"Monica"
IMPORTANT NOTE: DUE TO HER UNDOCUMENTED STATUS, WE’VE AGREED TO GIVE HER THE PSEUDONYM OF “MONICA”. This transcript has been translated from the original Spanish.
Click here for the full transcript.
Monica is an undocumented immigrant and single mother from Ecuador who has worked a string of low-paying jobs. She’s now studying online for a degree in fashion manufacturing.
ANNOTATIONS
Economic Security - Emerging research is cementing the fact that good paying jobs improve health outcomes for people. Conversely, poor paying jobs exacerbate health outcomes. As such, when people are unable to provide for themselves and their families - when they are not paid enough to survive - it can have negative impacts on their personal health. High levels of economic security therefore damage overall public health.
Economic Security - Due to low wages, people have been forced to work multiple jobs in order to provide basic needs for themselves and their families. New Jersey recently started a several year phase-in to increase its minimum wage to $15 an hour. This will help low-paid workers earn more to afford their basic needs, benefitting the local economy, their communities, and their families.
Transcript 1: “…my mother told me that she needed me to work. So I couldn’t continue in school, and I had to go to work instead.”
Context Link 1: https://www.njpp.org/blog/explainer-new-jerseys-15-minimum-wage-proposal
Context Link 2: https://expo.nj.com/news/g66l-2019/02/eb7f9cd3567249/murphy-just-enacted-a-15-minimum-wage-for-nj-heres-what-you-need-to-know-about-it.html
Affordable Housing - New Jersey's housing market is one of the more expensive ones in the country. For people who work low-wage jobs, finding a place to rent that they can afford is very difficult.
Context Link 1: https://reports.nlihc.org/oor
Context Link 2: https://www.businessinsider.com/minimum-wage-worker-cant-afford-one-bedroom-rent-us-2018-6
Economic Security - Emerging research is cementing the fact that good paying jobs improve health outcomes for people. Conversely, poor paying jobs exacerbate health outcomes. As such, when people are unable to provide for themselves and their families - when they are not paid enough to survive - it can have negative impacts on their personal health. High levels of economic security therefore damage overall public health.
Transcript: “No, saved no. I have saved about $10,000 in legal bills [laughs], but no.”
Immigration - The process for people to be approved for immigration into the United States is taking longer and longer due to lack of capacity, investment, and reform. In many cases, people are forced to wait for over a decade for their applications to be processed fully.
Context Link 1: https://www.alllaw.com/articles/nolo/us-immigration/why-the-wait-green-card-so-long.html
Context Link 2: https://www.cato.org/publications/policy-analysis/immigration-wait-times-quotas-have-doubled-green-card-backlogs-are-long
TRANSCRIPT
My name is Monica. I am thirty-six years old, originally from Ecuador, I came to this country when I was fifteen years old, and I have worked all my life, and now I am studying.
Tell me about where you grew up and what memories you have.
My childhood there was very beautiful, but later my aunt brought me to this country, and I got used to living here and started studying. I went to high school.
And so the place you grew up, was it a small town or the city?
Guayaquil.
Guayaquil, yes. The largest city in Ecuador.
It’s the coast.
So why did your aunt decide to bring you here?
Because all my sisters got engaged and I was single. I do not have a good relationship with my mother. That's why my aunt brought me here.
Were you the youngest of all of your siblings?
Yeah.
So why did your aunt decide to come here?
Because I wanted to come to this country. I already saw more opportunity in this country than if I stayed in Ecuador.
How did she choose where to take you?
She already lived here in New York for many years, and she always traveled to Ecuador. So when I saw that my sisters left, I asked her [if I could] come.
And were you raised just by your mom, or was your father there as well?
The ones who raised me were my grandmother and my two aunts.
What was it that you wanted to do when you were young? What did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was in Ecuador, sometimes I saw a lot of poverty. So I believed that coming to this country would me better opportunities. That's why I'm learning to sew. One of my aunts teaches me because I’d like to open a store and give opportunities to women like me.
Is that what you always wanted to do since you were young?
Yeah. When I saw my aunt sew, she is amazing. Two of my aunts sew and work for good companies and are perfectionists. They make wedding dresses, all kinds, and I love to see them working and sewing so, they inspire me.
And at that age of fifteen, when you wanted to come to the US and you wanted to learn to sew, did you kind of imagine what your life would be like here? Did you have any thoughts about what your future would be like?
No, I had no idea how my life would be here.
So you came with your aunt when you were fifteen, and you lived in the city with her for a little while?
Yeah, I lived for a while with her in New York, and then in 2000, we moved here to New Jersey with my cousins, her and my grandma.
So it wasn't just your aunt here? You had other relatives who were also here?
Yeah, her children, my other aunt came -- the one that sews -- and other cousins, but I'm not close to the family.
Where did she move in New Jersey?
Irvington.
So what was that move like for you at the age of 15? Was it difficult to leave Ecuador and all of your friends and family?
Yeah, it was very difficult, the change. At that time, my mom was here. Since I did not have a good relationship with her, I wanted to take a bus and travel back to Ecuador. But I couldn’t.
And was it difficult to leave behind all of your friends back home and some of your other family members that you left behind in Ecuador?
The only one that was difficult for me to leave was my dad. My sisters, not so much, because they already had their families. Friends as well, not really.
What did you imagine it would be like when you came here, and once you got here, how did that compare with your expectations?
I imagined that it would be easier, but the reality is that it is no, it’s difficult to survive in this country. I imagined that it would be something similar to what it is in Ecuador, that you spend time with your family. But no, when you arrive, the next morning everyone runs to work and you stay alone in the house going like, "What?" It is difficult because everyone has to go out to work. Everyone has obligations. If you do not work, you can’t pay the bills. [Annotation #1]
So it felt a little bit lonely.
Yes, it feels like you get up and everyone’s already gone to work.
So when you came here, you were fifteen and you went to school here? You went to high school?
Yes, I went to high school to a school in New York called New Commerce. It was a very good school, because it supports people who come from other countries and teaches them English. You take it like any school, but it is bilingual until you learn English.
You’re still learning English now.
Yes, because my teacher told me I did not pass English Regents exam, and later I began living with my mother, and my mother told me that she needed me to work. So I couldn’t continue in school, and I had to go to work instead. [Annotation #2]
And why did your mom say you needed to work if you were living with your aunt still?
My mom lived with my aunt, but the one that was responsible for me was my aunt. She was the one who made the decisions. But when my mom had a very strong temper, then I had to do what my mom told me to, to avoid causing problems for my aunt.
And why did your mom say you needed to go to work? Was it because they needed more money?
Yes, because I needed to help my sisters in Ecuador, and they wanted to buy land there.
So at that time you were what, sixteen, seventeen? What age were you when she took you out of school?
I think I was nineteen, twenty years old. I had to quit school.
So were you in your last year?
Yes, it was the last year, the twelfth. But also the teacher told me that I had to take extra credits to be able to take the Regents exam again. But since I had to leave the classes, I couldn’t go back to school.
And how did you feel about that decision at the time?
Now? Frustration
But then?
Anger, because it was unfair, but I had to do it.
So, your mother made you leave school and do what sort of work?
I looked after children and did cleaning work.
So you were working sort of full time?
Yes.
And most of the money that you earned would go back to your mother and to your family in Ecuador?
Yep.
So what was that like for you? At the time you were still living with your family there, at home, and you were working a lot, so you didn't really have time for friends or to do anything outside of work. No?
I was never allowed to go, like, to the movies with friends. You know, when you're a teenager you want to go out, but no.
And so, how long did that situation continue where you were still kind of working giving all of your money to your mother and your family?
Until around age twenty-one or twenty-two, when I got together with my daughter's father. I met him at the same high school and we decided to get together.
So you moved out and got your own place? You left your family?
Yes, we moved to another place, but my mom wanted to live with us. That was one of the mistakes I made. She moved in with me and my daughter’s father.
And what was that like?
Okay, the first years that that was going on, my mom was tough. On one occasion, she wanted to hit me, and that's when I decided to go live with my daughter's father in Florida, because his family said they were going to help us. So we moved to Florida without my mom.
And how long were you living in Florida?
Two years, we were living there, but that's when my daughter was born, and sometimes my daughter's father went to work and I was left alone with her, and I did not know what to do with a little girl. After two years there, he had an accident. He cut his leg and had to leave work, and since he was not working, we returned to New Jersey.
What kind of work did he do?
He did wood restoration.
And so you moved back here because you had the support of your family here? You thought they could help you?
I moved here because I thought my family was going to help me, but when I asked them for help, they really did not support me. My mom told me to rent an apartment. She said she was looking for an apartment for us to live in when we returned. But then it turned out that my mom no longer wanted to live with my cousin and that she wanted to live with us again. So since my daughter's father lost his job, we talked to him, and he said it was fine, "to divide the rent with your mother until I can get going again."
And she agreed to that?
Yeah.
So during this time, I know you were splitting the rent with your mother, but still, how were you paying for food and bills? Because your husband wasn't working, how did you afford everything?
When he came here, he met a man that worked in air conditioning and heating, so he offered him a job. Then, he started working with this man.
So despite his injury, there was some work he could do?
Yes, he was able to find work. He would wrap his leg, and he would go to work. He would wear like a cover on his leg and go to work.
And did you actually get married? I called him your husband, but was he your husband?
No, we only lived together, we did not get married.
So you were together for a few more years, but then the two of you broke up, I understand?
We separated when my daughter turned two because, in a way, he started relying on the fact that we had my mother to cover our expenses. So that, for me, was not fair because I wanted to be independent from my mom, but because of his irresponsibility we weren’t able to be.
By his irresponsibility, was he not good at saving money?
I mean, if he made 300 dollars a week, that was fine for him. That did not cover the expenses, so he would tell me to ask my mother. But I didn’t want to because I didn’t want to continue relying on her. That's when I told him that we are separating.
At that time, my daughter had traveled to Ecuador because my father wanted to meet her, and she traveled with my grandmother. My mom had decided to leave, and I was left alone with [my daughter’s father]. Then my daughter got sick in Ecuador because of the change in weather, and I told him that we needed to send her money to go see a doctor, and he said, “you figure out where you get it from.” That's when I told him to take his things and leave and that I would figure out how to help my daughter from this point forward.
And so your daughter was how old at this point?
Two years old.
Okay, and how long was your daughter in Ecuador before she came back?
One month.
So when she came back, what did you do? She was still very young, and you had to raise her, but you also had to find work? So what did you do?
I had two jobs: in a money transfer agency and in a laundromat at night.
And who watched your daughter?
A friend.
So you were working both day and night, you didn't get to see your daughter very much, I guess. Was it hard?
Yes.
How long were you working those crazy hours?
I think it was less than a year because my friend's daughter was very jealous, and she bit my daughter's face, so my daughter no longer wanted to stay with her.
So then what did you do?
I found another babysitter. I was only working at the laundromat at that point, but my babysitter happened to be the sister-in-law of the laundromat owner, and they knew that I needed the money, so they would say, "Monica, do you want to work overtime?" And I would do the overtime.
So during all this time, did you have any sort of financial aid or child support from your daughter’s father?
No. I asked my daughter’s father for child support in 2012.
So it was several years before you were to able to. And were you eventually able to get some support from him in 2012?
Not before, no, but after, yes. It wasn’t consistent, though, because he’d paid for a month, and then he wouldn’t pay for the next four.
And during this time, did you have any other kind of support from your family and your friends, or you were on your own?
I was completely alone. I was even applying for food stamps. At first, I think they gave me one hundred dollars until 2010, 2011. Then I was left without work, and I went to apply again, and they reduced it and gave me sixty dollars a month.
So that whole time, you were still working in the laundromat?
No. Later I left the laundromat, because it wasn’t paying enough, and a coworker told me to work in dry-cleaning. You earn better, and since it also gave me the chance to interact with customers and improve my English, that would be work well. So I went, applied, and got to be a cashier, and I got I think four hundred and something a week.
[Prior to getting that job,] when I was still living in my original apartment, after my daughter's father left, I didn’t have enough for the rent because it was like eight hundred dollars, and I couldn’t afford it. So I had to abandon the apartment because I was being evicted. Then I met this boy who was renting a room, so I moved there with my daughter.
Which was where?
It was in-between Union and Irvington, I don’t remember.
And about how long did you live there?
Just a couple of months.
Why just a couple months? What happened then?
After I found the [better-paying] job at the dry cleaner and worked there a couple of weeks, I called the number for another building that I found, and they rented me a small apartment.
It was better than the place that you had?
It was in Irvington, but it was still a small apartment. I paid six hundred dollars, and since it was only my daughter and me then, with two payments from work at the dry cleaner, I could live in peace.
So it was a lot cheaper, a lot more affordable.
It was more economical, and I was alone with my daughter. We had a single room, a small room, and a small kitchen, and we lived, the two of us, peacefully. I was able to pay. That was the important thing.
And your daughter was how old at this point?
4 years old.
What was it like raising your daughter this whole time? Especially when she got older, would you consider yourself poor at this time? Were there things you wanted to buy her that you couldn't buy her?
Yes, it was difficult because we had to be a little tight to be able to afford food. Sometimes on Sundays, which was my day off, she would say, “Mommy, I want to go to Wendy's." I would say, “Let’s go, but that’s it." We had to economize.
Did she seem to understand?
Yes, she understood. Thank God He gave me a very quiet daughter. It was not complicated. Sometimes we went to the park, but it was not like, "Buy me this." It was not like that at the time.
How did you meet this American couple who started helping you out?
Oh, they are my angels. I worked for a shipping company, and I met him because he was going to pick up packages there. So at that time, I was in a bad situation with my daughter because her dad was trying to take her away from me. My daughter was staying with her dad, and I had to pay for a lawyer in Florida, and for one here.
And so these people spoke Spanish?
No. One day I was on my lunch break, and I realized that he always received letters of court things or legal things and I said, “Are you a lawyer?" And he said, "No, if I was, I’d be rich!“ He asked me, ”Why?" and I said, “I'm having this situation,” and he, in that moment, related more to me and began to ask me questions, and he told me that if anything happens, to let him know.
I had lost my job in 2013, so I asked my daughter’s father if I could send her to stay with him in Florida. But I didn’t realize that after six months, the physical custody goes to the parent the child is staying with, and he relied on that to try to keep her.
And your daughter was how old at this point?
My daughter was seven.
Okay, so he almost got custody of her, and that’s when you started talking to lawyers, and you were already struggling to pay your bills but then you also had all of these legal bills you had to pay.
Yes, believe me I only had enough to eat hot dog, egg and rice.
And you had to get two lawyers-- one in Florida and one here in New Jersey.
Yes, because they’re different laws.
Different laws between the two states, yeah.
I had already purchased my daughter’s return ticket and everything, but then three days before she was due to come home, he sent me a message and he told me that, ”I’m not sending her back. I’ll see you in court." I went to court, and the court told me I could not do anything about physical custody, and that started two years of legal fighting.
So your legal battle started, and this man that you met through your job started helping in some way?
I’d been working for this shipping company for two years when I met him. My daughter’s father filed a legal motion, claiming that I wasn't a suitable parent and that I would have to get a psychological evaluation. When my lawyer told me about the motion, I felt sick because I didn’t have any more money to pay for legal bills. So that's when I called this man.
And how did he help? What did he do?
My lawyer asked me for two thousand dollars to be able to work on the case, and I didn’t have that. So that's when I called this man and I explained it to him. Then he said, “Okay, come tomorrow at your lunch hour and speak with my secretary.” I brought him the legal papers, because I didn’t want him to think it was something false. He saw the papers and he said, "I'm going to help." Then he gave me some money first, so I could pay the lawyer and do something about it.
Was he kind of wealthy that he was helping you out?
He has some companies, and he is a good person, I trust him one hundred percent because no one has helped me like him and his wife.
Why do you think he’s been so generous?
Because he says that when he was young, he opened his own company, and whenever he had a problem, there was someone who would take him by the hand. And now that he is doing well, he likes to help people when he sees that they need it and that they’re hard working people or people who want to get ahead.
So he gave you money initially, and has he continued to help you in various ways?
Yes, he continued to help me after that. He told me, ”If you do not have money for the phone bill, let me know.” Because he saw that I worked at that company almost ten hours a day, the most that I could. I would stay late. But even then, the pay was not good. So I was always tight. Sometimes they cut the phone service off on me, and sometimes he’d call me to catch up and I wouldn’t answer. Then he would tell me, “Here you go, pay it." [Annotation #2]
I paid for my food, the apartment and things like that, so money was very tight.
And with his help, you were eventually able to regain custody of your daughter?
Yes. He helped me. When I received the news in December, 2015, when the girl's father called me and told me to come pick her, I was like, "Why?" And he said, "They told me that I have to return her as soon as possible.” But how was I going to buy a ticket on such short notice? I think it was within three days that I had to get a ticket, and you know how expensive tickets like that are. So I called John and said, "John, I have to buy this because I have to go see my daughter as soon as possible.” And he said, “Okay, I'll call you back.” He called the travel agency, and he bought me the tickets to travel to see my daughter and return the same day. I traveled in the morning and returned at night with her.
And what has it been like to have your daughter back with you now?
It was happiness, but I had to work on many things with her, because she came back different. So we had to work on behavioral things and working on trying to go to family therapy.
And your daughter is now twelve. How long ago did you move into the apartment you’re currently in?
Almost five years.
So that’s before your daughter came back?
Yeah. My daughter's dad claimed that I didn’t have the money to keep my daughter comfortable in an apartment, with her own room. So for the court, because of the fear that he would file something else, I moved here so she would have her own space. As tight as my money was, I figured at least I’ll have the apartment. [Annotation #3]
So has it been difficult to afford?
Yes, it has been because of the extra payments I’ve had to make for the lawyer, and also because the pay at work is not very high. So yes, it is a little tight.
Are you still paying legal fees, or are you mostly done with that now?
No, not anymore because he helped me with that.
And where are you working now?
I work part time at a dry cleaner because I’m also studying at the university.
And with your part time job, are you able to afford to pay the bills and everything?
No, I try to pay what I can, and the other part is from what the girl's father pays monthly, But if I do not have enough or fall short, then John tells me to let him know. So he helps me cover those payments.
What are you going to school for?
The school I do online, and on the days off that I have, I do my homework, study, take exams, and if I have to go for tutoring, then those days I go to campus and they help me understand my homework.
What are you studying, though? What subject?
Fashion manufacturing and merchandising.
What would you like to do with that degree?
Open a store and sell what I make.
And so we’re here in your apartment, and I see you have a lot of equipment around here. Are you doing some work now on the side?
Yes, at one time I was working for an aunt. I sewed clothes for her then, but I had to leave, because I decided to go to school. So I didn’t have much time, because I was trying to take classes to improve my English and take sewing classes in Hoboken. But sometimes my friends call me, or I have a lady that has me make clothes for her. She works at the East Orange Board of Education. So I make clothes for her-- skirts and things like that for extra cash.
And what kind of requests do people give you? What have you made for people?
I make her skirts. I have to give her two dresses and a blouse. Usually people ask me to do the hems of the pants or some skirts or to take in the pants, things like that.
Can you kind of describe what you have around here, some of the different tools you use?
Thanks to my aunts, I have the single machine, which is for sewing straight and the mannequin, which sometimes I use to test if clothes fit well. I like to use the table for ironing, because that’s the way my aunts taught me, and they’re sample makers, so they’re perfectionists. I have the big table because that’s where I draw the patterns on paper. From there, I have to cut them on the cloth, and I have the other machine, which is the one that sews from inside the fabric so the seam won’t show on the other side.
So your dream would be to open up your own store where you could make people custom dresses and suits?
Yes, that’s my dream, to make my own clothes and sell them in the store, and if other women want to learn something like sewing, I would also like to teach them.
How would you describe your life right now?
A little bit stressed out by school, but thanks to John, I'm doing much better. But I still have to continue working towards becoming independent and figuring things out on my own.
What is a typical week like for you?
Monday and Tuesday I work until let's say five or six. I have almost no set clock-out time. I go in at eight. Wednesday and Thursday, are my days that I have to do my assignments and projects, and do them along with my English classes in the library with Miss Mary. Saturdays, work and Fridays also work, depending upon if my boss calls me in. Sundays I dedicate to my daughter.
From a financial perspective, what are the areas that you struggle the most?
Paying my rent, because here it is at least a twelve hundred dollar payment. Paying the rent and I try to always have food, but it’s a little tight. [Annotation #3]
Are you getting any kind of government assistance?
No, nothing.
What about healthcare, like if you get sick?
My daughter does have Medicaid, which I apply for every year, and I just applied for Charity Care yesterday, which is given by University Hospital. That’s the medical insurance that we have.
And what about paying for food? Has that ever been difficult, and do you feel like you and your daughter have enough to eat?
Depends. If it were with my salary, I would have very little. But with John’s help, I now have enough to buy more food.
Have you ever had to go to a food bank?
I have not gone, because I have not known of any.
And what about transportation? Have you ever had a car?
I get around with a monthly bus pass, and for like when I go pick up my daughter at school, I walk.
Do you feel like you have to make any kind of sacrifices on a regular kind of basis? Are there things that you’d like to buy that you just can’t afford?
Yes, I have to sacrifice certain things. Let's say in food, I’ll buy fruits, I’ll buy vegetables, but you always want to buy something extra, and I have to say no because we’re going to go over budget.
Have you been able to save up any money? If you had some type of emergency, do you have any money that you can access?
No, saved, no. I have saved about ten thousand dollars in legal bills [laughs], but no. [Annotation #4]
So is your biggest hope right now that you finish this degree program, and that would help you to move on and get a better job or open your own business?
Yes, I hope that having a degree can get me a better job or I’ll end up opening the store and then I’ll do better. That is what I’m hoping for.
I imagine that all this can be kind of stressful at times. How do you handle the stress? Do you have anyone to talk to, or what do you do when you’re feeling really bad?
In terms of talking, not really. Sometimes I talk to my friends, but it’s not like you’re actually venting. So, what I do is go for a run. Going running gives me some release.
Do you know a lot of other people who are struggling financially? Like, do you have friends or family member who are also in a similar situation as you?
Yes, I have friends who have more children, and they’re doing worse. But like me, they have to keep going and work.
You consider yourself very lucky that you met this man John and that you’re able to have the child support, because I guess it would be very hard for you otherwise?
Yes, I feel very blessed to have him, because without him, I could not be in college. My daughter would not be in a private school, and maybe I would be in a smaller apartment and in a more dangerous city.
Did you say you’re sending your daughter to private school?
Yes.
With his help as well?
Yeah, he helped because she was having problems at the public school here, because she was being bullied. They bothered her a lot. They made her cry sometimes, and she didn’t want to tell me because she didn’t want me to stress or get upset. So when she did finally tell me, I tried to look into those charter schools, but they have a waiting list, and I didn’t know that then. When John asked me, “Did you already enroll? What happened with your daughter's school?" I told him, "No, because she doesn’t want to return to school and the charter school has a waiting list." So he told me, “Look for a private school." And I said, "Well, I don’t have the money to pay, and her dad isn’t willing to.” Then he said, "No, I’ll pay for it. Just look for the school.” That's when I searched for my daughter's school.
So we’ve spent all this time talking about the past. With the perspective you have now, are there any words of advice that you would want to give to your younger self?
Yes. Not to be afraid of my mom, first of all. Graduate from school, don’t have children so young, and take care of myself. Also, if I was going to have kids, I should have waited until after I graduated so I could have a good job.
Is there anything you know now that you wish you knew then, when you were younger?
Not to leave home because you’re not getting along with your parents. I got together with my daughter's father because I wanted to leave the house because of my mother's pressure, and that was another mistake that I made.
When you talk about not leaving home, are you saying that there is a part of you that wished you had stayed in Ecuador?
Yes, maybe. But really it’s more that I would’ve preferred to have stayed in the situation I was in with my family and then making it out on my own terms, independently. It would’ve been easier to find an apartment by myself, as opposed to getting together with the father of my daughter. It was more difficult than it could've been.
If there was one concrete thing that could improve your situation right now, what would it be?
Having documentation to be here legally, because when you have papers, you can go to any job. Without papers, it’s a bit more difficult, and the pay is low. It’s just sweatshop jobs that exploit people. If you need to ask for time off for an appointment, they don’t want to give it to you, or if they do, they say, "only this one time." [Annotation #5]
Are you able to do anything to get legal status, or is that not possible?
No. I’ve tried, but no. My lawyer said that it wasn’t a very strong case for them to give me the opportunity to stay here.
Is that a fear that’s kind of hanging over things all the time, that because you’re undocumented, bad things could happen to you somehow?
Yes. To be undocumented in and of itself is already worrying, and even more now that I have my daughter, because if something happens to me, what happens with my daughter?
Has the fact that you’re not yet fluent in English also been a challenge in not finding well-paying jobs?
Not really, because sometimes you need both languages. Right now I work at the dry cleaner, and people speak English, and of course you have to learn to speak English, but there are also people who speak Spanish and don’t speak any English. In those cases, it helps to speak Spanish. Or sometimes, there are bosses who want you to be bilingual because they have both Spanish and English clients. But I have not had a big problem, and if there were ever issues, I learned the different vocabulary or whatever and I improved.
And you’re taking English classes right now as well?
Yes, apart from the college classes, I take classes in English, because the level that I need for college is high. Miss Mary the English teacher has helped me a lot in writing, grammar and everything.
What gives you reason for hope?
What gives me hope is that everything depends on me. If I study, I will have a better life for me and for my daughter. If I do not get ahead of the situation, I will always be stuck, and I do not want that. If I go to university, it is so my daughter can become more than me and doesn’t get stuck. That is what motivates me.
What would you teach your daughter or tell her based on your experiences?
I always tell her, "I'm your mirror." I tell my daughter, “You're studying, you're going to a private school, you have that blessing. You have to take advantage of it, because other children do not have the same situation as you. So, if I can go to college at the age of 36, and I'm struggling with English and have so many worries in my life and I still pass each class, so can you. You know English perfectly. You were born here legally. What else do you want? You have to be better. As far as the situation with her father and the mistakes I made, I tell her what a boss of mine said, “I do not have any more children because a child always makes you poorer." You have to make sure that when you want to start a family, you find a man that respects you. And I always mention John as an example, because he’s a man who, without asking anything in return, has helped us and respects us.
Where do you hope to be or what do you hope to be doing five years from now?
Have the store, because I have to work and save to do that. And have the car that I like, which is a Jeep. And that’s expensive.
Is there anything else I didn’t ask that you want to mention?
No, nothing else I can think of.
Thank you very much for all your time.