In 1983 I arrived in Los Angeles with $500, a tent, and all my worldly belongings on my back. I did not speak English, but I found a job as a helper in a bookbinding factory within four days. During the next few years, I held down as many as three jobs at one time, working as many as 20 hours a day. I was, among other things, a construction worker, an underwater diver and an electrician. At the same time, I attended adult classes in the evenings ...