Lucy Gellman Photo
Silva.
“My story begins,” Jeorge Silva said, “at a very young age.”
Silva grew up in Chile. “I always wanted to be very independent, and at a very young age I decided to not to study … I only went to 12 years of studying. When I decided not to further my studies, my father accepted it, but with one condition. That the only thing he was going to provide for me at the home was a bed to sleep in.
“From that day on, I started working with him in construction. I used to watch the Western movies a lot, and I said at that time: One day, I am going to earn the dollar in the United States. Since that time, I was motivated to come to this country.”
Silva ended up immigrating to the U.S. from Chile in 1997 at the age of 34. His first stop was Mount Vernon, N.Y. He struggled to adjust; homesick, he returned to Chile for a year, where he worked in a mine. He didn’t see a lot of possibilities. Neither did his wife. Let’s give it another try, she said — so they came to New York, where he found work in construction. He also did preaching on the side.
He gravitated to New Haven, where he found a welcoming immigrant community. He and his wife and three of their four children have been here ever since.
Eventually Silva founded Lluvias De Amor (Rain of Love), one of the city’s only ambulatory car wash services. He still owns and operates it. His customers contact him with a washing request, and he comes to them. It’s how he’s gotten to know the city better.
Silva told his story at length on an episode of Norma Rodriguez-Reyes’ “K Pasa” show on WNHH radio.
To listen to the full interview, click on or download the audio above. This episode of “K Pasa” is part of the “Open for Business” WNHH series, which is supported by Frontier Communications. Frontier is proud to be Connecticut’s hometown provider of TV, Internet and Phone for your home and business. Their number is 1.888.Frontier and their website is frontier.com.
