The author compares the sound of sewing machines to the sound of metal mosquitoes.

A maquiladora is a factory for making fabric.

Buzzing and humming in her head bother Roberta.

Roberta's family went to visit her grandmother in Mexico.

She wants to see what they are like after learning that people who work there are paid less than they would earn if they worked in the United States.

She was old but full of energy, wore dresses with flowers and had many plants in her home. She hated to cook.

Roberta's dad accepted her wish to go and visit the maquiladora.

They were going to the beach.

They have one or two stories, and all metal, with small windows and tin roofs.