Ruthie begins her narrative discussing her class at school. Though she did very well in school in Cuba, she is now in a remedial class. Ruthie lives in Queens, a borough of New York City. She attends Public School 117. Her friend Ramu from India is in the remedial class as well. Ruthie and Ramu have a mutual respect based on both their academic struggles and their experiences as immigrants; when other children claim Ramu’s samosa (a potato-filled spiced pastry) smells bad, Ruthie says it doesn’t and enjoys having some. She shares a sweet pastry with guava filling with Ramu, and he enjoys it as well. They miss their homes in Cuba and India but try diligently to learn English and reading, enjoying a story called “The Princess Who Could Not Cry.” Boldly, Ruthie asks Mrs. Sarota, their teacher, to switch them into the regular class, as it has been eight months since school started. Mrs. Sarota agrees to switch Ruthie after Ruthie correctly spells the word “commiserate”; Ruthie asks for another chance for Ramu, and Ramu is then switched as well, spelling “souvenir” correctly.