Irma Bonilla
Homeland?
El Salvador
Year Immigrated to United States?
2012
Age when immigrated?
15
Why did you leave your country?
Better Opportunities
What had you heard about the United States? What expectations did you have?
Country with opportunities. I expected life to be less expensive.
Did you leave your family behind?
No
Where in the United States did you arrive?
Denton, Texas
What was the journey like?
Journey was exciting because I was with my parents and sisters.
What was your first job in the United States?
Cashier at Frozen Yogurt Store
Did you attend school in the United States? What was it like?
Yes, it was strange at the beginning since I did not speak fluent English.
As time has passed, how does your experience in the United States compare to what you expected?
Life in the United States, specially in New York in expensive. You must work to be comfortable.
How do you maintain your culture and customs of your home country? Is it difficult to do so?
I maintain my culture by speaking my native language at home. We cook traditional food and gather together with my family on weekends.
What was the best thing about your immigrant experience? What has been the most difficult or challenging? Are there any times you felt welcomed or unwelcomed as an immigrant?
I am happy in the US. I would not have the same opportunities at my home country. The most difficult was learning English. Unfortunately, there is people who make comments when someone has an accent.
What do you wish more people knew about immigrants?
I would like people to have respect for immigrants and their culture. Each immigrant has a rich culture and there is a lot we can learn from each other.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I do not feel comfortable speaking Spanish in public as non Spanish speaker feel we are making comments about them. People who hear about El Salvador automatically think of MS*-13, there is also good and hard working people. El Salvador is a country with great places to visit, handmade products, good food, and it has the best beaches for surfing.