Immigrant Voices Podcast Project

The Immigrant Voices Podcast Project brings you the voices of the courageous people who have made the U.S. their home. In their own words, you’ll hear about the lives and people they left behind in their native countries, their journeys here, their struggles and successes. You’ll hear from parents of “dreamers,” “dreamers” themselves, undocumented to naturalized citizens, and everything in between.

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Immigrant Voices Podcast Project

Xiomara from El Salvador

June 28, 2022 • Deborah • Season 3 • Episode 24

On course to become a graphic designer in her native country, Xiomara decided instead to join her husband, Pedro. He had escaped to the U.S. to avoid the violence and pressures local gangs in El Salvador exerted on young men. Leaving the familiar with no sense of what was facing her and unable to speak English, she and her young son Francisco came to this country in 2007. Working in a nursing home’s laundry with Brazilian immigrants did little to further her English acquisition. Slowly, with increasing confidence, she could speak and be understood enough in English to help her father grow his moving company. Now, as the business’s office manager, she writes quotes and invoices, administers customer concerns, arranges schedules, and works with people in transition from around the world.

Guest intro/00:39

Coming to the U.S./01:47

Deborah: My guest today is Xiomara from El Salvador. Xiomara, tell me a little bit about how you came to the United States.

Xiomara: Oh, hi Deborah. Yes, I came to the country in 2007. I am from El Salvador. It’s one of the smallest country in Central America. I’m very proud where I am from. I want to share about how was my neighborhood where I grew up. That’s a beautiful place over there. Everyone knows each other and everyone was very kind and happy people in that times. I feel that I had a happy childhood. I grew up with my mom and my father. My father was a professional chef, my mom was a seamstress and she worked in a supermarket too, I remember. And my father was a professional chef, but the payment wasn’t enough for our home. So he was the first person that emigrated to this country to serve a better life. I remember when my father came here he said that was very tough for him and for us over there, because we usually was my father, my mother, and me. And it was one of the thing more saddest in my life when my father came first here. But he always called us every day and send letters for feeling like he was over there with us, with my mom. My mom tried to be a mother and father in any moment in my life. And I have a lot of friends in my neighborhood.

And when I started the high school, I met my husband Pedro. And he was my friend. And we started the relationship when the second year of high school. When we graduate, we decide to have my first child very young. I like Pedro in that times because he always was a very, responsibility man and very mature for his age. And yeah, we decide to have Francisco and we graduate together and we became very good friends and then parents.

And in the neighborhood that I grew up became dangerous for teenagers and Pedro decide to emigrate too for that situation. And was very sad because it’s often you feel in danger in your own country. Mostly because you’ve finished your studies, you have your friends over there. It’s very sad to decide to emigrate to other countries that you don’t know. But Pedro because he’s a man, they have more dangerous than a woman.

So Pedro came here first and then the situation was worse and I decide to came too. I remember when I came here, but the thing is like my story is very different because I had my father and Pedro here in this country. That was a very advantage for me because they help me over here with the jobs, with the language, try to say, “Oh, Xiomara, you have to study, you have to do this.” And for another people it’s more, it’s more hard. But yes, my first job over here was in the nursing home in the laundry and I say, “Oh my gosh!’ Because in my country when I came here I was studying my career in graphic design. I just did maybe a year, I think. Yeah. And then I decided to came.

Deborah: How many years passed before you were able to come and join him?

Xiomara: Two years. Yeah. Pedro came first here and then two years later I came over here. Because the situation over there was very worse in my country and in our neighborhoods. All my friends decide to go in other places for that situation. And I decide to came here.

Mounting Violence/05:54

Deborah: Could you go into some detail about what was so dangerous in your country if you don’t mind? What kinds of things were happening?

Xiomara: Yeah. I remember one of a sad thing that happened was one of our friends because we know everybody over there and we have a lot of friends. And one of our friends they, we were in a place like close to a park and we were in a corner of the street because everyone, Pedro and their friends they make like dance, like break dance and that time that were very popular. And we were over there and one in one car just right in the street. And they shooting. And one of our friends was got the shooting and the guys killed my friend. He died. And that was the most surprise for us. And everyone was very sad and say nobody can be outside.

We usually play outside in the street with the with the friend with the ball everything. But when that happened and we didn’t again, and everyone was very sad and think about because the gangs started to grow up in every places. And it was more dangerous for the mens because when these people that are part of the gangs asking, “Oh, you have to be part of us.” And when the one person say no they try to force to get into the gangs and that’s was scared for everyone.

Deborah: That’s why your husband left. He was in so much danger. He was being pressured to be in a gang.

Xiomara: Yes. Yes. Because my husband he was the person that study and in the night and work in the date. And, he was a very healthy guy and he like a lot of the sports and everything and this people study asking everyone if you wanna get into the gang. And when you say no, they one, one of the guys was more violent and they say, “You have to go come with us because, you know, we will do something your family,” or they, they . . .

Deborah: They threatened you.

Xiomara: Yes. They threaten you. And that’s Pedro, was very scared mostly because we have a Francisco baby is and he said, no, I can’t I can’t be here. And the and the problem is that you can go in another city, but in that times was in 2004 when this gang started to put very violent with the teenagers. Yeah.

And Pedro came here and then two years later Pedro told me we have to came too. and I came here and was one of the situation. That was the situation because I was very happy over there in my country. I was a study, I have my friends over there. I try to be inside to my house every time, to the university, to the house, not be outside because these guys you know you never know when they came shooting and everything. But Pedro and me was separated and the kids, Francisco too, and Pedro was thinking if he back again to my country or we came we come here, but Pedro was a little bit scared we came here but it was very tough because he was unsafe for him to back.

Leaving a Career Behind to Make a New Life/09:29

Deborah: Studying graphic design is very different from working in a laundry. How did you deal with your disappointments?

Xiomara: Yes, because when I came here Pedro always told me over the phone say, “Oh, Xiomara, here is very different. Here’s another life. Mostly you don’t know the language. It’s hard for you start the conversation. And when you came here, you don’t have your legal status in the beginning. Hard for get a job.” And Pedro was disappointed say oh my God here is good. But you have to get this and you have to learn the language. But that’s say oh, I don’t like to go because in my country I was a study and I have everything over there, but I thinking about my son and my and my husband I have to be with him.

Deborah: An important decision, obviously. Yes.

Xiomara: And you know what? My grandma from my from my father she encouraged me to come here because I was like, oh no, okay. I would be here if we have to be separated, but I don’t wanna go. I was scared. And my grandma say, “Xiomara, you have to go with your with your kid and your husband because you are a family and you have to care your husband because you over here you see the situation. It’s not, it’s not good.” Unfortunately, it’s over there. You finish your career. It’s it is hard to get that job. It’s a very different kind of thing that is very difficult in my country. It’s beautiful. But when you are an adult it started to become hardest.

Learning English/11:05

Deborah: How hard was it to learn English for you?

Xiomara: I think was very hard to learn English because in my country we studied English. It’s different. Just words just sentences the colors, things like that. But conversation when you not take a specific subject. No, no, you don’t speak very well. So when I came here I think was very hard, mostly because I am very shy and I think take like couple years like four or five years to feel more comfortable to talk with the people. And one of my challenge too, is because I started my first job was in a laundry, but all my coworker was a Brazilian woman and they speak Portuguese and I learn Portuguese. For practice English, I always have to practice in the school with the teacher or with some friends outside. Pedro has more opportunity be more fluently when he speak because all the people over there is from here they speak only English but that’s one of my challenge.

Joining the Family Business/12:19

Deborah: Well, I think you’re doing a great job. Tell me how soon did you get involved with your father’s moving business? What was that all about? Can you tell me a little bit about that journey from the laundry room to a moving company and being kind of the girl Friday taking care of so many things for your father.

Xiomara: I held my first job in the laundry and I did a couple years. And then when I came here in 2007, my father in 2009 because my father, he used to work in a moving company. Because my father have long time here and he had started the business in 2009. He said, “Oh, why not I open the business a moving company?” And one Colombian guy helped him in that moment to make a website and with the calls and everything and the emails because my father was own experience about it too.

And my father told me because I was paying in private classes, English classes, and my father say, “Oh, Xiomara. I have a friend, they go to GPA, this school in the neighborhood of Allston and they speak very well. And this is free. So you have to go and check and you can go over there. Okay?” And I went over there I say oh, kind of the same and is free, so I will stay here. And my father told me one day because he is an amazing father and friend for me. And he said, “I have the dream that you will speak English and you will help me with my moving company. And I say, “Oh my God! Is too much pressure for me. But yes, I will try my best to speak very soon and understand the reading, the writing, and everything.”

And yes and my father started the business in 2009 and I started to work with him in 2012. My mom came here too with a visa. She came here and she stayed with us too. And she helped my father with something with a business too. Yeah. In 2012 and 2013 I started to take the phone calls. I feel more in the beginning was very I have a lot experience was, “Oh my gosh!” Sometime I didn’t understand anything that the client told me. But I was “Can you please send me an email with the details?” I wrote that sentences in a notebook I things like I can’t say to the people and sometimes people hang up the phone. “No, you not understand!” In the beginning, but yes. And so my father started the business in 2009 and he encouraged me to speak English and, and he put all the faith on me. And he said, “You will help me with the business.” And I did. I think he always encouraged me in different things in my life.

Deborah: That’s great to have a parent that’s so encouraging. What do you like about working in the moving business?

Xiomara: I like to work in a moving business because first of all, I have my own schedule because I came here. I had my second child over here. And that’s one of the things that I like to work with my father I have my own schedule. And I talk with the people and listen the different accents to the people. I like it to hear them I learn how, people from India. Now I understand better how can I understand the accent when they are speaking with me. And I’m very happy about that. Maybe I’m a little bit have to speak more fluently, but I understand everything. And that’s one of the skills that I learn with working in a moving company and also to my skills and the computers and the emails and things like that I learned my country I can do it over here. I can help my father about it.

Retrieving Skills from the Past Career/16:24

Deborah: Are you using your graphic design skills in the marketing part of the business?

Xiomara: Some of them because I learn but not everything, but some of them I can apply in the marketing. We have to put more marketing and more things in the business. But my son right now is helping me because he’s taking the same too. He likes that career that kind of stuff. And he helps us a lot too with the moving company right now.

Deborah: Is he the one that’s the musician?

Xiomara: Yes. Francisco.

Deborah: Francisco.

Xiomara: He’s my first child. Yeah.

Deborah: Tell us a little bit about him—how he works in the business and also his musical talents.

Xiomara: Yes. Francisco is a amazing child. He’s very brilliant, intelligent. My father too, encouraged him to learn the guitar to play a guitar. When he was 10 years old, he knows a program over here in Allston/Brighton a free lessons for guitar, and he encouraged Francisco to learn in. Francisco love it in the first moment Francisco, started to play. And then he followed everything and was a very good skill for him. And my father encouraged him too. Also to Hailey, my second one, but Hailey likes more dance. She doesn’t like to play, but Francisco too when he started the high school he was interested to Boston Art for because he liked the music. He liked to use computers, drawing, and being do things like this. And I’m very surprised.

Deborah: Is he going to go to the Boston Arts Academy? They just built a brand new gorgeous building. Is he, is he going be a student there?

Xiomara: Yeah. You saw it in the Fenway?

Deborah: I live right around the corner from it. I’ve been watching it

Xiomara: Oh yeah. Yeah. He made one of the the billboards in the Fenway. Yes. And he is the number one in visual art there. His teacher say, “Wow, Francisco’s amazing.” And in her classmate and she’s very happy with Francisco. Yes. He’s the same. He’s a very kind and he support us. He support me and support the grandpa, and also Pedro. But Pedro’s in a moving company too, but it is another company that he started. Yeah. Pedro started this company I think in 2010, I think, Pedro started Michael’s moving company.

Deborah: Oh yeah, sure. I’ve seen the trucks. So your husband is a competitor with your father!

Xiomara: He’s a competitor. Yes, because my father worked for this person Michael a long time ago. And when Pedro came here. My father bring Pedro to the company and Pedro loves there because you know what in my country when Pedro because Pedro work in my country in a study, he has more hard life but over there he work in a moving company too in El Salvador. And when he came here, he work in the same company my father bring to him and Michael Movers and he’s over there for a long time. But my father wants to be a part. He put his own business.

Deborah: Friendly competitors.

Xiomara: Friendly competitors.

Challenges/20:00

Deborah: So, Xiomara, tell me what has been the biggest challenge for you over the years being here? If you could narrow it down to one or two things, what would you say?

Xiomara: One of my big challenges is not complete my education. Not complete my education, I think was a little bit frustrated for me because I want to finish my career. I told my kids that you never give up. I will have the opportunity to do it, to study again and complete the education graphic design. And yes. And they will see, they will see. And everyone have an American dream, right. But another the human dream that I always I have is I grew up I grew up with overweight. And I was very sad and that times always I tried to lose weight and I never did it but now I’m very happy because I complete my goal and now I have the weight that I always dreaming I have.

Deborah: Your ideal weight. How did you do that? That’s a big challenge and very few people succeed in that goal. How did you do it?

Xiomara: I started last year July 26th, 2021. When I saw my weight and I saw like almost the 200. I say, oh my God, no! It’s too much! It’s enough. All my life I try to lose weight and now I have this age and I almost 200, it can’t happen. And I decide to change my food, change my life. I try to be more energetic, make more exercise. And I did. I tried to be very—how is the word same Spanish disiplina? I put discipline in my life and my food. And mostly in your food you have to put the discipline your food. And I started to do workout every day half hour, and now I have the weight and I say, oh my gosh.

Deborah: What kind of exercise did you do and what kind of changes did you make in your food? What did you cut out? What did you put in? Those are dramatic changes and how long did it take you to lose the weight you wanted to lose?

Xiomara: So, I lost the weight in a short time. And I’m very surprised myself because it usually takes a year but with discipline, you can, you can have it in short time. I started on July and now it’s almost one year and I lose like over 50 pounds. The bad habit that I had is to eat junk food like chips and things like that. And now I change for fruit. I read a lot about the vegetable what types work for you and fruit. Now I am. That’s the other thing that I really recommend to my friend, because everyone was very surprised when they saw me in December and Christmas. They say, “Oh my God, you okay? You are not sick?” because the change was very dramatic. And everyone was asking me if something happened with me and they say, no, no, no. I just changed my habit about the food, and I do exercise every, every day.

Deborah: Do you go to a gym? What kind of exercise are you doing?

Xiomara: Yeah, sometimes I go to the gym because for my little girl I when Pedro, my husband is here. I go or when my older son is over here, but usually at home. I started to with my little one I started to walk every because in the past I was the person that no, I don’t like to do exercise. Only Pedro likes to do workout things like that. And I said, no, no, no, I might. Don’t like. But now when I try to change my body, I started to walk with my little one. And then over here home I try to follow videos how to do Zumba, things like that because I like to dance and you have to see what you like for you can feel happy and you can do it. I try to follow videos and with for exercise videos and things like that. And always half hour, every day half-hour, and I try to do a routine for you can have the success. Yes.

Deborah: They say discipline sets you free.

Xiomara: Exactly. That word that I forgot in English, but the same in Spanish “discipline” is the key for everything for learn language for learn everything in your life.

El Salvador Memento/24:46

Deborah: Did you bring anything from El Salvador, some little thing that you always keep with you?

Xiomara: The first time when I came here I bring one of my dolls. I have a doll from my grandma, the grandma that encouraged me to come here. And I remember that I put I tried to protect that doll, but I don’t lose it or something and I still have it. And also a small mirror that my mom used to have in El Salvador. And it’s very special. Because she have it from, I think from little one too and I still have it. And I’m very happy because when I saw this kind of thing they remember me all, the things in the past. And when I was with my grandma and my mom this a bear, but this is from El Salvador. And you know what? This one, one of my, my grandma’s friend.

Deborah: Sweet. It looks brand new. How old is it?

Xiomara: I was like 10 years when my grandma because when my grandma was a butcher and she was that kind of business in El Salvador. And this bear her friend next to her business make these dolls. They make it over there with very easy and you know what that friend the name was Xiomara. They have a friend, they are friends for a long time. My grandma always told me their story about the friend. And when I was born, she told my father, please put the name to your little one Xiomara like my best friend and my my mom was very upset when, oh my God. No. Why? But I don’t know. Maybe she, that this friend was very special for her. You have to put Xiomara like my friend. And so my father put my the name Xiomara for honor for my grandma.

Deborah: Wow. Wow. So that doll has double significance.

Xiomara: Yes. And it’s very in good condition. The kids say, oh my God, mom, you have a very good condition because I put it like into a glass cabinet. Yes. And I put it in the high place because Katie take everything. And the mirror, I still use it. I still use it for me.

Dreams for the Future and Advice/27:06

Deborah: Tell me, Xiomara, what are your dreams about the future?

Xiomara: One of my dreams is to back to my country, back for vacation or see my friends. I used to have contact with them with with the social media and things like that. But I really wanna back to the house that I grew up and see everything over there. That’s one of my dreams. And the other dream that I have is to, the moving company can be a bigger company. My father can have a bigger company and stay with my family, stay with my family to be a very good example for my kids, for my husband, that he’s a very good husband. I feel very blessed for the family that God give it to me. Yes, but my first dream is to go back to El Salvador. I have long time and I’m very sad when I remember my place, my friends, my other family. I hope so one day I can back.

Deborah: What advice would you give to an immigrant coming to this country today?

Xiomara: One of my advice is first don’t be frustrated for not speak the language. Try to learn the language. Try to encourage every day, every day, mostly with some immigrant they don’t have the family, the kids, or maybe the husband or the wife, but this country they can give you a lot of opportunities, but you have to get the good things, not because you can have the bad things as well. First to learn the language. Fight for everything they want to fight over here and to be a good person, good people over here for the country too, because you have to appreciate it. Why the country give it to you because in your countries, and not only in El Salvador, I think everyone in different countries from Central America, South America, I think they have this kind of situation. Unfortunately your country, don’t give you the opportunities. Maybe you finish the career and you don’t find a job. Or the people, dangerous people over there. In this country, maybe we are living right now in a very sad situation too, but they give you more opportunities, even though you are immigrant, they give you opportunities. You have to appreciated this country about it and, fight for everything and learn the language. And yes.

Wrapping Up/29:44

Deborah: What else would you like to say?

Xiomara: Another important thing is helps your people, your same people, immigrant people, you don’t be selfish, but because you have to help each other mostly. People like you from your country or the other country you have to help them. That’s the other dream that I have. I have a lot of dreams, but my other important dream, I say, I want to complete my education but I want in the future to help people because I like always in my family, the family that I have over here or friends, they just say, “Xiomara, you can do something for me?” I have to learn to say “No.” Because I always say yes and I and sometimes I say, okay, I, I will do it, but let me just do it something or when I have the time but I, I can say no. And I like to, to advice or, or share, share, you know like the things I know. I know, very like selfish say, no, I like to, oh, why you not go to GPA to learn English? Why not do this one? I like to share everything that good things for everyone. And that’s the other thing that you have to help your own people.

Deborah: Especially people who have just arrived. And you remember what it was like when you first got here.

Xiomara: Yes. And unfortunately you have people that don’t help you. They don’t help you. They treat you bad. It’s very sad, but you learn for that people too. And mostly when it’s people from your country, or immigrants and you see that they act very bad with you. I just remember things and now I try to do my best with everyone that I know. I told my kids when you know new people in the school, you have to help the people, the friends you have, see, they speak Spanish and they need help. You have to help everyone if you can. So, yeah, that’s the other example that I try to, to give it to them.

Deborah: Are all three children bilingual?

Xiomara: Yes.

Deborah: That’s great. That’s great.

Xiomara: The little one start to speak like English is Spanish. English is Spanish. They listen.

Deborah: Spanglish.

Xiomara: Spanglish. Yes. It’s very, it’s very intelligent. Yeah.

Deborah: It’s been great talking to you, Xiomara. Is there anything else that you would like to add or say?

Xiomara: Thank you so much for the opportunity. And I’m very happy that you was my teacher and you are the person that interviewed me right now. I’m very happy. Thank you so much. I have to say huge thank you to you, to Michelle, to everyone. I have many people from this kind of program excellent people.

Deborah: Well, thank you so much, Xiomara.

Xiomara: Thank you.

In Conclusion/32:42

Cheerful, enthusiastic, and warm, Xiomara has become the go-to person in her father’s moving company while raising three children. Smiling and steady, she continues to gain fluency in English. Xiomara is determined to finish her education to become a full-time graphic designer. In the meantime, she keeps her design skills fresh by creating marketing tools for the growth and expansion of her father’s moving company. Although she misses some of her life in El Salvador, she has made a new one here in the States, and is always eager to help her fellow immigrants transition to their new life.