A Guatemalan Immigrant’s Hard Work and Faith are Rewarded in America

tip to HispaniCon

For many immigrants, the first years in the United States can be difficult, as they struggle with language, loneliness, and financial and cultural challenges. In this edition of New American Voices, we have the story of one woman’s experience.

When 18-year-old Maria Angela Contreras came to the United States from Guatemala, she spoke no English, knew nobody, and carried the sum total of her possessions in one small suitcase. Now, 33 years later, she feels that her hard work, first as a nanny and then a housekeeper, has reaped a rich reward. “This country gave me a good opportunity to grow up in different ways,” she says. “In this country, if we want to grow, we can do it. This country gives the opportunity to work. If everybody wants to work, we can work, we can have, you know, a good life. A good life in every way.”

article in English / artí­culo en Ingles o en Español usando Google o Altavista/Babel Fish

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