Soap Opera Digest: How has your life changed since joining the cast of PASSIONS?
Silvana Arias: L.A. is so different from Miami and from my country [Peru]. So, I have to learn everything very, very fast. I'm learning English, I'm [meeting] new friends. I love working on PASSIONS. Everyone is so nice to me.

Digest: Do you drive in L.A.?
Arias: Yes, I have my Thomas Guide [street map]. Yesterday, I went to the beach in Santa Monica. It's fun. I'm traveling a lot.

Digest: Have you had the chance to hang out with anyone from PASSIONS?
Arias: We had a little party for a guy that was leaving the show from the crew. I spent some time with people there. I saw them at the premiere of 10.5, the NBC movie. But that's all. I see them at the set.

Digest: Have any of your co-stars been giving you advice?
Arias: Yes, everybody is telling me that I have to trust myself. I'm always worried about my diction, but I know that I have to study more and prepare myself more. I want everybody to understand what I'm saying. Charles Divins [Chad] has been very sweet. He's always asking me if I'm okay. And Eva Tamargo [Pilar], too; she's great.

Digest: Have you decorated your dressing room yet?
Arias: Everybody has their dressing rooms really pretty. Mine only has two sofas and a table and a lamp. I don't know what to do with my dressing room. I want to buy a TV.

Digest: Did you watch your first episode of PASSIONS when it aired?
Arias: Yes, I watched it, and everybody in Miami watched it — my family and my friends. They all called me. I think it was good, but I want to be better and better each day.

Digest: How often do you call home?
Arias: To Miami, I call every day. To Peru, I call like once a week or twice because it's very expensive. My mom is in Peru with my little sister and my aunts and uncles, and my [older] sister is in Miami.

Digest: Your boyfriend, Jorge Alberti, is coming to PASSIONS this month.
Arias: Yes, he's playing Roberto. We already worked together in [the telenovela] AMOR DESCARADO. He was one of my friends, and then my boyfriend on that show.

Digest: Do you help him with his English?
Arias: Oh, he's helping me. He's from Puerto Rico, so he speaks more English than I do. He understands more, he knows more words.

Digest: How long have you two been dating?
Arias: A year and 8 months.

Digest: What do you miss most about Miami and Peru?
Arias: My friends and family. You can be anywhere, but without your family, it is so difficult. It's been difficult for me. But every time I call them and I hear that they are very proud of me, I know that I have to go on.