I met Rosa in the cafeteria. She took a break from clearing leftovers out of the salad bar to sit at a lunch table and talk. She seemed hesitant to talk, but loosened up. After we finished, she went immediately over to another of the cafeteria staff, who had been casting us glances while she cleared food, and began telling her in Spanish about the interview.
"My name is Rosa Lopez. I’m working at Sidwell Friends like seventeen years. I’m doing catering and food service and other food service for anything that has to be done.
This is the first job I had since I come from my country. I come from El Salvador. I come here in 1993. I love it [in Washington]. I have two kids, they’re not little kids anymore, they’re big kids, 19 and 23.
I ask her what she was like as a teenager. She laughs. Many things! I was many things. But the life in [El Salvador] is so different. The life in there is very complicated. There is things going on in there with the gang things and it’s bad for youngers, the life in there. But that’s why we come to this country, because our country is so poor and we cannot find no jobs in there. That’s the reason why we come to this country. I come with visa. My mom was here already so she was-how do you say?- she was like a sponsorship for me, she bring me here. And she has been here for 40 years. She bring me here when I was 21 years old.
If I could go anywhere in the world, I think I would go back to my country. She laughs. I have been back ten years ago, to see my family. I bring my father and my oldest daughter here. My grandmother passed away, I don’t have other strong reason to go there except my uncles, my father’s family. But I want to go back. Soon the situation will get there better ‘cause now too much things going on in there with the gangs and things like that. And that’s the reason I don’t do a trip with my kids, is cause the life in there is very difficult right now. The plan they have, they’re saying it’s going to start getting better soon. It’s starting to get better now but… I’m still scared to go back. I like my neighborhood. It’s very quiet. Nice, and clean.
"My name is Rosa Lopez. I’m working at Sidwell Friends like seventeen years. I’m doing catering and food service and other food service for anything that has to be done.
This is the first job I had since I come from my country. I come from El Salvador. I come here in 1993. I love it [in Washington]. I have two kids, they’re not little kids anymore, they’re big kids, 19 and 23.
I ask her what she was like as a teenager. She laughs. Many things! I was many things. But the life in [El Salvador] is so different. The life in there is very complicated. There is things going on in there with the gang things and it’s bad for youngers, the life in there. But that’s why we come to this country, because our country is so poor and we cannot find no jobs in there. That’s the reason why we come to this country. I come with visa. My mom was here already so she was-how do you say?- she was like a sponsorship for me, she bring me here. And she has been here for 40 years. She bring me here when I was 21 years old.
If I could go anywhere in the world, I think I would go back to my country. She laughs. I have been back ten years ago, to see my family. I bring my father and my oldest daughter here. My grandmother passed away, I don’t have other strong reason to go there except my uncles, my father’s family. But I want to go back. Soon the situation will get there better ‘cause now too much things going on in there with the gangs and things like that. And that’s the reason I don’t do a trip with my kids, is cause the life in there is very difficult right now. The plan they have, they’re saying it’s going to start getting better soon. It’s starting to get better now but… I’m still scared to go back. I like my neighborhood. It’s very quiet. Nice, and clean.
The
best advice I can give to you is to continue doing something in the school.
Make sure you finish your career for whatever you plan to do for the life and
the future. That’s my best advice I can give to you. Done.”
"Make sure you finish your career for whatever you plan to do."
"Make sure you finish your career for whatever you plan to do."
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