When I was 6 years old I came to the United States with two strangers. Even today I don't remember what they looked like, or their names.
I was just a child when I left Guatemala.
I remember crying because I didn't want to leave my grandparents, and I didn't know what was happening. My grandpa told me that I was his favorite granddaughter, and that I always would be. "Pase lo que pase el dijo siempre estaras en mi corazon," he told me with red eyes as if he were about to cry.
At six, I had never even seen my mom, except in some pictures. From the pictures, I daydreamed about what life would be like when we were together -- dancing, playing soccer, cutting my Barbie's hair together. I thought my mom looked beautiful and like a good role model. One day she called and told my grandma that I was going to leave Guatemala. The next day I was on a plane with some strangers.
My mom said that she had contacted a young married couple who would help me to get in to the U.S. My grandma prepared me, saying that when the couple came to get me I had to act as if they were my real parents. I was terrified and excited at the same time, because I was going to see my mother for the first time.