Diana-Maria Enrique Sanchez is known to be the loudspeaker of 82 street; yelling “Vienen” “Vienen” “Vienen gentes a la fisioterapeuta” and in English “come, come, come to the physiotherapist”. Her main job is to sit outside the physiotherapist office on 82nd Street right by the subway station, and draw in as much customers to the clinic by screaming at the top of her lungs, giving a friendly smile and handing out business cards.
The sight of seeing her jump up and down in joy when she woos in a customer to the physiotherapist is one that amuses all visitors in Jackson Heights. Coming around sixty five at the end of this year, she sits through it all; sun, rain, snow and hail. “We tell her to take her vacation or even a short break, but she never listens” says the clinic receptionist. “She loves coming here, maybe because she is bored at home” says one customer. “I don’t know why she does it at this old age, maybe financial problems, but she is what makes the clinic alive, everyone loves her” says another customer.
Diana’s problems are far from financial. In fact, she has enough money to go without doing a job but she continues to do what she does because she is allowed to be herself. Diana’s family consist of her three sons, who own their own construction company, their wives, who are housewives, and her grandchildren. “With a big family, it is fun but not all the time. When you are the old one, everybody seems to think you are about to die, and I hate that feeling”. She is determined not to die anytime soon.
“Even though it isn’t much, I find my job to be the highlight of my day”. All her life Diana was told what to do, and how to be, starting from her birth. When she was young back in Ecuador, her mother wouldn’t let her be; she never had the opportunity to choose what she wanted, and everything was decided by her mother. At the age of sixteen, Diana was married to a twenty five year old man, from “el Norte”. “And when you are from America, you are a big shot even if you are a criminal” Diana says. When both of them got married, her husband took the role, her mother had played all her life. At the age of twenty she migrated to America, she was expected to stay home like a good wife while he went to run his business. “I hated it” she says. “I wanted to explore, I wanted to be free for once”. She decided to take matter into her own hands, while her husband was at work, she used to go outside, run in the park, sometimes, she would use the money she had left over after purchasing the groceries, to buy whatever she felt like eating. She even went as far as having an affair, but “it wasn’t anything serious, I wish it was” she says with a wink.
She says the worst part about my life was not having a job. “See, when you have a job, you are what you call…recognized, but I didn’t have that, I was told what to do by the people who were with me”. “Sometimes I feel idiot, I wanted to do more”, “Sometimes I wanted to fly”, and “nowadays I feel like I waste my life because, I could have done so much more”. These are the reasons she decided to take the job on 82nd Street. For once in her life she was able to do what she wanted, and she learned how to say “a big NO!”. “I cannot let my children boss me too” she remarks.
“I am happy” she claims. And she is right, she is the most jovial person I have ever met. Everyone she meets, she gives them a piece of her, and they carry it with them. People can never forget her smiling and caring face because she brings joy to people’s heart. “I am living the life I never had, everyday doing this job and by making people happy” she says. Her voice is easily recognized from the crowds and crowds of people, and the seven train line running above. She screams and shouts with all her might.
Diana’s workspace
