New Kid on the Block

Crystal Secaira

Fall 2022

“I don’t know if you could call it an American dream anymore, but worldwide it’s there. If you look for it. There are ways you make your dreams come true.”

After graduating 6th grade at 11 years old, Carlos Agosto Secaira Bombon did not envision himself moving to New York City, leaving behind his mother and three sisters. However, as a result of his family’s wishes, he found himself on a direct flight from Guayaquil, Ecuador to New York City on May 28th, 1978. 

As he left the JFK airport, Carlos viscerally recalls: “I was in awe? In awe. There were lights everywhere, which surprised me. So bright…so…so bright.”

Although Carlos came to the United States at a young age, it was clear to him how the United States provided him with more resources than Ecuador could. 

“I did find out there was a lot more food here in the United States than in Ecuador available to a growing kid like myself.” 

His grandmother lived in Sunset Park, a neighborhood in Brooklyn. During the 80s, it was (and continues to be) a very diverse neighborhood, where Spanish is a popularly spoken language. So, Carlos states he did not struggle much with the language barrier as he could use his Spanish.  

However, settling in Sunset Park, even with the support from his grandmother and some family friends, proved to be challenging for him. 

In Guayaquil, “Everybody knew each other. From the oldest person to the youngest person.”

Being thrown into a new environment without the tight-knit community Carlos grew up with made it apparent to him that he was the new kid on the block. But, that didn’t stop him from learning to enjoy parts about living in Sunset Park, discovering new hobbies. 

“In the summertime, they would close the streets. They would have food, everybody sitting outside, and, you know, they would play baseball. I got to learn baseball!”

To combat the homesickness that came to him “30% of the time”, Carlos would write letters to his mother along with scheduling weekly calls.

He was also able to return on several occasions to Guayaquil, where he explains that the first time he returned, after 2 years of his arrival in NYC, “She [his mother] didn’t recognize me because I had grown almost double my size in height!” 

Traveling from Guayaquil to Brooklyn, Carlos noticed several differences between the two cities. 

“The music that was playing here in New York, it would take a year or two years to get to Ecuador…fashion…you know, clothes, movies. They wouldn’t be showing at the same time as here, you know, so that…that was a big difference at that time”

Unlike others who had also experienced the contrast between life in Guayaquil and the United States, one main thing had not changed about Carlos which he took pride in:  

“I never lost my accent from where I’m from.” 

Carlos’s main goal when he was in his teen years was to finish school. When he decided to drop out of college during his second year to work, he realized part of the reason why he had immigrated from Guayaquil at such a young age.

“I had to support my family, my mother and my three sisters. I mean, that was the issue that from the beginning…that was the issue. And, one of the reasons I think that why I came to the United States was that my father was not really in the picture. He was not a responsible person that took care of his family. So, I think I took the role of that…” 

Later, when asked what advice he would’ve given to his younger self, Carlos highlighted how he wished he would have finished his studies-being it was something he valued. 

“But, I don’t regret it because I guess, in life, every step that I have taken-it has guided me to the point where I am.” 

At the time, adopting the role as a financial supporter was not easy. And, there had been many instances where Carlos had experienced others, even those from other Latine backgrounds, trying to belittle him for being an immigrant, overlooking the work he had put in to survive in NYC. 

In response, Carlos reminds himself how he learned English within 2 years of his arrival, and “I am a U.S. citizen. You cannot take that away from me, whether you like it or not.”

Like many other immigrants, Carlos still believes in the American dream even though he has his doubts on how readily attainable it is. 

“I don’t know if you could call it an American dream anymore, but worldwide it’s there. If you look for it. There are ways you make your dreams come true. But in the US, there are opportunities, and there are ways if you decide to do something or study, or to get what you want, you have to work hard. You have to work harder.” 

When reflecting on the American dream, he highlighted the tension between the dreams of immigrants and the roles that governments play, recalling the hurdles his grandmother faced due to being undocumented.

“A bigger problem came when she was that age, which she had to retire. She did not have a legal status here. She could not get her pension. She had the years, the time with her job. She has paid taxes. She had done everything in the right way. It’s just the fact that when she came, she stayed. But she worked. She worked hard. She…She paid taxes. If she decided one day to stop working, she was not going to get any social security, any retirement funds, even from her union, because she didn’t have one.”

He pointed out that while the United States gives immigrants several rights, it still can be greatly improved. Specifically, he pointed out the lack of proper perspective the government has when discussing immigrants. 

“But, I don’t regret it because I guess, in life, every step that I have taken-it has guided me to the point where I am.” 

“I don’t think that that, you know, someone in the country all of a sudden says, oh, I’m gonna leave because I just want to leave. You leave because of a reason you know? And one of the biggest reasons is that most of these countries don’t have work. You know people work for pennies, and you know kids don’t…, kids don’t have futures. At the same time, you’ve got to see where, you know, where this problem the the root of it lies.”

A True New Yorker

To this day, Carlos still maintains his cultural heritage, and passes it onto his three children, specifically through teaching them Spanish because of its benefits.

“A lot of families, as a matter of fact, they don’t speak Spanish to their kids or they don’t make these kids speak Spanish or learn the language. So I think it’s very important to not lose that. Because especially because if you know one, that’s good. I mean, Spanish is spoken in how many countries? A lot. So that’s a plus.” 

Now 56 years old, although Carlos continues to visit Ecuador, he can’t see himself leaving New York City anytime in the future because of all the resources that the city provides, which have become more important to him as he grows older.  

“I know what hospital to go to if I need to go in an emergency. In Ecuador, you don’t have that. If you go to a hospital, you can’t go to a hospital because…you don’t know what will happen there. And, you have to go to a clinic, which it will cost you thousands of dollars.” 

Additionally, there is also an attachment to the city as a result of the 40+ years he has spent navigating its streets. 

“I always like to visit my country. But there comes a moment when I need to go back home-get back to New York. That is where I feel it’s home.”