My Diary From Here to There

•  overhead, opportunities, border, unions, strikes, citizen, boycotts
• Amanda overhears Mama and Papa talking about leaving their home in Mexico to move to California
• Papa lost his job and there is no work
• the boys are excited as there is all kinds of toys in the stores, escalators to ride, and popcorn to eat
• Amanda can't imagine leaving
• they decide to go to their grandparents house in Mexicali, right across the border from the USA
• Amanda is worried that she won't be able to speak Spanish and that she can't learn English
• She is also worried she won't come back or see her best friend Michi again
• Papa was born in the USA, so he is a US citizen
• he tells Amanda that she is stronger than she thinks
• Amanda takes a heart shaped rock to remember the times that she had in the park with her friend Michi
• Amanda's whole family welcomes them to grandmas house
• Papa has been picking grapes and strawberries to make money.  He writes in a letter that there are unions, strikes, and boycotts going on to make things better for workers
• Nana gives her a new journal to write in and tells her to always remember where she comes from, and to keep the culture of Mexico alive in her heart
• Crossing the border into Tijuana was crazy, people were pushing and fighting to be first
• their new house in the USA has airplanes overhead and trains running by
• everyday she thinks about home and holds her special rock
• Amanda says that just because she is far away from home doesn't mean that she will forget.  Home is always with her, in her rock, diary, and heart.