This first week I’ve mostly been doing research and talking to family members. As far as why I am doing it is because it’s my own story (to some extent) to tell. I decided to take part in this project because it allows me to think critically about my own personal history with an important historical backdrop that has shaped me. US imperialism is oftentimes referred to as a thing of the past, yet many countries such as Honduras and Mexico are still being controlled by the US government and corporations. My parents have shared their stories with me for years, but it’s very difficult to grapple with it all when you’re able to see very clearly the push factors that exist in their home countries that force many to migrate.
This past week I’ve had many surprises. Most nights at dinner I have really informal and long conversations with my parents about their migration story or their youth in general. Through this project, I’ve gotten to know them better as people and not just as my parents. Even though I’ve learned so much already, there’s still so much to learn about my parents. This is also giving me the opportunity to reach out to other family members that I’ve been more distant from the past.
I’ve currently not decided on a final product that I want to create for my research. I’ve had multiple ideas but none of them seem exciting or inspiring enough to me yet. I’m not sure if this is due to a creative block of sorts or whether the personal nature of my research makes it hard for me to pick a ”correct” final product.