Elsa and Jose Fuentes* live in a two-story house on Witherspoon street. The house itself, following a common pattern on this street, has been divided into two separate residences. The Fuentes' neighbors are also Latinos. They are a group of young Guatemalan men. While the outside of the house is quite modest, the inside of the Fuentes house is a great contrast. Their home is very well-kept, fully furnished, and has a quaint feel to it. Upon entering, one notices the various family pictures, including wedding pictures and some of their son Edwin with his classmates at school. Although the house is quite small, it is still comfortable. Edwin's Tae-Kwando trophies are also exhibited in the room. After practicing the sport for two years, Edwin is a red belt. The Fuentes were very proud to show me their son's trophies which amounted to about 15. Overall, the Fuentes family lives comfortably. They do not live in a luxurious home, but they have the typical elements of a modern American home, from the microwave to the son's latest model of Sega-Genesis. By September the Fuentes will have lived in the United States for eight years. To begin their story lets start in their land of origin, Guatemala.

Elsa and Jose were born into middle-class families in Guatemala, where they lived their entire life until they came to the US, Elsa at the age of 27 and Jose at the age of 31. The couple married three years before they moved to the US, and has currently been married for more than ten years. Elsa was born in 1962 in Guatemala city and Jose was born in 1958 in a town called El Rancho -- a town about 85 kilometers to the Northeast of the city with a population of about 12,000. The town also borders the Motagua River -- one of the largest in Guatemala.

Jose is the oldest of three, he had two younger sisters, one who is five years younger and the other who was 10 years younger. His second sister died in a traffic accident at the age of 22. Jose and his sisters are the product of his father's third marriage. His first wife died, and he divorced the second wife. He had four children with the first wife, one with the second, and one illegitimate child. One of Jose's half-sisters has been living in New Jersey for 22 years. His parents were married for over 20 years until his father died. Jose's mother was a housewife and his father was a farmer who planted such products as tabacco, corn and tomatoes.

Jose grew up in El Rancho, where he resided for 18 years. After graduating high school, Jose moved to Guatemala city to live with his aunt and find employment. Not only did Jose find employment, he also met his future wife Elsa.

Elsa is the third child of five, and the only female. Her older brother is a civil engineer and the rest are teachers. Her father worked in Guinotipista -- a national typography firm in Guatemala. Elsa explains, "This is where they printed the best books in Guatemala. My father is a good speller and has excellent grammar, so he corrected these books. My mother was a homemaker and she dedicated herself to us (her children)." Elsa's parents were married for 26 years, until her father's death.

Both Elsa's and Jose's parents only attended school until the sixth grade of primary schooling. During this time in Guatemala, it was common for women not to work. When asked why their mothers did not further their education, the couple responded that those were different times when a woman had a more traditional role:

Many years ago it was said that a woman's place was in the house and the man was thought of as the sole provider. The man was the one who was expected to work. In the old days our mothers were brought up, they were expected to obey their fathers, and after obeying their father came marriage, and they would dedicate themselves to the care of their children. In actuality, these things have changed and now the woman provides another salary to the household.

Elsa agreed with Jose, "The problem today is that one salary is just not enough, so the two must work." This pattern of women entering the labor force has been mostly a world-wide occurrence due to changes in the economy. According to Jose, "Before people would get paid less but things also cost less, you could buy a lot of things with little money. Today you can buy a few things with a lot of money."

A trend which also persists in the US, more Guatemalan women are attending university and entering the labor market. Elsa is no exception. Although she never fully completed her University degree, Elsa attended the University of St. Carlos in Guatemala for two years. In Guatemala, one first attends primary school for six years, and then three years basic schooling. Afterwards, one can specialize during the next three years of secondary schooling. At this point, people must choose their career paths. Many specialize as teachers, industrial specialists, agronomist specialists, bilingual secretaries, or accountants. Elsa graduated high school as an accountant and concentrated in business administration in the University of St. Carlos. With her high school degree in accounting, Elsa could have also concentrated in auditing or economics. To finalize her studies she had to attend five years of college, but she stopped half way at age 24 when she got married.

Jose graduated high school with a Bachelors in Arts and Science, and attended St. Carlos for one semester. He was forced to drop his studies because of his irregular work schedule. Jose was working for a communications enterprise called Guatel in the city of Guatemala. He was working as a teletypist, from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm one day and from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm the next. He worked Monday through Saturday. Jose said his job has currently been replaced by the fax machine. "Recently everything was modernized with the coming of the fax, before people used the "telex" to send telegrams from one company to another at a national and international level," Jose explained.

Elsa also worked in Guatel arranging the telephone guide for Guatemala. This is where she met Jose in 1982. She worked in the directors section from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. Since she had a regular work schedule, Elsa did not have to abandon her studies. "I would enter the University at 5:30 pm so I was able to maintain a job while attending the University," she said.

When asked if many people attended University in Guatemala, Jose said it depended on their economic resources. He said many people attended St. Carlos because it is an inexpensive public university. One pays an inscription fee of about $50 at the beginning of the semester. The private universities, however, were much more expensive -- these students had to pay $100 a month.

Since both Jose and Elsa worked for the government, they were paid a base salary plus a monthly bonus. Furthermore, in December they would get an additional salary, and once a year they would receive "utilities" -- which is a portion of the organization's profits. At the end, each person would end up receiving more than double their base salary which was paid on a monthly basis. In American dollars, Jose and Elsa would make around $600 a month. According to Jose, people's standard of living was higher than what they were making in Guatemala: "You made enough to live, but you had to make a lot of sacrifices. There are a lot of limitations in the sense that you cannot give yourself any luxuries." He argued that one of the problems in Guatemala was that workers were paid on a daily and not an hourly basis. In the US, workers are paid double for their overtime.

The country of Guatemala is predominantly Catholic. Although the Fuentes do not consider themselves devout Catholics, they do attend mass on special occasions. Jose clarified, "I'm not going to tell you we went to Church ever day (in Guatemala), but we do consider ourselves Catholic and we go to Church once in a while." When asked why their generation was less religious, Jose responded, "I guess it could be attributed to the evolution of a new generation. They are new times." Nevertheless, both agree that their families are quite zealous about their religion. Elsa says that her family is "extremely Catholic." There is even a Priest in her family who married her and other relatives. Jose's family is also very religious. Jose is Evangelical from his mother's side. His grandparents were Evangelical and members of the Presbyterian Church. Jose said, "All of my mother's siblings were raised Evangelical. My grandfather accepted the Evangelical faith at age of 15 and died and Evangelical at the age of 105." Considered a leader in his community, Jose's grandfather created his own church. Although Jose's parents were married in an Evangelical ceremony, Jose's father was Catholic and he was raised under this faith. Jose explained that he became Catholic because he had more contact with his father's side of the family who lived nearby.

In September 1989, the Fuentes traveled by plane to New Jersey for the first time on what was planed to be a 30-day vacation which has extended itself to eight years. While working for Guatel, Jose petitioned a letter permitting him and his family to take a vacation in the US. Afterwards, he went to the American Embassy where he was given a Visa. After acquiring one Visa, Jose could buy the tickets for his family and petition Visas for them at the agency. Elsa says that the process has changed since then. Now each family member must attain a Visa through the American Embassy. At the time, each family member gave the travel agency his/her passport and Visa which the agency handed to immigration so the trip could be approved. The Visa they obtained was multiple indefinite for five years. There are Visas for any specified time period -- from one month to 10 years. Jose said, "In our case, traveling was much easier because we both worked for the government. However, we only planned on staying for 30 days, we had no interest in staying permanently."

Nevertheless, the Fuentes were visiting Jose's half-sister in New Jersey when he was offered a job hard to resist. Jose describes how he found this job opportunity:

I was visiting my sister for the first week when we heard about the job. There was a vacant position in one of the eating clubs my sister worked at, and they asked me if I wanted the job. A friend from Guatemala who was working at the club and still does, informed me of the position. When we checked out the place we decided this was a good work opportunity we could not turn down.

In his new job, Jose was paid $6 an hour for a 40-hour week. In describing the job Jose said, "I liked the job because it was 100% different from the job I had in Guatemala. I had an office job before and now my work consisted of picking up and washing plates. But the way you had to look at it was like you were making more money." At no time during the interview did any of the Fuentes demonstrate any disdain at the fact that they were working in a kitchen. The Fuentes are aware that their present job is not as intellectually challenging, they embraced the opportunity to work. They simply viewed the job change as trying something new.

While in Guatemala Jose made $600 a month, in his new job he would be making $600 on a by-weekly basis plus occasional overtimes. The catch, however, is that Princeton is much more expensive than Guatemala. Before they paid $100 for rent, now they pay $700. "We use to pay $2 for the telephone each month, now we pay $20 each month in installation plus whatever calls we make," Jose said. Elsa agreed that although they made more money in the US, they also spent much more. Still, the Fuentes would agree that money is one of the main reasons why they chose to live in the US:

The reason why we stayed here was because we could make a better living, we would be a little better than we were in Guatemala. We were not living badly in Guatemala, but we did not live better than we are presently living here.

Nevertheless, the Fuentes acknowledge that although they are living better in comparison to Guatemala, if they use the average American family as their reference group they are not at a higher level. In fact, some might consider them a lower middle-class family. Jose realizes this fact:

In comparison to Guatemala we are living better. I mean we have more commodities, but in relation to being here maybe you maintain yourself supposedly at the same level or a little lower than you would want to be because one is limited in many ways.

When asked in which ways they feel limited, the Fuentes responded that not knowing English is a major impediment. In order to succeed in the labor market one needs to know English. Immigrants must know the language to become US citizens. Although they were taught a little English in school (from 7th to 9th grade), they only learned the very basics. Furthermore, the English they were taught was not practical in the United States because it was oriented towards British-English. Jose explained, "There is a marked difference between the English they speak in England and the one they speak in the US" Those who wanted to learn English could attend specialized institutions of English such as the Guatemalan-American Institute (GAI) and the CIAD. Students were also taught basic US history and geography. For example, they were taught that Washington was the Capital of the US and New York was its most populated city.

Another drawback to living in the US was that they lacked established friendships. When the Fuentes left Guatemala, they left their friends and family behind. They had a few acquaintances in New Jersey, at least enough to help them get settled in, but they did not have an established social network. There are many Latino families living in Princeton from Guatemalan, Mexican or Antillian descent. However, due to time constraints, the Fuentes have difficulties maintaining friendships and meeting new people:

Here when one starts you don't know anyone and when you start to know people you go from your home to work and from work to the home. Sometimes we go out to the movies, or have a churrasco with friends, but then we begin to distance ourselves because of our work schedules, it's a very different system (in the US).

Although the Fuentes have a few relatives in the US, none live in Princeton. Jose's younger sister came to the US in 1993 and is currently residing in California with her husband, who is also from Guatemala. Jose also has five cousins and an aunt who have been in California for 20 years and own a mini-market. Overall, very few people can immigrate to the US because it is a very costly process. "Most people do not have the resources to travel and get out of the country," Jose explained.

Four months after living in New Jersey, Elsa was offered a job in the same eating club as her husband. She could not work at the time they arrived because Edwin was only three, and she had to take care of him. She started working part-time in the afternoons. Elsa would take care of Edwin in the morning while Jose worked, and they would switch for the afternoon shift. Since then, Jose has been promoted. Such promotions have constituted a wage increase. Elsa's salary has also increased because the club does so on a yearly basis.

The monetary benefits gained by living in the US were not the only variables factored into the equation when deciding whether to stay in New Jersey. In addition to the better pay they would receive, they would also live in a safer and more politically stable environment. Jose describes that during the time he was in Guatemala there were two military coups. The first by Efraín Ríos Mott who took over when General Lucas García was in power, and then General Oscar Mejías Victores had a coup against Ríos. Following a 36 year military rule, there were popular elections and a civil candidate won the Guatemalan presidency. Jose argued that such political instability is not healthy for the people of Guatemala: "All those changes from one to another psychologically affect people." A problem which still persists in Guatemala is the threat of guerrillas and the army. Fortunately, the Fuentes were never affected by the guerrillas because these were more prevalent in the East of Guatemala where there is an abundance of vegetation. Nevertheless, they feel much safer in Princeton: " I like the fact that I can walk around safely, while in Guatemala we had the problems of subversion with the guerrillas and there was a lot of delinquency," Jose said. Elsa agreed on this point and added, "The truth is one could not be at peace."

In order to become a US citizen, immigrants must endure a long and expensive process. First, they must seek residency, and then they have to wait a five year period to apply for citizenship. The Fuentes family has overcome the residency battle, but they still have to wait three years to apply for their citizenship. The routes to attain residency are through a work contract, recruitment by a family member, or through marriage to a citizen. The Fuentes earned their residency through a work contract. After working in Princeton for a year, they met with the club manager who said he would aid them in the process. They contacted a lawyer who charged the Fuentes $3,000 to carry their case.

Three years and four months afterwards, the Fuentes had become US residents. Jose said he was fortunate to be in a high category for residency because by this time he had been promoted. In addition to the lawyer's fee, the family had to pay $785 for each family member for having remained illegally within the country. When the Fuentes arrived, immigration had granted them a six month permit to remain in the US. Furthermore, they had to pay for medical exams and newspaper announcements. Before hiring Jose, the eating club had to publicly announce the job opening, but since no one answered the advertisement they hired Jose. In total, the family has spent around $7,000, and more expenses await them. Jose says he expects to pay at least $150 more per person when they apply for citizenship. For now, the Fuentes are working on their English skills. They are taking ESL classes in their spare time.

The Fuentes chose to live in Princeton because this is where they found a job. This might sound like too simple an answer, and some might argue that they should have considered other factors such as the town's system of public education, safety, etc. However, the response I got when I asked them "Why Princeton?" was, quite simply, "This is where we found a job." Fortunately for the Fuentes, Princeton happens to be a town which has an excellent system of public school education, has a very low crime rate, and offers a variety of competent social services. As one might say in Spanish, "Se pegaron en la lotería," a common refrain which means "They hit the jackpot." Even though this strategic move was coincidental, the Fuentes have come to realize the vast resources the town offers, and this has definitely influenced their decision to remain in Princeton. Jose stated, "Of all these advantages we came to know of after living here for some time, we did not know about this before we came."

The Fuentes lived in Trenton with Jose's sister their first year in the US. They then moved to Princeton when they found housing. The Fuentes prefer Princeton to Trenton because it is closer to work and the public school system is superior. Although the rent is much more expensive in Princeton, they spend less money traveling to work. According to Jose, "Well, the rent is a lot more expensive here than in Trenton, but the money you would save on rent you would end up spending on travel fares, car depreciation, and you would have to wake up earlier in the morning." Elsa added, "If you travel by bus you also have to wait longer, so relatively you end up spending the same." Nevertheless, Princeton is an expensive town and to compensate, the Fuentes must go out of Princeton to buy basic articles at a cheaper price.

Disproving the claims of Proposition 187, the Fuentes had no prior knowledge about the social services offered in the US. Moreover, such services did not trigger their immigration. The reason this family came to the US was not to exploit the social services they would receive and live off welfare, the Fuentes stayed in America to work. The family began learning about these services while living at Princeton. "We have found out about these services out of necessity not because we knew about them beforehand," Jose said. When asked about the services they are presently aware of, they talked about the Princeton Hospital, and unemployment. They say the Hospital is very expensive, but the personnel is well-qualified, and they always have a staff member who speaks Spanish and can serve as a translator.

One complaint the family had was that information on immigrant services are not fully accessible. Although there are organizations such as MECHA which help immigrants find a job and housing, immigrants are not fully aware of the extent of these services. "Usually, when the need arises for one of these services, we do research on the spot to address the particular problem. But we are not aware of all the services," Jose said. Edwin actually attended a summer camp sponsored by MECHA for Latino children. In addition to MECHA, the Princeton Public Library has a section with information on social services printed in Spanish. The Fuentes were also aware of the library resource.

Edwin, who is now ten, is a fourth-grader at Johnson Park School in Princeton. He immigrated with his parents to New Jersey when he was three. The first school he attended was a Catholic school called St. Edwin, in Trenton. He attended this school for a year as pre-kindergarten until the family moved to Princeton. Edwin then went to Little Brook for kindergarten and was then transferred to Johnson Park for elementary school. At Johnson Park Edwin was enrolled in bilingual classes for two years. These bilingual classes did not entail separating him from the mainstream classroom for bilingual instruction. Instead, Edwin was "pulled-out" of his regular classes one period a day to receive instruction in Spanish. In addition, Edwin had another teacher who would help him with his English pronunciation, etc.

When asked if he enjoyed his Spanish classes, Edwin said he did not because he disliked the teacher, who was American and apparently did not speak Spanish very well. However, Edwin enjoyed learning about the Spanish language. He learned how to read and write in Spanish, but not at school. His parents were his main educators. Since he did not learn these basic skills in school, Edwin said he would have favored an English-only instruction: "I would have preferred if all the classes where in English because the truth was that she (teacher) did not teach us how to read and write in Spanish, it was my parents who taught me this." The Fuentes would have also preferred if their child had only been taught in English because they believe it is confusing to learn two languages at once: "Personally I feel the child is confused, it is an early age and they have to talk in English and in Spanish. One minute they would have to recite the alphabet in English and the next in Spanish." Moreover, bilingual classes are only offered to Hispanic students. Other minority-language groups are put directly into the mainstream classroom. The Fuentes believed these students learned English at a faster rate. While expressing this thought Jose said, "Maybe these kids (other language-minorities) feel more pressured when they enter the classroom, but the English-learning process is facilitated. When asked whether they had a choice regarding the bilingual classes, the Fuentes said they did not: "Unless the child was born in this country they had to take the Spanish class. As soon as they recognize that a child enters the classroom with a Hispanic surname, he is a candidate for bilingual classes," Jose explained. Elsa said the Spanish classes were still helpful, and she is satisfied with the education her son has received thus far.

The Fuentes are very involved with their son's education. They oversee his progress in school and make sure he does all his homework. In fact, they have approached me a couple of times to translate the instructions for some occasional class projects. The Fuentes say they have not been able to participate more directly with the school due to time constraints. However, they do attend parent conferences and go to school to pick up their son's grades every trimester. "We have not been involved in parent associations because we do not have a regular schedule. However, we have been involved in our son's study," Jose said. When the Fuentes have approached teachers these have been very responsive and there is always a bilingual person who can translate during parent conferences. Edwin also said that his teachers are very helpful and they are as demanding with him as with any other student.

Even though they no longer live in Guatemala, the Fuentes still consider themselves Guatemalan. Nevertheless, they admit to having made many changes in their lifestyle. They have embraced the new American culture, but have still retained elements of their Guatemalan traditions. As Jose explains:

We cannot change our principles and roots, it's true that living in the US we have become accustomed to US activities such as celebrating the 4th of July and Thanksgiving, but that does not mean that we have forgotten to eat frijolitos and make our tortillas.

In sum, the Fuentes have become acculturated. Their present lifestyle integrates elements of both cultures. The Fuentes say they have stopped celebrating Guatemalan holidays that are not recognized in the US such as Guatemalan Independence Day and Holy Week. In Guatemala, no one has work during Holy Week, "these are sacred days, but here it is work as usual," Elsa remarked. She said people are more religious in Guatemala. Still, the Fuentes occasionally attend the Spanish mass at St. Pauls.

One aspect of American culture the Fuentes have grown accustomed to is its capitalist spirit. They have noticed that work is very valued in the US, and since hard workers are respected, this is the way to get ahead in this country. The Fuentes commented on how people in Guatemala value their work but also value their leisure time -- something they have sacrificed in America. However, they feel this sacrifice has been worthwhile and they attribute their success thus far to having embraced this capitalist spirit. Jose explained, "I think the advantage we have as Hispanics is that we know how to work and here they value a hardworking person. Nevertheless, the Fuentes have noticed that this capitalist spirit may lead to a materialistic society, or perhaps this condition drives people to work in excess. They explained how this in turn led to an individualistic society where people work to achieve individual success. They contrasted this individualistic attitude with the community oriented lifestyle in Guatemala: "In this country people become very materialistic, while over there (Guatemala) there is more fraternity and a sense of community."

While interviewing Edwin and listening to him speak English without any trace of an accent, the image that came to mind was that of a "one-and-a-halfer." Edwin is not fully Guatemalan nor is he fully American. He perfectly fits Rubén Rumbaut's description of a 1.5: "Children who were born abroad but are being educated in the United States... They form a distinct cohort in that in many ways they are marginal to both the old and the new worlds, and are fully part of neither of them." Edwin exhibited these characteristics in his mannerisms and cultural preferences. He could easily switch from talking Spanish to English. When questioned about which language he preferred speaking, he said it depends on which language the other person is fluent, but when I asked in which language he preferred to talk to me (I'm fluent in both) he said, "I'll talk either, I don't care." Also, when asked about which friends he preferred, his American or Latino friends, he gave a similar answer: "I like them both."

Edwin seemed very adjusted to American culture. He is getting good grades in school, he has a lot of friends, and even a few girlfriends. Although his girlfriends are American, he said he also likes Latinas. Edwin is a characteristic "1.5" in that he can identify with both cultures: "The 1.5 is unique in that, unlike younger and older compatriots, he or she may actually find it possible to circulate within or through both the old and the new cultures." Gustavo Pérez-Firmat would argue that Edwin is living on the hyphen -- he can go one way or the other.

The Fuentes foresee a good future in the United States. They have no plans to return to Guatemala. They say they would return to visit friends and family, but after living for eight years in the US they have grown accustomed to the American way of life and find it too difficult to return. Jose elucidates on this point:

The problem is that we have been here for about eight years and we have adapted to a style of life. If we would return to Guatemala right now we would be in the same position we were in when we arrived in the US. All beginnings cost, so it would also be a very expensive process to return to Guatemala. If I would return and you would interview me in five years and ask me same question (if I would want to return to the US?) I would probably tell you that I had no desire to return. The thing is that we have become accustomed to a society's way of life with its own set of rules.

In other words, the Fuentes have adapted to the "American Way." When asked whether they would consider furthering their studies, they said it is too difficult to maintain a full-time job, a family and study. According to Jose, "I would lie if I would tell you we have the idea of studying computing because it is impossible to do if you have a wife, children, and have to pay the rent." The Fuentes commented on their need to be realistic: "The truth is that the things we need at this moment are not intellectual ones. Instead they are material things such as a bigger house and a car." Overall, the Fuentes say they have enjoyed living in Princeton, "We are happy here, and we plan on staying unless we would be offered a much better job somewhere else." When asked what they thought the future might hold, Jose responded:

Because of our age and the little education we have, we will pass from one job to another looking for a better salary. In this sense we will never have that great of an opportunity to succeed in this country, but we are presently struggling so that our children have these opportunities.

The Fuentes have realized that there is a limit to the amount of social mobility they can attain. However, as most immigrant parents, they project a more successful outcome for their children -- Edwin and a new baby which is on its way. Elsa is 8 months pregnant and is expecting a baby in June. The Fuentes are very excited about this new addition to the family. As of now, the sex of the baby has not been determined, but both parents say they do not have a gender preference, they just want a healthy baby.

Pérez-Firmat, Gustavo. Life on the Hyphen. University of Texas: Austin, 1994.