| A wise immigrant

ENGLISH

Antonio Machado said once in his famous poem “Walker there is no path, the road is made by walking.” And nobody knows this better than Adrian Rodriguez, who crossed the Usa-mexico border six times, six times he changed his life, learning with every footstep how to master his destiny.

ENGLISH

Today Rodriguez is a successful businessman in East Tulsa. He sells jewelry and has a well-known store, Rodriguez Fashion located at 12656 E 31st St. But it was not fortune that helped him along the way, but profiting from every experience and turning life into pure wisdom.

He hit American soil 43 years ago, when immigration laws were less harsh and the border a bit more permeable.

“Wherever you crossed you could get in, but you could also get out just like that. Once migration officers grabbed me on a Saturday and by the next week I was back in Oklahoma,” he remembers with laughs. “Here in Tulsa back in the day police agents profiled you on the streets. If they didn’t like you they would ask for your ID, if you had none, then you were out, but at least they did not arrest you.”

So many times, he crossed the border and had to turn back that we may say he became a professional. Luckily in 1985 he got married and with stability and work came the amnesty law, and finally Rodriguez became an American citizen.

Since then, Rodriguez has become obsessed with American and living like the USA commands, whatever that means.

“I came here to learn everything, I was born on a farm with donkeys, cows, and stones on the road. I remember riding my horse to chop wood, because we had no heating. When the USA had power everywhere, my town was still in the dark,” he said humbly. Nonetheless the city lights did not blind his thoughts, and with responsibility, diligence and lots of savings he bought his own house and kept walking the road.

“First I worked in a factory, for almost 24 years, and one day I started with my business, selling clothes on the streets and door to door,” he said. But time flew, and dreams were still unachieved, and so he decided to open his store selling clothes for rancheros, hats and bijouterie, along his wife.

But it something else entirely that changed his life, offering a vital service for the Hispanic community: cashing checks. Adrian knows this is a tough business.

“If you are dumb you can cut yourself, it’s a double edge sword. When you cash a check, you do not know where it comes from, and many people want to trick you. You have to become a detective and a diviner,” he stated, claiming that every year he loses almost $15,000 of his earnings due to con artists.

It is not only deceit he has to face every day at the store, but also security. His store has been robbed four times, and he lost money, jewelry, and even the dignity of his wife who was beaten harshly by robbers.

“But I did not give up, and the jewelry provider offered to replace the products at almost no cost,” he remembered, adding that responsibility and trust were the key to keep on moving. “You need to be humble and responsible in this country, because once you are on top of the mountain you start thinking that the others do not deserve things like you do, but we must always remember where we come from.”

Rodriguez is another protagonist of the American dream movie, he lived in those years when Tulsa was an Anglo city and has seen the Hispanic community flourish and thrive. “I came here when we were just a few, but we have grown,” He observed. “Before we did not have cars, we helped each other and met at a small canteen on Denver Ave. Today I know many of my fiends and I can say that some are rich, some are not, but all of them have a good life.”

Adrian is a successful man, but just like Machado he believes he needs to keep on walking to achieve happiness. “I can’t say I’m happy because the self is always selfish and wants more. You achieve a goal and it’s like a vice, there is always something else. That is why I recommend to tame ambition, if not, happiness cannot be pursued.”

Life took Rodriguez along many roads, his experiences became life tattoos that he turned into pure wisdom, and today he shares his life principles with his community.

That is why he advises all Hispanics to listen to his words:

“America has been created to have great quality of living, but in order to make a business thrive, you need to know how to stay on budget. I came with nothing, no prospects, no skills, and I chose to learn. Save money and be responsible, that’s how you can change your life.” (La Semana)