Clarke Central High School sophomore Adriana Arellano shows a picture of her family on Oct. 14. Born in Durham, N.C, Arellano moved to Mexico at the age of seven and moved back to the U.S.A. in 2020. “Life is better in Mexico, but it’s more difficult, so I prefer to live in the United States,” Adriana said. “(But in the U.S.) everything is so different — everyday things and school, totally different.” Photo by Lucas Donnelly
The ODYSSEY Media Group will provide viewers with stylized profiles that center on people in the Athens community telling their own stories.
After moving from the U.S. to Mexico and back, sophomore Adriana Arellano has used her experiences to grow and thrive.
The original interview for this story was in Spanish and has been translated into English.
It was eight years ago in Durham, NC, when Clarke Central High School sophomore Adriana Arellano, just seven years old, was called on by her family to help her grandparents maintain their farm in Guerrero, Mexico.
With a way of life based on agriculture, Adriana grew up in a remote rural area nearly an hour away from the city. Surrounded by farm animals, she was tasked with the responsibility of looking after them.
“There, in the village, our way of life was livestock and crops. In my house, we (had) a lot of animals like cows, pigs, sheeps, goats, chickens, quails, ducks, and much more,” Arellano said. “I know how to raise them. I even know how to kill them, skin them, and cook them.”
But after living in Guerrero for eight years, it was time for Adriana to move back to the US to continue her studies. Leaving behind her family — her parents, grandparents, and her younger siblings — she moved to Athens, GA by herself at the age of 15 to live with her aunt.
Clarke Central High School sophomore Adriana Arellano creates t-shirt designs during Spanish club on Sept. 22. Arellano moved to the United States in 2020 after living in Mexico for eight years. “(The U.S.) is very different. I didn’t have that many problems since I studied here for two years. It’s just that since I hadn’t practiced English, I forgot it and I needed a refresh,” Arellano said. “Here at school, there are teachers who help you and (there are) activities, so everything was fine.”
Moving from a country with sprawling vivid green landscapes where everyone speaks Spanish to an industrialized area full of English speakers was daunting and it brought several challenges. Adriana was a young teenage girl stuck in an foreign land.
She struggled to communicate and establish relationships with people who did not speak her language. During virtual learning, using a computer, a task that for many is as easy as taking a walk, was a huge obstacle for Adriana.
Despite these challenges, after a year in the U.S Adriana has begun finding her place. She is a member of the Spanish club and aspires to become a systems engineer. With two years left in high school, Adriana is optimistic and dedicated to flourish in her new environment.
