Living in Florida
Most people associate Florida with vacations. But there are millions of people living here, and I’m one of them. I live in Orlando and, yes, there’s more to this city than just Disney World. And, no, I don’t work there! Admittedly, the number one source of income in this state is tourism, because of the warm weather and attractions.
I work in retail at the Florida Mall, which is absolutely massive. Most of my coworkers are Cuban, Dominican, and Mexican. I’ve definitely learned a lot of Spanish since working here. I have friends who say they learn their best Spanish at work, but most of them are waitresses at big restaurants where they have Spanish-speaking cooks in the kitchen. They say the chefs teach them naughty words and phrases. I’ve actually been learning useful conversational stuff and finding out about their lives.
One colleague of mine is from Cuba and has recently been dealing with immigration lawyers, or abogados de inmigracion, in getting his family green cards. It sounds like a nightmare, having to go through all of the red tape that the US government puts on immigrants. I feel so bad for him: his wife and kids are still in Cuba waiting to hear some good news from him. I hope they are allowed to live here soon. He is such a nice guy.
It’s so dangerous to work at a shopping mall when there are so many places to spend your money, especially during the recession! I used to put half of my paycheck back into the shop with the amount of stuff I’d get on discount, but I’m learning to be a bit more thrifty. My Cuban friend is helping me with that.
