Eleven months ago, Sophomore Ricki Cam del Solar was living in Peru, a South American country known for its delectable foods and the Machu Picchu ruins. A month later, he boarded a plane and left Peru for the United States, with hopes that his parents could find stable jobs and he could gain access to a brighter future.

“My family decided to move here because in Peru there was no good work,” said Solar. “My father wasn’t working and so my mother decided to move us here.”

Since arriving in the United States, Solar’s dad has found work and the family is renting a home in Redwood City.

While prospects for his family are looking up, they have had to sacrifice much so they could immigrate into the U.S. Solar has one older brother and an older sister, who both chose to stay in Peru.

“My siblings stayed at home because they both have careers in the U.S.” Solar said “and sometimes she gets really sad and cries because she misses them so much.”

Adjusting to life in the U.S. has been just as hard for Solar’s family as any obstacle they faced trying to move here. None of the family knew how to speak English before they came here, resulting in Solar having to work extra hard to get on the same level as his peers.

“My teacher helps me learn English. She gives me books to read.” Solar said “I have to learn English because my parents need me when they don’t understand something. I watch movies in English, and I always try to talk in English.”

His mother is going through a similar struggle, having to learn English while keeping a job.

“I learn with my son, when I try to say a word my son tells me the right way to say the word and sometimes we play with cards. Next year I’ll be studying English at the school for adults.”

The move may have been mostly motivated by the family’s struggles in Peru, but their decision was also in part influenced by the politics of Peru. Here in the United States, with our democracy and relatively transparent government, we have taken for granted that our government almost always has respects for our rights and usually has the country’s best interests in mind. Ask any person from the United States to use one word to describe the politicians that currently inhabit Washington, and there is little chance that people will say honest. However, many of the crimes committed by our politicians cannot compare to some of the atrocities committed by leaders in less-established countries such as Peru.

“Here [in the United States] the politicians are very honest,”  said Solar “in Peru people like to get money dishonestly, they are very corrupt.”

Solar is working to adjust to schooling in the United States. Unfortunately, he has to take both Algebra I and Geometry. Back in Peru, he was in very advanced math classes, but cannot continue at that pace here at Sequoia.

“The school is better here than there,” said Solar “but I was much more advanced in classes like math and Social Studies in Peru.”

Solar is lucky, his English teacher _ is helping him to learn English so that he can achieve all of his goals. As well as academic success, Solar has starred for the JV boy’s soccer team this year and was pulled up to varsity for CCS.

“I always liked to play soccer, and when I came here I was very happy that I could still play,” said Solar “but in Peru if you want to play you have to pay a lot, but here the team gives you the opportunity to play for them for free.”

The transition to America has been far from perfect for Ricki’s family, as they have had to struggle through many lingual and cultural barriers. However, the move has left the family upbeat, and they have a positive outlook on life in the United States.

“My life is very good,” said Solar “after school, I love to play XBOX and wait for my family to eat dinner. And some nights we use cards to help each other learn English. I love the United States because my family is happy here.”