Driving in the freeway 210 East I am going to work on Saturday. It is 8:20 a.m. I am heading to work from Mid-city, Los Angeles, California, USA to Tujunga. I am driving about 70 miles per hour at this time. There is no traffic in the freeway. In my right is Hansen Dam Park and my left the mountains. There is a bridge that I always cross by. I believe the street says Wheatland Avenue the next exit is my exit that is Sunland. I go two or three down and make a left Oro Vista and that becomes Big Tujunga canyon Road that takes me to work.

Every Saturday these directions take me to work with juveniles. While in the freeway I started thing that my life has became different from the one I live in El Salvador. When I was 5 year old I used to work the cord fields with my grandfather. I resided in Monte del Padre Canton santomas Juridicion de Texistepeque Santa El Salvador. You will not believe but that was y address in El Salvador. I lived there until I was about13 years old with my grandparents. I worked with my grandpa in the corn fields growing corn and something that we call “maizillo” it was white round little things that were giving o hens, ducks and pigs. I was a farmer or peasant and I had to take care of the cows of the family. We had 5 or less cows. The calves I had to cut fresh hay and the calves were tied to a pole. It was like a house for calves. I had to feed the calves every day after milking the cows in the morning.

When my grandfather and I finished the milking it was sold by my grandmother and if there was any left she make cheese, cream, and cottage cheese. She made “paletas de leche” boil milk, sugar and later was put to the freezer to get it frozen. She had small containers that hold the milk and put those popsicle sticks so when it was hard frozen I and my cousins were able to hold it and eat it.

After my grandfather and I finished with milking the cows we ate breakfast and went to work in the corn fields. We had to clear the grass that cover the fields by using a tool name “Cuma” it was a type of “machete” like but it curve at the end to the left if you were left handler or right for right handler. You had to bend your back forward to use this tool. At 12:00 noon we had our lunch it was delivered by my aunt Mirna. The job of a female was the kitchen. I did not see that many females working in the fields. Women only picked up tomatoes from the vines.

When the corn plant was dry we had to fold it to make way for the “maizillo” t come in between the lines of the corn plants. Maizilo was growing in between the corn plants because grandpa and I planted the sees earlier. Corn seeds had to be plant first by a type of stick like tool that looks like a metal bar that is use to make holes in the ground. The difference was that it had only metal in the tip of the bar and had wood the rest of the way. The tool name was “chuso”. It was also used plant the seeds for “mazillo”. In November summer time in El Salvador because it is located below the equator we had to pick up the harvest in November by December my grandpa sold the seeds to the market and the rest it was saved for later for planting next year, and some was saved to make tortillas.

School was not regular for me I worked most of the time. I went to school in the afternoons when I was finished with my work, which was taking care of the cows and working in the corn fields. School started 1:00PM to 5:00 PM five days at week Monday thru Friday. I had to work Saturdays and Sundays. I had no time for homework. I did not learned to read or to write as well as I should because I was pulled of classes frequently.

When I was five my mother came from the United States, I did not know her. I knew she lived in Los Angeles and that she had come because she was ill. She had mental problems after a year has passed. Mother headed back to Los Angeles. I did not understand what had had happen. I knew that my mother and my father separated when I was 3 months old. I knew I had a sister because my grandmother used to talk about. My sister lived with his father and stepmother in San Salvador about 40 miles from where I lived. I never saw her. She was born a year after me.

My mother left the country when I was about 6 years old. I knew she had no contacted with my sister and my grandparents never spoke about it any longer. The civil war became worse I the 80’s and early 90’s. Salvadorans and the government were fighting against for the first time I saw soldiers coming to our village. The army asked my grandparents for food. We used to have 10 soldiers or more in our house. My grandparents were scared and gave them whatever they demanded. I was curious the guns and the weapons they used they were made in the USA. One soldier showed me how he could put a part his M-16 and put it together with his eyes closed. The soldier let me used his weapon. I fired the M-16 to a bird I was not able to kill the bird but my ears I felt a strange song like ring bells. I was not able to hear for some time. The soldier took the weapon and said I hope they did not see us. The other soldier located in a top of the mountain. They were starting to look were the gun when off. I was custom to see guns because my grandpa always had different guns.

He said that guns were taking from him guerilla fighters to be use for the revolution. My grandpa said that communist was better for the poor because they had free medical for everyone. I could not understand what he meant but I was sure that something was happening. I never understood why they were fighting but I knew that life has change for me and my family. We had less and fighting at night got worse the military was attacked by the guerillas fighters. The road that let from Santa Ana to Metapan that main road to Guatemala was destroy so the tanks were not able to pass through and the electric power was cut off. Some electrical poles were destroyed. We had days without power we were able to have water because of a well that we had in my grandparents land. Some bridges were destroyed also we could not go to Santa Ana until a temporary metal bridge was put in place. The scared part was in the night when the sky became on fire. It was like falling shooting stars but closer. The bullets were flying from one place to another. Sometimes I heard explosions.

I had a teacher that was so afraid that she ran next to her I saw bullets flying. I thought she was dead for sure but miracle no bullet hit her. She ran to my house which was next to my house. My grandfather had given a land for the construction of the school. The teacher was crazy. We all knew that we have to get under our stomach to get save. She ran that was a big mistake that could cost her life. She was lucky not to be killed.

The house that my grandparents had were made of mud and hay mix together. They used wood to hold the mud mixture together the floor was mad of clay tiles. The roof was made of clay roofs and it was hold by wood studs. Sometimes I saw a rat going over the timber studs. I was not frightened but I was troubled of the snakes that could be in the ceiling. My grandparents had plant many fruits. Jocotes a tropical furit, mangos, yellow sherries and many more tropical fruits. We didn’t have to go to the store for fruits nor vegetables. We had chickens, pigs, cows, horses and dogs. I loved to ride horses. Many times I fell out of the horses because I didn’t use a saddle. I only put a rope over and I rode the horse. The mountains were beautiful site scenery. The rivers had clear water fishes that swim around the stream that run freely. The most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

Part of my things to do was to gather fire wood for the raining season. El Salvador has two seasons the raining season when heavy rain falls. In the rain season I used to get soak wet because of the pouring rain but I felt free ruining the rain. The water was warm. It felt good to get wet and dance the rain. In summer the sun shines strong. The humidity is the worse. I sweated all day long. At the end of a day I cold off in a river or stream nearby.

Mother came back when I was 13 years old everything I knew change. She told me that she came to take me to Los Angeles. She tried to get a visa for me to live the country. I was afraid to lived what I knew but happy because if I was 18. I had to go to the army or join the guerilla fighting. I did not want to do neither. I was able to come to Los Angeles. Change to place. The story continues I will tell the rest until it is published. Thank you.