I was born in Mexico City on a Christmas night. I am told that I was born in a home and not in a hospital. At the age of six, my parents divorced. It was pretty sad to see them separate, and to leave the house I grew up in. My dad and mom would take turns at taking care of us, and even leave us with friends of theirs. You wouldn't imagine how many schools I had to start new friends with. Yup, I lived in different areas such as Mexico City, Acapulco, Morelos and many more.

My father is a really cool guy and even funny, but the only thing about him is that he was irresponsible and drank alcohol above the acceptable. My mother, on the other hand, is a bit neurotic and I think it's because she went through a lot and had my sister and I at a very young age.

I was about ten when my mother decided to move to the United States with her boyfriend; my sister was living separate from me with her teacher, and I was living with my father. Anyway, we both lived separately most of the time while in Mexico and became bonded here in the U.S.A when we were both being abused physically and mentally by our mother.

We arrived to the U.S.A back in 1991 when "Vanilla Ice" and "Candyman" and all those songs were playing on the radio. My mother was the one who saved some money to bring us over here, with the promise that everything is way better in the U.S. Well, it was all good for about two to three months when my mother started her abusive behavior. I am not saying that I was an angel, but, you see, like I said, my mother would get really angry over petty things and would inflict injuries upon my sister and me. You see, back then, what would hurt the most was not the broom stick or the iron cord or her fist, but the harsh things she would tell us verbally. While living with her, it was a nightmare. When I think of the times I lived with her, days and nights seemed gloomy and sad and hurtful. I cannot think of many happy days when I was with her. I was always depressed and there were many times I regretted ever being born. I know that there are kids out there who would agree with me that their mothers would be the nicest lady, only around other people, not them. My only escape from there was going to school, and I would get good grades so that my teachers would praise me. I was one of the best students there with high marks all the time. I remember that, while living with her, sometimes the television would show commercials on child abuse and hotlines to call. My mother would tell us that if we ever called those numbers that we would go to a kid's jail. This is not true.

Anyway, I was fourteen when my mother decided to kick me out the house thinking that I had nowhere to go. But, I did have a few friends whose mother allowed me to live with them. Soon the Department of Children and Family Services caught on to us and placed us in foster care.

You won't believe how great being in a foster home was for me. No more hitting or calling me names and depressing stuff. I am going to tell you that the Department of Children and Family Services was a blessing for me. I know that there are a few problems here and there but, overall, I was helped. I had very good social workers who, even though they had high "case-loads", managed to give me time and manage me well. I want to thank all social workers for being like that. Most of my stay in the system was in a group home where there were about 36 kids of all different ethnicities.

I encourage you "brothers and sisters" who are about to emancipate or who are still in the system to take advantage of all the resources. Don't be a fool and mess around because the only person you are messing up is yourself. Take care of business! I used to stay at the group home, sometimes, instead of going to recreation just to read and educate myself. Do anything that benefits you and will not harm anyone.

What worked for me is what's called "positive feedback". In other words, whatever goes in comes out positive. You can turn anything negative into a positive! Believe me, it's true, you just have to do it. Change your attitude because it is very powerful.

I encourage you to stop thinking with a "victim" mentality. I know that we were victims and the key word is "were". Also, do not think "I deserve"! This is a very dangerous pitfall. When you think with the "I deserve" mentality, you are prone to landing in the welfare system. You don't want to be in the welfare system. I know you have been provided with everything. Believe me, when you emancipate, you will not be provided with much. So PREPARATION is also important. The only thing you deserve is what you work for! Once you are out here with the civilians, you will have to provide for yourself.

Another pitfall is credit cards. Look out for those little plastic things. If you know you aren't working and you have a 500 dollar credit card, do not use it unless it's an emergency. Out here, a lot of things are based on your credit history, not just credit cards and car purchases. I'm telling you this because I did something like that myself.

Get all your documents! Be sure to have a California ID or, better yet, a Driver's license and a social security card.

The most important thing that can make the difference in your life style is your JOB! The better job you have, the more money you make. So, if you want to be ahead of the game, get trained in some occupation. I chose computers myself and, believe me, this is good. I am one of those guys that get phone calls for computer advice. I use all Microsoft office applications. I built the computer I typed this in. Please make the necessary preparations before you leave. Do not leave things to the last minute.

Another important thing is your health insurance. Your job should give you different options for your insurance. Remember that Medi-Cal will only last you like 3 months after you leave the system.