Interviewer: Ok..Okaaaaay. I’d like to find out a little background information on you. What is your culture?

Jane: Puerto Rican.

Interviewer: Puerto Rican hispanic?

Jane: Yes.

Interviewer: Okay. What was some of your first experiences with the American culture? If you can give me some specific examples... Could you give me some examples of how your family participated in American culture? Like, what was American culture to your family?

Jane: Ummm..For one as growing up here in Tampa, Florida, participate in Halloween. Over there in Puerto Rico they don’t celebrate Halloween. Ummmm......, that’s just one of them.

Interviewer: Okay...

Jane: (laughing) Okay. Next question. (laughing)

Interviewer: Okay. Ummm. What’s your first language?

Jane: My first language is Spanish. Second is English.

Interviewer: Can you read and write in your first language?

Jane: Yes. I can.

Interviewer: Did you ever attend school in Puerto Rico?

Jane: No. I attended..My mother g..I grew up my mother was a home s...uhhh...home mother...or home cook...so I grew up with her until I was 5 years old. Didn’t attend daycare. So her first language was Spanish and that’s how we learned until I started kindergarden. That’s when I pretty much started picking up English there, was in kindergarden.

Interviewer: Okay. What kind of special classes if any did you have when you first started school to learn English?

Jane: That would be in elementary school, ummm, ESOL..that’s what it’s called..ESOL class.

Interviewer: Okay. You said you started in kindergarden? Okay. Ummm...how involved were your parents? What were there feelings towards you learning English in school?

Jane: Very involved. Ummm. They would buy workbooks in the English. My mom actually learned how to read English and write.

Interviewer: Did she do that on her own?

Jane: Yes. She would definitely do that on her own. And work with the teachers, my elementary teachers.

Interviewer: What was some of the difficult things for you when you were learning to read in English?

Jane: Would have to probably pronounce and spelling.

Interviewer: Pronounce?

Jane: Yes.

Interviewer: Okay. Did you have any problems with learning pronunciation?

Jane: Still do. Still do. Yes. In Spanish it’s....the way the word is pronounced that’s the way it’s spelled. In English there’s a lot of silent letters.....I still do have trouble with that (laugh).

Interviewer: What were some of the kind of...What were some of the activities that your teacher would do with you to help you to help you with those problems that you had?

Jane: ..If I can remember, I think it’s really pretty much working on a computer, working with ummm........practices

Interviewer: Mmmhmmm...

Jane: Like, p...with pictures. I’m trying to remember what your mom used to do, but... (laughing)

Interviewer: Okay..

Jane: pictures

Interviewer: And...what was some of the fun things that you felt you had...some fun experiences you had while learning English that happened in the classroom setting?

Jane: Umm my ESOL teacher. We would practice ummm...playing cards and every time we got it right or a winner she would definitely give us treats. (laughing) That was exciting. Candy.

Interviewer: Candy! And cookies I’m sure.

Jane: Cookie. Yes.

Interviewer: (giggle) Okay. . How did you feel your peers interacted with you? Your English speaking peers.

Jane: In elementary or just growing up?

Interviewer: In general. (Jane interrupts saying ‘In general..) Whatever you feel like commenting on. As you were learning the process.

Jane: Learning? Ummm......a couple of ‘em would probably..would actually correct me....if I didn’t pronounce the words they would teach me, ummm and other ones would just ignore it. They just said, “Oh, she’s latin.” That’s just latin.

Interviewer: Mmmmm....And what about your teacher. How often did your teacher correct you?

Jane:...Hhhhhh....writing definitely would..writing I would get a repl, uh, response. Speaking teachers umm....not that much.....if I spoke something, if I pronounced it wrong, they wouldn’t. Growing up in high school and stuff they wouldn’t really correct me.

Interviewer: Okay.. What were some of the most difficult things you found in writing in English?

Jane: Difficult? Ummm....still do have trouble with ummm....with like helping verbs (laughs) It’s just easier in Spanish like I said. Ummm in English helping verbs...just general. Still have trouble with that.

Interviewer: That’s good. I’m happy you gave us specifics. Ummm as far as confidence, when did you start feeling confident when you were learning English?

Jane: I wouldn’t say when I started. I still, like I said, I still have trouble. Like I’m in college now and I take a writing class and I still doubt myself. So I’m not a hundred percent there yet.

Interviewer: What are some of the books you like to read?

Jane: Ummmm...what kind...I can’t think of any off the top of my head right now. But the newspaper....

Interviewer: Okay, so you like....

Jane:....online...that’s where I really kinda practice...English.

Interviewer: So, nothing like a novel.

Jane: no

Interviewer: ...like sci-fi or anything like that?

Jane: To be honest with you, no. (laughs)

Interviewer: Newspaper, okay.

Jane: okay

Interviewer: And what are some techniques that you think that you would have learned better to say if you could have done it all over again, what were some of the things you could’ve...you think you would’ve benefited from if they would have done differently?

Jane:........hmmmm...definitely pay attention....

Interviewer: Mmmhmm

Jane: In English class definitely, like I said with the verbs, past particicles and stuff ‘cause I do have trouble with that.

Interviewer: Did you have trouble with a lot of words that were in math or science? Did they give you trouble, like thermometer or....

Jane: Pronouncing them or?

Interviewer: Pronouncing...

Jane: No.

Interviewer: .....reading...understanding....

Jane: Understanding, comprehend..co..comprehending yes.

(brief pause in interview)

Interviewer: Okay, we’re gonna go back and talk about some more experiences as far as what you felt when you were (unrecognizable) learning English. Do you think you could’ve gotten by without learning English in America?

Jane: Definitely no especially here in the area that I grew up in, Carrollwood..Tampa, Florida..definitely no. Wasn’t that much of hispanics. It was a lot more caucasian. So, definitely no I had to learn both language....s....Eng...English as my second.......Next question..I want to say...

Interviewer: Okay. Do you think learning English was, is necessary anywhere else if you would’ve, say, moved to Miami. Do you think you would have needed to learn English versus here?

Jane: ..Do I think if it’s necessary to learn English in Miami? Anywhere in the United States, depends what field you wanna go into. Work air....work force..or if you work in the office. I think to make it out there in the few, out in the world both language is necessary.

Interviewer: Okay, so you think in, let’s, let’s talk about that. Let’s elaborate more about your career and the career in you peer group now, which obviously coworkers (Jane interrupts and says “coworkers) are part of that peer group. How do you think learning knowing two languages affects that? How, how does, how does, how do you feel with your peer group?

Jane: ...At my work, ummmmm, how do I feel? Well

Interviewer: Yeah, how do you explain.....

Jane:....there’s probably only two latin in, in the office. Everybody else is English...Ummm....(laughs)

Interviewer: Like how do they make you feel when..when you’re knowing that you know.. that you speak.. that if you have to make..if you say an error..or...(whisper)..do you feel criticized..do you feel comfortable...like how....

Jane:..Well it depends. If they laugh at me, if I pronounce a wrong word or spell the wrong word..if the ones that laugh at me, then I feel embarrassed and it makes me not wanna speak around them or even try anything around there. I just mute around them. And the ones that do correct me I feel a lot comfortable ‘cause they’re trying to help me out.

Interviewer: Ummm as far as, you know, your younger and high school years, did you feel aware of your culture, were you aware of it?

Jane: I was, especially growing up in middle school and then high school..there wasn’t that much mi, minority.

Interviewer: And did you get made fun of in high school or middle school for the way you spoke?

Jane: Make fun of probably in a different way...