(soft music) - I could just drive all day and admire the trees in Connecticut.

It makes my heart feel good.

It reminds me a lot of Saint Vincent.

Just the simple things that you look up at the trees and the beautiful skies.

(laughter) It's just a simple thing.

And the people are not bad.

Sometimes I think they're real lazy but they're not bad, too.

(soft music) My father died when my mom was two months pregnant with me, so I grew up not knowing a father.

So we were let loose on the land that we could just run all over the place, climb trees, ride donkey, milk the goat, milk the cow, plant our own banana field.

Things like that.

Hard life.

By the time I was 23 years old, I had 3 kids of my own and the father wasn't that great so I decided to go and work.

One morning, I was reading the paper and I saw where this lady will come in to interview people in Saint Thomas to work as housekeeper in New Jersey.

So, I answered the ad and I went and did the interview and she decide, ok, when I'm ready, just call her and she'll get me at the airport.

So that's how I end up in America.

(soft music) And one day, my landlord heard someone was doing some repair work on the house and they told me about houses in Connecticut How they were going inexpensive because they were going up for auction.

And, I move up here in '99.

When I move up here, I wanted to do daycare.

I was about to get the license and everything and there was something that wasn't right with the daycare thing.

I just couldn't feel comfortable.

One night, I was watching TV and I saw this ad where these kids.

When I saw the ad, it was just like (grunting) (laughs) That's it!

So I went and I did the license, and went to take the course.

And, by the time I finished, in a month time, I got the 4 girls and, I think it was 2 years later, I adopted them.

And then, 3 years back, I got the 2 boys.

That how they end up living with me.

We make each other happy.

(kids playing) When I just got them, it was real hard because they have no discipline or anything.

(kids yelling) I love the kids.

(laughs) They're great kids.

(kids yelling) I wish I could do more for them.

You respect kids, they're gonna respect you.

And, they keep me young because I have to keep on moving instead of lying in the bed and they make you laugh.

I know my mom was always a kind and giving person and, I don't know, I just feel if I went through hard times, I would never want no one to go through really hard time that I went through, so I always try to do better and treat people with respect.

Like the Bible said, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself," and that's how I live.

(soft, soothing guitar) When I hear people complain about America you have to work hard, I just laugh at them because they don't have no idea what hard work is about.

I think there are so many opportunities here and the kids, the young kids, too, they don't take use of that opportunity.

I sing God Bless America all the time, in Connecticut because... (laughs) I'm grateful to be an American citizen.

(soft, soothing music)