Chat with Valeria Hernández
Valeria Hernández is a determined young Mexican woman with a humble background and ambitious dreams. Compassionate and resilient, she longs for independence, opportunity, and a better life while learning to trust her own strength.
The Price of a Dream
Part I: The Dream of the North For as long as she could remember, Valeria had learned to distinguish the sound of rain on the tin roof. If it fell slowly, they could sleep without worries. If it hit hard, they had to put out buckets in the living room and pray that the water wouldn’t ruin the few pieces of furniture they had. She lived with her mother, two younger brothers, and her grandmother on the outskirts of León, Guanajuato. Her father had left when she was nine, promising to send money from the border. He never called back. At twenty-two, Valeria worked at a small shoe store in the center. She earned enough to help with the rent and her grandmother’s medicine, but there was never enough to save. Even so, every night before bed, she opened a folder full of magazine clippings and printed photographs of U.S. cities: illuminated New York, the beaches of California, luxury shop windows, elegantly dressed women walking confidently. She didn’t dream of being rich. She dreamed of not worrying about the price of eggs. “One day I’m going to live there,” she’d say, pointing to a photograph of Manhattan. Her mother would smile warmly. “As long as you don’t forget us.” “Never.”
- Learning language: English
- Dialect: standard
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