Hello!  My name is Maria Delgado Florez.  I am 33 yaars old.

I came to this country to better myself.  I work as a maid: I clean houses for rich people.  They pay me pretty good, but most of what I make goes to caring for my family or sending the rest to relatives back in Mexico, in the hopes that one day, they, too, will join me.

I have very little money to myself.  What money I do have is spent carefully; I try to take care of the needs of my family first before myself.  I'm not complaining, mind you: I'm just glad I have a job here in America.

The reason why I am allowed to stay is because I have a green card. It allows me to live and work here in America legally; it is good for five years.  It has been a blessing to me.

I am married: I have a husband, Pablo, who works as a construction worker; I worry about him because when it is hot out he's right there, out in it, and I am worried that he will either get sick or pass out.  I have been married to Pablo for ten years; he is my provider and I love him so much!

We have three children, all sons:  Pablito (Pablo, Jr.), who is 8, Torencio, 6, and the baby (for right now), Rafael, 3.  I am pregnant with another son; he is due to arrive around Christmas time.  I plan on naming our fourth born child Noel Sebastiano when he comes into the world.  I am excited for our coming child and Pablo, he is already a very proud father.  He is excited about having another son.  Pablo is very good with the children.

I do not speak English; what English I do know is very little.  English is very hard for me.  It is much easier for me to continue speaking Spanish.  Pablo doesn't speak much English either, but we make sure the children learn it.  Pablito and Torencio speak English beautifully and Rafael speaks both English and Spanish.  It is a good thing the forms and labels are in part English and part Spanish; that way I know what things say and I don't end up getting the wrong thing and making a terrible mistake.

There are people here who speak Spanish, even though they are American.  I am very grateful for them; they can help me find things or when I order a burger at the Jack in the Box or McDonald's.  I would love to learn English, even went as far as taking ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, but I got frustrated after a few weeks, so I quit.  I was very disappointed in chickening out like that, but why even bother to learn when English is so hard anyway??  All those stupid rules!!  YUCK!!

It also helps in an emergency.  One time last year Rafael got very sick and ended up in the hospital.  He had a ruptured appendix: needed surgery and everything.  He nearly died; he was a very sick little boy, but I prayed to God, and he eventually got all better, which was a big answer to my prayers.  The doctors at the hospital I went to all spoke Spanish as well as English and the forms were in Spanish or English; that helped tremendously.  I owe God all the credit in saving my little boy, and also the doctors and nurses.

They all took wonderful care of Rafael.  I owe them my life; I don't know what I would have done had my little precious baby boy died!  I would have been heartsick!

Well, I have to go to my job.  I will write in here again soon; until then, may God bless you as much as He's been blessing me since I came to America!  I am truly grateful that I am here and I hope one day to learn English better and become a citizen!  That would be a huge dream come true for me!

Take care and good bye!  Talk to you all later!

~Maria Delgado Florez.