Hi, my name is Marcos Morales. I’m glad to share my story with the Radio Readers Book Club. I have been here in southwest of Kansas since November of 2003. I am from Guatemala from a little poor place. I came here because my dad brought me here in U.S.A. He’s here with me. I came here because I thought I had more opportunity than living in my country because when I was younger what I thought was to go to school to have a career, improve myself so that’s one of the reasons that I came. And that’s what I am doing right now.
I am trying to do something with my life. It was hard for me when I came on the road. It was really hard, but now what I’m doing is – at first when I came here it was hard for me because I didn’t even speak English. My first language was K’iche’ – it is like Mayan. I can say that I’m Mayan, probably. I am mixed probably. But my first language was K’iche’ and Spanish I learned in school in Guatemala. And then, well, it was hard for me here because I didn’t speak English, but by the time I went to school, well, that’s how I learned English and right now I speak English and I am really proud of that what I have done here in this country. And, thanks to Ms. Greta, she has been helping me with my language and that’s what I’m going right now.
What I do right now, that’s – It was a good thing that I went to school and I learned English because right now I could say I am working for myself. I work independent. I do translator for the district court; I do translator for immigration. I help the community out with their problems. I could say I help people resolve their problems. At the same time I am making money honestly. That’s pretty much my life in southwest Kansas.
And one of the reasons that I stay here is because of the school. The school is close to my house. And I have made a lot of friends. I have a lot of friends here in Dodge and now I have friends almost everywhere – all over southwest Kansas, Kansas City. I could say I have friends in California and everywhere now. I have made good friends with people and I like it. That’s why I stay here in Dodge. I like it.
The first time – I never thought I would get a high school diploma here. I never thought about that. When I first started going to school, I just wanted to learn English because I wanted to make friends. I wanted to make good friends with people -- American people who only speak English. Before when I didn’t speak English, my goal is, I would like to speak with that guy or say hi to that girl or to say, “Hey!” or “Hi, where are you going?” or things like that. So that’s why I started to go to school. But by the time I learned English little bit – not 100% but a little bit, I decided to go back to finish my high school diploma. And that’s what I did. It was hard. It took me a little bit longer, but I made it. And I made it working and school, working and school, working and school – That’s what I have been doing here in town. That’s the main thing I like. I could say I have been doing it by myself. It’s a big experience for me because I know what I have been through. I’m so proud of myself, too.
