The Circuit

            Pancho, am a young boy who i live with my  family in a small pueblito in Mexico called El Rancho Blanco. My  families dreams about living in a place where Papa will earn good money and we can live in a house with electricity and running water. Papa decides that we will all cross la frontera, the border between Mexico and California, so that we can have a better life. We find this really difficult to go to california together. The train is loud and noisy and the ride lasts for several days.
            Eventually we reach la frontera which Pancho is surprised to find is “no more than a gray wire fence where there were armed guards.”  When we got to California we didn't imagine it like this would be like. My parents and my big brother Roberto work all day in the strawberry fields while am with my two younger brothers trampita and torito. When strawberries are out of season, we have to move and find work in other fields. Instead of a house with plush carpet, we live in a tent. In between work, i find time to be friends with a boy name Miguel. Sadly, i  lost Miguelito, because he has to move away from Tent City because his family needs to earn more money.
           Nothing is permanent when you live in Tent City. Soon, i started school. I find school difficult because i really dont understand English. But school does have its benefits. I excels during art time. Inspired by the classroom caterpillar,I draw a beautiful picture of a butterfly.
           One cold day, Miss Scalapino discovers that i don’t have a coat. The principal, Mr. Sims, gives me a jacket from the “Lost and Found.” However, it turns out that the coat belongs to Curtis, the biggest and most popular kid in class.Curtis wants the jacket back, but because i don’t speak English, i don’t understand what Curtis is saying. Me and curtis start to fight. I was embarrassed after the fight and i stop participating in class. I don’t realize that the other kids think i was brave for standing up to Curtis until his friend, Arthur, tells him so.
           Soon, i was more comfortable in class and start to understand more and more English. One day, Miss Scalapino announces that my picture of the butterfly has won first prize at a children’s art exhibit. Later that afternoon, I notice that the class caterpillar is breaking out of its cocoon. I open the jar and everyone watches the butterfly fly away. After school, Curtis asks if he can see my picture. Curtis tells me that am a good artist. I gives Curtis the picture as a sign of friendship.

          Suddenly, immigration guards arrive at my school. Mr. Sims announces that me and my family are being deported back to Mexico. So i had to go back to mexico because i wasn't born in california. Atleast i had a chance to learn atleast english. So now that am back in mexico i can't go back to california or else i would go through all the things all over again to ba able to go to califronia.

Fransico Jimenez when he was a little boy.