Ms. Bella Pico’s family was doing just fine in Ecuador. However, Ms. Pico decided to move to the United States to give her children a chance at a better future and better seguridad. She has lived in her current apartment for twenty-one years, and has become quite acquainted with lugares beyond Jackson Heights. She has raised six kids of her womb and one other to be successful in the career paths they have chosen and to have a priceless personality.
Education and Career
Ms. Pico aspired to become a nurse. But alas, her dreams could not be fulfilled when she gave birth to her very first son. “It is very difficult,” she says. Although Ms. Pico was young at heart, she took her new responsibility head on, putting aside her own wishes. Her lack of an educational degree, however, is atoned for through her childrens’ educations and careers.
Ms. Pico’s eldest son, Raul, is an electrical engineer and resides in Long Island. Her second son is a Programmer, and he majored in Computer Science. Her third son, Carlos, works in a hospital after majoring in Computer Science. Similarly, one of Ms. Pico’s daughters, still back in Ecuador, is a journalist; she recently covered news for the big Earthquake that has occurred as well as its after-effects.
Although Ms. Pico’s kids are successful in their lives, she choses to support herself by babysitting down the street during weekdays. On week nights, Ms. Pico supplements her income by tailoring “curtain, this pillows, the dress … arreglar la ropa, when the sleeve long … the jacket or coat and the long pants.”
Ms. Bella Pico’s work station
Family and Health
In Ms. Pico’s legacy, a joint family system is not the costumbre. She says, “In my country, when they marry, go home … separate.” Every son and daughter fends for themselves once married. Therefore, all of Ms. Pico’s sons moved out of her apartment once they had been wed. Still, they have managed to maintain a close knit family – Ms. Pico visits her sons in Long Island every weekend, and she visits her her children in Virginia every so often.
Ms. Pico’s son, Raul, lives in Long Island with his wife and two kids, while Ms. Pico’s second child has a similar situation but with one kid only. Carlos lives in Jackson Heights and has a wife and child. Ms. Pico’s daughter in Virginia has bred three kids, two of which have chosen medicine and business paths while the third is still in high school. Although Ms. Pico’s daughter in Ecuador is divorced, she has also bred three children, two of whom are interested in medicine and architecture while the third finishes up high school.
Ms. Pico may have made some sacrifices for her family, but her face immediately lights up as she speaks about any of her children or grandchildren. When she speaks about her husband, though, her tone changes to a more concerned sound: “My husband is very sicks. He has a condition de health. It’s not good. The first time he had the cancer, leukemia. After, six, seven, eight years, continue with the lupus. Lupus is a condition very, very bad. He has ten years with the lupus. It’s terrible. It’s terrible. He health is not good.” Ms. Pico serves her husband soup and puree because he is unable to swallow whole foods.
Ms. Pico pushes aside all the troubles she has and continues to endure in order to spend quality time with her family during holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. These holidays are especially significant for the family, as they all make sure to be in one place, whether that place is Virginia or whether that place is New York City. Ms. Pico explains, “All go to Virginia or they coming here. Cook. And Thanksgiving is more eat turkey. And Christmas, sometimes hen; different things my country. My country its more for the provincia de El ceviche. It’s typical food.”
Impact
Ms. Pico did not only raise her own children to be successful, but she also cared for another child in the neighborhood: “Before, I care the other child in here, care for eleven years. Live in the other side of this building. They say, ‘grandma.’ They coming here with the my daughter is coming de Virginia, staying with us Christmas, Thanksgiving … When the 9/11, Arianna had the two years, and me crying with looking the building down and me crying, crying. She hug me and say, “No cry Mommy Bella, no cry Mommy Bella.’” It seems so surprising that a supposed stranger can form a bond so strong with her caretaker that she not only cares for her at a time of need, but also refers to her as “Mommy Bella.” “I say, ‘Ariana, nice letters please. She said, ‘Mama Bella, here is America.’”
In addition to her impact on her NYC neighborhood, Ms. Pico continues to remain a strong force for her home country. Along with donations from many other members of NYC, Ms. Pico and her son were able to send milk and medicine to support babies in Ecuador during the recent Earthquake crisis.
