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Our readers write from Sonoma, California

(Editor's note: ESL tutor Ellen Shepherd sent her student's essay with this note, "Juvenal and I have been working together for a little over a year. He has really progressed. He works very hard at every phase of reading, language and writing.")

My story
by Juvenal T. Zamora

     I was born in Santa Rosa, Michoacán, Mexico in 1970. I have four brothers and four sisters. Three of them are living in Santa Ana, California. The rest of my family is living in Mexico.

     When I was ten years old I started to work helping my dad plant corn. I remember when it started to rain, I ran because I was afraid of the water and afraid of the thunder. My dad didn't like me running away.

     When I was almost eleven, I started earning my own money by grabbing sugar cane in a factory. I remember my mom told me, "Go to school and learn to read and write." But I liked the money. I decided to go to school in the mornings and work in the afternoons. I only studied six years. After that I went to work and no more school for me.

     One day my friend said, "Let's go to the United States." I asked, "When?" My surprise was when he said, "Tomorrow!" I said, "Okay."

     The next day we took the bus from Santa Rosa, Michoacán to Tijuana. After that we finally reached Santa Ana, California. It was not easy to find work. I spent three months and found nothing. The days were passing and I said, "If I can't find work I'm going to back to Mexico."

     Finally I found a job in a restaurant. I started washing dishes. One of my friends taught me how to cook.  I was trying to learn English. I took English classes for about three months in Santa Ana.

     I moved to Sonoma, California in 1997 where I started to work in a restaurant as a chef. I'm trying to study more English with my teacher Ellen. Thanks to her I am learning a lot. My goal is to learn good English.