Pedro Perez is a person who struggled to adjust to the life in the U.S. He left Puerto Rico chasing the great American dream.

Interviewer: Juan Sostre
Interviewee: Pedro Perez
Date: May 7, 1999
Language: Spanish
Translated by: Juan Sostre

When you came to Philadelphia what did you expect? Was it different from what you expected?

Well, when I came to Philadelphia I expected more job opportunities, and I expected better communities to live in. Also, I expected to see a lot of my friends from Puerto Rico who had moved to Philadelphia before me. I also thought that it was going to be easier to communicate with more people in the community. Yes, it was the way I thought it was going to be because I was able to get a job fairly quickly. After I got the job I got a house for my family, and I found myself feeling like I was with my people because here there were a lot of Hispanics in the community. The rent was much lower here than where I used to live.

Was it hard to adjust to life in Philadelphia?

No, it was not that hard because once you found a job you had the money to pay for the rent and live comfortably. After you dedicated yourself to working you found that it was pretty good here.

What was the hardest thing to adjust to?

The hardest thing to adjust to was the climate here in Philadelphia. The thing was that since I came here around November it was already cold and the change of climate from where I lived in California to here in Philadelphia was tough to adjust to. The temperature would be around 0° and it was very difficult at first but once I got use to it I found that I began to enjoy the cold weather.

Did you have any family living here when you came to Philadelphia? If so, did they have a part in your decision to move here to Philadelphia?

Well yes, at the time I came here my wife's family was living here. As to friends when I came here, I did not have that many and only knew a few. The family I had here was all my in-laws and the rest of my wife's family. They actually did have a big part in my decision to move here because they told me that that there were more jobs here and the way of life was, well, I would not say easier, but more comfortable. The rent was lower here and there were more opportunities for employment here.

Compare the differences between living here and in Puerto Rico.

The differences are that in Puerto Rico you are in your country, but here there are good communities to live in. Here you can go with your purpose of working hard and making life better for you and you can do it here. Life here is more comfortable and you can do things the right way.

Working here and Puerto Rico; is it different or is it more of the same?

The work here and in Puerto Rico is pretty much the same except for here the salaries are higher and there is more rights protecting the worker. Here, when you are working you are working to make a good life for yourself and not having to work just to survive day by day.

How has Philadelphia changed since you moved here and the Philadelphia of today?

There have been many changes because when I came here I found that there were a lot of Hispanics but not as much as now. There were a lot of Americans and there were more races mixed like Italians and others from foreign countries. There have been changes, sincerely, because as more and more Hispanics moved here, the Americans or whites have been moving away and formed their own communities. Now there is a lot of separation between races but before there was more of a mix. Another thing is that the crime here has been going up and up and it is getting dangerous here. When I came here you could leave your door open because no one would do anything - but now you must always have your door closed.

What did you sacrifice by moving here?

Well, I sacrificed my family who were all in California. My brothers, sisters, and my parents were all there and I had to leave them behind in search of a better life. I came here, as I explained to you earlier, for a better life for me and my family.

Do you think the sacrifice was worth it?

Yes, absolutely, because I found everything here that I wanted such as a job, a good place to raise my kids, my home and my own property, and, honestly, everything got easier because of my job. My wife also helped because she was working and everything was easier than I thought it was going to be.

Do you ever think of how it would have been if you had stayed in Puerto Rico?

Well, I think that I would not have had the opportunities I have now. My kids grew up in a good community and got many of the opportunities I was not able to get when I was growing up. Life here was pretty comfortable but I am not going to lie because we did have our struggles but we pulled through. I don't think of how it would have been too much because you cannot do anything about the past and besides we have had a pretty good life.