From Ecuador to America

My name is Diana Carolina Freile Salinas. Well it was, until I came to the United States and had to conform. Here, we only use one last name.

I was born in Quito, Ecuador. I lived in my grandpa's farm surrounded by beautiful animals. When I turned five, I moved to city of Guayaquil in Ecuador. Three years later we moved again.

My dad got an opportunity to direct a fishing project on the other side of the world--Tanzania, Africa. We lived in a nice house and had a driver, cook, maid, gardener and guards. The company even gave us a car and paid for my sister's and my education, but life wasn't always good in Africa. We were surrounded by poverty.

The children didn't have shoes and families couldn't afford medicine. Most of the people in the villages had never seen a car or electricity. Our family was lucky to have what we had: food, health, shelter and education. Soon however, the company began losing business. When my dad hadn't gotten paid in over a month, we decided to get out.

Up next: Arriving in Michigan