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A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
It's Friday - time for StoryCorps. Luis Montero-Adams and his sister Stephanie Machado are U.S. citizens, born and raised in California. When they were 7 and 9, the family was priced out of their home. Their parents, both originally from Mexico, moved the family to Tijuana, just across the border from San Diego. But Luis and Stephanie wanted to keep going to school in the United States, so that meant crossing over with their dad each morning back to San Diego, where he worked as an electrician. For years, their family built lives in two countries.
LUIS MONTERO-ADAMS: I remember when we started crossing the border every day. It was, wake up at 4 a.m., hop in Dad's truck. Mom would make us tacos, burritos. Very few people were driving.
STEPHANIE MACHADO: Quiet.
MONTERO-ADAMS: Quiet. It was, like, pitch black. And listening to music, fighting about the radio station in the morning. Dad was like, Stephanie gets to choose on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
MACHADO: (Laughter).
MONTERO-ADAMS: I used to get Thursdays, and Dad used to get Tuesdays.
MACHADO: (Laughter).
MONTERO-ADAMS: When we would get to the border, mid-90s, there was no traffic. I remember that my dad had friends, like his favorite newspaper salesperson. Like, everyone's crossing the border to go to work or to go to school. And then we crossed the border the morning of 9/11.
MACHADO: I walk into school, and the news was playing, and you can see the airplanes going into the towers. I did not understand what was happening. I didn't know if I was safe.
MONTERO-ADAMS: We went back to Mexico. And on the morning of the 12, we tried to cross the border, and it took us, like, 4 1/2 hours.
MACHADO: All I remember is that the lines were really long. Everyone had, like, a confused face.
MONTERO-ADAMS: All of a sudden, being an international commuter wasn't a possibility anymore. After school, me and Dad would just be driving everywhere, filling out applications - like, please rent us a place. The three of us moved to the U.S., but Mom stayed in Mexico.
MACHADO: That was the first time I couldn't see my mom every day anymore. So we had our life here - you know, go to work, go to school. And then on the weekends, we'd go to Mexico. And then there was this lady in Mexico who used to make raspados, shaved ice. And I remember she would ask us, so where's your home?
MONTERO-ADAMS: (Laughter).
MACHADO: And then we'd be like, we have two homes. And they're like - she's like, no, where's your heart? And I'd be like, I don't understand. Why can someone not have two homes?
MONTERO-ADAMS: I had never perceived the border as a division until 9/11. Having two different cultures - that was my entire life.
MACHADO: Yeah. I had to make a choice of whether I was going to create a life in Mexico or if I was going to create a life in the U.S.
MONTERO-ADAMS: None of this was planned, but there's never been a moment where it's like, I don't know what to do. I guess I'm just going to give up. We're all just like, all right, let's figure it out.
MACHADO: We'll figure it out, yeah. Yes, it was difficult, and it's such a unique life experience. I do feel that I was very lucky, crossing with you and Dad.
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MARTÍNEZ: Siblings Stephanie Machado and Luis Montero-Adams. Their StoryCorps conversation is archived at the Library of Congress.
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