At the age of 12, Christell Martillo was comfortable in her family neighborhood in Guayaquil, Ecuador. But when her mother decided to bring her and her older brother over to the United States, she would have to leave her home and grandparents behind and welcome a brand new lifestyle. This began the journey that molded her into the independent, goal oriented woman she is today.
Growing up in Ecuador
“I was born in Guayaquil; that is the coast of Ecuador. I was born in a really poor area. It was good, even though it was poor, because the people there were really nice and really humble. It was nice. I loved being with family. Family is very important there. In America, everybody has work and has things to do, like everybody goes to college or everybody has their own family. If you have a brother, he has a wife and he has his kids and everything. Everyone does their own thing, while in Ecuador everybody is always together. Houses are full of people. Always. That’s the main difference.”
Aspirations Growing Up
“I aspired to be like my mother. She was a role model because even though she didn’t have a husband she knew what she had to do in order to raise us. Even though she left us, it was for a good reason because she wanted us to have everything. She knew that if she stayed there [in Ecuador], she would not be able to this.”
What We Thought America Was Going to be Like
“I thought it was going to be only “Americans”. I thought it was going to be cleaner, I thought it was going to be cuter. When I came, I got disappointed because it was like, “Oh my God, am I still in my country or what?” You see a lot of different people here. You expect only to see American people like you see in the movies and then when you come its like, “What happened?” This is not what I was expecting.”
“When you are in Ecuador everybody thinks that because you live in America you have money. They are like, “Oh! She’s in America, she has money.” And when I came, I wanted to see what do they do to have money? I started to realize that they have to work really hard. I mean, you’re working harder here than you do in Ecuador.”
Upon Arrival (First Impressions!)
“The first thing that impressed me was that when we got off the airplane- I was with my brother- and we saw Jews! Jewish people. And you know, they have the curly hair- I was like “What the hell?” I had never seen Jewish people, never in my life. I was like “Oh! Why do they have to wear a hat like that!”
Our Struggles During the Transition to America
“When I got to school it was really hard because I didn’t know the language- and I still have trouble with it. It was really hard because I didn’t know any Spanish people there. In Bayside, there is not a lot of Spanish people…there’s a lot of Asians, and I was like the only Ecuadorian. It was really difficult because even in my country when you go to school, it’s hard to study and everything, so imagine in another language! That was the most difficult thing. But then I learned, it got easier.”
“My brother faced different things because he came here when he was 18. He had to work since the day he came. It was harder for him because he didn’t have friends. I went to high school here, but he didn’t because he graduated in my country. So it was a little harder for him. He only had me to talk to. I’m younger than him and I’m a girl, so he didn’t feel comfortable talking to me.”
Job Transitions
“My first job was at a catering company and that was hard. I was 15 years old and my mom didn’t want me to work. She said, “No, you’re not going to work, you’re too little”. I have always been independent and I like to have my own money. I don’t like to ask my mom for money. I hate that. She said “No you’re not going to do it, because I know your grades are going to go low! You’re not going to study!” But I said, “Oh please let me work!”. So she let me work for Fridays and Saturdays. It was only nights. If you work for a catering company, you have to do events and those are at nights. I worked for 6 months. It was very tiring; I didn’t like it. But the money was good.”
“After that job I worked at a clothing shop right here on 82nd street. The pay was really bad, but it was a good environment because there were a lot of other girls working there. We used to go out all the time, we used to go to parties, and this and that… so that was really nice but I had to leave the job because the pay was not good. Then I moved to Guyaco’s, where I am a waitress.”
How America Has Altered Our Family Dynamic Life
“Coming to America brought be and my brother a lot closer. In America, he was like a father figure to me. In Ecuador we were not really close. He was 6 years older than me. I didn’t even see him when we were in Ecuador. He was partying all the time and was with his girlfriend all the time. When we got here, we got a lot closer.”
“When he got married I realized how much I cared about him because he was more focused on his relationship and I felt jealous. When we came here, he was the one working, and he was the one always protecting me, always asking, “Do you need anything for school? Do you need shoes? Did you eat?”
How Does Being Ecuadorian Influence Me?
“Ecuadorian people are really humble. They like to help others. With the earthquake, its amazing how everybody has helped with donations and everything. Even people that I thought were so cheap, they have sent money there. It’s really good! I never expected something like that. People are helping a lot. I think every Ecuadorian here has sent something.”
“My family is all good, thank God. But my father doesn’t have a job because of the earthquake. He lived close to it. He lives in a small town called Pedro Carbo. He worked in the bus company and the buses aren’t working because the roads are destroyed. He’s not working right now, so my brother and I have to help him with money because he has three other daughters.”
The Positive and Negative Aspects of America
“In America, everybody focuses on their own thing. In Ecuador you can see: In my case I used to live in a house with my grandmother. My neighbors were my uncles and aunts and we all lived in the same street. I didn’t have friends, I had cousins. But in America, my mother lives in Whitestone, my brother lives in Flushing, and I live in Elmhurst. You don’t get to see everyone so often. I think all Americans are like that. I do think America lacks a lot of unity in its families.”
“One thing that I like about Americans is that they build their own future. I mean, they save money for the future, even to die! Because, you know, if you die, it’s really expensive. They save money for their kids to go to college. I had to pay for college. My mom would never save for that. She will help me but she will not pay for it. Americans are really good at that, while Ecuadorians, they are really lazy. They live for the present, they only live for the future. They live for the day. They wake up, they go to work and that’s it. The majority of them don’t have any big goals. I think that’s why Ecuador is a poor country.”
“America is a good country for people that want to grow up. If you are lazy and you don’t like to work, you’re not going to get any opportunities. But for people that are smart, like hard working people, they get a lot of opportunities here that they might not get in their [home] countries. So I think it’s a good country.”
