Interviewee: Trissa Hill
Interviewer: Krystle Hill
Relationship: Sister
Date: March 24, 2003
A young woman who is stuck between the luxuries of the city and the peacefulness of the
country.
What is your full name?
Trissa Hill
What is your nationality?
Black
What is your date of birth?
Five/eleven/ (year withheld by request)
Where were you born?
South Hill, Virginia
When did you (move to the U.S./move from somewhere else in the U.S.)
to Philadelphia?
When did I move to Philadelphia? The first time or the second time? A'ight, the first
time was in '82 and I don't know 'cause I was only a couple years old. Now, the second
time was because y'all was here, my mom and my sister was here.
Why did you leave your country/State/former place of residence?
So why did I leave Virginia and come back here? Because y'all was here, it's more money
here, more opportunities.
What did you like/dislike about your home/country?
What did I like? Very quiet, very peaceful, it's never too hot, never too cold. What did
I did not like? That all the people are rednecks and not as being racist they're rednecks. Just they have hillbilly good 'ole boy attitude, bubba.
Why did you choose Philadelphia/U.S?
This is where I was raised.
How did you travel here? /what type of transportation did you use/take
to travel here? How
would you change that?
I burnt 95 up. I think it's a Mercury Mystique. A 2003 Tahoe, Chevy that is.
How did you find a place to live in Philly?
I knocked on the door and my mom let me in.
With whom did you travel? [Who did you travel with?]
Solo.
Give 1 thing you remember most about your hometown and why?
The first time or the second time? Oh, one thing I remember most and I dun' know it was a
lot of stuff I liked. Why? Because it's just laid back and you can just relax, you can go
to sleep and leave your door open and you won't have to wake up with a
gun in ya' mouth.
How did your life change when you moved and what were the differences between
the two places?
Ok, the first question my life changed because I didn't just come back to a job, I came
back to a career. I make more money here and I make more than I would in South Hill or
Richmond or whatever. The difference is the mentalities are different, just different
mentalities and that's it. I mean it's some good and bad, I mean, in Virginia everybody
speaks to you, even people you don't know, but then on the other hand, they still have
that slave mentality and it's not like that in Philadelphia. You speak to somebody here;
they might ask you if they know you.
What did you expect about the US/Philly?
I didn't expect anything because I knew what to expect.
What did you come here to accomplish and what else do you feel you still need to do?
What did I come to accomplish? I came to go back to school, you know, so I can make even more money. So I can start my business over the next five years. Go back to school, get my RN, clean my credit, start my business.
What are the differences between when you came here and now?
NONE.
What did you sacrifice/leave behind when you left?
I'm not gonna' say what I left. What did I sacrifice? Peace of mind. That's what I sacrificed.
What problems did you encounter coming to the US/Philly?
None.
How much money did you have and where did you get it when you came to Philly/US?
See now there you'll go getting personal. What you, a tax man? Go ahead, next question.
How did you adapt to your new environment?
I'm a bear in the woods. I just adapted.
Why do you think it was worth all your changes?
'Cause nothing is more important than my mommy and my sister.
What education did you have before/after you arrived?
Before, my nursing degree and that's what I still have.
Do you [ever] regret moving? Why or why not?
No, I do not regret moving because I knew at the time that was the best thing.
What reason would/could make you go back to where you came from?
What could make me go back to where I came from? My master's degree and my business.
Describe your first job here. If you didn't have one,
where did you get money?
A nursing agency was my first job.
