Interviewee: Jacquline Baez
Interviewer: Melissa Quinones
Relationship: Cousin
Date: December 21, 2003

A woman who moved from Tampa, Florida to
Philadelphia and how her life changed.

What is your full name?

Jacqueline Baez.

What is your nationality?

I'm Puerto Rican.

What is your date of birth?

July 30th, 1979.

Where were you born?

I was born at Tampa Florida.

When did you (move to the U.S./move from somewhere else in the U.S.) to Philadelphia?

On November the year two thousand.

Why did you leave your country/State/former place of residence?

Because all of my family was here in Philadelphia.

What did you like/dislike about your home/country?

Florida is a real beautiful place but it's also very expensive to live in that's why I move.

Why did you choose Philadelphia/U.S?

All my family lived here.

How did you travel here?/What type of transportation did you use/take to travel here? How would you change that?

I took airplane and I wouldn't change a thing.

 How did you find a place to live in Philly?

I moved in with my aunt when I moved here.

With whom did you travel? {Who did you travel with?]

I traveled with two of my children.

Give 1 thing you remember most about your home town and why?

Florida is a beautiful place, it's very hot and it also rain mostly everyday.

How did your life change when you moved and what were the differences between the two places?

When I moved here my family was here I found a job, Florida was a little harder because I was over there by myself I didn't have my family with me.

What did you expect about the US/Philly?

No offense, when I first moved to the United States (to Philadelphia) it was a little dirty. There were people hanging out in the comers.  Where I'm from you don't see that and you don't see people hanging out, selling drugs, and you don't see graffiti.  It's a real clean place and I was a little disappointed when I saw all that.

What did you come here to accomplish and what else do you feel you still need to do?

I came here to get a job, get my life straighten out with my kids.  I would like a better job, actually, a bigger home for me and my children.

What are the differences between when you came here and now?

When I first move to Philadelphia I didn't have any friends, It was a little hard to get used to.  I didn't know my way around but now I do so it's a little better now.

What did you sacrifice/leave behind when you left?

I left my friends over there, I left a lot of my furniture.

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?

I came here with a total of $200 that was left over from my last paycheck.

How did you adapt to your new environment?

Oh, it was real was real easy ‘cause, like all my family is here, so it wasn't really hard to get used to.

Why do you think it was worth all your changes?

I'm here with my family, I have my own home now, I have my car, I just had a new baby boy here in Philadelphia and I'm very happy.

What education did you have before/after you arrived?

I graduated high school, I took a medical assistance course in Florida.

Do you {ever] regret moving? Why or why not?

No, I'm here for my family and there's a lot of stuff here that I've done that I'm very proud of myself so I'm very happy that I'm here.

What reason would/could make you go back to where you came from?
 

If I'll go back to Florida it will be for vacation, like I said earlier, Florida it's a beautiful place; it's a good place where you want to take your children and your family to, so you would have a nice time.

Describe your first job here. If you didn't have one, how did you get money?

My first job here was as a cashier at a pharmacy.  It was a little hard but like everything else you get used to it, and it all worked out.

Is there anything you would like to add?
 

Yes, this was a very interesting interview. Thank you Melissa.

You’re welcome.