Juan Perona

Love is hard to find. You think about love when you see kids who are starting out dating. There’s an old saying, “Don’t worry about your first love. The important one is your last love.”

Juan Perona

My name is Juan Perona and I was born and raised in Madrid, Spain. We lived in a new development near the countryside. When I was little I would ride my bicycle all day, play soccer and games with my friends. I went to a private school and wore a uniform. Teachers were very strict; there was zero tolerance and grades were tougher.

There was a lot of pressure to pass and memorize things. Every summer our family would rent a house in the small town that my father was from. It was near a beach and we spent a lot of time there. When I was older I spent most of my time with a group of friends. Life has a different pace in Spain. It’s more social. In Spain you get together with friends every week and every weekend. Families are closer together, not so spread out. People gather outside and gather in cafes and parks and restaurants. Everyone knows everybody. Life is faster here in the United States.

My mother, Pilar, quit her job to raise us. Now she works in the court system as an officer in the court. My dad, Juan, worked his whole life for a company that builds ships. Now he is an administrator and accountant. He told me a lot of times to be a good example for my three sisters.

After high school, it is mandatory in Spain that every male spend one year in the military. I went into the Army for one year and it was hard and boring. As soon as I was dismissed I went to college for three years. After studying journalism at one college and history at another, I decided it wasn’t my time to study.

I found a cool part-time job at a record company where I got free CD’s and free tickets to shows like Nirvana and Guns and Roses. After many part-time jobs, I finally got a fun job in a toy factory. They built the best quality cars you could buy.

I met my wife, Elizabeth, when she was studying Spanish in Spain. After a couple months she went home to Minnesota, but we kept dating for three years going back and forth. We decided to get married. I love her deeply and to be with her for life was very important. She is my best friend. I can rely on her, and she can rely on me. We have two kids, Sam and Nicolas.

The first thing I had to do when I moved to the United States was study English. I took an intensive English class at the University of St. Thomas. I went to school for six hours a day and had to learn grammar and phonics. It was very hard. Elizabeth made sure I was the only one to answer the phone at home for more practice. I miss my country, but coming here was the best decision I ever made. I really like life now.