Woman leaves home country with no money to study at Temple

 
 Interviewee: Mireya Campos Castrillo Valles
Interviewer: Jose Rosario
Relationship: Friend
Date: January 6, 2001
 

What is your full name?

Mireya Campos Castrillo Valles.

What is your nationality?

I am Nicaraguan.

What is your date of birth?

I was born September 11, 1948.

Where were you born?

I was born in Nicaragua.

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

I moved to the United States in 1976.

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

Um! I came to the United States because I came to study.

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

I disliked the poorness and suffering the people went through.

Why did you choose Philadelphia/U.S?

I chose Philadelphia because I came to study at Temple University.

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

I came in a plane.

How did you find a place to live in Philly?

Friends of the family lived in Philadelphia.

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

By myself.

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

People over there the way the were how close the were to the family.

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

My life changed when I got married, I had I have two kids and before I was by myself.

What did you expect about the US/Philly?

I expected open doors new opportunities things that I couldn't have in Nicaragua.

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

I came here to accomplish my studies but I didn't have a chance to because I got married and because of problems in my country and I didn't get to accomplish my goals.

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

Well before this country used to be very clean and now it's all full of dirt , and I don't know, it changed a lot throughout the years.

What did you sacrifice/leave behind when you left?

I left my family and they needed me at the time I came here to study.

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 didn't really have money because I was living with my friends from over there and I was depending on my parents.

How did you adapt to your new environment?

Um! by working, by going to school.

Why do you think it was worth all your changes?

Well! now I have a family and a middle class life

What education did you have before/after you arrived?

I graduated from college before I came here to go to college again.

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

Sometimes because I left behind my family especially when they needed me the most.

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

My parents because my father because he's really sick right now and he really need my help but at the same time my kids really need me and I need to stay hear as a parent.

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

I didn't have to work when I came here because I was depending on my parents.

Is there anything you would like to add?

No.