...My name is Monica Garcia. I was born and bred in Cali, Colombia. First I want to tell you something about my country and its people. Colombia is located in the northwest corner of South America between Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Equator and Panama. I has coastlines on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
... Colombia was a Spanish colony, but in 1821 we got independence under the leadership of Simon Bolivar. Bogota, Colombia is the capital and the largest city. Cali is the third most important city in the country. It’s an interesting, cultural and exciting city. It’s also the salsa city. A song says “Nueva York is the capital of the world; Cali is a branch of heaven.” It’s people are public spirited, kind and friendly. I hope someday while you are planning your vacation, you don’t forget that Colombia is a beautiful country to travel to.
...I lived in Cali all my life. My family is composed of my parents, a sister and a brother. My father is a lawyer. I always felt very proud of him because he studied at night after he got married because his parents couldn’t pay for college. My mom didn’t go to college even though she is very wise. She used to work until she got married. She always was with her children and had time for us. I love and miss her very much. My sister is a lawyer like my father. She was married, but her marriage didn’t work and now she is divorced. She has a beautiful son and he is my only nephew. I am his godmother and I love him very much. My brother is an industrial engineer, and he still lives with my parents. He’s not married and he doesn’t have children. I don’t either.
...I studied finance and international business at the university and have a bachelor’s degree in finance. During my university course, I worked in a bank. I started as an assistant and I finished as a credit consultant. Due to a difficult economic situation, the bank closed down and I was unemployed. I thought my life was over, but my family, boyfriend and friends supported me. then I started to look for jobs, but it was very difficult. My father always told me, “You should study because you can lose everything, but not your knowledge.” During a couple of interviews, the manager said, “congratulations, you are very young and studied a lot, but because of the situation we cannot pay a high salary. We are looking for beginners.” I thought it was a silly thing. I was very bored until I started to have interviews in a bank for two months. I got a job, but the work was contract and temporary. three months. I felt happy and sad at the same time, but I worked very well.
...By that time I had the opportunity to come to the United States and now I am studying English because my goal is to validate my university course and work in finance. This is my story.