Friday, January 25, 2008

Going Back To My Old High School To Give A Speech

This past Wednesday I did something I never really though I would end up doing at any point in my life. I was asked to be a guest speaker at my old high school Roosevelt High. I gave a speech,lecture what have you to the news paper class of the school. Ironically something I failed to mention during my five minutes of fame is that when i initially enrolled at Roosevelt, I was going to take the news paper class, but ended up taking a t.v. production class in which I wrote, directed and edited a movie about a student getting chased around the school by a security guard. I attended the class with my girlfriend and friend who are also huge people in the schools news paper. How important ? They're my bosses. Any who i was honored and excited to go speak to the class because someone out there thinks I know enough of something to talk to others about it and give them some advice. In retrospect it works out perfectly with my ambitions to help out my community and helping them achieve greatness while giving something back. For the better part I mostly talked about and explained my experience with our colleges news paper, trials and errors we have and basically trying to explain that a high school news paper isn't that much different from a college one. There are differences but that's because of the level at which paper is at. After that I talked about this blog and my experience with it. Meeting people and writing stories for the blog and La Taco www.lataco.com I tried to be as simple and engaging as I could with them, course knowing they were high school students I didn't get my hopes too high. After all I know what it's like to be their age, why it only seems like yesterday I was in their shoes. Talking to their teacher I came to find out that there are students in the paper serious about taking journalism as a career and if I helped those students in any way, well then I will have done my job. To think that me going to my old high school and giving a lecture to students about what I want to do as a career. I never would have thought of it. But like I wrote, even if I make an impression on one single person or steer them in the right way, I will have done my job. During my speech I also of course talked about me not being an immigrant. At this point it's becoming second nature to talk about it with other's. Still I had tons of fun going to see them and I would love to go see them again. Food for thought I added their blog page on my links along with other friends in case you wanna check'em out. They all have potential, just as I did at their age. They just need someone to help them filter it into something great or at the least show them the way.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Air Travel

Air travel was never something I had to never worry about. Not when I lived in my "native country" or here in the U.S. As a kid I never traveled outside of the city and if so it was always in a car. Air travel is a problem few "illegal immigrants" have to contend with because we know that air travel for us is one of the most dangerous things you can possibly do outside of outing yourself in front of I.C.E. agents. For one there was never a need for air travel because when families immigrate into the U.S. we tend to stick close together whether it's a few blocks or a neighboring city. We stay together and visit each other on Sundays when we have nothing better to do than bug relatives and have some "carne asada." Air travel has been on my mind for the last few weeks because I have the opportunity to join great friends in an endeavour to visit New York. The NYC is one of those destinations that I want to cross of my been their list because it's NYC !!! Needless to say my residential status was the first thing that came into my mind when i was offered to take part in the trip. There is no real way an "illegal immigrant" can "safely" travel post September 11. I have gotten advice from a federal agency as whether air travel is possible for an immigrant. Their response was that it all depends on what the air line your traveling on ask. I know that all air lines have strict guidelines not only on what you can carry on board but on the credentials needed to safely board a plane without setting some sort of terrorist alarm at the air port. There are many loop holes that I'm sure can be found and exploited but the truth of the matter is that the risk is too great just for one trip. I would love the opportunity to travel but the risk of getting caught for what ever reason and facing deportation is too great in my opinion. There are those who will and have risked it because of pressing matters, but my reasons are for simple fun. I know that if I call my embassy they can grant me some sort of passport that will afford me air travel. It's a matter I would go research personally rather than online or over the phone because I would want a serious definite answer. Still air travel is just something else an "illegal immigrant' can't have access to.