Lupe, her grandparents, and her
uncle all moved hundreds of miles to
a town in southern Mexico that didn’t
even have paved roads, let alone any
schools. There, Lupe grewWhen Lupe was 12, her grandfather
became blind. The family left Mexico
and went to Brownsville, Texas, with the
hope that doctors there could restore his
sight. Once they arrived in Brownsville,
Lupe was enrolled in school. Although
she understood no English, she was
given an IQ test in that language. Not
surprisingly, she didn’t do very wel up helping
her grandfather run his little pharmacy
and her grandmother keep house.
She remembers the time happily. “My
grandparents were wonderful,” she said.
“Oh, my grandfather was stern, authoritarian,
as Mexican culture demanded, but
they were also very kind to me.” When
the chores were done, her grandfather
taught Lupe to read and write Spanish
and do basic arithmetic.