But often, there was no food in the house, he couldn't pay for his books, and his mother would drag herself into the house every night, bone-weary and exhausted. I know what he's talking about. I've been to his home town. It's in view of the smoking volcano, Popocatepetl. Countless children who can't afford elementary school run the streets.
Jobs are scarce, and many jobs that are available pay less than a dollar a day.
There is a certain type of inertia people display when there are few ways to make money. What they do all day is conserve the money, materials and energy they have. Like any human released into a free environment, Luis shed his conservationist mode when he crossed the U.S. border, and has been busy building his personal wealth. Working nonstop, Luis has sent back lots of money to his family. He has also acquired a car, two Pentium computers, and a list of other material benefits of our robust economy.