Jose's Garden!

Prejudice against asylum seekers is now on the rise in this country. Stories and memes are spreading rapidly on traditional and social media – and also by word of mouth. The foreigners are fighting, stealing and misbehaving themselves, according to those sources. It is necessary to be very careful when you read things like this, so that we do not jump to conclusions. Haven't we seen misogynistic propaganda like this time and time again? Wasn't this kind of rumor spread about us when we emigrated to other countries? And didn't we know very well that discrimination on the basis of ethnicity was involved in that case? This is still happening in parts of Australia! It is more likely than not that the same discrimination is now being practiced in Ireland against the refugees in our own country. We all have a duty to cross-check the basis of such rumors against reliable sources. All kinds of tricks are being played against the refugees all over the world by people who are trying to dehumanize those poor people. Often, refugees are fleeing extremely difficult circumstances, with their lives at risk. As a kind of antidote to discrimination, here is the story of one immigrant who came from Mexico to the United States.

The immigrant's story

When he was growing up in Guanajuato in central Mexico, José Palacios often fled with his soul, finding a hiding place from his own father. He threw himself under his bed seeking shelter but his father dragged him out savagely. He ran out the door at night, through the dark streets, trying to escape. But the police would catch him and throw him in a cell, or worse, take him to his father. But despite his efforts, he always ended up at home. His father gave him a terrible and callous beating, for no reason except that he himself was drunk. Eventually, José managed to escape to the United States, leaving his cruel father, a violent alcoholic, behind forever.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that José would end up with big problems – perhaps as a violent alcoholic like his father! But all is not as it seems!

After he arrived in the United States, José did the kind of work that citizens would turn up their nose at. He worked on ranches, poultry farms, vineyards and orange groves. He attended night school, and eventually took psychology courses at the university level. He enjoys reading and painting. After a while, he got a job as a gardener, and that job suited him very well. Without a doubt, José found comfort in that post – as he himself said about it "It's within my heart!"

José's garden

Although now retired at the age of 70, José works as a part-time caretaker and gardener in 'Echo Park' in Los Angeles. He often goes for walks in Griffith Park. "This is the most beautiful park I have ever seen!" he said. After a disaster in the park in 1970, another Iranian immigrant named Amir Dialameh organized a group of people to carry out restoration work. José helped them and their efforts resulted in a wonderful garden with wonderful benches to enjoy the view. There are also other gardens in the park – such as 'Dante's View', named after another immigrant. It is therefore not surprising that the idea occurred to José to start his own garden in the park. He didn't get permission to do that, but the park officials didn't turn him away, either. A friend and I recently walked with José to see his garden. He has planted a wonderful garden at the top of the field with a stone bench to enjoy what he has made. There are many plants and flowers, and it is a peaceful place. Some unknown person put a wooden disc there with two words written on it: 'José's Garden.'

José has a lot of things worked out now. He is a devout man, and during the COVID pandemic, his garden was his place of worship. He wants his garden to be an inspiration to others too and to make them feel special.

After we reached his inspiring garden, José opened his backpack and shared with us a wonderful lunch – quesadillas with ham, cheese and 'nopalito'. We had a wonderful lunch with José the Immigrant, on a beautiful day, in José's Garden!

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