Childhood is supposed to be one of the happiest periods of one’s life. But what if you were born in the world’s most dangerous city? Aside from soccer, my favorite game to play was staying alive. Gang infested communities and clear signs of government corruption created a humanitarian crisis, ensuring the suffocation of all childhoods in the country. I fled San Pedro Sula, Honduras due to daily murders, robberies, and ultimately a natural disaster that devastated the area.
The day I left our home for good, I can recall standing at the doorway, making one last scan at my bedroom—the silver floor tiles, the rusty bed frame and old mattress, the Nintendo 64 games scattered on the floor as a result of a chaotic rush—a mental picture that is burned in my memory. I was eleven, and my brother and I lost everything. I felt helpless as I watched our 17 year-old caregiver scramble to execute the desperate plan of a woman I never met, my mother. We rushed to sift through our most sacred possessions, crammed what we could in Denia’s car, and packed only what we deemed essential to survive one of the world’s most dangerous illegal immigration routes. As we entered one of Tegucigalpa’s dangerous gravel highways, we had no definitive idea where our caregiver would drop us off. A feeling of dread engulfed me as I watched my childhood home fade from view in the rear mirror. We would spend the next 4 weeks traveling as unaccompanied minors through the Guatemalan jungle and dangerous streets of Mexico, waiting for the perfect opportunity to swim across the Rio Grande at the US/Mexico border.
WILL ALSO PLACE A SEPARATE ORDER FOR AN OBJECT POEM (Rio Grande)
Can you please enhance the story above by applying a SETTING and describing the chaotic departure more eloquently based on the facts llisted below.
Setting
Honduras – Neighborhood
• Dirt Roads (underdeveloped & destroyed after natural disaster)
• Smell sewage from nearby river (open pipes of sewage draining out to the river where kids used to play)
• The “RIP” crosses from the ongoing war on drugs.
• “Mareros” (gangsters) hanging out in plain sight up to no good.
Honduras – Home, Chaotic/Rushed Departure to US
• Woken up in the middle of the night and told to pack essentials (winter/cold, didn’t get to say good-bye to friends)
• One last scan at my bedroom:
1. The Old Wooden Bedframe
2. The Colored Parts of the Wall from my 5-year-old artistic mind.
3. The Nintendo 64 games scattered on the floor
Characters
Erick (Older Brother), Please Include creative dialogue between brother and I.
• Father figure and mature personality due to circumstances in life.
• 2 Years older
• Skinnier/Smaller than me but smarter and fearless.
• Black hair, thins legs and arms, big head (friends made fun of him)
• The best soccer player in the neighborhood at 12 year-old
• Only person to travel with me to US
Consuelo (Mother living in US)
• Never met
• Saved money to pay for “coyotes”, illegal immigrant guides.
