Antonio's Gun and Delfinio's Dream Blog #3 (Ch 6 & 7)

Considering the two situations in chapters 6 & 7, I see the high school music teacher named Hector Seemann's situation that is described in chapter 6 as much worse than the situation in chapter 7 where immigrants to the U.S. build houses in Mexico never to actually live in them. The reason is quite simple: Hector blamed others when he could have helped himself, whereas the immigrants building restaruants in chapter 7 did not waste time in blame--they went out & built something! Hector Seemann wrote operas and other pieces of music during the time that he taught music at the high school level in Mexico. He had dreams of doing something with his compositions, but he did nothing with them. Senor Seeman had the education and training that would have allowed him to play an integral part in bringing chamber music and opera to Tijuana. Yet, a teacher's aid named Enrique Fuentes did so much more to actually change the musical culture of the area than his friend Hector, the high school music teacher did! Senor Seemann did not even use the ticket bought for him by Senor Fuentes to attend the first opera played in Tijuana, much less play a role in bringing the performance of Pagliacci to fruition! As someone who once majored in vocal music and earned an associat'es degree singing arias, I found chapter 6 quite interesting. Life is choices. If I do not sing now anywhere but in the shower, that is my fault. Senor Seemann might actually have had the honor of having one of his pieces played by the Tijuana orchestra or had his friends perform his opera had he taken the initiatiave to join in their efforts. It was not Mexco that betrayed Senor Seeman; it was not his friends who betrayted him; Seemann betrayed himself by not sharing his talents and gifts when they were needed most by his hometown. He could have been an integral part of the beautiful music and culture that his friends created in Tijuana. It seems as if he chose to feel sorrry for himself instead.

I see the immigrant families who built restaurants in the Chicago area as having done something amazing. They built beautiful homes in Mexico dreaming of returning to their country of birth and to the hometown they remembered fondly having done something of worth. They did something of worth; they just did not realize that the most beautiful thing they were building was a new life in the United States, not Mexico. They built businesses and lives for their children in the U.S. They helped friends get started in business and built a community of sharing based on a "Do unto others as you would have done unto yourself" mentality. Sure, they wasted some money and time on houses they would never live in. What they were actually building without knowing it were vacation homes to relax from the hard work with their families a couple of times a year. In doing so, their chidren were able to attend festivals and to see what their parents had left behind in order to build better lives for them. Chapter 7 outlined the immigrant spirit; it is an example of what makes this country the great country that it is! I cannot see chapter 7 as a bad situation.