Meet Your Neighbor: Yolanda Delatour

Twenty five years ago, I came to this country with my three daughters.  I visited New York once before I moved here. As a visitor everything looks wonderful but when you move here with a family, it’s completely different. It took me three months to get us our own apartment. Life was not easy. But little by little, day by day, it got better.

During the hard times, when I felt discouraged, I would go to the church. I would sit with people from different countries. Everyone had a different story to tell. Everyone was there to change their life. It would give me the strength to carry on.
 
I got a job at a company that gave me a great opportunity. My daughters grew up and went to college. My oldest is now an interior designer, my second teaches at Columbia University, and my youngest is a nutritionist.  I’m currently getting my GED. I'm learning English, taking yoga, and I just joined the leadership team at the Forest Hills Senior Center's Participant Advisory Council.  This is my time to live well. It’s my life, and for once, it’s just for me.