It's that time a year again - Page 2

I can't take it anymore, I just wanna come out and tell a few people. I am in a young adults group at my church and I wanna tell some of them. I'm wonder if I should talk to my priest...

Your life is probably already at its worst and if you don't do something about it just for the sake of change it will just be like it's been all along. Worst case scenario? You tell people about your situation, some of them continue valuing you for who you are and others cease all communication with you because of their prejudices. You get an additional emotional outlet, potential for getting hooked up with new jobs, and people who are not worth being with stop mingling with you.

Hi ECW!!

I think fear is holding you back but fear is a state of mind (it's usually fear of failure). My status was never really a secret. I didn't tell people I just met or people I saw once in a while but people I knew and most of my friends knew of my status. They were always very supportive and they were even more helpful once they found out about my status. They didn't stop being friends with me just because I was undocumented. So don't be afraid to tell them. I hope this helps and I wish you luck!!!

Totally agree. Your friends are there for you, and if anyone should lend an ear, it's a priest. Being out of status doesn't make you a murderer in anyone's eyes except in those of certain individuals...none of whom should matter too much.

I know the feeling... I totally understand where you're coming from, I felt the same way at your age (but not in a suicidal way)... It's extremely frustrating to be a young adult and not be able to part take in activities that your peers are doing. I'm now 25 and I can say that for me it has gotten a little easier to deal with. Just be patient and the frustration will hopefully lessen. It did for me...

I too was part of a youth group at church... I told a few people... but it changes everything... I can't explain how, but the change is there.... and it's not a good change...

happy birthday lol

I have officially told one person about my status who is not in my status and who I knew as a friend first (everyone that knows of my status met me because of my status, perhaps through involvement in organizations or the like), and this was rather recent too, I would say that you are the best judge, tell someone that you trust and know they will not care about your status. What I did was ask her a few questions about the dream act making it sound like a project I was working on and determined to tell her based on her response, I have asked other people comparable questions about immigration and the dream act and the other people did not respond in a very reassuring manner.

I feel the benefits are far greater than the risks, specially when you consider who you are telling. Yes, the other individuals will feel more uncomfortable around you when they make the mistake of drifting to certain topics, which under normal circumstances you would probably have been going crazy trying to think of excuses on the spot, but then you will have a lot more people that may be able to assist you in manners that actually work for you.

I am grateful for the people that try to help me, but it really frustrates me when I have to say no to their help simply because of my status, because they do not know of my status they keep on offering the wrong kind of help. Internship opportunities in government for example...

And of course, just having someone that knows of your status keeps you sane. Florida is a rough place to be, I hate going back there because you depend on a public transportation system that sucks and as you get older people have an expectation that you will be able to get around and have a car, but when you can't get to where they are meeting there is this feeling of a disconnect and you end up inprisoned in your own home, I have heard that story too many times from people in states that are not going pro, it would help to have at least one person you can talk to and hang out with, without worrying about your status.