My mom got deported ten years ago and it was really hard for us. The last thing I wanted was for my family to split up. My mom ended up getting a place in Tijuana while we kept living in San Diego. My family and I would go visit her on the weekends which was hard because we had to be back home. That didn’t end up working out so we moved to Tijuana to make things easier. Some of my sisters had to stop coming to school because waking up at two in the morning was too much for them to handle. Crossing back and forth with my dad wasn’t so bad until I started to look for a job and I couldn’t get one because some required to work late or till night. It was very hard having to see my dad wake up each morning so tired and exhausted; not being able to do anything felt even worse. We ended up having issues with the border patrol because we were crossing everyday. They took my dad’s green card and replaced it with a new one, making him unable to fix my mom’s green card. Now, it was my older sister’s job to help my mom fix her papers. We kept dealing with problem after problem. I am so proud of my parents because they have always kept calm. I would see them stressed out,  but they would never give up, that’s why I look up to them so much. They are role models to me because they always worked for everything they have. Situations like these make you appreciate the important things in life even more. Maybe things do happen for a reason because it made me who I am today. I am more responsible, and stronger because of my parents. There was a point where I just wanted to stop going to school because I wouldn’t get enough sleep everyday and it was very stressful. Also, I really needed a job and I wasn’t able to get one. Sometimes I wanted to hang out with my friends or do other things, however I couldn’t because I had to live in Tijuana and my friends were in San Diego. Now I know not to give up easily and not only for myself but for family. Things are different now, I can spend the night in Tijuana and in San Diego whenever I need to. I don’t need to worry about not being able to apply for jobs that require night shifts. Our lawyer told us my mom should be back in San Diego in less than two years now. Although this experience impacted my life tremendously, I definitely am stronger because of it and more independent too (Brenda).