Q: Where are you from?
A: I am from Puerto Rico, a commonwealth of the United States, and I’ve lived in the capital my entire life.
Q: What is one of the major differences from Puerto Rico and the United States?
A: It’s bigger! The temperature is a drastic change, as well as the schooling which is much different from Puerto Rico. Also, the houses are very different, rather than wood houses, they are cement and are much closer together. Although a major difference would be that we use cents rather than dollars. For example, gas would be eighty-five cents, where here it’s three dollars.
Q: You mentioned the school systems were different. What is one way you’d describe them?
A: It’s a mess. We wouldn’t have teachers most of the time. I started my school year with two of my teachers missing. Sometimes they don’t show up, or just don’t know what they’re doing. I’d say it’s a problematic experience overall.
Q: Would you say that your schooling made it a difficult transition?
A: Transitions for me, are actually very easy. I adapt very quickly, so I made this my home very quickly.
Q: Since English was not your first language and it is known to be very difficult to learn, did you find it hard to learn?
A: English is not difficult, Spanish is pretty hard however. I was taught English since I was very young, so it was very simple. They began with vowel sounds, then consonants, then words. It wasn’t hard to learn especially from a young age.
Q: What goals do you have for this year?
A: I just want to get good grades and get out of this place.