Being Mexican-American and following my dreams. Lizette Ortiz Being Mexican-American and following my dreams.

A little bit about myself. I speak Spanish and French I love cooking, sewing, acting, modeling, photography and dancing. I have 3 cats back home. I had always wanted to live in Japan.

What is a Mexican-American? I was born and raised in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. I moved to the USA to go to University in El Paso, Texas. After graduation, I moved to Los Angeles, California. There, I became an American Citizen. I lived in Los Angeles for 7 years. I believe I am equally Mexican and American.

Made in Mexico! I was born in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. It is on the border with El Paso, Texas in the USA

Sister Cities The two cities are separated by the Rio Grande river. “Rio Grande” means Great River. Many people cross the border every day for work and school. It can take up to 2 hours to cross the bridge! It’s very slow.

Hispanic: People who come from a country where Spanish is spoken 606,526 people in El Paso, USA (80%) Hispanic 1,166,246 people in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico Hispanic: People who come from a country where Spanish is spoken People live simple lives. They work, go to school and spend time with their family. For fun they go to the movie theater or restaurants. It is more relaxed than Tokyo or Los Angeles. My Family!

Very dry. Only 300mm of rain per year. Weather and climate Desert Extreme weather. Very dry. Only 300mm of rain per year. Summer: Days can be as hot as 40⁰ C (the record high has been 46⁰ C!!) Nights can be as cool as 10⁰ C Winter: Days can be as warm as 20⁰ C Nights as cold as -5⁰ C (The record low has been -23⁰ C!!!)

Ciudad Juarez’s relationship with Japan I lived in Ciudad Juarez until I was 20 years old. Ciudad Juarez’s relationship with Japan There are a lot of factories in Juarez. There are some Japanese companies that have factories there too! My cousin works for Toshiba

Some old, traditional Mexican buildings. Border history Museum. Built in 1888 The president lived there from 1911 - 1913 Guadalupe Cathedral Built in 1935 Catholic Church

High School in Mexico High school is 3 years like in Japan We wear uniforms to school too! Everybody must take English class and pass with good grades. Public schools in Mexico have 2 shifts: 8:00am – 1:30pm and 2:00pm – 7:30pm. I was in the PM shift. My high school was like Setaso, I had to pick a major. I majored in English!

There are no clubs, only sports teams, cheerleading, band and folkloric dance. I was a cheerleader!

First Grade Class Photo

El Paso,Texas, USA After high school, I moved to El Paso to go to University. I attended the University of Texas at El Paso. I studied Psychology for 5 years.

There are a lot of Mexican-Americans in El Paso. A long time ago, El Paso was part of Mexico. The oldest church in El Paso, in the local traditional style. El Paso’s first High School - 1916

Some foods from the area! Cactus and its fruit. Some foods from the area! Guacamole!

After graduating from University, I moved to Los Angeles, California. Los Angeles is a sister city of Nagoya! 12 hour drive!

Los Angeles is a fun place with beautiful weather! There is A LOT to do!

When I lived in Los Angeles, I worked as a bartender, a model, actress and dancer! I played a nurse on a television show.

Fashion modeling I was a demo model for nintendo 4 times!

But my dream was always to live in Japan… When I came to Japan in 2006, my friend was an ALT just like I am now! That inspired me to move to Japan.

On my days off I… I wake up at around 10:00 and eat breakfast while I watch anime with my husband. In the afternoon, we ride our bicycles for a couple of hours. Then we come home, make dinner and watch more anime! On weekend nights we go out with friends to karaoke, an izakaya or to watch a movie at a friend’s home!