Leonda: What do you think about America?
Jilin: It is cold and beautiful. People here are nice. The trees look interesting without their leaves. Trees at home don’t lose their leaves like that. The mountains are really nice to look at, too. The mountains are very tall. There is no undergrowth, only grass, even under the trees.”

Leonda: Jilin, do you like the food here?
Jilin: Yes. I like ice cream, Big Franks and FriChik. There are sweet potatoes here and bananas and pineapples like we have back in Kamantian, but the other foods are different. The eggplant here is huge. I really like pomegranates—I tried them for the first time. I like the bananas here, but there are many more varieties back home that are much smaller and sweeter.

Leonda: Are the houses the same here?
Jilin: No, these houses are much bigger, and they have very tall roofs and chimneys. In Kamantian, we don’t have chimneys. The smoke just goes up through the roof and leaves soot everywhere, and sometimes it chokes you.

Leonda: In Kamantian, people sleep on the floor, but here people sleep in soft beds. Which do you like best?
Jilin: I like sleeping on the floor. I miss my home.

Leonda: What else have you noticed about the States?
Jilin: Wherever you go, it is easier to do things. The roads are smooth, and you can drive where you want to go. When you shop, you have a cart to put your things into. There aren’t as many people in the stores, so it’s easier to get the shopping done. The stores have lots and lots of things in them. In our store in Kamantian, we can buy rice, noodles, oil, sugar, salt, sardines, soap, shampoo, nails, hair clips, combs, needles, thread, fabric, paper, pencil and pens, but not much else.

I’ve noticed that people here are very big. I like looking at the fat ones. There aren’t very many fat people in the Philippines. Where I come from, fatness means you are very healthy.

Sometimes I’m amazed that many pets here get better treatment than people get where I come from. There is plenty of food for them, they are treated kindly, and some of them even have clothes! I think it is very funny to see a dog wearing clothes. In Kamantian, the dogs are very skinny and are always looking for something to eat.

Leonda: What has been your favorite thing to do here?
Jilin: Snowboarding!

Leonda: What are some other things you’ve done or seen for the first time here?
Jilin: Seeing a graduation, seeing someone playing a harp, playing in the snow, building a snowman, seeing people snow skiing and riding a chair lift, seeing huge icicles and getting to play with some of them, sliding on frozen ponds, riding a horse, petting a camel, seeing real golden retrievers (my favorite dogs), going on a hayride, seeing Christmas lights, seeing a buffalo, seeing very fat pigs, seeing donkeys and deer, seeing barns and huge houses and lots of nice cars and trucks, seeing huge trucks full of chickens, seeing real Christmas trees, seeing grapevines, curling my hair (I really like my hair to be curly). Having a real Christmas with my grandma and all my American brothers and sisters and niece and nephew was exciting.

Leonda: What have you learned here in America?
Jilin: How to pump gas, how to snowboard, how to work a microwave and an electric stove, how to ride a horse, how to vacuum a floor, and how to load a dishwasher.”

Leonda: What do you think about the people in America?
Jilin: I thought everyone would be white. I thought American meant white. Now I see that America is people from all over the world of many different colors, languages and cultures.
When I first arrived here, I asked my father where all the people were, and he said he guessed they were inside their homes playing video games. In the Philippines, everywhere you go there are lots and lots of people. People don’t spend as much time in their homes.

Leonda: Have you made friends here in America?
Jilin: Yes. There are lots of very nice people here, and I’ve made some very good friends. I like to visit people who have visited us in the Philippines before, too. I met a lady who used to take care of me when I was a baby and she was a student missionary in Kamantian.

Some of my friends here are Dianne, Carla, Vanessa, Gage, Steve, Jacob, Jamie, Amy, Christina, Ben, David, John, Matthew, Jens, Jennifer, Casey, Michael, Dewitt, Anna, Eric and Brad. I’ve made other friends, too, but I don’t remember their names right now. I know I will make even more friends before I leave. People have been very nice to me. They have given me presents and clothes so I’m not cold.

Leonda: Do you like it that people here don’t stare at you?
Jilin: Yes! In the Philippines, people stare at me a lot when I’m out of the mountains because I look different. Also, traveling with Dad in the Philippines can be annoying because many older American men marry young Filipina women, so people think I’m his wife. Sometimes I get so mad when people ask me questions about it that I don’t even want to go out. Here people don’t ask me that.

Leonda: What kinds of things don’t you like about America?
Jilin: I don’t like that people smoke. It isn’t good for them, and I thought they would know better. Also, I don’t like how expensive things are.

Leonda: What do you miss most about home?
Jilin: I miss eating lots of rice and vegetables every day. I miss my friends, my school, my two sisters and my brother.

Leonda: Is there something you would like to tell Americans?
Jilin: It is nice to meet you. Don’t give up on your faith. Believe in God and live for Him only. Love, Jilin.

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