In 2012, the Vermont Folklife Center hosted an exhibit entitled “Invisible Odysseys: Art by Mexican Farmworkers in Vermont.”
“Invisible Odysseys” is a project that was undertaken to capture the migration journeys of fourteen Mexican Farmworkers living in Addison County, Vermont. The exhibit featured autobiographical dioramas and accounts from each participant about their border-crossing story.
Below are a few statements from the exhibit which underscore the experiences:
Try Your Hardest and Have Courage
Antonio
Chiapas, Mexico
October 28, 2007
“One of the saddest days of my life was having to go far away from my family; it was very difficult. With the hope of getting ahead, I felt I had to leave my country. It is a decision that fills you with strength, and with a spirit of faith, you can overcome it.”
Esfuérzate y se valiente
Antonio
Chiapas, México
28 de Octubre de 2007
“Uno de los días más tristes de mi vida fue tener que alejarme de mi familia. Fue muy difícil. Con la esperanza de superarme me vi obligado a salir fuera de mi país. Es una decisión que lo llena de fuerzas y con un espíritu de fe logras superarlo.”
My Two Countries
Poncho
“The desert is the first place you go through when you become an immigrant. I walked three days and two nights. Thirteen of us came. I had never experienced the desert. The crossing was very difficult for me because I hadn’t imagined what it was like, what the desert was like….
At one point we crawled across a highway. We crawled, holding onto the leg of the person in front of us, so we wouldn’t get lost. There were a lot of snakes; you could even hear them rattling, and a lot of sand. We crossed a culvert where there was an electric wire that would bring the Border Patrol running if you touched it.”
Mis dos patria
Poncho
“El desierto es lo primero donde uno pasa a ser inmigrante. Yo camine tres días y dos noches. Trece personas veníamos. Yo no traía experiencia en el desierto. Se me hizo muy difícil la pasada porque no me imaginaba como era, como era el desierto….
En una parte cruzamos la carretera gateando. Íbamos agarrando cada uno la pierna de la persona adelante para que no nos perdiéramos mucho. Había mucha víboras, hasta que escuchaban los cascabeles, mucha arena, cruzamos el alcantarilla donde había un alambre que tenia electricidad y por si lo tocas llega de volada la migración.”
Beauty Can Be Deceiving
A.B.
“As the years have gone by, I have learned that the beautiful countryside I saw when I arrived has changed radically. Because of my migratory situation I can’t go out and travel around freely—I am afraid of being deported. But, what I can do is work sixteen hours a day, earn a below minimum wage salary and occasionally be mistreated because I don’t speak English.”
La belleza puede ser engañosa
A.B.
“Conforme fueron pasando los anos, he aprendido que ese paisaje tan hermoso que yo vi cuando llegue, ha cambiado radicalmente. Por mi situación migratoria yo no puedo salir y pasear libremente, tengo el temor de ser deportado. Pero lo que si puedo hacer es trabajar dieciséis horas al día, tener un salario por abajo del salario mínimo y en ocasiones ser maltratado por no hablar ingles.”
Credits: All of these stories come from: Amore, B. (Ed.). (2012) Invisible Odysseys: Art by Mexican Farmworkers in Vermont/ Odiseas Invisibles: Arte de trabajadores mexicanos en Vermont. Benson, Vermont: Kokoro Press. For a copy of this fabulous book, please contact the Vermont Folklife Center at info@vermontfolklifecenter.org
Translation by Kate Bass and Naomi Wolcott-MacCausland