Spanish speaking peoples in Utah, oral histories: book 1, numbers 1 through 10

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INTERVIEW: Francisco Solaria Page 25 FO: What were your first reactions to the United States? Ah, can you remember how you felt coming here? MS: Yes, I do. I came in on Halloween night. (laughter) So, we came across, and I thought it was really something, you know, to see all those kids, you know, all dressed up in costumes and it was something different than what we had over there, so I was, I was really interested. And I was I was really glad that I was seeing all these different things, you know. I really was. So. FO: Did you attend school in Idaho, I take it that you lived there mainly? MS: No, my brother was living here in Salt Lake. As a matter of fact, he was living on ninth south and ninth east. FO: Mmm-hmm. MS: And ah, I was already fourteen years old. I was almost fifteen. And he wanted me to go to school, and everything, and I though well, I would. But when I went to school, I couldn't understand anything, you know. Everything was so different. So they put me with the second grade children, and they just wanted me to learn, you know, English a little so that they could place me, you know, later on whatever the---the test would show that I could be. But I was a little impatient, you know, because these young children used to make me play games