After this, I started to practice different sports, like swimming, boxing and soccer. When I was 18 years old, I did my military service. In the army, I continued practicing the sports. We competed, representing the army in different competitions. I spent two years this way, with the army and sports, and so I completed my army training.

After three or four years more, I started coming to the U.S. to work for short periods, for one to two months, to make quick money and go back. This happened for two or three years. Then I started to live in L.A. permanently. I started working in different kinds of jobs, in factories and the kinds of places normal for people like me who don't have a career.

Now I've been in the U.S. about fifteen years. During these years, I tried to make a family. These were beautiful years and I have two beautiful daughters, Mylai and Esperanza. But five years ago my relationship ended and now I have to try to make something of my life. Now I live with my older daughter, Mylai. She is twenty years old. She's independent and doesn't like school much, so she's working and soon she will make her own life.

The other daughter is fifteen, and she's with her mom. She's in her last year of high school. Her name, Esperanza, means "hope."

When I have the chance and the space, I have animals. Now I have a possum. I was jogging the other day near Echo Park and saw him trying to cross the street. I saw he was a baby and I was afraid he would get smashed, so I took him home to my apartment. I'll keep him two to three weeks and then take him to Griffith Park where he'll have a bigger area and a better chance to survive.

I don't have much space in my apartment for pets, but when I have space, I like to have cats, dogs and other animals. I've even had possums before. Animals react to you depen- ding on how you treat them. They do things you don't expect. I love animals. Animals have different characters, just like people. You need to live with them for a long time and observe how they act and they think. I think they deserve a better life than they have actually.

The last time I was unemployed, I went to the employment office and asked for help to find a job. They told me about different programs where you learn about different skills. They gave me the address of the Center for Employment Training (CET). So I went to CET and studied building maintenance for seven to eight months. I finished that course and I asked them for some intensive classes of English because I needed English. They referred me to Chinatown Service Center to the WESL Program (Workplace English as a Second Language).

When I started the WESL class, I thought this was a pretty good class. It improved my English and taught me how to work with my co-workers and resolve different problems in the workplace. I talked to the director of CET and tried to recommend the WESL class to my friends at CET. I think both classes (CET and WESL) were really good.

Now my plan is to get a new job and go back to school. I want to continue my education to the end. I had a good permanent job, but the company moved out of the state. I didn't want to move so far away.

Right now, I'm just working when I can. I'm looking for a maintenance or construction job, but I'm ready for any job. I need something sure for planning my life and continuing my education. That's the way I am.