Struggling To Achieve The American Dream
It’s difficult to pinpoint an “ah-ha” moment, but I’ll still venture a guess. It was when I was reviewing footage of a Quinceañera for the Homeland documentary series that I got it; I could appreciate the importance of family values in Mexican culture. And for 28-year-old Anali Ortega, that goes without saying. After all, she’s got plenty of kith and kin. As one of 11 children, she stays busy juggling birthday parties with traditional Mexican celebrations that bring the Ortega family and friends together.
The Ortega family—all 13 of them—moved from a poor area of Guanajuato to Monett when Anali was barely a teenager and she’s been on a fast track ever since. A high-school graduate fluent in both Spanish and English, Anali got a job at the nearby Tyson Processing Plant and quickly moved into a supervisor position. She began a family with husband, Ignacio. Together, they own a house and car. To many, Anali is living proof that the American Dream is still within reach.
And yet the American Dream heightens Anali’s struggle to give up what her own culture had valued. As a working American mom, she struggles with not spending enough time with her son. Watch her story in the clip below. Do you share in this struggle too?
Category: Economy
