Success Stories

My Story and Life in Austin, Texas

My name is Guillermina de Garcia. I came to Austin, Texas three years ago from Mexico without being able to communicate with people here. I do not speak English and communication is difficult. I worked in a restaurant, cleaning houses, and selling typical Mexican food. Through all this I still have a need to learn English.

A year ago I came to LA FUENTE to study English with the intention of moving forward and learning how to communicate with all the people in this country. I also want to prove to myself as well as to those that I love and that trust in me that I can improve in life, working hard, studying, always striving to improve. I believe that we older people need to be good role models for our children and those who live around us.

For this and many other reasons I will continue studying, trying to learn English, because it is very important. I would also like to explore other careers which I feel that I need to do to fulfill my life and take advantage of all the opportunities this country has to offer.

My life, like the lives of many Mexicans who come here, has not been easy in this country especially when one arrives for the first time without family or friends to welcome us. When we arrived here for the first time, my daughter Mayra and I, we suffered tremendously. We were to stay with a family that we did not know. This family was recommended to us by a friend in Mexico. Upon arriving at the bus station, they did not want to welcome us, they did not want to pick us up. It was very late at night and we begged them to come and finally they did with the promise from us that we would look for a place to stay the next day since they did not want us at their house. This is the way we began our lives in this country. We immediately looked for work. Sometimes we would find work sometimes we wouldn’t. We filled out many applications without any results. I began working at a restaurant only to be terminated because I did not have a social security number. Then I’d go to another restaurant where I was forced to work for practically nothing, certainly not getting paid what I felt I deserved since I know this work well. I also began cleaning houses at $10.00 a house, cleaning three houses a day for a total of $30.00 a day. I would have to take three buses to get to my destination. My day would start at 5:00 a.m. and end at 7:00 or 8:00 at night. I worked from Monday through Friday. On Saturdays and Sundays I would go around the apartment complexes and sell “gorditas and menudo” so that I could earn enough money to pay my rent and my daughter’s rent. I also had to pay all the utilities. Then too, we had to send money back to Mexico.

Our situation has not been an easy one. With much sacrifice we have moved forward. Now I live with less stress, more at peace. I have my own business and I am my own boss. I push myself more and sometimes I work harder. Sometimes working day and night but I do not regret it because I have built my own business. It gives me pleasure to work. It is very important to like what we do when we work. In this way we work with a good attitude and we do move ahead and experience success in our lives. I no longer work with disgust nor with the hesitation of going to work. I love what I do. I feel good about what I do. I will continue to improve my English so that I can experience success with that also.