Elizabet

I am originally from Bolivia.  I met my husband here when he was working with Latin American people. When I arrived I could only speak very little English. I was prepared mentally for everything new, new language, new people, new culture. I was very open about what I was about to learn. 

My husband was working in the markets at the time and I thought I could do a similar thing. So we started our own business selling Bolivian crafts in the markets after we got married. In my work every day is different. I meet people from different cultures that live in New Zealand and tourists, it’s a pleasure doing the markets and I love what we are doing because we have the opportunity to meet so many types of people coming from different backgrounds. It also gives us time off work when we need to being our own boss. 

I am very happy with my family living here in NZ; we live in a very fortunate place.  There is another side immigrants miss that is not so happy, we miss our culture, customs, family and some find it hard to adjust to this society and way of living here. People have different opinions and different ways of living. I think New Zealand is quite open-minded which for me opened my mind in a positive way.

We all are human beings and I think some people start to argue about race, not human race; but if they are pure breed or mixed people. At the end of the day we are all just the human race, it is not like you are a different colour or you are indigenous or white. I think we are all one human race. It is sad seeing people fighting about their origins. They can get angry and grow in a negative way; it makes people fight about this. Just be more tolerant.  You will never forget where you come from but also accept other people.

-Elizabet