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Mexico: Marta Morales
by Bianca Vazquez Toness, Minnesota Public Radio
May 15, 2005

Marta Morales moved to Minnesota from Mexico. She says she misses almost everything about her home country. But the move was worth it, because working in Mexico is "horrible." (MPR Photo/Bianca Vazquez Toness)

Minneapolis, Minn. — Marta Morales, 43, has been living in Minneapolis for four years. She's from Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico.

Morales says she had a variety of jobs in Mexico. The last one was cutting hair, and that's her current occupation in Minneapolis.

Three of her children moved to the U.S. first, and she joined them three years later.

Morales says back home, it was hard for her to find good jobs because she didn't have a high school diploma. She also says it's hard for women over 30 to get hired.

"When you go to apply for a job they look you up and down, and they say, 'No, sorry. The job is for someone with so many years experience, and, is skinny,'" says Morales.

Since her children were here, she decided to come to Minnesota.

Morales describes Minneapolis as a pretty city. The cold and snow are "a drag," she says.

"People here are very understanding. People here don't seem too bothered or affected by immigration," says Morales.

Morales says she misses everything about Mexico -- the streets, food, her family. There are some things she has sacrificed by moving. But she says it's worth it.

"Working in Mexico is horrible," she says. "You are poorly paid and poorly treated. You work 12 to 15 hours a day, and there's no incentive for hard work."