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C onn ect i ng C u ltu r es T hrough F am i ly and F ood

the Washington, DC, area. He decided to join her there. He had two young sons and hoped for a better future for his family. Alarcón’s first experience in theUnitd States didn’t gowell. Hewalked three miles each way to a grueling job washing dishes at a Mexican restaurant. He depended on his sister-in-law and her husband for every- thing. Soon, he returned to Bolivia. But two years later, he decided to give America another try. “I was not happy [inBolivia],” he said later. “Always, in the back of my mind, I was thinking, ‘I can do better than this.’” This time, he was better prepared for the reality of life in a new country. He returned to the same restaurant and soon got promoted. A few months later, his wife and children joined him.

A road border crossing from Mexico into the United States is the final passageway for many people arriving from Central America.