Dominican students enjoy life on campus
Desiree Martinez is a student from the Dominican Republic. She is a senior in buisness administration.
Utah Statesman: What’s your favorite color?
Desiree Martinez: Green. It’s like hope.
US: Why Utah State?
DM: We didn’t choose it, they chose it. The people make agreements with the universities.
US: What happens if you decide you don’t want to anymore? Do you have to pay them back?
DM: Oh, no. You sign a contract and for four years you have to be here.
US: Why did you choose buisness administration?
DM: Through the years I’ve been working with people and with management.
US: How did you get the experience of working with people?
DM: Well, I’ve been working since I was 14 years old. One of the things that I really love is to be around people.
US: What’s your favorite American food?
DM: McDonald’s double cheeseburger. It’s pretty much what you got here, we got it over there.
US: What’s your favorite homecooked Dominican dish?
DM: Hard question. I’ve got a lot of them. Bandera, sancocho, and mangu.
US: When you go to the Marketplace, what’s your favorite food?
DM: Chicken breast with provolone cheese on top.
US: What kind of habits have you picked up since moving here?
DM: Well, I’ve got to speak lower. When I talk, sometimes people think I’m yelling at them, but I’m not. IIt’s how we talk, you know? One of the bad things I got here is to go to bed late, too late.
US: Yeah? What time do you go to bed in the DR?
DM: We have so much to do, we go to bed sometime before 12. And that’s early.
US: What kind of slang have you picked up here? That you wouldn’t ever hear in the DR?
DM: “Gonna” (going to). “A’ight,” which is alright. FoSHO, for sure. Halla at me, which is call me. You know, things like that.
US: What’s your favorite thing to do on Campus?
DM: Hang out with my friends at the Marketplace.
US: What’s your favorite thing to do in Logan?
DM: We like to go to First Dam and play volleyball when it’s summer. And we go camping, too.
US: Describe your typical Saturday.
DM: I wake up at let’s say 10:30 a.m. After that I go to eat something. And the afternoon we watch movies.
US: What’s your favorite Disney Movie?
DM: Cheetah Girls. The second one. Barcelona.
US: What’s your favorite animated Disney movie?
DM: I like them all. I like Mickey Mouse. I like them all.
US: What’s your favorite movie in general?
DM: “Center Stage.” It’s like ballet but with hip hop music. And “Save the Last Dance.”
US: So what’s your favorite type of music?
DM: Salsa.
US: What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?
DM: Gold. My necklaces. I love yellow gold.
US: What’s your rule of thumb about fashion?
DM: It’s like all the kinds of clothes. I’m mostly classic, but it’s whatever I want to wear. I don’t care if it’s old fashioned or new fashioned, I just wear what I want to wear. What looks nice on me.
US: Give me three characteristics of daily life in the DR.
DM: Lots of work, Lot of traffic, and a social life.
US: What’s it like politically in the DR?
DM: We have a president, a vice president, it’s like here. You know, democracy.
US: What’s the thing that bothers you the most about the “American Life”? The “American Dream”?
DM: I don’t think it’s a huge deal. And I’m sorry, I respect that. But what people are expecting from here is not what is here. Here is a country like DR is a country. Everywhere is a country. The thing is, here there is one thing that might be the reason for why they want to move here. Here you can find a job. Like if you clean, you’re good. You can survive. If you clean back home, you’re a person without an education. Here, people, they don’t have to be profesionals to have a nice house, a good car.
US: What’s your favorite childhood memory?
DM: Ooh. I have a lot. Hmm. One was my birthday, I was seven years old. My mom was in the U.S. and she came home. My brother and I were born on the same day, just different years, so it was a good surprise for both of us. The other one was when I went to Disney (World) and it was like the longest trip ever. We went to Miami, and Orlando and New York. Then in New York we went a lot of places. Then we went back home. I saw snow for the first time in NY.
US: What was your reaction to snow?
DM: Oh, come on now. It was like Woohoo. Playing with the snow … cold.
US: Is it always warm in the DR?
DM: Yeah. Never snows. It’s always warm. It rains in May.
-april.ashland@aggiemail.usu.edu