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- Childhood Interrupted
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- Liz Jones
Every day, Purepecha parents make the choice to uproot their families and move thousands of miles north, in search of a better future. They risk their lives, take on years of debt, and give up their native Indian language and way of life. In exchange, they hope their children will thrive in a land of new opportunities. But is the trade–off worth it? We ask teens on both sides of the border.
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A look at the economic forces that push the Purepecha from home and pull them toward Seattle.
Unofficial Sister Cities
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Communities divided by the border discover new ways to stay connected.
A Hidden Community
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A look at how an indigenous Mexican migrants adapt to city life.
Village Away from Home: 5-Part Documentary
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This is a complete version of the 5-part series.
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Piece Description
Every day, Purepecha parents make the choice to uproot their families and move thousands of miles north, in search of a better future. They risk their lives, take on years of debt, and give up their native Indian language and way of life. In exchange, they hope their children will thrive in a land of new opportunities. But is the trade–off worth it? We ask teens on both sides of the border.
Broadcast History
Aired on KUOW. Aired nationally on 'The World'.
Transcript
(music)
CESAR: Yeah, I remember like it was yesterday. I remember it perfectly. It was all of a sudden my mom said we’re going to the United States. It’s for your future, you’ll have a better life.
(music bump)
My name is Cesar Salmeron. Mi nombre is Cesar Salmeron. (:21)
Cesar made the journey North when he was 9 years old. Until then, the only home he’d know was his village of Quinceo in central Mexico. Every day, he’d walk the familiar dirt streets…to the schoolhouse, the plaza, and the town’s only church.
Now, Cesar’s a young teenager with spiky-hair and, of course, an iPod. He lives in South Seattle and spends most his free time playing soccer. But his memory of the trip here is still vivid. His dark eyes fix on the muted TV as he describes the border crossing at Tiajuana.
Cesar: I remember my grandma told me, I’m not going to be able to say goodbye to you guys, because if...
Read the full transcript
Intro and Outro
INTRO:In and around Seattle, the population of Mexican immigrants steadily grows, year after year. Increasingly, more of them are children. Parents bring them along to the Northwest in hopes the trade-off is worth it, and their children will thrive in a land of new opportunities. But what happens when you take kids who only know life in an Indian village and drop them in Seattle, with its skyscrapers and fast-paced lifestyle? In part 3 of our weeklong series, KUOW’s Liz Jones talks with indigenous Purepecha teens about life on both sides of the border.
OUTRO:Tomorrow, in part 4 of our series ‘A Village Away from Home’, we’ll travel to Seattle’s unofficial sister city in rural Mexico.
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