Interviewee: Migdalia Rosario
Interviewer: Jorge Rodriguez
Relationship: Mother
Date: March 19, 2003

A young girl in a new country.

What is your full name?

Migdalia Rosario

What is your nationality?

Hispanic

What is your date of birth?

September 25, 1968

Where were you born?

Juncos, Puerto Rico

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

July, 1980

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

Because my parents living here already

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

The climate. There's nothing I disliked.

Why did you choose Philadelphia/U.S.?

My parents were already living in here, so I didn’t have a choice.

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

By plane / No

How did you find a place to live in Philly?

My parents had a place already.

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

My sister.

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

I didn’t remember anything; I was kind of small.

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

I didn’t know nothing in here, I grew up with a lot, with everybody over there, and I came over here and I didn’t know nobody. It was cold over here and hot over there.

What did you expect about the US/Philly?

When I first came here, nothing really.

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

My parents brought us over here so we can get a better education, learn English, and what I need to accomplish? Is like really I don't know what to say.

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

When I first came here it was more quieter, it was less drugs in the streets, it was more safer to like, walk in the streets, and now forget it, it’s difficult.

What did you sacrifice/leave behind when you left?

Friends and family.

What problems did you encounter coming to the US/Philly?

The language.

How much money did you have and where did you get it when you came to Philly/US?

I didn’t have no money.

How did you adapt to your new environment?

By making new friends.

Why do you think it was worth all your changes?

Because we were living better, we had a bigger house.

What education did you have before/after you arrived?

9th grade, 8th grade, yeah, I mean 8th grade.

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

No. I don’t miss nothing, I’m doing better now.

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

I don’t really know.

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

I didn’t have a job here, so my parents gave me money.