NATE INTERVIEW

Nathaniel Spencer, an immigrant from Trinidad, discusses his challenges and rewards of living in New York City. His biggest challenge is adjusting to the cold weather, but he enjoys the variety of things to do and the diverse group of people he has met. He hasn't faced any language barriers as English is the native language in Trinidad. Nathaniel currently works at an organization that helps college-aged kids with learning disabilities. He loves being able to help them and enjoys the friendly atmosphere. Moving to New York City has opened him up and made him more extroverted. He appreciates the variety and diversity in the city compared to his hometown. Working in New York is more dynamic and relaxed compared to his previous job at a law firm in Trinidad. Nathaniel has enjoyed his experience so far and hopes to find similar jobs in the future. Hello, my name is Liana Bazzana, and I will be the interviewer. Hello, my name is Nathaniel Spencer, and I will be the interviewee. All right, so what were some of your biggest challenges while or after immigrating to New York City? So right now, I guess my biggest challenge is the cold. I come from Trinidad, so the weather there is usually just hot year-round. Like, it's 32 degrees in Trinidad Celsius right now. But here, it's been getting colder, and I've been able to adjust it since I got here. But the other day, it was 2 degrees Celsius, and that was really cold for me. So I think that's my biggest challenge so far. But when it gets colder and when it starts to snow, I just have to figure out how I'm going to handle that. Yeah, yeah. All right. Next question is, what was the most rewarding thing that you got out of, or that you feel like you've gotten out of moving to New York City so far, even though you've only lived here for a little bit? I feel like the variety. There's so many things to do, so many things to see, a lot of different people to meet. Especially in St. John's, I've met people from all over the world, and I've just been here for two months now. So I think that openness that it offers is really good. All right. Do you feel like you've met a good group of people here at St. John's? Yeah. Or in New York City in general? Yes, I do think I have met a good group of people. All right. Did you face any language barriers after immigrating to New York City? No, the native language in my country is English, so it's the same thing, just accent changes. All right. What has been the first job you got after immigrating to New York City? So right now, I work at the Cook Project, which is an organization that helps college-aged kids with learning disabilities navigate college life and plan for their future. So me and a group of other kids, we help out and give them some guidance and help them move forward. What's your favorite part about working for that organization? The kids are really nice, and they're super friendly. And just being able to help them, it's fun. I like it. Oh, that's really cool. What were your expectations when you moved to New York City, and were they better or worse than what you expected? So I've been wanting to move to New York since I was a baby, since this has been my dream. And I feel like it has lived up to what my expectations were. Being able to come here and be this close to the city and see these sights is really good, so I like that. What's your favorite part about New York City so far? Being this close to the city, being able to every weekend go into Manhattan and do something new. There's so many different things that you can do. What do you miss most about where you came from? Heat, maybe. My family, seeing my parents, my house, my dog, mainly that, yeah. And the food. Well, hopefully you get to go back home soon and visit. Yeah. All right. How do you think that immigration to New York City has changed you? I think it did open me up more. I feel like I wasn't introverted before I got here, but I was a little bit more closed off. But I feel like ever since I've arrived, I've been more open, I'm extroverted, I just talk to people and do things. It just offers you a lot of spontaneity. In what ways do you think that immigration to New York City has made you a stronger person? The variety, really. The ability to go and do different things, meet different people. I feel like this is an environment that really does open your mind and open you up to a bunch of different new experiences. If you're from where I'm from or another state or whatever, you wouldn't be able to get that there. Not to talk down on it, but there is a monotony back home, because it is a small environment. You'll see a lot of the same people, but here, it's so vast. Do you feel like there's more diversity here in New York City, or do you see the same amount of diversity that you saw back in Trinidad? I wouldn't know how to tell you, but there is more diversity here, for sure. It's balanced. There are a lot of different people, so yes, I would see that there is more diversity here. What was working in Trinidad like versus working in New York so far? Right now, I'm working as a college student, so the hours are definitely less. I worked at a law firm back home, and that was way more professional, suit and tie, answering calls, doing paperwork and stuff. Here, in the job that I have right now, it is more dynamic, more relaxed in a sense, so that's good. Have you enjoyed your experience working here so far? I have, and I want to find other jobs like this to do. Thank you so much. It was so nice to get to hear from you and your story. I hope you continue to have a good experience living in New York City. Thank you.