by Francisco Javier Llamas

When I was a child, I was always watching American films about “Wall Street”. Perhaps, unbeknown to me, I wanted to copy that lifestyle. I guess I admired that way of working. I admired the passion for accomplishing objectives, that ambition and desire to succeed. A place where if you work you get it.

At the age of 18, I decided to study economics at the university. I studied finances as a subject and the exchange and financial market was the best part for me. I was gradually taking steps to learn about this subject.

After five years working in a company, I chose to do a Master´s on Executive Financial Management. Intriguingly, during this Master`s I had 10 days of practical training in New York. We visited different big companies and we spent a morning watching the stock exchange.

After this trip, I was clear about the fact that I would want to work in New York. It’s been eight years since then. I convinced my wife to come here to work. She accepted and she found a good job in New York. Currently, my job is to improve my English. However, I hope my dream will be fulfilled soon.

Francisco Javier Llamas is from Spain. He has lived in New York City since December 2016. He wants to live here a few years. First of all, he has to learn and improve his English. He would like to do a finances related course, and then he wants to work in this city that he admires. Achieving these goals would be a dream for him.  Francisco write, “The course at the Harlem Library is helping me while I enjoy doing sports in Central Park. Will I finish the New York Marathon?”

by Fernando Angelo Ixcoy 

 I think the first thing I can say about my first job is when I moved to the United States, I didn’t understand the language.  That’s why I could not communicate with others.  Let´s start.

My first work in this country was at the kitchen in a restaurant, which is a very regular and normal part of life for people that don´t have legal status.  I want a better job in the future, but I need to work in the restaurant for now.

The point here is that the chef is a native speaker from here.  When he wanted to say something about the job I did not understand and I could not respond back.  That´s why I understood that is necessary to learn English.

Fernando Angelo Ixcoy is from Guatemala.  He is studying English at the Harlem Library.  He hopes to go to college and study finance.

By Alejandra Bahamondes

I was 22 years old. It was my first job after I graduated from nursing school–my first real job. And there I was, frightened, anxious, excited.  I remember all the thoughts that it came to my mind the night before all the way to the consulting room. I was really scared. I think it is common to think you might fail when you are doing something new.  That was my case.

So, after all those terrible thoughts, I was finally there, in my own office, ready to serve the kids of the neighborhood.  My job consisted in prevention control for children until 14 years old in an at-risk population that included measuring weight and high every month.  I also specifically tested to measure psychomotor development and to advise mothers in issues like nutrition, stimulation and healthy habits.

When I finally decided to enter to the office, my first impression was that it was not good at all.  The white walls, the metal scale, the ugly desk were all dark, plain and sad.  That was the moment when I realized that if I did not change that situation, I would become a dark, plain and sad person.

Thus, the same day after my first day of work I went to a home store and bought several beautiful items for my office.  I bought portraits of brilliant colors, pictures; games for the kids, stickers that I thought were pretty in that store.

So, I was there again, my second day of work and I was ready for my makeover!  When I was done, I looked at the place and I felt happy. Just like that—happy.

That day, I realized that I wasn’t looking to work in a pretty place.  I was looking to work in a safe place . . . I was looking to feel safe, and so it was from that day forward. 

Alejandra Bahamondes was born on April 24 1984 in Santiago, Chile and worked as a supervisor nurse in an emergency room before she traveled to the United States. She arrived in New York City on March 6 2016, to meet her husband (Chilean too), who is currently working in Columbia University. She is now studying English at the Harlem Public Library waiting to revalidate her Nursing School Degree to be useful to the community of NYC.

by Jennifer Barbero

 I remember when I was still in the Praga Academy in Madrid studying hair-styling in 2009. My course was ending in one month and the academy gave the students some directions for job interviews.

I did one interview. The salon boss was looking for a person with 2 years of experience who could stay alone in the salon.  Because of my young age and limited experience in the academy, he told me to please give my phone number to him.  He liked how I completed the test, and if he could not find someone better, he would give me a call.

After that, I waited for my next interview from the academy.  Then, on a website, my father found a new hair salon that needed new hair-stylists.  I called the number and the woman arranged an interview date with me in a bar because the salon was not finished.

She was young, around 30 years old, and we got a good feeling in the first interview. She told me at the same moment that I was very near the qualifications she was looking for and I felt so happy. After two days she called me, and then I started working 15 days after this call.

I learned more things from her than I learned in the academy. And there was my first contact with different products. Some of them were totally different than what I usually used in the academy, so for me it was so great to learn different methods in using products and how to cut hair.

Of course, you learn techniques in the academy but you really learn when you practice.  You learn more when you look at different people because each person, after years of experience, has different methods. So I tried to learn everything from her. At first, my schedule was to work 40 hours per week.  After two years, the economy got worse so my boss needed to reduce my schedule. I accepted because I understood what was happening.
Two years passed and I decided to come to New York and live with my husband. Three months after I started working,  the boss from my first interview called me, asking if I want to work with him.  But I said, “Sorry. I am actually working.”

That was my first job experience.

Jennifer B.G. , age 25 , is from Madrid, Spain. She traveled to New York in 2011.  She is studying English in her English class at the Harlem Library with her teacher Myrna Holguin and waiting for her green card.   She is looking for work and lives happily with her husband in New York.  Jennifer writes, ” I lost my mom at a young age and learned that you only have one life so enjoy it! Your moment is NOW!  It’s never too late to be happy!”