Dear Friend,

When people say that things come into your life at the correct time, I know believe that is true. Last November, Donald Trump was elected president, and I was scared beyond belief. I think in many ways this course helped me understand current events and how they have impact my personal life. Through the course of this class I have learned not only about myself but also how my personal story of migration relates to broader social patterns of migration that interconnect with other people’s stories.

The idea of chasing the American Dream is something I no longer believe in. The veil has been lifted. Because I now know how globalization and economic development displace people. I learned people are practically forced to migrate as a means of survival and not because of the often spoken ideas freedom and opportunity. While my outlook may seem bleak, that is not the case at all. I think my double consciousness allows me to look at the man behind the curtain, and no longer be deceived by dreams of a house with white picket fence. Beyond that, I can look at social problems with a new perspective.

But not everything in this class has been so serious. I think of the fun things I connected to is the concept that I did not even know had a word for it.  So the act of sending money back home, to one’s home country is known as remittances. My mother to this day sends remittances home to Michoacan. Every other Saturday my mom and I go to deposit money for our relatives in Mexico. I had never even considered that this simple act was actual concept of study. And what an impact it makes!

I think beyond this class I will take with me the memory of meeting Shura, a humanitarian, and wonderful human being that dedicates her life to providing medical aid and food to wanderers in the desert. That is unbelievable work. She is incredible.

If you want to learn more about migration, you might consider reading the following books, which we read as part of the course:

In & Out of Morocco - McMurray

Lives on the Line - Davidson

Voyages: From Tongan Villages to American Suburbs - Small

Crossing the Boulevard: Strangers, Neighbors - LEHRER

Best,

Argenis