Nancy Vera
#22
Nueba Yol is a film that is based on a man named Balbuena, who
is from the Dominican Republic, and moves to New York to get his
visa. During his stay in New York he goes through many ups and downs
in which you will hear in the interview while I was visiting the
Dominican Republic.
Questioner: Where are you from?
Balbuena: The Dominican Republic.
Questioner: How are you moving to New York?
Balbuena: I’m going on an airplane with my friend Fellito, whose
going to help me get a job so I can finish paying off my
mortgage.
Days later
Questioner: How was your first day in New York?
Balbuena: Well, when I first got there I got hit by a car. Which
wasn’t so bad.
Questioner: What do you mean it wasn’t that bad?
Balbuena: The lady that hit me with the car was very nice to me and
took me to the hospital, and not to mention, was very beautiful.
Questioner: Did you continue to see each other?
Balbuena: Yes. She gave me her phone number and told me if I needed
anything to call her, and I did.
Questioner: Moving along, how do you like living in your cousins
house so far?
Balbuena: I like living there, but the kids don’t seem to be
comfortable with me living there, but I know it’ll take time for
them to get use to me.
Questioner: Did anything seem foreign when you came over here?
Balbuena: Yes, I was petrified when I heard the doorbell because I
didn’t know what it was, and I can’t understand why there
are so many locks on everyone’s doors.
Questioner: How’s it going with the job searching. Did you get
your papers yet?
Balbuena: No, not yet.
Questioner: Have you found a stable job?
Balbuena: I wake up early every morning and go to all kinds of
stores, but nobody’s hiring. They just want me for a day and pay
me miserably for hard labor.
Questioner: Has Fellito been helping you?
Balbuena: Yes, he tries but he’s really not a good help.
Questioner: What do you mean?
Balbuena: I ended up looking for a job myself.
Questioner: Was there somewhere you were really interested in working
at?
Balbuena: Yes, I was really interested in working in this restaurant
but I needed my papers, but I think if I keep on bugging him I think
he’ll hire me?
Questioner: What makes you think that?
Balbuena: Well, the other workers were telling him to give me a
chance, and besides he’s a really nice guy.
Days later.
Questioner: Have you found a job yet?
Balbuena: Yes. I’m working at this little grocery store. Or at
least I thought I was.
Questioner: What do you mean?
Balbuena: Well to my understanding, I thought that was a steady job,
but they only needed me for a day for very very little pay. Luckily
the owner of the restaurant called my cousin and told him he was
willing to hire me.
Questioner: So you got a job?
Balbuena: Yes and not only that, but I am also a partner.
Questioner: What! How did you get to be a partner?
Balbuena: The owner had borrowed money from some guy and never paid
him back because he never saw again, but then he came out of nowhere
and he wanted his money but the owner only had half the money. I knew
I had to help him since he gave a job, so I gave him the rest of the
money, knowing he probably wouldn’t pay me back, and he made me
his partner.
Questioner: Wow, you’re a lucky guy. So everything going
good?
Balbuena: Well, as far as my job goes.
Questioner: What do you mean? Isn’t the rest of your life going
okay?
Balbuena: No, I had to leave out of my cousins house.
Questioner: Why did you leave your cousins house?
Balbuena: My welcome wore out, and my cousin told me his kids
weren’t feeling too comfortable with me staying there.
Questioner: So where are you living now?
Balbuena: I moved into a former whore house with the landlady.
Questioner: Do you like it there?
Balbuena: I have no choice, whether I like it or not. That’s the
only place I have.
Questioner: How long did you stay living there?
Balbuena: Well, I didn’t stay for long, because I got into some
trouble with my so called friend Fellito.
Questioner: What kind of trouble?
Balbuena: He tried to stick me up, but I discovered him, and I tried
to fight back but his partner shot me.
Questioner: So what happened to Fellito and his friend?
Balbuena: My landlady shot and killed them.
Questioner: Are you okay now?
Balbuena: Yes, right now I have everything I need.
Questioner: May I ask, what does everything mean to you?
Balbuena: I got what I wanted. I married Nancy and saved enough money
to move to the Dominican Republic.
Questioner: So have you forgotten about Natalia?
Balbuena: No, never. She will always be a part of my life.
Questioner: Do you think Nancy will have a problem now that your a
married couple and your still visiting Natalia’s grave?
Balbuena: No because I told her from the beginning about Natalia, and
how much I love her and will always love her.
Questioner: Have you visited her grave lately?
Balbuena: Yes, I visited her with Nancy when we got to the Dominican
Republic.
Questioner: What did you tell her?
Balbuena: I told her New York was paradise.
Questioner: After all that you went through you think New York is
paradise?
Balbuena: Of course I don’t, I just told her that so she can
rest in peace.
Questioner: So what do you really think of New York?
Balbuena: Well it was nothing like Fellito said it was, it was
hell.
This interview discusses many problems that Balbuena went through
living in New York. He is an example of what immigrants go through in
their everyday life as immigrants.