“In New York you have to focus so much on sustaining your...

“In New York you have to focus so much on sustaining your lifestyle. There’s not much time left for other people. In the city things are expensive and your job is constantly being devalued. Fifteen years ago I could support myself as a freelance translator. Now that job is being outsourced or done online. So you have to always reinvent yourself. You have to focus so much energy on yourself. And it can be exhausting. Back in the Dominican Republic, there’s much more of an emphasis on community. People have time for each other. There isn’t as much wealth and people aren’t as focused on the acquisition of things. When I go back, people stop me on the street to say ‘hello.’ They ask about my family. We get together to have dinner. And I don’t mean ‘go out’ for dinner. I mean ‘get together.’ I bring the plantains. They bring the avocado. There’s a closeness. People focus on each other. But that can be asphyxiating. Because that means people are watching over your values and deeds. There’s a lot of judgment. There’s an expectation that you’ll live like your parents and peers. So yes, there can be lot of self-centeredness in New York. There’s not enough time to focus on the lives of others. But that’s why the world comes here to learn tolerance.”