The Blizzard of 26 - Daneuris' Story

My experience with the storm was very chill. I don't have a problem staying at home, so I took all that time to work on a personal project and watch movies with my family, and trying to calm my dad who doesn't like to stay too much at home, unlike me haha. But it was surrealistic watching all that snow falling and not stopping. I live on the second floor and looking at the street from the windows was scary.

The day after the storm me and my dad tried to shovel but it was too much, so we cleaned the car as much as we could and waited for the house owner who had a snowblower. So, me, my father, our neighbors and the house owner cleaned all the parking spaces and the entrance to the parking lot. But the day after that, the city cleaned the street and they pushed all the snow across the entrance of the parking lot again haha. They did that in the night so we got trapped for another day and missed work.

Overall, everything was nice because we didn’t have too many problems but in the future I'm going to exaggerate the story to impress my kids hahah.

~~~

Daneuris Guzman - Dominican Republic

Marling's Speech

This essay was written and delivered as a speech by Marling to around a hundred-plus people for the RIFLI End of the Year Celebration at the Providence Public Library on June 1, 2024. Congratulations to Marling for a great writing job as well as a great job of public speaking in her second language.

~~~

As an immigrant, moving to another country is always a challenge, because of the weather, traditions, laws, behavior and especially the language. Everything is new for us, and that’s why we are all here. Through the adult learning RIFLI program we have the opportunity to learn and make our adaptation and living in this country easier and independent.

During the time I have been in this program I have been feeling more confident in myself to talk, understanding(listening), reading, writing, pronunciation and fluency. Of course mistakes always will happen even to native speakers, so don’t worry about that and keep going and learning from it.

In my class, we learned a little bit of everything: phrasal verbs, new vocabulary, about my classmates’ opinions on any topic, for example “if they believe in aliens.” We also talked about our different cultures and traditions, even about koalas and raccoons. All this mix of topics made our class dynamic, diverse and funny and if someone forgot any word, we all together tried to find it to complete the idea.

I am so glad to have found this family, and I say family because that’s the way I feel about them. With classmates and teacher Jon we help, support and even enjoy each other as a family. And also with Sabine, Cruz and all the staff. I remember when I got enrolled, they received me very kindly and warmly.

And to be honest I wasn’t expecting too much, because usually we have the perception that when something is cheap or free, it is bad quality, but this is not the case. They really care about our learning and progress and are always available to help even with stuff not related with the class, like advice for a resume or a job interview. Also, we had the opportunity with Siyamala to get more knowledge and be certified for NorthStar on computer skills and best of all it is for free. I just can say thank you to all of you for this.

Finally, I just want all of you to keep going, never give up, take advantage of this huge opportunity and also invite and motivate any friend, coworker or relative to be part of this family. Maybe some of them need to know about this program and are missing this big deal because they don’t know about it. Good things need to be shared and learning always opens doors.

Thank you!

~

Marling - Dominican Republic

Good Food, Beyond the Taste

When we hear about terrible food we always think about TASTE. But food goes beyond the taste.

But in my case it is different, because for me a terrible food is food that is not good for your body and your health. I don’t know why but most of the time the good food doesn't taste good. This is ironic.

Based on my theory, one day, when I met my mother-in-law, she invited me to lunch. I was very nervous and excited at the same time. When I went to my boyfriend’s house that day he told me, “My mother is not a good cook.” And I remember I told him that food goes beyond the taste. Food is always good if you use good ingredients.

Oh my God! I tried to eat it but I couldn’t. The food was salty and spicy. I could only take a bite and drink a lot of water. That was the first time I lied to my mother-in-law and I told her that I was allergic to spicy food.

~

Jennifer - Dominican Republic

Mrs. Gloria, A Special Visit

Mrs.Gloria, or simply Gloria, as I remember everybody called her, was a neighbor who used to visit us in Sabana de la Mar. I have to admit that we received visits every day in my house. I guess it was due to my friendly and talkative dad, and because our guests were treated so well.

Gloria was a regular one. At 6 pm she liked to watch a soap opera and our dining room was her TV room. Gloria was a tall lady with black hair and a wrinkled face. I don't know her age, but she looked old, like my grandma. Gloria tended to talk about her youth. Her life in Santo Domingo, where she lived and got married. The story always ended with tears because of her daughter’s death. She was a dancer and lived in the United States. One day, after a show, a guy stabbed and killed her. No one was arrested for that, and Gloria was waiting for justice.

Gloria had a sweet, and slow voice. She talked, making frequent pauses, as if she needed to think a lot about what to say. The problem was that she didn't care about the other people that were watching TV, too. She talked and made the others get mad because of her constant interruptions. She didn't wait until commercials to talk and I remember my mom saying she didn't want her to visit us at this time, but never asked her to stop coming. Maybe out of respect. Another reason was that Gloria liked to smoke tobacco. It smelled too much and none of us felt comfortable while she was smoking.

I always remember Gloria. She died more than 20 years ago. I moved to Santo Domingo when I finished high school and during my vacation time, I always stopped at Gloria’s house to say hello. She always gave me a nice and candid smile. Despite her smoking and the stories during TV time, she was a good person and a woman who carried a lot of sorrow in her soul. I think, like me, the rest of my family enjoyed her visits too.

~

Ogalis Hernandez - Dominican Republic

Making a Big Decision: Moving to US

Ending a 20 year marriage is a difficult step to take, but I did it and also survived on my own. After that, I took my time to think and enjoy the peace I was looking for. Then, almost 2 years later, I thought that I should open my heart again to someone who really deserves it. This time must be different at all. I prayed, as I used to, especially when I have to do something important. I put in God’s hand my partner, the one that He had in one place waiting for me. This was the beginning of a new and wonderful life.

The answer to my prayer came faster than I expected. My sister and her neighbor were talking about me and his son. They were planning to introduce us because they were sure that we would be an excellent match. They did it, and they were right. After a couple of weeks, we started talking. Later, he traveled to the Dominican Republic where we met and started a beautiful and trustworthy relationship. We spent almost 2 years traveling back and forth. We always talked about me moving to the USA because it was the most convenient for us both.

We talked several times about it, and finally I made the decision. It was not easy. I had to quit my job which was a great opportunity for my career. Also I had to leave my kids behind for a while. I had never been far from my family. We are so close. My dad, my mom, my siblings. My childhood friends. We are a small group that grew up together. I had to focus on the new chapter I was about to begin. It was a big decision to make, mostly because I knew that I'd have to wait for several months to be with my loved ones again. I’d have to start over. New friends, new language, new family, a new life.

Despite everything I had to leave in my country, I feel so grateful because my youngest son is living with us now. My husband is an excellent guy and a tremendous support. Part of my family, including my mom, my kids and my sister, could attend our wedding in Vegas, as well as some close friends. Thanks to technology, I feel close to my people. We are connected and talk almost every day.

Making big decisions is part of the living process. Sometimes we have to do it just taking into consideration what it really matters. In my case, my happiness, my peace and the man that God sent to my life to make me believe in love again were strong enough reasons.

~

Ogalis Hernandez - Dominican Republic

A Vision of the Future - Ogalis H. on Mosaic

Ogalis Hernandez, one of our writers from advanced class has just published and broadcast her essay, A Vision of the Future, on The Public's Radio here in Rhode Island. She tells the story of how she urged her kids to begin studying English from an early age to help give them better choices for the future.

Ogalis is the third writer from our group to broadcast an essay on Mosaic, a regular public radio podcast which covers immigration in America from a wide variety of perspectives.

Feel free to follow the link to read or listen to Ogalis' essay.

Living in the United States vs Visiting the Country

Coming to the United States as a tourist is so exciting. You have so many places to visit, a lot of people wanting to meet you. Your vacation time is too short to do everything that you have planned. Sometimes you have to skip invitations because you won’t get the chance to attend. You are too busy enjoying being the guest. You only see the good part of the cake.

I have been traveling to the US as a visitor since 2006 and have always had a great experience. Every trip was amazing, full of joy, but living here is completely different. I had to make up my mind to start over. People are always in a hurry. Meeting your friends and family is not so easy due to schedules.

I have no close family here other than my husband and kid. All my relatives live in other states. My close friends work different schedules. Free time is usually spent on errands and taking care of personal things, leaving no time for seeing friends, especially during fall and winter. Those seasons are the most difficult to set with them. My siblings in the Dominican Republic work in their own business and have flexible schedules. My close friends used to have the same schedule. Then, when we planned to meet, we did without too many complications. Another fact to point out is that we lived in the same city

There are other things to mention that I thought were different and now I know they aren’t. For example, I thought driving would be difficult but it isn’t. At least in this state. New York is another story. Also, food is not so cheap if you like to eat healthy, and health care is not so easy to access, it seems, and medicine is kind of expensive, even more so if you don’t have insurance.

A positive thing to point out is education. In my area it is good. There is excellent follow-up to the students. The neighborhood is also quiet and safe. This is what I like the most. We can walk at any time without fear.

Here, there are better job opportunities than in my country, but people are less supportive at work. If you are used to treating your colleagues as family and are treated the same way, change the clip!

Even though I found considerable differences, I love living here, because as The Bible says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” And here are my kid and husband.

~

Ogalis Hernandez - Dominican Republic

Encouraging Others

Two days after arriving in RI, I started attending the English Conversation Group at Cranston Public Library, and it has been a great experience.

I didn’t know I would get the chance to invest my time in such an important activity for free, nourishing my mind and sharing it with amazing people and excellent teachers.

Since my fiancé and I decided to step up our relationship and get married, I always had improving my English in mind and maybe going back to college in order to have better communication and be prepared to get a good job like the one I had in DR. Participating in the English class, I also got the opportunity to do an MOS certification, offered by RWU and the PPL, and that definitely will help me in my job searching process.

Like me, there are a lot of Latin immigrants in the USA trying to have a better life, but sadly, many of them don’t speak English, not even the basics. You can find people struggling in places where the employees don’t speak their language, like the guy I helped in Sally Beauty Supply. He was trying to buy an electric shaver replacement part and didn’t know how to explain to the saleswoman exactly what he wanted.

I wish they were as lucky as I was, and had someone to encourage them to learn. I really feel thankful. That’s why I decided to share my experience with others, and talk to them about the English class. Besides, I send links and information about YouTube channels to those who maybe don’t have time for the library's class schedules. I try to convince them how investing their time wisely, instead of wasting it watching videos or non productive things, will be better. They only need to focus on learning a couple of words daily or weekly. The idea is to motivate them, because encouraging others to do their best is a way of giving back what we’ve gotten for free.

~

Ogalis Hernandez - Dominican Republic

My Personal Success Story

I had to drive to Connecticut last November to meet my kids, 2 weeks after I moved here. They were visiting their aunt and cousins. I remember it was Wednesday before Thanksgiving day and we had set to join there for lunch. My fiance (now my husband) couldn’t go, so he let me take his car. He forgot to tell me that it was running out of gas and I noticed it the moment I started it.

Oh my Gosh! I said to myself. What am I going to do now? I have never ever bought gas on my own here, and there are only self service gas stations around. That 's ok! I said again to myself. You are a smart woman and this is not the most difficult thing you are about to do. You live here now, go and learn.

I stopped at the nearest station, placed the car in one of the filling areas and turned off the engine. Then I entered the store, cheered and smiled at the lady behind the counter. She replied to me with a candid welcome and smile, so I said: I need gas, I haven’t done it before, how does it work? She asked me how much I wanted, and after I paid, she explained to me what to do. I did it, filled my tank and had a wonderful trip.

~

Ogalis Hernandez - Dominican Republic