Friday, December 21, 2007
ch2Q's
Sirenio Gomez Fuentes
•What is the attitude of many Mexicans toward Enrique and other Central Americans?
They don’t understand why they would go thru so much pain and suggest them to go back home, but they feel bad for the immigrants who go thru so much.
•What often is the attitude of the police with whom Enrique has encounters?They mistreat the immigrants they rob them and beat them to death.
•What is the primary mode of travel for immigrants passing through Mexico?
•Discuss the attitudes toward immigrants and immigration Lourdes and Enrique encounter in Honduras, Mexico, and the United States. Do those attitudes differ even within different parts of each country?
•Summarize Enrique’s early attempts. Why does each fail?
He has tried 7 times to go to the US by boarding freight trains but he always get sent back to Guatemala.
Monday, December 17, 2007
CHAPTER 2

•PEW P.46 Carrasco drags a wooden pew out of the church.
DEF; seat
Come in I will gather a PEW so you can watch the movie w/ us

•FUTILE p.47, Giving Enrique clothing will be futile.
DEF; useless
I find this subject being very FUTILE to my future needs.

•DISMOUNTS p.46, Mayor Carrasco dismounts.
DEF; get off or down
Can you help me to DISMOUNT off the horse.

•GASHED p.45, His right shin is gashed
DEF; deeply cut
As he came from the party he has a big GASH across his face.

•HAMLET p.45, a railside hamlet of 36 families in the state of Oaxaca, Mex.
DEF; small village
Last weekend I visited my family at a small HAMLET in Mexico
Friday, December 14, 2007
9. In what Central American country do Lourdes and Enrique live?Tegucigalpa, in Honduras
10. On what date does Enrique’s mother leave him?January 29, 1989
11. Approximately how many children enter the United States each year illegally and without their parents?48,000
12. What is the name of Enrique’s father?
Luis
13. What are some of Lourde’s early jobs in California?First she works in a a factory, moves into Beverly Hills w/ couple to take care of their little girl, fish factory, pizzeria & bar, fichera at Long Beach bar, cleaning offices & homes14. Why is becoming a nanny difficult for Lourdes?It reminds her too much of her children whom she left in Honduras, and makes her sad.
15. What is the name of Enrique’s sister?Belky
16. With whom does Enrique’s sister live?She lives at her maternal grandmother’s house.
17. Why does Enrique end up leaving his father’s home?He causes to much stress on his grandmother by rebelling and acting disrespectful and selfish.
18. How does Lourdes lose most of the money she has saved to try to bring her children to her?She gets cheated by social worker in LA who is supposed to help her bring her children legally.
19. What negative habits does Enrique develop in his mother’s absence?He begins to use drugs and spend a lot of time out on the streets.
20. How does Enrique feel about living with Uncle Marco?He feels a lot better, he gets treated well, and feels like if someone really does care for him now.
21. Why does Enrique’s relationship with Marco end?Uncle Marcos get shot at when he is going to do business.
22. At fifteen, Enrique returns to live with whom?His maternal grandmother, at the house where he used tio live with his mother and sister
23. What is the name of Enrique’s girlfriend?Maria Isabel
24. Initially, what things does Enrique do to win his girlfriend’s affection?He treats he well, acts polite and gentleman like, buys her things, makes her feel good.
25. With whom does Enrique first try to head north?Enrique’s friend Jose.
26. How does Enrique’s first attempt end?They are taken by officials and put into a cell and deport them.
27. What event precipitates Enrique’s leaving for “el Norte” for good?When he once again gets rejected by his family, because he stole jewelry from his Tia to pay a drug dealer. They call him a drug addict and tell him that he should leave that he does no good.
28. On what date does Enrique leave his grandmother’s house to begin his journey?March 2, 2000
29. What possessions does Enrique take with him?
his mother’s phone number, and $57.
Addiction
•How old is Enrique now? How long has it been since he’s seen his mother?Enrique is now fifteen, and it’s been 10 years since that day his mom left & hasn’t seen her since.
•Where does Enrique go to live?He goes to his maternal grandmother, Agueda Amalia Valladares house to ask if he could stay there, where he and his mother once lived.
•Enrique comes home late smelling like Acetone. Why do you think he has turned to drugs?Because so many have left him, he feels abandoned and as if no one cares or loves him. And maybe he feels that nothing could take the pain away but using drugs
•Enrique is given a new room? Where and why?He is sent to a tiny stone building 7 ft away from the house, which once was a cook shack, because he was behaving bad, coming home late and doing drugs.
•Enrique meets a girl. How far does he go to make this girl like him?He buys her things, gives her roses and asks her out three times until she says yes.
•Where does Maria’s family take showers, use the bathroom and cook?since they had no showers, they would take showers outside or at neighbors houses. There hut had no electricity so they had to cook outside with firewood.
•How much of a hard worker is Maria Isabel? What types of chores does she enjoy doing?Maria was never lazy she always asked people what she could do to help them.
•What does Enrique plan to do to Maria to make sure they stay together forever? Why? Would this be a good idea?Enrique wants to get Maria pregnant that way she won’t leave him. I don’t think it would be a good idea, because they are really poor and he does drugs and doesn’t really have a job, or is reliable.
•What drug is Enrique introduced to with his new friend?Glue sniffing
•What changes does Maria notice on Enrique?His mouth becomes sweaty and sticky, he’s jumpy and nervous, his become quick tempered, he becomes distant and responds hysterical and insulting when coming down.
•Do more people care and love Enrique more than he thinks?Kind of, they just don’t want to see him doing bad that’s why they tell him things.
•Predict how Enrique will end up if he continues this drug.He probably won’t be able to walk and live in streets without anything to eat, wearing dirty clothes and looking very skinny
•Is Enrique going crazy?Kind of, the drugs are beginning to take over he begins hallucinating terrible things.
Rebellion
•-***In what ways does Enrique show rebellion? At school and at home.Enrique quits school , he doesn’t listen to anyone, doesn’t work, doesn’t care about anyone & begins to use drugs .
-***Who is Enrique’s new guardian?His maternal grandmother, Agueda Amalia Valladares
-**How do Enrique and Belky’s lives differ?Belky is not into drugs, she is attending school & about to graduate she is not a bother to her family, unlike Enrique who is out on the streets, has no educate, & does drugs.
-***In school, what are given and taken from the children before and after school each day? Why is this?Teachers give their students shoes to wear for those who are too poor & are shoe less, but they must be returned after school or else they will be should by the kids mothers for food. _***Since California is too expensive and hard to live in, where does Lourdes move to?She moves to North Carolina a. a female friend, where there are many jobs & rent is cheaper & she is more likely to afford living their.
-***Do you think that Lourdes wants to go back to Honduras or stay in America? Based on her actions.I believe Lourdes wants to stay in America, because she keeps on looking for jobs and places to stay puts her daughter in school & even moves to North Carolina.
_***Does living with Uncle Marco and his girlfriend give Enrique a chance to live a better life? Explain.Yes, Enrique begins to receive the attention he hasn’t had, he begins to feel good about himself & is happier. His uncle buys Enrique things & sends him to a private military school.-***Violence erupts as you read on, how does Enrique find more information about the trains?As, he begins to use drugs, the other kids who use drugs as well & hang out with him, tell him about their experiences on freight trains, one of the named el gato.
-***How does Lourdes feel about Honduras now that her brother has died?She experiences a dramatic depression, she says that she will not return unless she were deported & describes Honduras as a place of chaos where many crimes happen where there are no consequences for the bad things people do.
-***Who is Uncle Marco’s girlfriend taking her anger out on for the loss of Marco? What does she do?Uncle Marco’s wife gets upset at Enrique, she decides to sell all the things her husband bought for him & throws him out of her house. -***Predict where Enrique will go next?
Once again Enrique will be rejected by another person, and have to find another place to live.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Def: profitable

Def: drive towards
•The difficulty impels to try harder.

Def: beg eagerly
He beseeched the teacher to let him leave early.

Def: indirect effect, influence, result from action
The repercussion caused from the his absence were devastating

Def: difficult to consol, comforted
•He acts as an inconsolable person, when you try to talk to him
Enrique’s Journey Vocab

-Def; to deal with

•Thwart p.6, Since 199

-Def; to keep from happening
-Def; showing excessive fondness or love
. Commiserates p.10, She commiserates with a friend whose mother has also left.
-Def; feel or express sympathy
I must commiserate all the depression in my life.