We talk on the phone. I have a niece in El Salvador and we sometimes talk on the phone. I go to the library to use the computer and the internet but I don’t use it for communications, I use it to study things that I like, such as metaphysics, things about other planets and about astrology. That’s when I use a computer.
A good employer is somebody who gets interested in what you can do, they pay you and they like what you do. I do landscaping and I know how to do things with rocks and patios; I’ve learnt all that here in Seattle. Here at Casa Latina I find new friends and I get jobs. They treat we well and I treat them well.
This is the deck of my house. That is me. That's the little plant I have for decoration on my desk. I like seeing myself there on my deck. I don't feel proud or ashamed or anything.
Do you consider Seattle your home?
Yes, I know I come from El Salvador, but this is my home. I have been here for many years.
Éste es el patio de mi casa. Ése soy yo. Ésa es una plantita que tengo para decoración en mi patio. Me gusta verme allí en mi patio. No me siento orgulloso ni avergonzado ni nada.
This is a Cuban guy who takes the bus and goes downtown. He works on the ships. And so, I see him in the street a lot….
So, why did you want to take a picture of him?
Well, because he is Latino as well, and also because we speak Spanish. These are people that I know, and they are my friends. I have many friends around the city.
I need to start doing something for when I’m old. Where will I be? Maybe I can live quietly in somewhere in Central America that is not too expensive. I am from El Salvador but I really like Guatemala. So I would like to live there. Or maybe when I get my papers I can come and stay here.
This is a group of people in a bar … It is a place where there are a lot of fans of the Seahawks. They are wearing the uniform of the Seahawks.
Are they your friends?
No, I was just yelling and rooting for the team as well. This was around the days of the Seahawks game.
I have a brother who is here. I sometimes see him but he has mental health problems. So he sometimes goes away and disappears. He worked a lot when he was younger. So he has social security.
Do you have any family back in El Salvador?
Yes I have some. Sometimes we talk on the phone. I have a niece in El Salvador.
Do you use a computer to communicate with them?
This is a Cuban guy who takes a bus and goes downtown. He works in the ships. And so, I see him in the street a lot….
So, why did you want to take a picture of him?
Well, because he is Latin as well. And one, because we speak Spanish. There are people that I know, they are my friends. I have many friends around the city.
It looks like you are not alone a lot. You have many friends.
These are homeless people at Pioneer Square. This is a picture of what reality is like. I have been homeless too, but now I have my home, I have an apartment.
Éstas son personas sin hogar en la plaza de Pioneer Square. Es una foto de lo que es la realidad. Yo también he vivido en la calle, pero ahora sí tengo un apartamento, no estoy en la calle.
That’s a Mexican guy who is homeless. He lives on the street.
So what do you think of him?
Well poor thing he suffers a lot and then during the winter.