“Because whenever you get to wherever you want to be in life that’s when it happens, if it doesn’t happen any sooner than there’s no helping it… everything will come around when it does.”

Carlos Nunez graduated high school in 2018, and went to Santa Monica for college, but ultimately dropped out. He now has a full time job cooking.

But even with a job he likes to spend his free time going to the beach, spending time with family, and being with his girlfriend.

He doesn’t like to think of his future, because he feels like it makes unrealistic expectations for himself, or what he has to accomplish.

Transcript:

Ray Nunez: Okay, so, tell me a bit about yourself.

Carlos Nunez: Well i’m your older brother, right, i’m 22 i’m about to turn 23, we share almost the same birthday umm-

RN: You’re not 22 you’re 21.

CN: I’m..oh! I’m turning 22, sorry.

RN: Dummy [laughing]

CN: Um I have a job, a full time job, and I spend it cooking. I take you out sometimes if I have a car, which I don’t right now.

RN: I’m going to have to turn this in, like the interview.

CN: I-I know you have to turn this in.

RN: Okay.

CN:  I’m just trying to-

RN: Come up with things.

CN: Yeah. Let’s see I used to play volleyball in high school, I still enjoy volleyball, but I don’t really play it anymore since I don’t have many people to play with. I enjoy skating, I still have skateboards, and I enjoy… going to the beach.

RN: Yes.

CN: Yes.

RN: I can tell you go a lot with Isabelle.

CN: Yes.

RN: What do you feel most grateful for in your life?

CN: I am most grateful for… I want to say, this house, because whether or not you enjoy it too much, this house changed our lives for the absolute better. Because we used to live in a small, little box, and I didn’t hate it, but-

RN: It was just tiny.

CN: It wasn’t the greatest, and ever since we moved into this house I feel like we have a lot more room, and a lot more… freedom.

RN: Yeah.

CN: In our lives.

RN: I agree, I actually did a narrative for first period on us moving. What are some of the most important lessons you’ve learned in life?

CN: Umm, the most important thing I’ve learned in my life would be… that education isn’t for everybody, it’s important to finish school, but you don’t necessarily have to be the greatest ever. And then as well as cutting corners is not really a great thing, lying is…awful.

RN: Yeah.

CN: And just being understanding with everyone including yourself is a very valuable thing that you will have learned to appreciate if you do practice it.

RN: And if you could hold on to one memory from your life forever which would it be?

CN: Umm… a memory from my life would probably be…actually a very recent memory it involves no one in the family, but I-

RN: Oooo.

CN: Oooo.

RN: [laughs] Oooo.

CN: But it was the first concert I went to, Tyler the Creator, with my girlfriend which is honestly one of the best moments I’ve experienced so far, and I am very grateful for it.

RN: I can tell you were very excited when you went, and came back.

CN: Of course.

RN: How was your life been different than what you’ve imagined it would be like?

CN: Well, I imagined I wouldn’t even be in this house right now. I thought I would be moved out already. I honestly thought I’d be, probably working in an entirely different job, but that’s about it I didn’t have any sort of crazy idea where I wanted to be, or where I planned to get to, because I don’t like to think that way, because it only creates what I like to think of unrealistic standards. Because whenever you get to wherever  you want to be in life that’s when it happens, if it doesn’t happen any sooner then there’s no helping it… everything will come around when it does.

RN: And, do you think past you would be proud of yourself now? 

CN: That’s hard to say honestly, I feel like past me…would kind of be proud, he’d probably look at me be like, oh you’re kind of cool, but nothing crazy I think past me would look at now me and just think it’s pretty much the same.

RN: Okay, can you tell me one of the happiest memories in your life?

CN: Didn’t you already ask me this?

RN: Yeah, but, yeah I said it again for this one.

CN: Bruh, okay. One of the happiest moments in my life was when I went to my first concert, I don’t know if that’s the answer I gave you.

RN: Yeah, you already did.

CN: I think so, but… that’s the first thing that came to my mind right, is when I went to my first concert, uhh it was about half a year ago. I went to go see Tyler The Creator with my girlfriend, and it was very good. The performance was amazing, and all the music sounded very, very great, uhh he performed a lot of his older music for us. And he is one of my favorite artist, so naturally I had a very good time watching him perform

RN: And what is one of your favorite memory of me, or of, like, our family?

CN: Well I remember one time we went to I forgot what area it is, but it was towards Bakersfield, we went to visit our mom’s aunt, I believe she is, and they live in a really empty area. So, what we had done is we… We went out of the house and we went into this like giant field that’s right next to a farm. And we found an abandoned, like tree-house thing, and then we picked some fruit from the farmer…Yeah and we, we spent the, like, the entire day in the field. And it was really cool, because we were just running around, we were on, like bikes and stuff, and we were just exploring.

RN: What is something someone has said that has, like stayed with you to this day, or has impacted your life in a positive or negative way?

CN: Well…ever since I was a young, little boy I was always told to work hard for everything I want, or everything I need, because it will always benefit me even if I don’t get what I want right away. And that’s stuck with me, because it still to this day [yawning] is extremely true.

RN: Mhm.

CN: I work hard for everything I want, and everything I need, and I get it, eventually. Sometimes I get things that I don’t even expect, but it’s…very…uhh, very impactful thing that has been told to me throughout my childhood.

RN: Mhm, and is there someone outside the family that had an influence on your life?

CN: …Yes our old neighbors, I guess kinda they’re, like kinda family, but um we used to live with these people for…like half of our lives basically, half of my life I guess. Uhh we lived with them so long, and…well they became kind of like our family, we became very close, and I would stay around them all the time, and we ended up doing a bunch of things that I don’t think I ever would have done without them, meeting them, or being around them at all. Um, I wouldn’t say they’ve made me a better person, or anything crazy like that, but I’m very grateful for them. And uhh everything they’ve shown me, and everything they’ve done for us, because they were very good people, and they were also very, very well mannered , and nice. They will always stay with in my memory for the rest of my life.

RN: Okay, thank you so much.