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FAMILY STORIES
Thousands of people residing legally in the United States cannot travel to Mexico. People with "DACA," people with cases pending before U.S. immigration courts, people on parole -- if people like these have relatives in Mexico who can't get a visa to come to the United States, Friendship Park becomes the only place they can see their loved ones in the flesh.
The word we most often hear from families who meet at Friendship Park is "agridulce" ... bittersweet. People are sad only to touch fingertips through the metal mesh that covers the border wall at Friendship Park, and someday we trust people from both nations will be able to gather at this historic location without a wall between them, as is the case at several binational parks between the U.S. and Canada.
But for now families who gather at Friendship Park are also very happy to be reunited with their family after years -- or even decades -- of separation. For some these trips represent a once-in-a-lifetime time opportunity for family reunification.
Here are just a few stories.
Basilio
Basilio came to Friendship Park with his family from Anaheim, California, United States. It had been 10 years since he had last seen his parents, Juana and Basilio who came from Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico. Basilio was very sad he could not hug his parents.
Basilio y su familia vienen de Anaheim, California, Estados Unidos. Él tenía 10 años de no ver a sus padres Juana y Basilio, quienes vinieron desde Culiacán, Sinaloa, México. Basilio se quedó muy triste por no haber podido abrazar a sus padres.
Basilio
Daniel
Daniel came from Las Vegas to see his girlfriend and her son. It had been 2 years since they had seen each other. He was upset that he was not able to hug them.
Daniel vino desde las Vegas, Nevada al Parque de la Amistad a ver a su novia y a su hijo. Ellos tenían 2 años de no verse. Daniel se quedó muy triste al saber que no los iba a poder abrazar.
Daniel
Diana
Diana came to Friendship Park with her family: her mother Reyna, her aunt Juanita, and their children. They came from Escondido, California. On the Mexican side, they met their grandmother, Joaquina, who came from the state of Toluca in Mexico. It had been nearly 20 years since they had seen each other. Their wish is to be able to hug their grandmother in the near future.
Diana llegó al Parque de la Amistad con su familia, su mamá Reyna, su tía Juanita y sus hijos. Ellos son de Escondido, California. Del lado mexicano estaba su abuelita Joaquina, quien vino desde Toluca, Estado de México. Ellos tenían cerca de 20 años de no verse. Desean tener la posibilidad de abrazarse en un futuro no muy lejano.
Diana
Edgar
Edgar lives in San Francisco, California. The first Sunday he came to Friendship Park, he had driven over 9 hours, and it was already closed. He came back the following month so that he could see his brother, his nephews, and his nieces. In June he came back again. He is planning to be able to hug his mother next time he visits the Park.
Edgar vive en San Francisco, California. El primer domingo que llegó al Parque, el 15 de febrero del 2015, después de manejar 9 horas, no pudo entrar, pues ya estaba cerrado. Regresó el siguiente mes y pudo ver a su hermano y sobrinos. La próxima vez que regrese, él tiene planes de poder abrazar a su mamá.
Edgar
Florentino
Florentino drives with his family from Oregon to meet his mother at Friendship Park. His children are American citizens, and they can go to Tijuana to stay with their grandmother who travels over 2,000 miles from Santa Ines del Monte, Oaxaca to see her son and grandchildren. He has come to the Park twice. The first time he came it had been 12 years since he last saw his mother. He hopes next time he comes he will be able to embrace her.
Florentino viene desde Oregón a encontrarse con su mamá en el Parque de la Amistad. Sus hijos, son ciudadanos americanos y ellos pueden cruzar a Tijuana a estar con su abuelita, que viaja desde Santa Inés del Monte, Oaxaca, el cual se encuentra a más de 3,000 kilómetros, para ver su hijo y sus nietos. Él ha venido al Parque dos veces en el 2014 y últimamente en mayo del 2016. La primera vez que vino, Florentino tenía 12 años sin ver a su mama. Espera que la próxima vez que visite a su mamá en el Parque, la pueda abrazar.
Florentino
Jannet
Jannet has been visiting her mother who lives in Tijuana since 2014. Weekend after weekend she and her children spend the day close to her mother. They talk, they laugh, they cry... In April 2016 she had the opportunity to hug her mother in the event of “Dia del Nino.” It was a very special and unforgettable moment in her life. But the reality is that it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. If only they could hug each other every time they visit the park.
Jannet ha estado visitando a su mamá quien vive en Tijuana desde el 2014. Fin de semana tras fin de semana, ella y sus hijos pasan el día cerca de su mamá, ellos platican, se ríen, lloran... En abril de 2016 durante el evento del Día del Niño Jannet tuvo la oportunidad de abrazar a su mamá. Ella dice que fue una experiencia muy especial e inolvidable. Pero la realidad es que fue una oportunidad que solamente puede pasar una vez en su vida. A ella le gustaría que se abrazaran cada vez que visiten el Parque.
Jannet
Jorge
Jorge, from San Diego, came to the Park to visit the relatives of his wife Maria Teresa. Her relatives all came from Tijuana. They came for the first time on August 3, 2015, and they had spent nearly 20 years without seeing each other. Jorge’s children are Maria, Yajaira, Jaqueline, and Abraham. They came back on September 6, 2015, to say hi again and wishing they could give them a hug.
Jorge vive en San Diego con su esposa y sus hijos. ÉL vino al parque por primera vez en junio del 2015, a visitar a los familiares de su esposa María Teresa, que viven en Tijuana. Ellos tenían cerca de 20 años de no verse. Los hijos de Jorge son María, Yajaira, Jaqueline y Abraham. Ellos regresaron en septiembre del 2015 a saludarlos nuevamente deseando haber podido abrazarlos.
Jorge
Julio
Julio traveled with his family from Manifee, California, to see his parents. His parents came from Tepic, Nayarit and Julio had not seen them for 13 years. It was very hard for him to say goodbye without being able to embrace them.
Julio viajó con su familia desde Manifee, California a ver a sus papás. Sus padres, vinieron desde Tepic, Nayarit y ellos tenían 13 años de no verse. Fue muy difícil para ellos decirse adiós sin ni siquiera poderse abrazar.
Julio
Lilly
Lilly and her friend came to Friendship Park from Oceanside, California. It had been 5 years since he last saw his mother. His mother came with some relatives who live in Villa Fontana, Tijuana. He cried tears of joy when he saw her, but he was so sad to be unable to hug her.
Lilly y su amigo vinieron al Parque de la Amistad desde Oceanside, California. Él tenía 5 años de no ver a su mamá. Su mamá llegó al Parque del lado mexicano con unos parientes que viven en Villa Fontana, una colonia de Tijuana. Él lloró de la felicidad de ver a su mamá, pero a la vez le dio tristeza no poderla abrazar.
Lilly
Lorena
Lorena and her parents are from Santa Cruz, California. She came to visit her brother Pedro Luis, whom she had not seen in 9 years. Pedro Luis came all the way from Guanajuato, a town in the central part of the country. Lorena was visiting her partner too, who lives in Tijuana, and she hadn’t seen him in 5 years. Her mother brought some tamales that she made herself and that Jose Luis used to love. Sadly, she discovered she could not pass anything through the wall until they arrived at the Park. We were invited to taste them, and they were delicious! They hope someday they will be able to share them with Pedro Luis along with sharing a hug.
Lorena
Lorena y sus padres viajaron desde Santa Cruz, California, para visitar a su hermano Pedro Luis, a quien tenían 9 años de no ver. Pedro Luis vive en Guanajuato, un estado en el centro del país. Lorena también estaba encontrándose con su pareja, a quien tenía cerca de 5 años de no verlo. La mamá de Lorena trajo unos tamales para compartirlos con Pedro Luis. A Pedro Luis le encantaban los tamales hechos por su mamá. Ella supo que no podía pasar nada a través de la malla hasta el momento de llegar al Parque. Nos invitó a probarlos ¡Y estaban muy sabrosos! Ellos esperan poder compartir los tamales y un abrazo muy pronto con Pedro Luis.
Noemi, Ana, and Maria
Sisters Noemi, Ana, and Maria come from Sacramento with their families to visit their mother Carmen. She traveled hours from Sinaloa to visit her daughters. Noemi and Manuel got engaged at Friendship Park to have their mother with them in the Mexican side. Their grandmother has come to visit them too. Every 3 to 4 months, they drive more than 9 hours to stay with their mother during the time the Park is open. They all wish to come one weekend and find that they can give them a hug.
Las hermanas Noemí, Ana, y María vienen desde Sacramento, California con sus familias a visitar a su mamá Carmen, que tiene que viajar por horas desde Sinaloa para visitar a sus hijas. Noemí y Manuel se comprometieron en el Parque el año pasado para que Carmen pudiera estar junto a ellas desde el lado mexicano. Su abuelita también ha viajado para visitar a sus nietas. Cada 3 o 4 meses, ellas manejan cerca de 9 horas para encontrarse con su mamá durante el tiempo que el Parque está abierto. Ellas desean que en uno de sus viajes encuentren que pueden abrazar a su mamá.
Noemí, Ana, and María
Rafael
Rafael used to come from Los Angeles to the Park twice a month to see his family. His wife and his 5 daughters would come from Ensenada, B.C. They used to share laughs, gifts, concerns, and a lot of hugs. Those were the days that families could spend time together both physically and emotionally. Since 2009 Rafael could not come to the Park anymore and he has lost not just physical contact with his family, but he has lost them emotionally. He hopes this does not happen to more families.
Rafael solía venir de Los Ángeles a visitar a su familia en el área del Parque y en la playa 2 veces al mes. Su esposa y sus 5 hijas venían desde Ensenada, B.C. Compartían sonrisas, regalos, preocupaciones, y muchos abrazos. Aquellos días eran cuando las familias podían pasar tiempo juntos física y emocionalmente. Desde el 2009 Rafael no pudo acercarse más al Parque y él ha perdido la oportunidad de tener contacto físico con su familia y de esta manera el contacto emocional se ha ido desvaneciendo. Rafael desea que esto que él ha vivido no les pase a más familias.
Rafael
Rosa, Monica, Leyla, and Angela
1. Rosa, Monica, Leyla, & Angela are from San Diego, and they came to Friendship Park to see their parents who came from Guadalajara, Jalisco. They had not seen them in 10 years. They wish someday they will be able to come back to Friendship Park to give them a hug.
Rosa, Mónica, Leyla, y Ángela viven en San Diego, California y llegaron al Parque de la Amistad a visitar a sus papás, quienes venían desde Guadalajara, Jalisco. No se habían visto desde hace 10 años. Ellas desean que la próxima vez que regresen al Parque puedan abrazar a sus padres.
Rosa, Monica, Leyla and Angela
Yanet
Yanet came to Friendship Park from Fontana, California, United States. Her mother came to visit her from Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico. It had been 15 years since Yanet had seen her mother. It was Yanet's birthday, so her mother sang her "Las Mañanitas", the Mexican birthday song. Her mother wanted to do more than just sing for her daughter, she wanted to give her a birthday hug, but it was not possible.
Yanet vino al Parque de la Amistad desde Fontana, California, Estados Unidos para visitar a su mamá que venía desde Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, México. Yanet tenía 15 años de no ver a su mamá. Era el cumpleaños de Yanet entonces su mamá le cantó "Las Mañanitas", canción que se usa en México para celebrar cumpleaños. La mamá de Yanet además de cantarle quería darle un abrazo, pero no pudo.
Yanet
Yuridia
Yuridia and her daughter Sharlene came to Friendship Park from Lake Forest in Orange County, California. Her father, Fernando, lives in Tijuana and was very happy to see them for the first time in 7 years. When they said goodbye they were very sad they could not embrace.
Yuridia y su hija Sharlene vinieron al Parque de la Amistad desde Lake Forest, California. Su papá Fernando, quien vive en Tijuana, estaba feliz de ver a su hija y conocer a su nieta, ya que tenía 7 años de no ver a Yuridia. Al momento de decir adiós, les dio mucha tristeza el no haber tenido la oportunidad de abrazarse.
Yuridia
