Impulse and the Recovering of the Future.

There were, basically, two possible options to be chosen: in the first one, we have a surely decadence; on the other hand, a likely path to success, of course which would require much more effort than the first one.

One night, my grandfather talked with my mother, and they concluded that take a risk is better than never having attempted and, in second place, that, if they wouldn’t have had the courage to take such risk, the next generation would have to. There appeared clear that, sooner or later, a change was going to be necessary for a general improvement not only for they, but for the future generations. The decision was taken: mi family would migrate to the city.

Adaptation and Change Process. Importance of Effort, Work and Courage.

The only place we could find in city was a really shanty one. There were more people like us, migrants, and some other who haven’t been treated so well by the industry.

According to what mi grandfather told me, socio-cultural changes were not minor. The dress code was very different; also the code (in the sense of semantic category) was quite different. This made us feel somewhat uncomfortable when talking to people. We didn't have so much electronic devices and we didn't know locations neither. It took time for my family to get used to the food in the city, which for a while was a cause of great concern for my parents, as they had to take good care of my food.

My father and sometimes my grandfather were in charge of going out to work. My grandfather told me that, fortunately, he found a small, family-owned company where he was treated very well and was given a good position as a janitor. With my father it was different: he was constantly going in and out of different jobs, which was considered a sign of "instability". Many times he had more than one job, which was very tiring for him.

The economy in general affected businesses, industry, and therefore workers, a group that included my parents. Anyway, this already affected the countryside when we lived in rural areas, so, at least as far as money management was concerned, we were already, more or less, "used to it".

Even with all the changes that affected us, there were benefits that we learned to take advantage of. There were public hospitals, public schools and transportation that, while we couldn't always afford to pay, got my family out of arrears. Because of the economic and political context of the country, the services were not the best in the world, but for basic things they were very useful.

My family thought several times about moving back to our old house. But no, we knew that it was a necessary effort and that, as it turned out, everything was going to change.

Consequences. Benefits for the Future and a Brief Conclusion.

A couple of years later, my family managed to buy an apartment. It is not very big, but enough to live and study. My father, thanks to savings, today has a small car where he provides transportation services, and can maintain our (not at all luxurious) way of life. I have the privilege of being able to study close to my home, with good friends and teachers who do their best to teach me.

It's amazing to think how a single situation can change the course of an entire life, isn't it? If my family had never done this, I would never be the person I am today and, most likely, I would never have the benefits I have today. When I look back on this story, I question whether I could have had the same courage to make such a decision. I guess, children give a lot of value to their protectors, and that is certainly something we have to be thankful for. Remember that!

Alexander Chávez