Hugo II

Mexico City, Mexico
Hugo II
June 12, 2019

Interviewer: Okay. This is Interviewer, interviewing Hugo. Let’s keep talking about LA a little bit. So Compton, how old were you when you moved there?

Hugo: Oh. Well, I was nine when my mom took me down there. I was raised right there in L___. Growing up to all those bad neighborhoods, that now, what I hear on the news, that it’s completely the opposite, because all the bad has gone away from those areas. So I’m really surprised right now.

Hugo: When I was being raised right there, I was going through gang-related shooting, all those violence on gangs and all that. So I was trying to avoid all that. One time I was into the point of getting jumped into being a gang member, but actually because I had my brothers, they actually pointed me in the right direction, they told me, “Whenever you choose to get into a gang, we’re going to know about it.” And they actually knew when they were going to initiate me into a gang. So I was like, “Nah.”

Hugo: There was this program that is … I forgot the name of it. Teen Challenge. The Teen Challenge program right there on Euclid and Santa Fe. Actually, it was a great program because that actually helped out a lot of the community. They were actually being right there on the park, next to where I live, and I was about to start the initiation into a gang, and then suddenly I see my brother coming in from one side, another brother coming in from the other side. They were like, “Hey, what are you doing?” I was like, “Nothing.” “Well, I hear different.” “No, what you guys hear?” “Nothing.” “Well, okay, well let’s go play some basketball.” So actually, that there took me out of being initiated into a gang, so kind of changed my life a little better on.

Interviewer: So your brothers were the ones that-

Hugo: Yeah, my brothers actually were the-

Interviewer: Steered you the right way?

Hugo: Yeah, steered me the right way. So I was like, “You know what?” And suddenly, I started doing good in school, elementary, junior high, high school, did some college, too. And I wanted to go forward, but I kind of found that friend that actually distract me a little bit. Went out clubbing and everything, so I kind of put my job, my career to the side. That’s why I didn’t went ahead and finish my career. But other than that, everything was being good so far.

Interviewer: It’s interesting to me how your brothers were able to intervene and prevent you from getting involved in a gang. For so many other people that do end up in a gang, why do you think that is?

Hugo: Okay. Why? Because one, they don’t have the cut in the home. They don’t have the love in the house, or there are too many problems, financial problems. They don’t have what they need. For example, I could say toys, electronics, the newest electronics, so they think that being out there on the street and making life easier, selling drugs, stealing, robbing, that that will actually going to get them those things. But actually, it’s going to be the opposite, which is just going to turn out to get them into more trouble than they already are.

Hugo: I think that if Mom and Dad are working too many hours, that gives them the free time to do whatever they want, and experience whatever they want. That is a main key — love of the family being there at home and paying attention to the kids.

Interviewer: The parents?

Hugo: Parenting, yeah. Parents.

Interviewer: Yeah, the parents are the big thing there.

Hugo: Uh-huh (affirmative). Exactly. It’s kind of hard, sometimes. I recognize that. It’s kind of hard, because both of the parents have to work in the home. Minimum wage cannot go ahead and give you all the good things. But without a career and having that great job that actually is going to go ahead and pay for good hours, both of them, they have to end up working at the same time. So yeah, that’s pretty much life out there.

Interviewer: Yeah. It’s tough. It’s really tough.

Hugo: Yeah. If there’s not too many jobs, they got to look for something over there. So yeah, that kind of says it all.

Interviewer: Mm-hmm (affirmative). Yeah, it makes a lot of sense, why if you don’t have the parents at home, if the parents are working all the time, and then the kids have too much freedom.

Hugo: Yeah. And let’s say, for example, today I’m working a 12-hour shift. I get home by 8:00, right? So what I just want to do is I just want to go ahead and eat, relax, take a shower, relax, and in few seconds, hit the bed. And do it all over again. And the kids want attention also, and they want to be taken to the park. They want to be spent time with. They want to be listened to. That’s what is a more important thing about it.

Interviewer: How many kids do you have?

Hugo: I have three over there. I have three kids.

Interviewer: You said three over there?

Hugo: Yeah.

Interviewer: So they’re still in the US?

Hugo: Yeah. They’re still the US. Yeah, they were born over there. Yeah, my ex-wife, she’s an American. But when I was coming back, I was filing all my paperwork, but she actually turned her back all the way around on me. So that’s why I was like, “You know what? I’m just going to go back over there to Mexico.”

Interviewer: That’s really tough. So you made the decision to come back to Mexico?

Hugo: I made the decision, yeah. I didn’t want to keep on fighting my case. So I was like, “You know what? I’m just going to go ahead and give it a try. I can adapt.” It’s hard at the first time, learning new things, especially when you go to a big city that you don’t really know how to walk around. You just got to be really careful. You got to learn how to trust people and see who is the good people, because not all the people are good people, you know?

Interviewer: Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Hugo: Yeah, it’s a tough situation down here.

Interviewer: How long have you been back here in Mexico?

Hugo: Three years.

Interviewer: Three years?

Hugo: Yeah, three years. Going into three. Yeah, but since I like to work, I always try to look for that person that likes to work. I like making friends. I like not to do bad stuff. So yeah, I followed the cousin that’s out here, because one of my friends over there, I stayed in Tijuana, Baja, Tijuana, for three months. So my friend was like, “Since you know how to talk English, how come you don’t go to a call center? There’s a call center down here that is called Televista.”

Hugo: I’m like, “Well, right now … ” Just because I was filing all my paperwork, I was like, “You know what? I got to wait for my lawyers, see what it says, because he’s handling my case. If he says that I need to go ahead and wait more time, I’ll go ahead and do that, go ahead and go to the call center,” which I actually did, I went to that call center. And he was like, “How do you like it?” It’s kind of something new, because over there, I used to do a lot of warehousing jobs. So being behind a phone, listening to people, listening to their requests and all that, it was something really new.

Hugo: The first days, I was really nervous. I was like, “Oh, they’re going to call and scream at me. What is he going to say? How am I going to mess it up on the computer?” But I adapted to all that right here. Right now, I think I’m pretty good at what I do right now, because I’ve been on my job, working on TTEC for almost a year, going into two already. And they actually like my work. They like what I do so far. They tell me that I’m doing good. And that’s where I think I’m going to be staying for quite a bit.

Interviewer: So, you think that’s where you’re going to stay, as long as you can?

Hugo: Yeah. Yeah. TTEC does give you a lot of opportunity. It’s a challenging company, because you deal with stress, you deal with hours, a lot of hours, and you got to be patient with a lot of customers, a lot of people. You get to interact with people. That’s what I do all day, interact with people from all over there, from the US. Listen to all the demands and requests.

Interviewer: Do people get difficult on the phone sometimes? Are people rude?

Hugo: Oh, yeah. Yeah, they’re really rude. Yeah. They tell me, “Oh, I want this.” And they want everything for free, so I cannot go ahead and give it to them for free. I got to follow my rules and regulations. I try to do my best to help them out, though. I’m very kind, gentle, and sometimes they do appreciate me. I do get a lot of requests, speaking to my supervisor, telling him how good did I deal with that.

Interviewer: Oh, good.

Hugo: Yeah. I get a lot of that.

Hugo: Yeah. So like I was telling, it’s been kind of tough right here for me. I don’t really go out. I don’t really go out because it’s kind of hard. I don’t know where I’d get myself into. I don’t know if it’s going to get good or be bad.

Interviewer: You mean in terms of safety?

Hugo: Safety, yeah. Safety. Safety is the main key right here. Know where you go, who are you going to bump into? How’s the neighborhood? Do they know you, they don’t know you? They like you, they don’t like you? So, I get all of that right here. Plus, discrimination, too.

Interviewer: What kind of discrimination have you gotten here?

Hugo: Well, speaking English, out on the street. I’ve been discriminated by that, because they tell me, “Well, you’re not in the US anymore. You’re in Mexico, you got to speak Spanish.” Well, that is something that I learned, so I kind of rebottle that, and tell them, “I was given the opportunity to learn English, and I’m going to go ahead and use it anytime that I want to.” It’s a free country. I do fight for my rights, but they get disappointed.

Hugo: And last time I tried to apply for a Pepsi job, they asked me. It was a funny thing. And I remember this, because it was so funny to me, that I go to apply for a Pepsi job. I was going to go ahead and do forklift driving over there. So, I take all my paperwork, and he tells me, “Hey, do you have the high school diploma?” I’m like, “Yeah.” Well, when he looks at my high school diploma, I graduated from L____. And he goes like, “Well, this is not valuable right here. You have never gone to school down here.” Like, what? You’re telling me that I have never been to school? All my hard work, going to high school down there in the US is not valuable over here? I was like, “Wow, that’s-“

Interviewer: So, they don’t accept your high school diploma from the US here?

Hugo: On some of the jobs. Not all the jobs. Like TTEC or other call centers, they do accept the high school diploma, but on another job, like warehousing jobs, I don’t think they do. They kind of like tell you, “Well, this is not valuable right here.” It’s like, “For us, it’s like telling us you never to school down here.” Well, what else can I prove you? Yeah, it is kind of rare for someone to tell me my high school diploma is not valuable down here, when I fought so hard to get my high school diploma. Well, you know how it is over there.

Interviewer: Yeah. That’s very frustrating. That’s very frustrating.

Hugo: Yeah. Four years? You tell yourself, “Well, I already want to go ahead and drop out,” because a lot of kids down there in the US also drop out of high school. Let’s say it wasn’t … What’s a good average? 70? 70% will graduate?

Interviewer: Nationwide? Yeah, actually, I’m not sure what the rate is nationwide. Yeah. Maybe 70% or 80%.

Hugo: 80% will graduate, and the other percent will not graduate. They will go ahead and drop out of high school and get regular jobs. It was hard for me, the last year, in the 11th grade, I was allowed to drop out. But lucky me, I had good friends that told me, “You’re going to go ahead and hang on tight. We’re going to do this together. We’re going to go ahead and graduate.” Yeah. I’m a very friendly person, so I get to get up, make a lot of friends, too.

Interviewer: Good. Is there anything that you miss about the US?

Hugo: My kids. My kids are the first priority that I do miss. Every time that I try to talk to my ex-wife and get a hold of my kids, it just kills me. It kills me not to listen to my kids. Right now, one of my kids is already going to junior high, and I’m not there for her, to show her support. And I’m like, “Well, I’m missing out on a lot of things.” But it is what it is. Life is kind of hard. I cannot go ahead and get mad at life. At the end, I got to put a lot of effort on me, work hard, and change a lot of things that I made in the past.

Hugo: They always ask me, “Will you go ahead and return to the US?” Yes. Why not? To see my kids graduate, help them out, support, be the dad that I never had before, because I was raised without no dad, so growing up without no dad, it’s kind of hard, too. Because then mom has to do all the job, has to do the man’s job and the mom’s job, too. She has a tough situation right there. There’s a lot of single moms out there that I do understand them when they say it’s hard to raise up kids by themselves.

Hugo: Me as man, I feel kind of bad, because I don’t get to be there for my kids, but I don’t know. I’m very manageable with the money, so I do like to know what does it get spent on. So, I do tell them, “Hey, well, what you’re spending on?” My money is for my kids, not for other things. So, kind of like that.

Interviewer: And how often do you get to talk to them?

Hugo: It’s been a year that I haven’t spoke to them. One year already.

Interviewer: That’s really tough.

Hugo: Yeah. She just sent me a picture of his graduation, when he graduated. And I saw him with a picture of a diploma, so I’m guessing he’s doing good, because I did taught him right. I taught him the good, the bad, and what he’s able to do. So yeah.

Interviewer: That must be really hard, being away from them, huh?

Hugo: Yeah, it is. Yeah. I was very attached to them. I kind of was like a dad and mom, because both of us have to work. Both of us have to work, and we tried to manage our schedules, when I was living with her. Either I will work in the morning, she will work on the afternoon. But either-or, we’ll have them. Or either she will have them, or I will have them. When I was there, I went through … My kid had a surgery when he was a three, it was kind of hard. The other one had a seizure attack when I was with her by myself.

Interviewer: Oh my gosh.

Hugo: So I was kind of like … I’m already traumatized when it comes down to kids, because they were going through the hospital and all that.

Interviewer: Wow.

Hugo: So I’m like, “Oh, man.” But whenever I see people right here on the streets, I always try to show them support. Like, hey, if I got something to buy them, I do buy them, buy them some food or anything to drink, try to do good things for them.

Interviewer: That’s great. Try to help out?

Hugo: Try to help out, too, yeah. I don’t do it very often, but I do find a lot of experiences. One of them, I could tell you, the other time, last time when I was coming down here to work, it was 5:00 in the morning, nothing’s open. I go into 7-Eleven, I see this young lady right there. And I ask her, “Are you hungry?” She’s like, “Yeah.” “Well, go ahead and buy yourself something to eat.” It’s kind of like me opening the whole store for her, “go ahead and grab whatever you want.” She goes ahead and grabs a sandwich. Like, “That’s all you’re going to get?” She’s like, “Yeah, that’s all I’m going to get.” And I told myself, “Hey, what you’re going to have for a drink?” “Can I go ahead and grab myself something to drink?” “Yeah.” I don’t know, but she just walked out of the door so happy, so that happiness actually brought me to life.

Hugo: And the guy from the front of the store was like, “Oh, man, you’re amazing. These people suffer a lot. We have them sitting down right here. They don’t get help. They tell them a lot of bad stuff. And you coming in here, just buying something for this little young girl.” Well, when I see her, I think about my daughter. I don’t know if she has something to eat. I don’t know if she’s well-dressed. I don’t know if she’s seeing issues. I think I have to pay that back. So that comes from inside my heart, too.

Interviewer: That’s great. Yeah. Having kids, it sounds like it’s made you more aware of wanting to help other people, too.

Hugo: Yeah. Yeah, and I do help a lot of other people too, down here. When I was detained, a lot of people didn’t speak English, so I used to be the person that would be translating for them all the time. They would be afraid of immigration. I was like, don’t be afraid of immigration. They’re not going to go out and do bad things to you. You just got to respond to their questions. They do an interview for you. You have not done anything bad for the country. The only bad thing that you have done bad is coming illegal into the country, which you’re going back to your country. Just answer the questions, don’t be afraid. They’re just a normal person like you are. And they always ask me, “Have you ever been afraid of the immigration?” I’m like, “No, because they’re just regular person that they’re doing their job, and they have to do what they have to do. That’s what they get paid for. Secure the nation.”

Hugo: And I always try to be that extra help for other people, translate, help them out. And last time, a guy came out when I was coming out, the guy next to me didn’t have no clothes at all. And I was lucky that my ex-wife did brought my clothes outside on the border. So I was like, “Here, go ahead and grab a couple of shirts.” He was like, “Are you serious?” Yeah, go ahead and grab a couple of shirts. I’m going to go ahead and start working. I’m going to try to look hard for a job, and I’ll go ahead and replace those shirts.” Things, like clothing, money, they all could be brought back. Life is the one that you got to take care of more. So, I’m like, “Don’t worry about it.”

Interviewer: That’s really great.

Hugo: That’s probably because this has made me a better person, anywhere that I go. I’ve been here three years. I do have little struggles here and there, but I get to get around all these struggles. I look for options. I never close my mind. I’m a person that likes to tell, “You know what? If I cannot go ahead and do this, I’m going to go ahead and do that.” So yeah, that’s why.

Interviewer: That’s great. Well, as we start wrapping up, is there anything that you haven’t gotten a chance to share, or any last things that you want to help people understand about you?

Hugo: No. I think I have expressed myself, the way I have got into this country, and being over there, too. Yeah. I have told you my personal life into one little sentence.

Interviewer: Yeah. Yeah. Well, I really appreciate you coming and talking to us.

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