In the movie Nueba Yol the main character, Balbuena, is an low-income, hard working man who gets the chance to go to New York for a so called better life. He is told that New York is the land of opportunity. As he finds out, it’s not that easy at first. He has to go through a lot of different situations. Below is an interview with Balbuena as if I really was talking to him. Questioner: What do you like learn about New York from other people? Balbuena: They say that it’s the place for opportunity, whatever you want you can have, money is in the streets. And that I could get a job easy. Questioner: How is New York different from Dominican Republic? Balbuena: Everything moves more faster here in New York. Like when I slept in my cousin’s house, his sofa turned into a bed in seconds. And the people are different. The children don’t respect their parents the way children in Dominican Republic do. Questioner: How has your job hunting been? Balbuena: It’s very hard getting a job here. If it’s not one thing its another. I don’t speak English and I don’t have working papers. So that makes it very hard to get a job. Questioner: Do you think getting hit by a car good or bad? Balbuena: Well, it was good and bad. Bad because I got hit by a car, but good because I met Nancy. If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have met her. Questioner: What happened after the accident? Balbuena: In the hospital, I got her phone number just in case something was wrong I could call her. Then one time, I went out looking for a job and got lost, so I called her and she came and picked me up. after that we started talking more and going out. She helped me get a job. Questioner: How did you feel after getting a job. Balbuena: I felt real good, now I can get money to get an apartment. Questioner: You always stay at your cousin’s house, correct? Balbuena: No, things were getting a little rough with his kids and and even though they were getting better I felt I had to find another place to live, but I still love my cousin and his kids. Questioner: How did you feel when the owner of the restaurant said he had to sell it? Balbuena: I felt bad because in that place I started everything. It made me a somebody, an American. And I thought I should help him. Questioner: Is that why you offered to help him with the loan? Balbuena: Yes, he helped me and so I helped him. It was the least I could do, I know he would have done it for me. Questioner: Was there something wrong towards the end? Balbuena: The new owner was a man I had met before, a friend of Felito. I think his name was el Flaco. Questioner: During all this, did you keep in contact with Nancy? Balbuena: Yes, I still kept in touch with her. She was my new love now. The only things I cared about now was Nancy and my job. Questioner: So what else happened to you in New York? Balbuena: Well, Felito was in a lot of trouble and I try to help him, but he was in some real bad stuff. I told him to go to rehabilitation but he didn’t stay. Questioner: How did you feel about New York after getting shot? Balbuena: My feelings toward New York didn’t change much only just that I couldn’t leave their anymore. Questioner: What changed your life for the better at the end? Balbuena: What really changed my life at the end was when I finally married Nancy. She fulfilled my life all over again. In this “oral history”, Balbuena finds out that immigrating from the Dominican Republic to New York isn’t as easy as he thinks. Immigrants should know that moving to a high-paced city is not going to be easy. They should realize that it’s easy to move but hard to find work. Finding work “ain’t no walk in the park” and especially not if you don’t know English or have working papers. For some people it’s impossible, but for a man like Balbuena you can get a job if you work hard for it. Balbuena realizes that his best place for him to live is in the Dominican Republic.