Boarder: The line that separates a country

Today students from the University of Florida Chapter of Children Beyond our Borders gathered at the Institute of Hispanic Culture in efforts to bring awareness to children at the boarder between the United States and Mexico by crafting bracelets.

Anna Diakun a sociology senior says during peace service trips the organization provides educational workshops to children affected by social injustices in Columbia, Nicaragua and Ecuador.

“In Columbia, we find a lot of internal displacement, a lot of families loss there home and have to move to big cities.”

She says, "mainly Columbia has the largest percentage of internal displacement. The other countries face a lot of poverty." Often time’s children find themselves selling drugs and prostituting in order to make ends meet.

However, the organization hopes to bring awareness of the issue children may face in different counties where poverty is the overarching theme by making bracelets. These bracelets will be given to not just Mexican children; however, children form other Latin American counties who are at the boarder between U.S. and Mexico as well.

This event, Jueves Sociales, was in conjunction with the month long celebration of the university’s Hispanic Heritage Month 2014.

Benefits of the Process

“Seeing my parents go through the process, being apart of the process, for ten year was really something that made me want to get involved and makes me what to help and advocate for families going through it,” said Sol Ortega.

The process is a process many in the United States are familiar with, immigration. Immigration is a serious political issue many people stray away from.

“But the benefits the U.S. offers me makes me realize that I am very grateful.”

At 8 years old, Sol Ortega and her family, mother and father, traveled to the United States from their native land Peru.

Ortega, the salsa dancing, public relation and international studies major with a Latin American focus student at the University of Florida, says she is appreciative to be in a country where she can get an education.

“My entire life has been revolved around school. I love school and my parents have pushed me in school. So being able to give them that satisfaction of them seeing me graduate with my two-year degree plus with my certification from high school.” 

Graduating from UF will be a dream she will do for herself.

“I value education so much because my dad had to work so hard. He hated what he was doing but did it for his family.”

Ortega’s experiences have made her passionate about studying Latin American studies and continue her education into immigration law.  

The Escape

At the age of 12, Richard Lainez and his mother quested on a trip seeking economical freedom. As a native of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Lainez and his mother embarked on their dreams by means of traveling to the United States. 

Lainez says, “Here there are greater job opportunities and economical situations.”

"There was a bunch of unemployment."

While shaking his head and reminiscing on his experiences in Honduras he explains, “You couldn’t literally walk on the street without being kidnapped." 

He also says in Honduras, “You’re either really poor or really rich.”

However, leaving behind love ones was the greatest challenge.  It was a matter of finding his way in a whole new world.

Like many other students in the United States Lainez is not alone. 

According to the United States Census Bureau one year ago, there was nearly 300 million residents living in the United States.

Although he had a hard time connecting with others when he first moved here, he is on a path continuing to find his purpose in life as a junior at the University of Florida studying biology.

Sipping tea the traditional way - Yerba Mate

University of Florida Argentine Student Association members sipped on the natural flavors of yebra mate. 

Yerba mate is not your average Lipton Tea bag where any mug will suffice for drinking tea like Kermit the frog and The Muppets. The traditional tea from Argentina is meant sharing. 

This way of drinking yerba mate requires a special metal straw that actually strains the mate leaves. The steps for making the tea is simple. All you have to do is add the leaves, sugar (optional) and water.

The next time you're thinking about having an average cup of basic tea, go ahead and grab a group of friends and try something different like Yerba Mate.