Before coming to the U.S. in late 2001, Nina worked mostly as a homemaker. She did a little work outside the home as a housekeeper at a small pension. After settling in the U.S., Nina got work as a housekeeper in a large hotel in downtown Portland. The work reduced the time she had to study English as she reports in this 2006 interview:
| I: | Tell me then if you are registered for any program to learn English, or computers, or anything like that? | |
| Nina: | Not right now. When my son was here he used to worry about me. He signed me up for a class one time, but I because I stopped going because of work. And my son got a little upset. He said that there are so many people waiting to reserve a place at PCC [Portland Community College] and you are already registered and don't go. So, he stopped reserving a place for me. The idea is once you arrived here you have to work for maybe a few years, make some money and then return to our country. But times goes by and then you realize that you've grown accustomed to living here, to the comfort of a job and the communities and such. I'm not saying that in my country my house was uncomfortable but, in the same way, you need to fulfill your needs. | |
| Hide Conversation | ||
While work took away time she had for learning English, Nina commented (also in the 2006 interview) on the financial independence it gave her. In response to a question about how her life had changed since coming to the U.S., Nina reported this:
| Nina: | My personal life has changed a lot. Before I was a housewife and I worked in my house, raising my children. And my husband was the one who did the housekeeping. On the other hand, here in the U.S. I am working full time and I don't have the need to ask my husband for money, because I earn my own money. In this sense things have changed. It used to be that if I wanted to buy something I had to ask him. If I had to buy something for the house, I'd have to speak with him first. In this sense I feel that things have changed. I feel much more independent. | |
| Hide Conversation | ||
Nina provided conflicting information about the amount of English she used at work. While she said that she spoke to her supervisor in English, she also told us that she needed her daughter to write out what she needed to say when she knew she needed to speak with her supervisor. Also, though she reported in a questionnaire from 2005 that speaking with co-workers in English is a good way to learn English outside the classroom, she also told us (2006 interview) that she speaks Spanish with her friends at work, from Mexico, Peru, and the Philippines.
Finally, the lack of English language skills is perceived by Nina and by Nina's children to be something that will prevent her from getting a better job. Nina reported that her children have been encouraging her to learn English so that she can get a job where she does not have to do so much physical labor (Nina was 62 years old at the time of the 2006 interview).