Fatima Coreas talks about the big earthquake that happened in 2001 that made her leave her home in El Salvador and made her come to the United States. Fatima was about 11 years old when she had to leave. She also talks about her childhood and experiences she had.
Transcript:
Diana Sanchez: Tell me your name.
Fatima Coreas: My name is Fatima Coreas.
DS: Can you tell me a bit about yourself?
FC: I am thirty-one years old. I am from El Salvador and I am a mom to three beautiful kids.
DS: Can you tell me how you came to the U.S.?
FC: I came to the U.S. through the border after the earthquake in 2001 in El Salvador.
DS; Can you explain to me how you felt?
FC: I felt scared but at the same time I was happy because I was going to be able to see my mom and my siblings again.
DS: You said you’ll be able to see your mom and siblings again, can you explain what you mean?
FC: My mom came to the U.S. when I was small, leaving me in El Salvador. She came here to work and to give us a better life. I hadn’t seen her in seven years.
DS: If you can remember, what was the first thing you did when you arrived in the U.S.?
FC: The first thing I did when I got here was go to McDonald’s.
DS: I’m guessing you got enrolled into school right?
FC: Not right away, but yes.
DS: And can you describe how school was like?
FC: School was hard because obviously I didn’t speak no English and all the kids would speak English around me so I felt embarrassed most of the time.
DS: How long did it take you to learn English?
FC: It took me probably two years I think.
DS: Was it hard?
FC: Yes I had to take different classes from kids my age and kids that were in my same grade.
DS: When you learned English did you think it was easier to live here?
FC: Yes, I guess.
DS: What were your favorite things to do after school? And did you have a routine?
FC: My favorite things to do was play outside with my sister and her friends and we would just stay home after school because my mom had to work nights.
DS: Did you have big dreams for yourself when you were younger?
FC: Yes I wanted to become a social worker.
DS: Did you take any classes in high school to help you with that?
FC: No, I got pregnant so I dropped out of high school.
DS: Was there anyone who helped you throughout your life and who was the person?
FC: No one was really there to help through life since my mom worked all the time and my dad wasn’t really involved. It was just me and my big sister always.
DS: What or who are you most proud of in your life?
FC: I’m the most proud of my kids because…they are the greatest kids and they do there best in school.
DS: Who is your best friend and what are they like?
FC: My best friend is Sandra. She has a loud personality, she’s always playful, always playing around. She always listens to all my problems.
DS: How long were you guys friends for?
FC: We’ve been friends for like fifteen years to sixteen years? I think even more.
DS: Where and how did you guys meet?
FC: We met in high school. We met on the first day of ninth grade and we’ve been friends ever since.
DS: If you could do everything again, what would you do differently?
FC: If I could do everything again…I would try harder…to finish college and get a career. I would try to stay in school when I had gotten pregnant–I would have stayed in school.
DS: And you said you wanted to be a social worker right?
FC: Yes.
DS: What are your favorite memories?
FC: …My favorite memories were where I was in high school and I would only be with my friends and we would all go out to eat. And we would go to my house to watch movies and play games.
DC: What motivates you to keep trying?
FC: My kids, my family, and my mom keeps me motivated and just life, I have to keep trying every day.
DS: Okay, last question. If you could tell your younger self anything, what would it be?
FC: That everything will be okay, I’m going to be okay and just to enjoy life. I guess?
