they were forced to hide and sleep in a cave overnight until a van with others trying to cross over came by and picked them up. They walked fast to get to the van, and in a matter of minutes, they were on the “other side”—in the United States. They were still in danger of being found by the Border Patrol, however, and deported back to Mexico.
The journey did not end there, though. The van was packed with people who needed to be dropped off in different states. They went from California to Washington State, to New York and then finally to Georgia. Dulce and her family had seen much of her new country without even realizing it!
“I remember being amazed by all the lights, and all the buildings,” Galindo recalls. “I got to see snow in Colorado. I didn’t even know what it was, but my face was glued to the window from amazement!”
After a year without seeing her father and a two-week journey from her home in Mexico to her new home in Georgia, they were finally reunited. She looked out the window and saw her father standing outside a gas station waiting for them. Galindo says it’s one of her happiest memories.
“I ran to hug him. I didn’t want to let go!” she remembers. When she first arrived in Georgia, her whole family shared a small room until her father was able to save enough in his job as a fireplace installer to rent a larger place. “We’ve taken small steps, but now we have a town house where we each get our own room. People don’t see that as a big deal, but for us, it signifies growth and a lot of hard work.”
Her new life began as she settled in Georgia
“I got to see snow in Colorado. I didn’t even know what it was, but my face was glued to the window from amazement!”
Dulce & her younger sister Daira.
Dulce in Acapulco, Mexico with her father Rene and little sister.
Photograph provided By Dulce Galindo
Photograph provided By Dulce Galindo
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