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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino American Experiences Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
The Filipino American Experiences Oral History Project contains oral history interviews from Filipino Americans and individuals who worked closely with Filipino American activists. A large portion of the interview reflects on Filipino inclusion in the United Farm workers the United Farm Workers and the Filipino American farmworker activism. Additional information in the interviews focuses on various historic sites of memory for Filipinos in California, such as the International Hotel in San Francisco and Agbayani Village in Delano.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allan Jason Sarmiento
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Elise Israel
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Dylan Barazon
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
<p><b>Organization: </b><span style="font-weight:400;">Bulosan Center of Filipinx Studies</span></p>
<p><b>Oral History conducted by: </b><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise Israel</span></p>
<p><b>Date of Oral History: </b><span style="font-weight:400;">July 20, 2020</span></p>
<p><b>Interviewees include:</b><span style="font-weight:400;"> Dylan Barazon</span></p>
<p><b>Topics: </b><span style="font-weight:400;">Bay area Fil-Am, 2000s, school and job life, moving to America, </span></p>
<p><b> Background information on individual/family: </b><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan Barazon grew up in the Philippines. He relocated to America during his teenage years and is currently residing in Davis, California. </span></p>
<p><b>Transcription Completed By: </b><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise Israel and Dylan Barazon</span></p>
<p><b>Begin Transcription Here:</b></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Hello Hello Hello.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Hello good evening. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Oh okay. My name is Elise and you are?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: My name is Dylan Barazon.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Today’s date is July 20, 2020. The interview is being conducted at the person’s apartment and we’re being recorded on an iPhone using voice memos. So let’s get started. What year were you born in and how old are you now?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: I was born on September 27, 1997 and right now I am 22 years old.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: So where did you grow up in the Philippines? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: I grew up in a small province called Taytay which is roughly I would say an hour away from Manila, which is the capital city. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: And did you move anywhere else in the Philippines?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: I lived in Taytay for probably I would say about 13 years and then I lived in Pasig which is basically a municipality in Manila for three years, right before I left for America.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Okay, so why did you move?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: My school was closer, more of a traffic issue. So my Mom actually bought a condo over there.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise : Ok, just so you can be closer to your school? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Exactly</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Ok, so how did you view America before you came here?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: I view America as like a very foreign land. Obviously, my view of it was always stereotypical like in the movies. You know really tall buildings, a really diverse amount of people and I always thought that there were your stereotypical jocks, nerds and whatever you find in typical American movie, but that was further from the truth. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: What movie did you look up to I guess about America?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Well not necessarily I can't put an exact name to it but there's a couple out there.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Can you tell me your own memories about your upbringing in the Philippines? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: So I was obviously born and raised in the Philippines in this province called Tatytay and my Mom is actually a businesswoman. She owned a factory where she made uniforms for children. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Okay, does she still own that factory?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: She still owns it until this day.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: So when and why did you come to America?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: I came to America in March 27, 2014. I came here initially because my Dad was actually by his father but we had no plans on living here. My sister was seeking treatment for her back because she had scoliosis so we decided as a family. At least me, my dad, and my sister that was should all move here and I finished my senior year of highschool here. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Ok, can you tell me about your memories of being raised in America?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: So, I went to America and honestly it was very I was a stark contrast as opposed to living in the Philippines cause in the Philippines it was just more… I was more dependent upon my parents for you know for everyday tasks. But here it's a bit more different. I actually had to commute to go to school. I had the independence of managing my own time and just being able to you know hangout with friends I'd say a really late time in the evening. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Were your expectations of America the same from what you expected? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: They were, they were the same in the sense that physically the way the place looks. But they were not met in the sense that like I said as I mentioned previously the whole idea of the jocks, the nerds and how people fit in those specific categories.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Okay, so what is your role in America? Are you working? Are you in school? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: As of right now I am a student in UC Davis pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Communication with a minor in Tech Management.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Ok, do you have any plans to work in those fields?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: What I do aspire to work for is the automotive industry. I cannot put an exact finger to what realm of that I will go into but that is the hope. So within the next few years I am trying to land an internship that will help set a springboard for my future career.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Do you remember your parents describing their lives and what did they say?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: What exactly?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Like what was their childhood, teenage, and adult life if they ever talked to you about it.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Well my Mom she was very I'd say not necessarily reserved. But for both of my parents it's just more of it's just coming to light recently in the past three or four years knowing more about my parents' past. But I would say like in my teenage years they didn't really talk about it. But right now I am a bit more mature to talk about that. It was relatively normal. My dad was simply your typical college student but he wasn't able to finish due to some quote on quote distractions. Sorry, if that sounded very informal in a sense but my Mom was actually not the one who started the business. So this business is called One&Up it's a play on the idea the uniforms or the garments that she made was actually applicable to ages one and up hence the name. So my grandmother actually started the business and my mother took over. So it was a very small scale business and my mother scaled it up pretty well. So that's pretty much the story of my parents. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Did you ever help with her business at all.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Yes, I did actually. But not necessarily in the way I could right now just, you know. lack of mental capacity back then I was a bit younger. You know you can't really entrust me with a lot of things. But I would say I'd help in really simple tasks here and there. Some record keeping here and there, label making, and sometimes I would go with her when she would buy textile for the clothing. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: So what would you consider to be the most important inventions during your lifetime? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Come again, sorry? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: What would you consider to be the most important inventions during your lifetime? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Definitely the cellphone, well what I mean is what it is now. Just let me rephrase it the "smartphone." Definitely I feel like that's the most important invention just because everything is done through that.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Ok, why do you like the cellphone so much, or "smartphone" as I should say.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Just because the accessibility and the ability to just reach such a wide audience from the tap of literally from the tap of your finger.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: As a child what did you want to be when you grew up? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: When I was a child I actually wanted to be a toy maker it draws from my passion of cars my parents always told me as a kid I was always looking outside the window and I would count how many cars there are outside the window and I would constantly look at the cars wheels and yeah that was basically the activity that I was doing so from that and that's the funny part I don't know where that passion came from. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: You must of really loved cars.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Yes yes I really do.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Where’d you get that passion from?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: I have no idea. It just it just it’s something that was I think I was just born with and basically from there I started collecting little Hot Wheels. At one point I would say I had like 500 pieces of Hot Wheels. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: 500 pieces of Hot Wheels?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Give or take. Give or take yes. And I did some research obviously with parental guidance of course back then when the internet when I had dial-up back then I found out that Mattel, so Mattel the company, that was responsible for other toys such as well obvious Hot Wheels and Barbie, really famous toys, are the ones responsible for making that. So I wanted to have a hand in designing those at one point in my life.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Interesting. That’s pretty cool. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Yes.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Interesting. Have you actually like researched into it? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: I haven’t researched into it necessarily but I do know if I do want to go down that path you’re gonna have to do something along the lines of design. It definitely stems away from my current you know pursuit.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Okay. So what kind of jobs do you have in the Philippines and here in America.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: So I didn’t have any jobs in the Philippines. I was basically just a student. When it came to here in America I had a couple of jobs. At first I was my first ever job was a clerk at Target, right beside my high school. I lasted for two months and then I called it quits. After that I worked for my city college and I was a front desk clerk slash secretary or as I like to call it anything they want me to be. And most recently about a year ago I was an afterschool program leader dealing with I’d say about 20 to 30 students at a time. And I did that for a really long time. Actually I found that really fun. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: So why did you leave target after two months?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: I left Target after two months just because I couldn’t deal with the attitude that some people were bringing to me. And I do understand from from a professional standpoint you know there’s so many different factors that can play into that but there were really really driving my patience and I would say I have pretty good control of my anger but there were times where I would wanted to explode on them because none of the things that they were complaining about one made any reason or two just were any in my control. You know. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Okay and then.. So what was your favorite vacation?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Ooh. That’s really interesting. I’d say my favorite vacation so far. Oh actually they all have their own quirks but if I were to choose one I would say when I went to Guam with my family because that was really fun. I’ve been to Guam I’d say about three times? So that was really exciting. I would say the beaches are even better than Hawaii. But then again I’m only quoting my parents because I’ve never been to Hawaii but that’s what they said so I’m I’m believing them. There there beaches are really nice and the sand is very fine to the touch. It’s very very nice. I would recommend whoever is listening to this to go there. Yes</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: So, who or what person has the most positive influence on your life and what did they do to influence you?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: I’d say my mother but on top of that I would say both of my grandmothers too. There’s no specific person. Just like with anything in life I feel like people tend to like pick things on people and I guess it’s the same. I think from my mother I learned the value of patience. From my grandmother on my mother’s side I would I learned the value of just hard work in general. And my grandmother on my father’s side I just learned how to love. That was all combined together. Those are like the women who really changed my life. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: Were you close to a lot of the women in your life? Like do you have siblings or is your mom the only woman figure in your life? </span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Yes I have a twin sister and I have obviously a lot what’s really funny is in almost all positions except for the one that I had in my previous job, all of my superiors were women. So that was that was very interesting. So I answer to women all the time. So yeah. I would say that’s very interesting. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: I agree. Do you remember someone saying something to you that had a big impact on how you lived your life? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Um I would say not necessarily but if I were to live if I were to live by a saying I think it would be which is basically an accumulation of the experiences that I have dealt with throught my life, I believe in the saying “if you’re doing it, it’s worth doing well”. ‘Cause you’re already there you’re already spending time and effort and the value you know your resources. So you might as well do it in the best way you can. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: I really like that. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Dylan: Yes.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">Elise: That’s really good. Well thank you for your interview. I really appreciate it. Mwah</span></p>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History Interview with Dylan Barazon
Subject
The topic of the resource
San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.)
2000s (Decade)
Immigration & society
Pasig City (Manila, Philippines)
Description
An account of the resource
Oral History interview of Dylan Barazon by Elise Israel
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
July 20, 2020
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of the oral history interview, transcript and audio recordings. Usage is restricted for educational purposes only.
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
.txt
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa006_s002_0005
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino American Experiences Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
The Filipino American Experiences Oral History Project contains oral history interviews from Filipino Americans and individuals who worked closely with Filipino American activists. A large portion of the interview reflects on Filipino inclusion in the United Farm workers the United Farm Workers and the Filipino American farmworker activism. Additional information in the interviews focuses on various historic sites of memory for Filipinos in California, such as the International Hotel in San Francisco and Agbayani Village in Delano.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Allan Jason Sarmiento
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Tara Rino
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Russ Rino
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
<p><b>Interview w/ Russ Rino</b></p>
<p><b>Transcription completed by: Tara Rino</b></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Okay, so can you please introduce yourself?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Russ Rino.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Okay, so we’re just gonna be talking about your experience as a Filipino immigrant, and moving to America. So, when and where were you born and raised?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: I was born and raised in Pililla, Rizal, Philippines.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: When were you born?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: February 18th.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: What year?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: 1942. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Okay, so can you please share any memories or experiences growing up in the Philippines?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well, I came from a family of 11 siblings. So, my father was receiving what we call pension from the American government. And my mother was always a housewife. And it was a challenge for a big family like ours. And so from my childhood I was always aspiring to do something better. I want the better version of myself.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: What were you aspiring to be at that time?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: During those days, I really wanted to be a lawyer. But later on as I get a little older, I realize that it would have been a very expensive proposition. And during high school days, raised as a Catholic, going to Catholic high school, I actually wanted to be a priest. Then I looked at my younger siblings, and I said, “Well, if I go to priesthood, I don't think anybody can provide education to my three younger brothers.” So I keep on with my dream of becoming an engineer, and I did. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So, can you talk about some challenges that your family had?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Yes, one of the challenges in a big family is we have sufficient food, having abundance of rice, vegetables, and daily needs. But the biggest challenge for me, myself, is finances. So, during elementary school I learned how to sell bread. Back in the Philippines, we call it Pandesal. That is the most popular breakfast for Filipino people. Then during the day, this is during my elementary school, I will sell what we call here ice cream. And I save money to help myself go to school. And then in high school, my father, being politically well connected, high school days I was working for the government in the highway construction. I was what we call a timekeeper. I keep track of all the highway construction workers’ time. And again, trying to save money. And then college, my first two years of college, I was fortunate enough to academically qualify for a two-year scholarship from the biggest oil gas company in the Philippines: CalTex, which stands for California-Texas oil, a joint venture of Texas oil and standard oil here in Californa and Texas. And then after my two-year college, I worked for the Philippine government during the day and then at night time, I will hop on the bus, go to the University Belt in the Philippines that is in what we call a place called Quiapo, then I was going to my night school, going for my chemical engineering degree.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So how much did you make selling Pandesal and ice cream?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Oh, I don’t know.. Pandesal and ice cream? If I make 10 pesos a day, during those times, that’s plentiful. And then during high school years, working for the provincial government, I was earning the minimum wage of 4 pesos an hour. So again, that money was basically for myself. Saving it for my college years. And then, my first two years, as I said, I was a two-year scholar of the oil company CalTex and I was receiving a monthly… not salary but it’s a scholarship expense of about 350 dollars a month. For the next 2 years of my college scholarship. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So, were you the first in your family to move to America from the Philippines?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Yes I was. And then I brought seven siblings after I obtained my US citizenship. So, except for one, all of those siblings are still here in America.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Can you talk about your experience moving here? How did it happen?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well again, I was always aspiring for a better life. Always looking for what we call in the Philippines “greener pasture”. High school days and college days, that young age, most young men will be maybe looking for a girlfriend, but I wasn’t. I was focused on my studies because I have an ambition to one day come to America. And good enough, I was able to do that, with focusing on my ambition. So here I am, fifty years later, still doing what I think is good for my family.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So how did you move here? </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well, again, life is tough in the Philippines.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: No, how did you get to America?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: I am what you’d call first batch of Filipino professionals to come to America, meaning college educated. And so I applied at the U.S. immigration office in Manila, Philippines.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So, what are some of your favorite memories of growing up in the Philippines?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Coming from a big family, siblings of eleven, it was always fun playing with my brothers and sisters. Those were my priceless moments. So when I came to America, November 2nd, 1968, for months, I could not adjust to American life. My first year in America, I always wanted to go back to the Philippines and be with my family. There were moments in time that I will say, “Oh, I wish I had stayed there.” That’s how much I missed my family. Although I was always aspiring to come to America, but once I got here, it wasn’t as easy I thought it would be. Because then again, I was longing, I was missing my family. And it got to the point where… and I came you know, November timeframe, cold, and not knowing many very many people, I was really homesick.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So, when you first came here it was just you by yourself?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Yes!</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So where did you get situated in America at first?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well, not knowing any better, I ended up living with strangers, people that I’ve never met, people that I did not know. I was just introduced to them by some folks in the Philippines. So my first three months, I was living with a couple.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Where?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Again, not knowing much about the area, I settled in East Palo Alto of all places.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So what happened after that?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well, soon after, within a month of my arrival, through people that I did not know, I was able to get a job from a electronic manufacturing company in San Carlos. And for what it’s worth, to this very moment, I still remember this company’s name, which was Lenkurt Electronics in San Carlos, California. And not owning a car, I was carpooling with a woman that I was introduced to and her husband.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So did you get the job because of your engineering degree from the Philippines?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: No, actually, having a degree coming from the Philippines, I felt like that was used against me in the sense that I was overqualified for the job that I first landed. It was an electric manufacturing company and I did not have to disclose my degree otherwise I probably would have not been accepted for that assembly position for an engineer coming from the Philippines. All I had was $300 in my pocket and a need to survive, a need to find a job quickly so I can settled in East Palo Alto.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So did you get that job right when you came to America or how long did it take? </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Yeah, within a month of my arrival. And it’s rather easy during those years to find a job because there were plenty of job openings in manufacturing, although Vietnam War was getting to its end and there were also many job applicants.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So you were in America around the time of the Vietnam War?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Yeah, I arrived here in November 2nd, 1968 and the American government was beginning to pull out the American troops from Vietnam. So many Vietnam War veterans were out there looking for a job. And you know, they had the priority over other applicants and they so well-deserved it. After all, they served for the country.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So are you still an engineer today or did that change?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: No, just to backtrack a little bit, I always wanted to practice my chemical engineering profession. So when I first arrived here, my first month, this was before I took that electronic manufacturing job, I went to Chicago, Illinois. I applied for a chemical engineering position. I had a good letter of recommendation coming from the vice president of the oil company back in the Philippines, CalTex. Highly recommended to Standard Oil of California and I went to their San Francisco headquarters on Sansome Street. But you know, there was not very many demand for chemical engineers in California. And that’s why for about two weeks, I went back East or Midwest, I went to Chicago and looked for a chemical engineering job. I found one, but by that time, I realized how cold Chicago can get. So I declined the job offer and instead flew back to California.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So you came from the Philippines to Palo Alto, and then you went to Chicago, and then you came back?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Yeah, I was just staying, I had a coworker from the government agency in the Philippines that I worked with and so for two weeks, I stayed with him in Chicago. And I went as far as Miluwakee, Wisconsin, which is neighboring state of Illinois, looking for a chemical engineering job. But again, I found one in Chicago area but did not take it.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So you said that your first couple months in America was hard, so what did expectations did you have of America before you came?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well, it’s probably the same expectations which is not really the way it is, by many people in the Philippines. People in the Philippines think that money in America grows in the tree, which is not at all. Soon after settling here, then I realized that beginning your life in America can be very difficult and at times very disheartening, not the way I was expecting it. But someone has to adjust.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Once you started to get settled in, did you feel disconnected from the Filipino culture, or did you find a way to stay connected with your culture?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well, just to give you a quick background, my father was well politically-connected in the Philippines. Actually, my plan was to stay in America for five years and go back after that because at the time, it was president Marcos who was in the government. And a very good and close family friend of us, a good buddy of my father, Senator Salonga was going to, well the assumption was going to be the next president after President Marcos. And being a close family friend, I was hoping that after five years here, and when he becomes the president, I would go back there and probably get a good paying, good position in the Philippine government. But as I look back, I have no regrets. If that had happened, if President Marcos did not declare Martial Law, and Senator Salonga became president, I can only predict that knowing how the Philippine government runs, I could have been working for a good position in the government but I would have been corrupted. So again, you know, destiny was on my favor that I stayed in America. So here I am, working hard on my own, achieving American dreams, and helping not only my family, but other extended families or friends. So I had no regrets.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Yeah but did you feel like you were still connected to the Filipino culture or did you feel more Americanized at all, throughout your life here?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: After my first ten years here, I sort of disconnected with the Philippine culture. And now, I don’t even go back to the Philippines for like every eleven years, thirteen years. My family is here, and to me this is home. I love the Philippine culture, I love the Philippines being my native country, but at the end of the day, America is my home.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Do you still have any Filipino traditions and values that you keep alive in your family today?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well my number one would be the religion. I try very hard to do my obligation to God and then next to my fellow men. I tried very hard to pay tribute to God, attending Sunday masses when it is possible. Eighty, eighty-five percent of my Sunday commitment to God almighty. I’m able to accomplish that by going to mass. Not until the pandemic happened, then I do the virtual mass during Sundays.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So what does being Filipino-American mean to you?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well again, I’m very proud to be Filipino. But by the same token, for what it’s worth, I am more Americanized in more ways than one. Politically, I’m totally disconnected in the Philippines. I don’t know (and not in a bad way), I don’t care who runs the Philippine government but at times when I watch the news when I get on a Filipino channel, it hits home when I see beautiful places back in the Philippines which I never travelled. I was pretty much contained in Manila. What is very disheartening to me though, watching Filipino television channels, is how oppressed and how poor the Filipino people are. So you know, to me that is heartbreaking.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So how many times have you visited the Philippines since you moved in America?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: In my fifty some years living in America, five times only. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: What are those experiences like coming back?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well, overall, it was good experience seeing my siblings, relatives. But after ten, maybe twelve days at the most, I am looking to fly back to America. I don’t think I can ever adjust to Filipino way of living anymore. As I said earlier, this is home for me.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So you don’t enjoy being in the Philippines anymore?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well the time, the number of days that I stay there. I love the Filipino culture. If anything else, and even here in America, I enjoy food. I always tell my friends the two things that I truly love [about] being alive is eating and playing mahjong. Mahjong is a very traditional way of spending your time with friends. And to my opinion, it also, especially for someone my age, it also sharpens your mind. It makes you think. So yeah, those are the two things I enjoy in life.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So do you try to pass on any parts of Filipino culture onto your kids, like the language or anything?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Not really, because everyone in my family speaks English. At times, I will ask them to pay a visit to the Philippines, but with all candidness, I’m totally (for the most part) disconnected with the Philippines.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Do you have anything specific you want to share? Like about your experiences throughout your life, anything about being Filipino/Filipino-American?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: As you get older, you appreciate life more and you really want to give the best you can to your family. Just trying to do the right thing and still, I’m very active in what I do in life which is real estate and also I am slowly developing a second business venture which is helping a family, getting them educated, how to make money and how to invest wisely, and this other business venture that I am focusing more and more, we have a saying that “No family is left behind.” In the financial world, unless you have $250,000 sitting in your bank account, there is no financial advisor that will even talk to you. They won’t give you their time to give you financial education on how to make and save money, how to avoid paying too much on your income tax. So, more and more, I am focusing on this new business venture. But by the same token, after forty years of real estate life, I am still out there, helping families and I am very competitive. My company obviously is owned by Warren Buffet, Berkshire Hathaway. It’s a very competitive environment, and I’m telling you, I’m saying this with no bad taste, that I’m giving those young realtors a run for their money. I’m out there helping families whether buying or selling homes, and I’m good on what I do. After forty years of being a real estate agent.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So you’re obviously very educated and successful. How would you compare yourself to your siblings that live here in America? You said you have six, seven?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Eight siblings as we speak.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: How many are in America?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Four of us here in America. The other sisters had gone back and retired in the Philippines. Well, I don’t know. I try not to compare myself with other people and not to compare myself with my siblings, but I feel good. I think I have accomplished what I wanted to accomplish in America. I feel very successful and I think financially, owning multiple real estate properties, I think in my own little way, I am very successful.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Did you help your siblings get here to America?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Yes indeed. I brought them all one by one, Some of them took me seventeen years. Some of them took me eighteen, nineteen years to bring them over. But that patience at the end of the day pays off. So they are all here, well still three of them (four including myself) are all here enjoying the American life.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Do you think you could talk about the process for bringing each sibling? And you can use their names. In any order, doesn’t matter.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Not anymore. The US government, and I think I can look back to the years of Bill Clinton, President Clinton. I think that’s when the Immigration Law had started shifting. Prior to that, you have this… I don’t know if you would call it US citizenship “privilege” that you can bring your siblings, whether it’s brother or sister, you can petition for them. And as I said, depending on the priorities, some of my siblings came here after eighteen years of me filing petition on their behalf. Some of them eighteen, nineteen years. But the US government had stopped doing that from the Philippines, anyway. I don’t know of any other countries and other parts of the world that are still privileged to bring their siblings to America, but at least in the Philippines, that immigration benefit for Filpino people had stopped couple decades ago.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Wait why did it take so many years, like eighteen, nineteen years for some of them?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Because of many applicants. Can you imagine, every single country in the world, from small countries, island countries to even big countries, everybody wants to migrate to America. So just the immigration process is just very cumbersome, for that very reason that people want to come in to America. And I don’t know why, I think nowadays it’s sort of late to migrate to America because now, it’s not what it was like twenty-some years ago.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So you said when you first came to America, you were in Palo Alto. How did you end up here in San Jose?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well, soon after that, I think I stayed in East Palo Alto for about a year, adjusting life, working, and always trying to better myself. And then after that, I start making a little more money, I was able to buy a brand new car, and then I moved to Santa Clara. Still living in an apartment. I had no real estate background, nobody had given me any education on real estate. So at some point in my life, 1969 to 1971, I moved down to Southern California because I was getting tired of working for the electronic manufacturing and so I reached out to a company that I worked for in the Philippines after I left the Philippine government. I worked for a company, that was shortly before migrating to America. A company called Philippine Standard, which is the Philippine operations of America Standard. There in that company, I was able to practice some of my chemical engineering background. I was a lab technician for American Standard in Torrance, California. All it took was one phone call and I introduced myself to the vice president of operations for American Standard and I told them that I worked for their Philippine plant. Gave them a quick background of myself and January 1970, they invited me to fly down to Torrance, California for a job interview and after that interview, I was accepted. Then I moved down to Southern California. I lived there for about twenty-five, twenty-six months. After that length of time, I realized that that is really not the place I wanted to live the rest of my life [in]. It was very crowded, and so I moved back to now what we call Silicon Valley. So here I am in San Jose, California.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Did you end up living with your siblings at any point when you were in America?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: No, pretty much on my own. I bought my first house in Santa Clara and my first sibling that came to America, he lived with me.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: What’s his name?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Roland. At that time, I was working for a company in Mountain View called Spectra Physics. And so I got my brother Roland a job at Spectra Physics. I was in that company for about thirteen years. Until I did not want to be a part of a manufacturing environment anymore. So May 1980 is when I passed my real estate exam from the state of California and I worked real estate for five years after I got my license in 1980. So by 1985, I completely disconnected myself in the manufacturing company. By then, I had established my real estate career and now after all those years, I’m still doing real estate strongly. Still making a difference in families’ lives.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So what was it like moving to America and being away from your parents?</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Tough. Again as I said earlier, there was a point in my life that I said, “Oh, I probably should have stayed in the Philippines. I will probably be still poor, but at least I am with my family.” But you know, after all those years, again, I have no regret. Keeping on, always striving to do better, always wanting to improve, always wanting to bring the best version of myself, and so again here I am. Fifty-some years after, living happily in America with my family.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So when you moved from the Philippines to America, was it just a straight flight to America?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: I can tell you this much, and that was my first experience to fly. I flew Northwest Airlines. And our point of entry to America from the Philippines was Seattle, Washington. And so that was a two, maybe three hour layover from Seattle, Washington airport and then Northwest Airlines flew us down to San Francisco. And that was the beginning of my American life.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Do you think you were able to fulfill the dreams you had growing up in your life now in America? Like your dreams and aspirations?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /><br /></span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Here in America?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Yeah.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Oh yes, definitely. I would have not been in this stage of my life had I not migrated in America. And who knows, knowing the life in the Philippines, I may not have lived this long. Here, healthy environment, peaceful surroundings, healthy food. If I need any doctor attention, I can easily get it, although at my age, I’m very healthy, I have no health issues. The only issue I have as far as my health is I have a minor case of asthma and that is under control. And then enjoying eating and until about ten, twelve years ago I wasn’t eating healthy, I did not know any better. Eating red meat to non red meat. So I learned that to live healthy, you just have to watch your diet. And I am doing great on that. For the most part, I only eat chicken and fish. And again, thank God. No health issues at this point in my life. And with God upward watching me and me doing my part as far as behaving on what I take in, I intend and I plan to be around for a little while longer. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Have you ever made any observations between your family here in America and maybe like your siblings’ families that live in the Philippines?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well there’s no comparison. In the Philippines, just to track back a little bit, that was one of my motivation to get out of the country: it’s either you are poor or you are rich. My family, fortunately, we were not poor. But I would not even call us in the middle because there’s nothing in between. But we were fortunate enough because of my parents’ land holding. We were able to plant rice, vegetables, fruits, the daily stipend, the daily human needs. So, we were not deprived of the common commodities. Not financially rich, but we were okay. </span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: How valuable do you view the Filipino-American community in your life?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: At one point in my life, I was well connected with Filipino associations here in Silicon Valley. But as I continue working real estate, I am doing less of that and spending more time in real estate. After all, that is my passion. So I have not been involved in any local Filipino associations, but I would at times attend different regional Filipino association gatherings. Whether it’s from Central Philippines, Northern Philippines, or whatever part of the Philippines, when they reach out to me, I was always there for them. I will give financial support through advertising my real estate business. So, I’m still there whenever I’m need by the Filipino communities.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: So you’re happy living here in America?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Very much so. That’s an understatement.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Is there any final statements or memories you wanna share?</span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: Well, I think from my experience on my childhood, always working, doing the things that I did in elementary school, selling bread, selling ice cream. Then high school, I had my own banana, papaya plantations so on weekends I can reach out to three, four buddies and say, “Hey, help me pick vegetables so I can sell it to the market so I can use that money for my high school expense.” And then, moving to America, you know, never stopped. Just like in the Philippines. At my age, I am still working. I think I will get bored if I stay home because I am used to always [being] out there helping families achieve their American dream of home ownership, nothing put a smile on my face than handing a house key to my home buyer, first time home buyer because I was able to help them “Put a roof on their head,” as they say. So to me, what I am doing is my passion. And then this added value in my real estate business, the insurance business that I am slowly but surely developing, I am even able to help other families by educating them on how to leverage on their income by not paying too much income tax return to the government. There are ways to do that legally. I mean it’s something that I wish I could discuss here but for respect of time, I won’t do that. It can be very time-consuming. I am and truly enjoying my life in America.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Okay, thank you!</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: You are very welcome. I hope this will help a little bit for whatever use this video interview.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">TR: Thank you for your time.</span></p>
<br /><p><span style="font-weight:400;">RR: You’re very welcome. Enjoy the rest of your day.</span></p>
<p><b>Topics/Themes</b></p>
<ul><li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Immigrant experience</span></li>
<li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">Bay Area Filipino-American</span></li>
<li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">First generation</span></li>
<li style="font-weight:400;"><span style="font-weight:400;">1960s-1970s</span></li>
</ul>
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Oral History Interview with Russ Rino
Description
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Oral History Interview with Russ Rino, interviewed by Tara Rino
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
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.txt
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ucdw_wa006_s002_0008
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Philippines
Food vendors
Rizal (Philippines : Province)
Catholic schools
East Palo Alto
Manufacturing engineering and materials processing
Chemical Engineering
Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act
San Francisco Bay Area (Calif.)
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August 4, 2020
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The Bulosan Center and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of the oral history interview, transcript and audio recordings. Usage is restricted for educational purposes only.
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Title
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Oral History collection
Identifier
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wa021
Subject
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Sacramento
Veterans
Description
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Complication of oral history interviews conducted by FANHS Sacramento-Delta members.
Oral History
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<a href="https://archive.org/details/wa021_0005">https://archive.org/details/wa021_0005</a><br /><iframe width="640" height="480" src="https://archive.org/embed/wa021_0005" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
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Title
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Paul de Mesa Oral History
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Sacramento
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Oral history interview with Paul de Mesa
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta
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2003
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This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For information on usage, please contact Bulosan Center Archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu.
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Oral History collection
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wa021
Subject
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Sacramento
Veterans
Description
An account of the resource
Complication of oral history interviews conducted by FANHS Sacramento-Delta members.
Oral History
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<a href="https://archive.org/details/wa021_0002">https://archive.org/details/wa021_0002</a>
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Domingo Los Banos, Untold Triumph Project / Anita Bautista's presentation of "The Filipino and Anti-miscegenation Law of California"
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Veterans
Miscegenation--United States
Interracial marriage--Law and legislation
Description
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This two-part video consists of a short speech by Domingo Los Banos regarding the Untold Triumph Project. The project documents the experiences of Filipino veterans during their times of service. The second half of the video includes Anita Bautista's presentation of "The Filipino and Anti-miscegenation Law of California"
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta
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This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For information on usage, please contact Bulosan Center Archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu.
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Oral History collection
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wa021
Subject
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Sacramento
Veterans
Description
An account of the resource
Complication of oral history interviews conducted by FANHS Sacramento-Delta members.
Oral History
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<a href="https://archive.org/details/wa021_0003">https://archive.org/details/wa021_0003</a>
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Beginning of the Engkabo Story
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Agriculture
Farmworkers
Veterans
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Slideshow video of Engkabo Family, including historic images from the early, mid, to late 20th century.
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Doug & Sherina Paulsen, Engkabo Family
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Copyright attributed to Doug & Sherina Paulsen and the Engkabo Family. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. For information on usage, please contact Bulosan Center Archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu.
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wa021_0003
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Oral History collection
Identifier
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wa021
Subject
The topic of the resource
Sacramento
Veterans
Description
An account of the resource
Complication of oral history interviews conducted by FANHS Sacramento-Delta members.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
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<strong><a href="https://archive.org/details/wa021_0001" title="https://archive.org/details/wa021_0001">https://archive.org/details/wa021_0001</a></strong>
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Oral History of Alexander R. Aquino
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Sacramento
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview collected by FANHS Sacramento-Delta chapter members, recording the life and experiences of Alexander R. Aquino.
Date
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2003
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This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For information on usage, please contact Bulosan Center Archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu.
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wa021_0001
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta
-
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Oral History collection
Identifier
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wa021
Subject
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Sacramento
Veterans
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Complication of oral history interviews conducted by FANHS Sacramento-Delta members.
Oral History
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<a href="https://archive.org/details/wa021_0004"><strong>https://archive.org/details/wa021_0004</strong></a>
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Title
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Oral History Interview with Eustacquio Estampa
Subject
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Veterans
Sacramento
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview collected by FANHS Sacramento-Delta chapter members, recording the life and experiences of Eustacquio Estampa
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This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For information on usage, please contact Bulosan Center Archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu.
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wa021_0004
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta
-
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Title
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Oral History collection
Identifier
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wa021
Subject
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Sacramento
Veterans
Description
An account of the resource
Complication of oral history interviews conducted by FANHS Sacramento-Delta members.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
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Internet Archive Link: <a href="https://archive.org/details/wa021_0007">https://archive.org/details/wa021_0007</a>
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Title
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Oral History Interview with Jose Rivera
Subject
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Filipino American
Veterans
Sacramento
American Legion
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Oral History Interview with Jose Rivera, conducted by Frances Tibon Estoista of the Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Chapter.
Date
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2008
Rights
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This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For information on usage, please contact Bulosan Center Archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu.
Identifier
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wa021_0007
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Oral History collection
Identifier
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wa021
Subject
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Sacramento
Veterans
Description
An account of the resource
Complication of oral history interviews conducted by FANHS Sacramento-Delta members.
Oral History
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Internet Archive Link: <a href="https://archive.org/details/wa021_0009">https://archive.org/details/wa021_0009</a>
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Title
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Oral History Interview with Ben Poquiz
Subject
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Filipino, Filipino American, Veterans, Sacramento, American Legion
Description
An account of the resource
Oral History Interview with Ben Poquiz, conducted by Frances Tibon Estoista of the Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Chapter
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2008
Rights
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This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For information on usage, please contact Bulosan Center Archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu.
Identifier
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wa021_0009
Creator
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Oral History collection
Identifier
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wa021
Subject
The topic of the resource
Sacramento
Veterans
Description
An account of the resource
Complication of oral history interviews conducted by FANHS Sacramento-Delta members.
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
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Internet Archive link: <a href="https://archive.org/details/wa0021_0006">https://archive.org/details/wa0021_0006</a>
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Title
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Oral History Interview with Pat Engkabo
Subject
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Filipino American
Sacramento
Description
An account of the resource
Oral History Interview with Pastor "Pat" Engkabo, conducted in collaboration with Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Chapter and the Department of Ethnic Studies at California State University, Sacramento. Interview team consisted of Thea de Borja, Ricardo Lepe, Fuey Saefong, and Virginia Solis.
Creator
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Filipino American National Historical Society, Sacramento-Delta Chapter
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2005
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
This work may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, its reproduction may be restricted by terms of gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. This work is accessible for purposes of education and research. Transmission or reproduction of works protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For information on usage, please contact Bulosan Center Archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Identifier
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wa0021_0006
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino American Experiences Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
The Filipino American Experiences Oral History Project contains oral history interviews from Filipino Americans and individuals who worked closely with Filipino American activists. A large portion of the interview reflects on Filipino inclusion in the United Farm workers the United Farm Workers and the Filipino American farmworker activism. Additional information in the interviews focuses on various historic sites of memory for Filipinos in California, such as the International Hotel in San Francisco and Agbayani Village in Delano.
Contributor
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Allan Jason Sarmiento
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
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Daniel Nero
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Nickie Tuthill-Delute
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Internet Archive Audio Link: <a href="https://archive.org/details/ucdw_wa006_s002_s0004">https://archive.org/details/ucdw_wa006_s002_s0004</a><br /><br />Transcript: <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S7Wtojocw99munGuUL2N0-18Wkfjp4_9/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S7Wtojocw99munGuUL2N0-18Wkfjp4_9/view?usp=sharing</a>
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
<p>Filipino American Oral History Project</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oral History Interview</p>
<p>With</p>
<p><strong>Nickie Tuthill-Delute</strong></p>
<p> </p>
<p>September 15, 2020</p>
<p>Virtual, Google Voice Interview</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>By Daniel Nero</p>
<p>Welga Archives, Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies</p>
<p>UC Davis Asian American Studies Department</p>
<br /><p> </p>
<p>[00:00]</p>
<p>NERO: All right, let's begin the interview. It is Tuesday, September 15<sup>th</sup> and this is Daniel Nero conducting an interview for the Bulosan Center of Filipino Studies to record the history of the Filipino American community and we are conducting this interview via Google Voice. Let's begin. Could you please state your name for the recording?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Ah, yes. Nickie Tuthill-Delute</p>
<p>NERO: Then, could you spell your last name, please?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Sure, T, as in Tom, U-T-H-I-L-L, hyphen D as in dog, E-L-U-T as in Tom, E.</p>
<p>NERO: When and where were you born?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: I was born in Delano, CA in 1953.</p>
<p>NERO: And then which part of California is Delano?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: It's the Central Valley. It's about 30 miles north of Bakersfield.</p>
<p>NERO: Let's see. Tell me about your mother and your father, when and where they were born?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: They're actually born or they're from Hinunangan, Southern Philippines. Southern Leyte, Philippines.</p>
<p>NERO: And then, when were they born?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh, Dad was born in March of 1902 and Mom was on May of 1918.</p>
<p>NERO: Any siblings?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Me?</p>
<p>NERO: Yes.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: OK yes, so including myself there are seven of us. One had passed at birth pretty much and we have a sixth one that we discovered about 21 years ago in Philippines. So there's six of us living.</p>
<p>NERO: And when you said that there's a sixth one that you found, what does that mean?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: It means that we didn't know that we had a half—sister until right about the day that my mom had her stroke and we discovered by hook and crook on [Transcriber’s Note: English language idiom]. We discovered accidentally that we had a half—sister from our Aunt, she just happened to mention it and that's how we discovered it. I've reached out to her and we've connected.</p>
<p>NERO: And so this is in the Philippines, you said.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Yes, she is actually in. Yeah, she is actually living in him Hinunangan, Southern Leyte, Philippines.</p>
<p>NERO: So let's talk about your family's immigration history, how long has your family been in Delano or the United States?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: OK, so it's a two parter. My dad was, as I mentioned, he was born in 1902 and he immigrated in 1926 and he came to look for work and historically now I find out that he's a <em>manong</em> [Transcriber’s note: <em>Manong</em> is the Ilocano word for <em>Older Brother]</em>. Part of that immigration group that came in in the early or in the 20s. So, Dad immigrated here and he had a cousin who immigrated in 1905 and was a cannery worker in Seattle at about 1918. And my dad’s brother, our Uncle, immigrated 1926 and so my dad had that. I am aware of because I had to go through genealogy to find all this that he had two relatives here in the United States by the time he arrived in 1928. And from what I had seen in the records, his destination, once he arrived, he arrived in Seattle, Washington. His destination went to San Francisco, which I thought, “wow, that's really interesting. How did he know where to go?” When I'm figuring that it's probably because of his cousin who was, I believe, living in San Francisco at the time.</p>
<p>And then my mom came in 1952, it was because she married my dad in the Philippines on 1952. Dad arrived off course many years before and he was working with the Navy as a civilian, and had a break from what I understand on the records. Married my mom and he went back to the [United] States to work and she followed him several months later and came. She actually flew on a plane, which I never knew that. She flew in Acclaim Pacific—I mean Philippine Airlines and came to San Francisco. And at the time they were living— Dad was living in San Francisco while he was working and I am assuming that they were planning on living here [San Francisco]. But then, Mom was complaining that it was too cold in San Francisco. Since you’re [Transcriber’s Note: Referring to Daniel Nero] from Nevada, in in the summer in San Francisco, it's pretty cold. It's not very hot, and so she arrived here and my dad would come home from work and he would say— he told us this is the story— he told us “Gee, your mom is like a cat hanging by the heater.” And it's like “what's wrong”? She's like, “oh she's too cold” so anyway, my uncle was already migrating throughout California and he knew about Delano. He was there for work picking grapes and mentioned to my dad that there were a lot of Filipinos living there and that the weather was much better and maybe that it would be a great place for them to come to move and establish a home there. And then, next year I was born [laughs]. I was the first of the eldest, clearly. So, that's how my parents immigrated to the US.</p>
<p>NERO: So, just to backtrack a little bit, so your dad moved because of job opportunities?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Yeah, he was looking for a better life. He mentioned that he was working as a teacher in the Philippines and he —I'm just guessing because, my dad didn't really tell us a whole lot because I just know from personal records/ through genealogy— that his cousin was here already and my uncle or his brother was here, and so I'm sure that they probably spoke to each other and probably encouraged him to come to the States. And historically, to the United States was in possession of those things. Is that right? I'm trying to remember my history, but anyway, I know that my dad always kidded— yeah, well, he and all the other all his friends would always say “hey, you know, there's probably gold on the streets. We should look for it.” But yeah, in reality they knew that was not true, but that was a goal that I'm sure they probably had when they were a lot younger.</p>
<p>NERO: So, you mentioned that your mom actually flew on a plane — Philippine Airlines — Did your dad do the same? Or how did he get to America?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Right? Oh, he went by ship, from what I gather since he arrived here in 1928 to 1952 and during the 1940s and [19]50s he was working with in the Navy as a civilian, and he traveled and because of work assignment he was always on the ship. I never found any immigration papers or census papers of him taking an airplane. Back and forth during that time.</p>
<p>NERO: So, it was through like the military, that he was able to immigrate to the United States.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Correct.</p>
<p>NERO: Let's see. So, you said that your parents, with at least in your immediate family, would be the first ones in America. Correct? Were any of your parents or relatives, were any of them farm workers?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: In the Philippines or in the United States?</p>
<p>NERO: In the United States.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: No, no, they I mean they were. Well, I shouldn't say that my uncle was a farm worker. Farm labor worker? My dad’s cousin was actually a cook. Subsequently though, the story is that my dad and a lot of his friends from Hinunangan eventually came to the United States. They created a benevolent society. They call themselves the Hinunangan Circle of America. And they created the organization so that they could help and support each other.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Because at the time, I thought I found out that they weren't able to own property, run a business, have a bank account, so I know that because the organization does still exist. It's a little different now. It's a little more of a social organization, than it was a striving to help each other through times of trouble, but they would help each other whenever somebody looked down on their luck and…so where was I going with this anyway? So a lot of them who came here if they weren't working in in the fields, and a majority of them were working in late [sp?] agricultural labor — agricultural farms some would even go up to the fish canneries either in Alaska or in Seattle, and a few of them were on from what I can tell I had blue collar jobs like cooks or I had one of my dad's friends with a printer here in San Francisco and somebody with a gardener in LA. But they were just a few, a majority of them were farm labor workers.</p>
<p>NERO: For those who are farm labor workers or just, I guess like farm worker adjacent. What were their living conditions like? If you know or if you have ever heard any stories from your relatives.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Well, I was born in 1952 and I grew up in Delano. Delano has labor camps during those times, and I know that a lot of the Filipinos single men lived in those labor camps because we would go and visit them. My mom would sell her pastries, her <em>Binangkal </em>or <em>budbud </em>or <em>Bibinka </em>to the Filipino men that were there, and I do know that. I mean, I didn't see them, but I have heard that there were other labor camps throughout the West Coast from Washington, Oregon, California. And their conditions, you know when you're a kid, you’re just kind of like “well, OK, this this is how they live” but they lived in like barracks [with] a single room — 8 by 12, maybe? I'm not really sure. It had a single bed, a closet. A small little closet, one window and that was that was pretty much it. And I remember when we were kids, when we would go visit and see our Manongs or our uncles, we would say “hey, can we see your room” and they would always say “no, no no, you don't want to see our room” and my uncle—I think was my uncle— finally said “OK, OK you can come see, come look in and see, but you can't stay for very long” and it was kind of like “oh wow this is great” and we go in. And it's like, “Oh my God, it's so small.” Then he had like a calendar hanging on the wall and it had a girly picture up and you know we’re kids, we’re like going “Ohhhh OK”. And he said “OK, OK now you got— now you have to leave” [laughs]. And, we're like “okay” and we’re like five, seven, ten—years old. And anyway, so they had several rooms like that, like in a barracks style. We would go there and go “we've got to use the bathroom and we go to the bathroom” and it's like this this long—Oh, I don't know—it's like a plank up against the wall with a hole in it and you go “oh can go use the bathroom” and you look down and it's like “oh it’s like dirt!” then you're like “Wow, OK. That should be interesting.” And then we would go visit the cook because my mom and dad would always offer them vegetables for their meals for the cook. It was like a large type of cafeteria in a wooden building and sometimes the cook would—if they had any food—they would feed us kids and that was that was really nice. It wasn't the greatest, but they had a place to live, had a bathroom and shower and food and so from what I understand now that those were the standard living conditions that that they lived in.</p>
<p>[16:03]</p>
<p>NERO: And I know that you said that that you were a child during like, when you visited these labor camps. Could you speak on any like discrimination that they faced?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Now, off hand, I never really saw it. I grew up in a very isolated type of life. So I mean, if there were, it wasn't really obvious to me, and then the labor camps by the time the Delano grape strike occurred in 1965. It was a lot of the labor camps were deemed illegal and were torn down and so by the time I figured out what was discrimination, then that was already gone. But the fact that they were already told that they were kicked out of their living—their home, which what it's called, their home—that’s discrimination there. But I know that my dad really hardly ever spoke about the bad things, so I was pretty clueless. Now of course I have other siblings so they might have different experiences, but that was—I'll be honest—I never really felt it or heard anything. Maybe I have, maybe…</p>
<p>NERO: Have you ever asked?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: No, not at the time. Like if I didn't know any difference at all and of course, as I've gotten older, my dad, even though he lived to be 88, I was like in my 40s and all his friends had all passed away even sooner than him. So you know the opportunity to ask was not there. That I just I missed that opportunity to know a little bit of their history.</p>
<p>NERO” OK, so you've brought up many things about like the Grape Strike we'll get to that in this second section of questions. I have to kind of shift a little bit and focus on you growing up in Delano. So, growing up, were you mainly around family, friends or relatives?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Mostly family and friends.</p>
<p>NERO: Why do you think that is?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Small town [laughs].</p>
<p>NERO: That makes sense</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Small town and I honestly grew up thinking that I had no relatives except for my dad, brother, my uncle and we had and another <em>manong</em> which was—[laughs] I find out now wasn't that much older than my dad, but we used to call him <em>lolo</em> [Transcriber’s note: Tagalog word for Grandfather].</p>
<p>NERO: [Laughs]</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh, OK. Oh, “why is he our <em>Lolo?</em>” and because you know, we always figured that our grandparents were in the Philippines and I found out later that he was married to my dad’s—his first cousins—and so, I think he migrated to the United States, but around the same time. Anyway, because he was so close to my dad’s first cousin, we called him <em>Lolo</em>, and he was our designated babysitter. But I don't know if you want to talk about that yet, but anyway so I grew up thinking that I had no relatives and I find out years later that I have a lot of relatives in the United States and in the Philippines but I really didn't grow up with them because at that time, they weren’t quite around. There were a few, but not a lot, and so it's just mostly family. My immediate family that I grew up with and all my friends in the town of Delano.</p>
<p>[20:31]</p>
<p>NERO: In a sense, the people that you're surrounded by are practically your family now too, like everyone’s your <em>Tita</em> [Transcriber’s Note: Tagalog word for Aunt], everyone’s your <em>Tito </em>[Transcriber’s Note: Tagalog word for Uncle].</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh, yeah.</p>
<p>NERO: Speaking of, let's talk about the Filipino community. Were all the Filipinos close with one another?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh God, yeah. It's like everybody knew you knew each other. So I mean, it's small, I grew up In in a town, it was only at that time about what 10,000 people or something, and we had a Filipino community hall and we used to go to all social events, Christmas parties, Easter Egg hunt parties, birthday parties. You know everything that you can imagine. My brother in the in the 60s was a king of hearts [laughs].</p>
<p>NERO: What is that?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: It was Saint Valentine’s Day.</p>
<p>NERO: Oh I love it.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: I don't know if they do that anymore, but it was a social box and they crowned the king and queen. You know, little kids for Saint Valentine's Day and my brother was, amazingly, amazingly enough [laughs] was the King of Hearts. So anyway, so we’re a very close—knit community. We all knew each other. We all went to school together. I mean, there were the farmers and the business owners and we always figured to label our town because of the railroad line that that was right down the middle of town. So we had the east side of Delano, where all the white people lived, and then the West side of Delano, where all the minorities who have all the Filipinos, Mexicans, African Americans all lived on that side of town. So we had one elementary school and we all went to that same elementary school. So it was a combination of K through 8 [th grade], so we all knew each other from kindergarten from five years old to 8th grade to 14. So we all kind of knew each other. We all knew all the families and we only had one high school. So then we all integrated with the Caucasian students from the east side of school in our town. So that yeah, the close knit community.</p>
<p>NERO: Let's focus on the Filipino community first and we'll talk about the heterogeneous mix of the groups. Were there any tension between the Filipino ethnic group?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: No, not that I grew up with…No, I was thinking about that question and I thought, “well, you know, maybe later down the road,” but when I was growing up, no, and not at all who we all got along pretty well.</p>
<p>NERO: OK, what about between like Filipinos and Mexicans, Filipinos and white folks, like any tensions between like interracial tensions.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: When I was growing up in the 50s and 60s, I didn't really see too much of that, then again, the problem I have is that I was pretty sheltered on being the oldest girl and I was not able to see any of that, at least I think that's what my parents did. You know, protected me, but I mean, I know that there were some tension. You know in the 60s, but it was mostly the…</p>
<p>NERO: Civil rights movement?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Yes, thank you, that! The civil rights movement and I was more into the Identifying [with] the feminist movement. I'm not sure they called it the feminist movement yet that came in the 70s, but you know, I was remembered as a kid, I was kind of like “I don't want to be like these women, don't want to be like little girly girls and all like those stuff” but anyway. So in regards to Mexicans and Filipinos, I don't know, we all seemed to have gotten along. I just personally mean, I'm trying really hard to think about that, I mean it didn't happen until much later.</p>
<p>NERO: And by much later you mean like not growing up, but during the 50s, 60s?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: In the 70s actually, I mean in the 70s mostly, I was in.</p>
<p>NERO: I understand.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: I was in high school when this was all coming out. I mean when the Grape Strike [started] and that created a lot of tension. But again, this is the Grape Strike. This was like in ‘65, but even then, I was kind of clueless until later, but we can talk about that later. You're ready to ask me questions about it?</p>
<p>NERO: OK, OK so we're switching back and forth. Let's go back to the Filipino community and earlier you mentioned the <em>Manongs</em>. How did the Filipino families view elderly models?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh well, you know, like they’re relatives, a lot of them. I mean we did, we would have them over our house and they would stay whenever they were visiting, and so our <em>Lolo</em> was <em>Manong,</em> my uncle was <em>Manong, </em>so many of my dad's friends from his benevolent society, they were all <em>Manongs</em>. I mean, now I know the word and so that what it means and I grew up with them and I thought my dad was the only old guy in in in my life and I realized later that everybody in Delano all the fathers were that old and all my dad friends were all that old.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: You know how it is, there's Asian Americans, or I mean, Asians, Filipinos. You know, they look so young you don't realize that they're already in their 50s or 60s when you're like 10 years old.</p>
<p>NERO: Well, you mentioned that. You now know the word and you know what it means, so can you give me a definition of what a <em>Manong</em> is?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Well, a <em>Manong</em> is older Filipino and it's a term of endearment to respect. And it usually categorizes in what we’re speaking to right now. It categorizes the men, the Filipino men who arrived in the United States back in the 20s and 30s. I mean, I know now you can say to any older Filipino man for respect. But I associate now <em>Manongs</em> with the older, the really older generation of like my dad. I mean if he was alive now he would be over 100 years old.</p>
<p>NERO: Let's see, do you have any memorable experiences about a <em>Manong</em> that you'd like to share?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh gosh, I have so many. Oh OK, well you can talk about my <em>Lolo</em> and he was, as I mentioned, was married to my dad’s first cousin, so there were very close friends. He would come to visit us in our home in Delano when you know, and I could never figure out when he would come visit, but he would come visit us and there were times he would come and babysit us and so, I thought “wow, he's a great cook.” I mean, if food always came out and he just you know [his] Filipino cooking, just wonderful. And he would always tell us his kids “Pick a vegetable, pick a vegetable” and because my dad grew all this vegetable at our house. And [he’d say] “pick a vegetable and bring it over and I'll cook something,” I go “Oh yeah, oh OK. Great!” Beans or eggplants or whatever and he’d say “Oh, Okay!” and he’d go ahead and cook something and we’d go “Wow this is really good; I mean he could just whip it up like that.”</p>
<p>And there were times when I knew that he was lonely because he would Drink a little bit too much. It was kind of like, that's our <em>lolo</em> and then he would start crying like all the sudden. He's like sitting there and he would be drinking and then he starts crying. My mom would sit there and say, oh “don't do that in front of the children”. You know, “don’t be drinking in front of them” and we’d like going. “Oh well, that's our <em>lolo”</em>. You know, and he would get like you know, even sadder because my mom is yelling at him. But I realized at that time because he must have been lonely because he left [Transcriber’s Note: The Philippines] years ago. This [happened] in the 50s— 60s he left like in the 20s. He left his wife, he left his daughter and he had never went back to the Philippines. He stayed all those years. So anyway, that's happy and sad. That's one story.</p>
<p>[31:28]</p>
<p>NERO: Kind of switch gears a little bit. How was your relationship between Filipinos born in America and Filipinos born in the Philippines?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: When I was born in the 50s, you know that mix wasn't great. It came much later when I was in my teens where we had more Filipinos started to come in and coming into town and working and living in the camps. So the story is this. This is how we had the Filipinos from the Philippines who are living in the camps or maybe some who were living in town with relatives and then there was us: The Filipino Americans who would sit there and try to try to emulate them, or they try to emulate us. And there was some tension and I'm not really sure about all this. My brother saw more so because it was a guy kind of thing but they used to play basketball with each other and they would have like fights. From what I understand but I wasn't really quite sure about it exactly.</p>
<p>So there was that kind of tension going on. It's about somewhere in 1975 and my brother and a bunch of his friends of the local guys decided to have a Filipino Basketball tournament in Delano and it would be Filipino Americans and the Filipinos from the camps or around town. They would like have basketball games with each other and my brother would always say “You know it was like really difficult because they would play basketball like they were in the Philippines. They were like really rough. They would like hit each other, hit us and you know play really rough” and so they had to change it and they mixed it up. They would get the camp guys with the Filipino American guys and they created teams and so they created that Basketball tournament, which led to what is now the <em>Delano Philippine Weekend</em> that happens every summer in July, which started with the basketball tournament. And that basketball tournament created the <em>Fiesta </em>[Transcriber’s note: the Philippine Weekend Barrio Fiesta] and now they have a [Beauty] Queen show, they have a Mrs. Queen show, they got tiny tots on competition. And what else did they do...they still have the basketball tournament.</p>
<p>I mean to this day they still have It. It would have been the 45th anniversary this year except for COVID [Transcriber’s note: COVID—19 Pandemic], that it didn’t happen. And so what happens is that the basketball tournament was so popular that people from all over they were people from San Jose, California, from Stockton, from Sacramento, from Fresno, from Los Angeles, San Diego. Their Filipino teams would come up or come to Delano for this this tournament. OK, so I have this one story. My mom was in a nursing home in the 90s and you know the nurse who was taking care of my mom was Filipino and she was asking us, "what we were going to be doing for the weekend” and while she was asking how she mentioned that she was going go out and go out of town to this to this event—this Filipino event that happens every year and she was like "my son goes to it, he plays basketball in this tournament” and we're like “Oh well where is this?” I thought maybe Stockton or something., and she goes “Oh, it's probably some place you never heard of,” “Oh well, tell us” and she goes “It's Delano, California. My husband and I really like “Delano!? Oh my God, I grew up down there” and she goes “no way! My son goes and he plays in this Filipino basketball team and this is here in San Francisco, and we go there every summer” and I go “Yeah, my brother helped put this [Basketball tournament] together, I go down there and whenever I'm visiting and help with scorekeeping or whatever.” So anyway, it's a small little town, a big event. it's like wow, I was quite pleasantly surprised at how popular this event is.</p>
<p>NERO: But it also goes to show how truly network the Filipino community is?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Yes! Oh my God. I mean I would go down every year to watch the basketball game because that was what really put this thing together. And I would see all these teams from all various parts of California. I think there was a Vegas basketball team that frequent them. And I was like—I mean, the guys in Delano, they got the word out, and there they were and I was always looking forward to [saying] “wow what Filipino basketball team is from where?” You know, it was really cool just seeing this.</p>
<p>NERO: So you talked about the Fiesta, you talked about the basketball tournaments every year? Does this happen in the community hall or...?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh gosh. OK, so it happened everywhere in town.</p>
<p>NERO: Oh, OK.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Because Delano, it's maybe now 50,000 people. But you know, it grew slowly over time. But yeah, we had a Filipino hall [where] they would do it at the time. The Queen show or whatever in the early days, the basketball tournament occurred in the high school. The school district was very accommodating to the Filipino community. I think it was around that time that we had our first Filipino Mayor in Delano, so that helped quite a lot and we did have I believe a couple of teachers who were also Filipinos and come. But see we had it at a park eventually on various high schools for the tournaments and The Queen Show and all that, it just grew so much. It grew so big. That they had to do it in like in larger venues like the High school auditorium, the Filipino Community Center. Yeah, I mean it could maybe hold 100 people, but it's pretty tight. It's pretty small, in a small stage. So eventually that moved out.</p>
<p>But yeah, we had tournaments at the high schools, the Fiesta still was at a major public park. They had a parade down Main Street and they had all the queen shows at the High school auditorium.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: So it was pretty popular and the only Filipino—owned business was the Filipino Community Hall. They would occasionally have a few things there, but it actually just eventually outgrew it.</p>
<p>NERO: OK, so we're going to switch gears a little bit and talk about the Grape Strike. So you mentioned that you're born in the 50s and then throughout like the 60s—70s, that's when the growth has happened. Do you remember about the Strike? Like, can you talk about the atmosphere any significant events that? You know, like you witnessed?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: OK, so I lived through it that I didn't participate because it was in a sense...</p>
<p>[40:29]</p>
<p>NERO: OK.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Kind of an intense situation. I just remembered my parents, who would argue at home and I just remember them arguing about going to work because you wanted to honor the strike for the benefit that they were achieving. But at the same time my mom would sit there and say, “well we can't stop working because we have children.” I think [it was]1965—I don't know. My sister was maybe six or something, she was the youngest between me being 12 and she being six. You know, young children. So my parents were hard pressed to say “well we have to honor the strike.” So what I recall we would go to school and in the summers we would work in the fields with our parents, and the strike was a long strike, it was like for five years from ‘65 to 1970. So every summer we would work in the field and what I always remembered was we would go to work and then suddenly we were told get out of the field, put all the stuff that we were working with, [and] just put it under the vines, walk away, get into the car and leave. And then we find out later that my dad and the crew boss who knew that strikers were coming over and they were going to come over in and badger us, to say “get out of the field” and so my parents, all the families that were picking grapes would want to protect their families and themselves to get out of the field, get int the car and leave and so that nobody would get hurt because they were some violence that occurred. So it was kind of one of those.</p>
<p>This is what the strike was all about and there were times when my dad couldn't go to work because they were striking in a certain areas that they were supposed to be picking, and then that would be the time when my parents would say “the kids won't go to work with them, they would go by themselves.” So what may have happened, they would not tell us, but that was that. That was what I had experienced and there were a lot of news about Delano on TV and on newspapers, so one of those things where you would see it in the news, in in your own town and you would go to the grocery store and they were strikers there and they would say, “don't buy grapes” and sometimes they would hassle you, and bully you. And a lot of people from what I remember really didn't appreciate it and I think a lot of people didn't like the strike because of the way that they were being bullied. As they're going into to do their shopping because we only had, I think at that time just a few grocery stores. Safeway was our major grocery store, and we had a couple of smaller grocery stores. And the strikers would always go to come to Safeway, and that's where they did all the heavy picketing. I mean, so that was my experience with the Delano Grape Strike. I'm trying to think my parents were arguing. Yeah, all the news. I mean, it was like “Geez, all this news on about Delano?”</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: I do know that my mom had a cousin and he would stay [with us]. So what happened was that we used to live in a very small house on our current property and as the family got bigger, my parents decided to build a bigger house. You know, four bedrooms—three baths versus a two bedroom—one bath. Anyway, but they still had that house and they rented it to my mom's cousin and he actually was working for [Larry] Itliong during the strike and what I always remembered about him was that he was always one of the strikers. He was always out there carrying a sign and yelling at people and I always figured he was one of those violent kind of guys, I mean, even though he was my mom's cousin and so he used to live right next door with us and we would see him around town and at the grocery stores and yelling at people. And so I always figured you know he was a diehard striker and I always figured, “oh he’s probably a henchman for the United Farm Workers and my mom would get really mad at him because whatever he does, that's what he does. But he used to come over and bring all these—= my parents [would say] “Who are all these people that are that are staying at the house” and they were all part of the strike. But they were Caucasian, and we would call them at the time “the hippies” because they were young Caucasian, you know long flowing clothes and hair, they were loose, all that kind of smoking and drinking, and they were hanging out and we’re like “wow what's going on over here?” And my Mom yelled at him and said “Hey whatever you do, just don't bring any of your work over here.” I mean, I can hear him arguing in <em>Visayan</em> [Transcriber’s Note: Filipino Language spoken primarily in the Visayan Islands] he would yell back at my mom, [I’m] like “Geez, nobody yells at my mom” and he would yell back at her and saying like “you should honor the strike” or something like that. I vaguely remember that.</p>
<p>But other than that, that's what I remembered. And then, of course, the Forty Acres being developed.</p>
<p>[47:30]</p>
<p>NERO: What do you mean by the Forty Acres being developed?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh, Forty Acres. It's a location now in Delano. It's kind of about a couple of miles outside of the main part of Delano, and it's where Cesar Chavez—he did his fasting over there and then when the strike—when it was successful—they opened a clinic, and that's where a lot of the people, and even myself would go over and have affordable health care. Doctors—I'm not really sure how the doctors came—but the doctors were there. I don't know if they volunteered or if it was something, maybe they got some benefits or something, but they would be out there with some of the nurses and they would take a lot of patients. And then the hiring hall was created, and anyways that's where the office was located for the United Farm Workers. And eventually the Agbayani Village was built there, which was the housing for all the <em>Manongs</em> that were displaced after the strike was finished, because a lot of them, got kicked out of the camps because the Camps were deemed as illegal. So they moved all the Manongs out. A lot of them had to censor themselves and so that's when Larry Itliong, [Philip] Vera Cruz, Pete Velasco put together the housing units for the <em>Manongs</em> that were displaced.</p>
<p>NERO: So that's actually one of my questions about the Agbayani Village. I want to go back to a little bit of what you said about your mom and your cousin, so there's a lot of that contention between Filipinos about the strike. Why do you think that is like? Why do you think that tension exists?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: I mean this is my own personal experience just because my mom. OK, so that I was treated with like “we don't want Nikki to see all this stuff” and my mom was always like “we got to show this, like this perfect or a perfect family, we have no problems” [laughs], and it's like, “OK, well that's being a hypocrite.” So and then there's my mom cousin who was part of the strike and he believed one thing and she believed in this perfectness, and they would clash. That's how I kind of saw that as kind of an attitude perception of how their lives would be. I mean, I grew up thinking that my mom really never wanted to address the negative part of life and yet, at the same time she was like really being overprotective. Because I mean every time I went anywhere she was like following right behind me like I would go to a dance and then lo and behold, here she is! You know, in the darkness making sure you know “OK is she behaving herself,” that kind of thing. But there's always that tension, I believe and it might be, just something that's part of our culture. I mean, I can never understand it. And yet to this day I do still see it in in other families and sometimes I catch myself, pretending like everything’s fine, you know nothing to worry about. And I think being honest and showing how you truly feel about things, I think it's more honest which we were not always until they expressed that way. One of the things I do want to bring up was my mom— [about] our half sister— because this is that that part of her life where you think that maybe she would tell us, but she never did. She never told us. I mean, when she had her stroke she lost her ability to write and speak then when we finally said “hey mom, we know” she just kind of looked at us and you know, like, “oh OK”. It's like she couldn't really say anything and it was just one of those things where you sit there and you go “Mom, all you had to do was tell us we would have been OK” and she kind of like nodded and said “mmm hhh”. Like it would have been just nice to know what you went through. And I was telling a cousin of the events and her takeaway was, “well, If your mom had shame so she didn't want to talk about it.” I go “this is our half—sister”, and we celebrated when my brother had his daughter and we said, “Mom, your first grandchild.” In reality, she already had four grandchildren we didn't know about! [laughs]. You know what I mean? It was like that. All of a sudden, life became immeasurable because of the…well, I don't know, the lies, or the secrets that people have. Anyway so, it's great to know that she had grandchildren much sooner than we realize because my half-sister is 20 years older than I am. It's like wow.</p>
<p>NERO: I want to ask about the Agbayani Retirement Village. Do you know anyone who volunteered to help construct it?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh gosh, no. You know what. Wait, yes, I do Max Bacerra and some locals[s]— Lorraine Agtang. I do know that they were there. Let me turn my Bluetooth headset off so I can go… [Transcriber’s Note: Tuthill-Delute switching audio capturing device].</p>
<p>Can you hear me still?</p>
<p>NERO: Yes I can.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Hang on, you could turn up my volume, OK. I did know some people, local people who did help build it. I mean, even though we had a lot of volunteers from what I understand, I think there were a lot of college students, who came there.</p>
<p>NERO: Do you have any experiences during the construction, I guess? Like can you talk about the construction in itself from your perspective?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: I was already living here at San Francisco and I would only experience it whenever I visit in town. That and that was it.</p>
<p>NERO: OK, that's actually a good segue for like the last section of this interview. Let's talk about your post-high school years. What did you do after graduating high school?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: After I went to high school and graduated I went to college and I worked. And I would visit home every other month while my parents were still alive, and that, how would I say, the caged bird needed to spread her wings.</p>
<p>NERO: Where did you go to college and what did you study?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh OK, so I went to a couple of colleges; Community College from Bakersfield and I did Cal State University, also in Bakersfield, which just opened at that time. And then, really, for as long as I can remember I wanted to get into design and art and wanted to go to New York. I wanted to be a designer and it's like my parents would always sit there and say “Sure. Yeah, how are you going to get there? Who's going to pay your way?” I go “Oh. Aren't you going help?” My parents would sit there and say “We can't afford you going to New York.”</p>
<p>So anyway, so I was going to college and I thought, well, I'm going to fill out an application to transfer to a bigger university, and I applied to San Francisco State and I got accepted. I was like, “Oh OK, it was like wow, great, I can't believe it. I'm going to San Francisco.” My parents were so…Anyway, so I said “hey mom, dad, I just got accepted San Francisco State. I'm going to go to college there.” I just like flat out said “I'm going to college there.” My dad was like “Oh. Well, why did you do that?” “Why did I do that?” “Well, you could go to college here in Bakersfield.” Like “Oh no, I'm going to San Francisco. It’s simple as that.”</p>
<p>I know that my parents weren't very happy about it, but you know, I was the first woman [in the family] going to college. Subsequently, of course, my brother went to San Diego State and did much better than I did [laughs]. I went to San Francisco State for a couple of years and then I dropped out in the 70s but eventually went back in the 90s and got my Bachelor’s. My interest had always been in art.</p>
<p>That was when I had great time expressing myself and was doing a lot of artwork doing mostly ceramics and sculpture. And then of course I graduated and then I hear my mom's words: “Well, what are you going to do with it?” I know, it's like “OK, now what am I going to do? Where do I begin?” So I started working in a couple of places. I remember working for the classified department in the San Francisco Chronicle and I was trying to get into their art department, but it was kind of an old boys school. You know, printing departments in newspapers, and so I just — hard as I tried, I couldn't get in there, so I eventually left, finally got a job working in an ad agency and that was about as close as I ever got to working with creative people and I've been working in that field. Well, pretty much now, but not in the art field. I was more of a project manager, so I got to work with print managers, art directors, writers, and then of course the account people. So I got to see a lot of radio commercials being produced, even produced a couple of myself. I oversaw a couple of commercials being produced and newspapers and newspaper ads. Those are the days and now of course everything is all Internet —but they still do commercials.</p>
<p>NERO: So is that the career that you stayed at for your adult life?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Pretty much. Pretty much until I can't work any longer and that's the druthers. Now as you get older, I'm now in my 60s. I'm having a hard time finding work and now with COVID, forget about it. I'm weary to go back to work and getting infected.</p>
<p>NERO: Were there any other Filipinos in your field of work?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: There were a few. There were a few. Not a lot, but most of them were more in administrative and you know, like clerical. But not a whole lot. I did grow up with a couple of guys, [Asian] Americans who went to San Francisco State also majored in art. And they were art directors. They were very successful last batch. But they were. You know, one of the few.</p>
<p>[01:01:19]</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: I mean, most of them were Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans. I mean, now I, believe there are a lot more Filipino American artists in the industry kind of world. When I was looking for work in the from the 70s to the to the 2000.</p>
<p>NERO: So you mentioned that Delano's population grew. What about the Filipino population and how did it change During your adult years?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: In Delano. OK, well it has changed quite a lot. What has happened is, is that a lot of the Filipino families have migrated to the City of San Francisco — I mean the City of Delano. Sorry and, some are teachers or doctors — professional jobs. And they stayed on and they brought other friends and families to the point where there are more in the blue collar—white collar jobs and or white collar jobs and the labor. Yeah I would go down and say “hey you know I used to use a picked grapes” and they look at me and they say “You picked grapes?” I go “Yes! There are Filipinos that used to pick grapes” and because only the Mexicans now pretty much pick grapes and most of the Filipinos have migrated over to the packing shed because they have better benefits there, working conditions [are] much better than working in the field. So that's where a lot of the Filipinos ended up.</p>
<p>And anyway. So what happened also to and because of the population has increased, more Filipinos, and also more Mexicans. The town has changed. Main Street used to be of course, owned by — well, I mean you don't know that — but it used to be owned by a lot of Caucasians. But I mean they were also immigrants because they came from Slavonic countries and some came from Italy and in other places, and they own the businesses, they ran Main Street Delano. Now you go to Delano and Main Street Delano is owned by all minorities — Mexican Americans, Filipino Americans and your Caucasian business owners, is very few there. And we would kid around and say “What happened? Do these like kick out all the White People in Delano?” They always wondered about that. It’s they're still around because I know that the family names are there. They always wondered about that. You know, it's just they're still around because I know that the family names some have stayed on because they still have like their vineyards, their growers. They're still there, and some have married, you know, inter marriage, they married either another Filipino — a Caucasian married Filipino or Mexican — and so they stayed and had families over the years. So, the town has changed quite a lot. I mean, we have a lot of Mexican restaurants, hardly ever when I was growing up. Same thing with Filipino food. I mean the only Filipino food you can find was at somebody’s home. Now, there are a few restaurants where you can get Filipino food and it was rare to find anybody who would sell <em>Lechon </em>[Transcriber’s Note: Whole Roasted Pig, Filipino Style]. Now — I mean, my parents would wait until there was a special occasion and buy a hog and then we would have a barbecue at our property. But now it's more common. It's I mean — thank God, but our history needs to change. We need to talk more about our Filipino American history.</p>
<p>NERO: So speaking of, let's talk about FANHS [Transcriber’s Note: Filipino American National Historical Society]. So how did you get involved with FANHS?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: OK, that's an easy one. My brother who is in San Diego was involved with FANHS because his wife was a president of FANHS and he was mentioning, “oh, you know, we're having a conference in San Diego” and I always love going to their [conferences] because my brother is a teacher — was a teacher — [and] a school administrator and I would love to go to a lot of his teacher conference, because I get to meet all these educators and I see all these vendors, and all the books and art stuff. And I thought “Oh OK, FANHS yeah. OK, Filipino American history organization. Sure, you know this looks really great.” I wanted to volunteer and help out. I went to the first FANHS Conference in San Diego in 2014 and saw how it was run. My poor brother was running ragged because he was helping putting it together. So I would help with the managing people, moving them here and there and I would be a moderator at a panel and I thought. “Hey, this is really great.” My brother would say, “Hey you know, if you want to go to a panel or workshop or something, by all means, go ahead and join in.” And like in a panel and a FANHS Chapter in the Central Coast was talking about people that she was interviewing and I sat there and I thought, “Oh my God, those are my cousins,” because they owned a Filipino market in Pismo Beach. And I thought “My God, I know those people were my relatives!” And then somebody was doing some research in New Orleans. And they were like looking for Filipinos that were in the New Orleans area way back in early 1900s and I went “Oh my God. Let's see if she has my uncle there because my uncle was in New Orleans in 1930.” And lo and behold, she found his name! And there it was on the presentation. I was like “Wow, these people are pretty cool!”</p>
<p>We became members and that's where I learned more about like Manongs, the Bridge Generation, the Filipino history in America and I thought “Well, this is great” so that became into the Delano chapter. My brother calls me up one day and he says “hey, you know what? We got to do a Delano — FANHS Delano chapter. I want you to help put it together, and we're going to put up an event and it's going to be on the anniversary of the Delano Grape Strike. It'll be 50 years.” and I went “Sure, sure I'll do it. I'll help. I'll put this chapter. I'll help put the chapter together and I'll help put this event together” and so that became the <em>Delano Grape Strike: The Bold Step </em>[Transcriber’s Note: Event title for the FANHS Delano chapter’s event] and that was in 2015 and I helped along with the officers, helped put this event together. We became a chapter like in June I believe, through July, August, September. The event was in September. We had three months to put it together.”</p>
<p>NERO: Oh wow, three months for the 50<sup>th</sup> Anniversary?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Yes, For the 50<sup>th</sup>. And you know. People in the officers and some of the volunteers would…You know, because I've done these kind of events because I was working with Oracle at the time and one of the things that Oracle has— It's a it's a software company here in Silicon Valley—and they do this big event every year in San Francisco. You know, they close the street down. They take over the Convention Center. They take over this and that. Anyway, so I kind of knew a little bit of planning, an event, a big event, but so, what I was trying to say is that 50 years and I knew that this was going to be a big event, and I kept stressing to them “Well, it's got to be more than just one night. It's going to have to be a weekend thing” Especially because then Dawn Mabalon and Robyn Rodriguez came into the fold to help us put it together. They helped get guest speakers and suggested topics for our workshops with panel panelists. And I thought, “wow, this is just like a FANHS conference, but you know, it's a Delano chapter event.” So it became a three day event Friday, Saturday and Sunday. And we there are a lot of people who attended and I think a lot of people in Delano and were like “Oh, I had no idea that this could possibly happen” and but what's really interesting is that the people who planned it realized the scope of the history in Delano, but the people in Delano still don't really know it, interestingly enough. They don't go to a lot of the functions that occur there. So that's my contribution to FANHS. And then of course because I'm still here in San Francisco, I decided to join the San Francisco FANHS chapter [laughs].</p>
<p>[01:11:22]</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: So then they kicked it off this year in right before the pandemic and we have a lot of members, a lot of students. And the President or the person who's kicking off is a Filipino American college professor at the City College Community over here. So she's — she happens to be a student many years ago in San Diego and she knew my brother because he was a school administrator and at the time his wife — She passed away of cancer— but she used to be a student of hers. I mean, of my brother's wife at the time because she knew my brother and his first wife. So, she's got knowledge and information, which is really great.</p>
<p>NERO: So we're now just winding down to the last part of the interview. Talking about the Bold Step Event. Why do you think that event was important?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Oh my gosh, why is it important?! It's because of the Filipinos that were involved in it that people don't know anything about. You know they thought Cesar Chavez <em>was</em> the Delano Grape Strike, I mean. Even the people who grew up with it, we all know Cesar Chavez but nobody made a point to say “hey, no, let's get this straight,” so that's my big takeaway is that when I realize that you know this is history that needs to be told correctly. Then our event became the big kick off. I mean, I understand that there are other stories about it, but this was the big kickoff to get the story right because you know we made— we had a couple of people from the from Cesar Chavez Foundation who came and actually said “Yes, Larry Itliong started it.” If it wasn't for him, the Grape Strike occurred because he was the guy who came into town and said “hey, we need to make this change, we need to get more money for our workers and the only way we can do it is to strike.” I mean it's like “Oh my God, let's get this right, let's get it straight.”</p>
<p>NERO: And then, second to last question, do you feel that Filipino American history is getting enough recognition?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Enough? No. it needs more, it needs more and I can only say that because in the town of Delano where the Grape Strike occurred, not everybody still knows it and so we need to— I understand that we've now got the curriculum for Filipino farmer history into K-12— but I haven't seen it implemented. Yeah, but it's more and more events. And I now that I'm part of FANHS and I am in the Delano chapter, I try to bring awareness through FANHS with events, and we have a tour that we do every year — er, not every year. That if people request it, they can do a tour of the Delano Grape Strike locations where the Grape Strike occurred. Out in the field the Filipino Community Hall where they held their meetings, where Cesar Chavez took the agreement at the Guadalupe Church, which still exists, and where Larry Itliong is buried, he is buried in Delano. And of course the development of the Forty Acres where Cesar Chavez had his fasting, where the clinic was developed where the hiring hall was, and where Agbayani Village was created. Then of course the other history, which is the Delano Chinatown which is now like bulldozered over. But that's where all our <em>Manongs</em> used to go. You know, go shopping, go gambling, go drinking, go eating. Extracurricular activities and but that in itself is history. And so anyway.</p>
<p>NERO: And then here's the last question for the interview. What advice do you have for young Filipinos like me and many others?</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: Come to Delano.</p>
<p>NERO: I'm tempted when you said there’s <em>Lechon</em> everywhere, I'm so tempted.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: [Laughs] Yeah, they're— Oh my God. Well, there is one main person that really makes it and you got to go to Delano. And when I mean Delano is a really—I mean in in a whole lot of ways, It's still a small town and it's in the middle of really nowhere, and the freeway runs right through it. But the thing is, is that Filipino history is in all our lives. I mean, it's in Delano, Stockton, Sacramento, Coachella Valley down over by Morro Bay. Down over by. Where the Manila Men in New Orleans are. The kids, the youth, I think are better off than when I was a youth of our Filipino history, but we need more of it, so that everybody is aware of who the Filipino Americans are, how we came here and that our history is part of American history.</p>
<p>NERO: And what a great way to come to close the interview. Thank you for thank you for your time. So this concludes the interview with Nickie Tuthill-Delute, and this is Daniel Nero signing off for the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies. I'm now going to stop the recording.</p>
<p>TUTHILL-DELUTE: OK.</p>
<p>[01:18:06]</p>
<p> </p>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History Interview with Nickie Tuthill-Delute
Subject
The topic of the resource
Delano, United Farm Workers, Farmworkers, Filipino, Filipino American migrant agricultural laborers,
Description
An account of the resource
This oral history interview was conducted via Google Voice and explained Nickie's life growing up in Delano, her interactions with the Grape Strike, Delano's Filipino Community from the 1960s to the present, and her childhood to adulthood.
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
15-Sep-20
Rights
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies, the UC Davis Asian American Studies department, and the UC Regents holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. Commercial usage requests should be made to ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu.
Format
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MP3 audio file
Identifier
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ucdw_wa006_s002_0004
Creator
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Lauren Velasquez
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Milagros McEvilly
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MPBIyOpDuuyplUKP3lyE1Tzt_AwNSAtu/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MPBIyOpDuuyplUKP3lyE1Tzt_AwNSAtu/view?usp=sharing</a> , <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B1Hv3JT0Fh2gxvbAARmjnj3zU3xhcbSC/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B1Hv3JT0Fh2gxvbAARmjnj3zU3xhcbSC/view?usp=sharing</a>
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
Velasquez: Okay, so today is May 31st, 2019, and I’m here with Mila McEvilly, and so let’s get started.
Where were you born in the Philippines?
McEvilly: Pangasinan. San Fabian, Pangasinan.
Velasquez: When were you born?
McEvilly: September 10, 1955.
Velasquez: Where were your parents born? And your parents are from… you said--
McEvilly: Oh my father is from Pangasinan. San Fabian, Pangasinan, and my mother is from Bicol,
Sorsogon.
Velasquez: And when were they born? Do you remember?
McEvilly: Ah, I forgot. That’s a long time! [ laughs ]
Velasquez: [ laughs ] That’s okay, that’s okay. What jobs did your parents do?
McEvilly: My mom was a dressmaker. Since she was single [until] she grew up and she served also
during the World War [II].
Velasquez: What did she do when she served in the world war?
McEvilly: Doing sewing, I think. And also she said that she helped them to feed [as a cook], or I don’t
know, that’s what she said. I don’t know because I never asked about those things. My father he [was] a
jack-of-all trades, making watches… Servicing watches and sewing machines.
Velasquez: Do you remember what your grandparents did? Do you remember what kind of jobs they had?
McEvilly: Oh, my grandparents… My father--my grandfather, he [was] just a normal [guy and he] had a
little business. My grandmother was stay-at-home because, you know, they were receiving a lot of stuff
because someone is working to their farm.
Velasquez: How many siblings do you have?
McEvilly: We’re eight.
Velasquez: How many brothers and sisters?
McEvilly: Four brothers and four sisters, and that’s including me.
Velasquez: So you came from a pretty big family then!
McEvilly: Yeah, we were a big family… The Sorianos.
Velasquez: Did any of your family members move to American before you did?
McEvilly: No, just me.
Velasquez: Are you the only one that’s still here? No one came?
McEvilly: Oh, when I petitioned my mom in 1996, and then that’s it. And then she was gone in 2010.
Velasquez: So when you were in the Philippines, what was your… Did you go to school in the
Philippines?
McEvilly: Yeah I went to school [and] I graduated. During my childhood while I am in elementary, I was
learning some things like crocheting. Whatever and something, and then I serve banana [ laughs ] at the
market. That was my favorite because we had a lot of banana before! I have to pick them, then I say I’m
gonna go to the store or the market to sell them with Bilao [ laughs ]. So when I was in Manila after
graduating high school, so I went to Manila right away and I worked there. I worked on different kinds of
different fields.
Velasquez: So you told me that you went to high school in the Philippines, did you go to college in the
Philippines too?
McEvilly: Yeah I went, but... I’m busy with working, you know? My boss [said], “You don’t need to go
to school because…” you know anak, because I deal with a lot of… I work in the bank, I work in the
import and export, I work as a sales clerk… So anyways, jack-of-all trades.
Velasquez: Why did you decide to move from the Philippines?
McEvilly: From here?
Velasquez: To move from the Philippines to America.
[4:45]
McEvilly: Oh, that’s not my intent to come over. It’s just luck, because, I have a sister, she’s a teacher and
she’s majoring in English. So every time I speak, she always check my… my grammar! She says, “Mila,
your grammar is something!” “Okay” I said. Yeah, so it’s funny my sister is funny. She’s a teacher and
good. And then what happen is, so I was in Manila working. I love reading magazines and subscribing
newspaper. I love reading business. I love business because I deal with business. So what happen is… So
then one time I was reading, I saw a little ad in the classified ads in the newspaper. So I said, “What is
this?” It shows “send resume” and a picture. So I did that. So I keep working and working and then I
didn’t realize, where I work, [I] received a lot of letters. So my boss said, “Where this letter came from?”
I have no idea. And then I said, Oh I remember. I send my resume. I didn’t know what is that for. Oh my
gosh, to be honest with you, I received a lot of letters, from home to office. And mostly, who’s writing all
over the world. And mostly writing me… they are stockholder, lawyers, and owning some kind of
different [businesses], you know, because I love communicating because I want to improve my English.
Because totally [ laughs ]. So I keep writing to anyone. I never waste my time. I wrote them back. I never
ask for anything, as long as I am enjoying just to communicate. So one of my boss. Every time I receive a
letter, my boss wants to read first. She is the one reading it. That’s my husband’s letter. I never expect that
when she came over to the Philippines, I didn’t realize I didn’t know. Because that time, I found out…
Because before the store I was working and communicating to all my penpals, I have another job. I work
in the street children institution.
Velasquez: What’s that?
McEvilly: Ah, the children that are… you know… who… the habit… what do you call this… like drugs
or something like that. So that’s the place that I work. So what happens is that one time, so all my
coworkers… I said I wanna go home. I want to visit Philippines and attend a town fiesta. Okay. So we’re
in that day, it’s Wednesday. My co-officemate says “Sis, Mila you don’t need to go here. Let’s talk, let’s
talk.” Because they know I’m funny. We’re happy, we’re happy. You know me, that’s the way I am! I
don’t care, I’m so carefree. [ laughs ] And then later on, I went to the Philippines in one week. And then
back to Manila, I call them and say, “I’m here now!” Oh my gosh, and the other men are very noisy.
“How come you are very noisy, dear?” [My co-officemate and I] are just giggling or whatever. She said,
“Sis, Mila, your penpal is here!” “Ooh!” I said. Bob, because that’s the name of my husband. Really, my
co-officemate said “Okay, Mila is a stay-in at… in this hotel” I said, “Okay, give it to me, but don’t
expect me to come tonight. I’m busy. I’ll see him tomorrow after going there to… you know.” And then
what happen is, so I went, and that’s the time I meet my husband. I didn’t expect. I never expect, because
when I went to the hotel the next day, all of the employers there, they call me “madame.” “The person’s
not here, she’s out, went out to eat,” [says one of the hotel employers.] So they let me sit down in the
lobby. So I was sitting, and now I can tell already that… But I am just sitting, and then the clerk said,
“Ma’am, you need company,” so I get in there and someone is working in his room. He took my bag and
threw it [to the side] of the room. “What happened?” I said to myself. “Why is throwing around my bag?”
and then he asked me to let’s go eat. So we went to Aristocrat. So that’s the time, so I said, “Oh, you’re
invited to come with me and to visit my landlord or my coworkers in the office.” Okay, So he said,
“tomorrow” “What?” [I said.] [ laughs ] But anyways, everything is good there, so I said, “Everything is
okay, no problem.” That’s the time, so I took a taxi the next day. And that’s the time my husband was
talking with the neighbors, and to my landlady, and they’re talking.
[10:42]
McEvilly: One of them, my neighbor--because he owns a resthouse in that area in that subdivision, so that
nobody can enter unless there is a… They offered him a resthouse [and] that’s the time I was stuck with
him. Who’s going to take care of him? Of course, me! So he was staying there and that’s the time we got
married.
Velasquez: So who were the pen pal letters that you… what was that ad in the newspaper?
McEvilly: It was just some… Resume. Just a little… It’s funny because during the time… It’s so funny.
Even in the U.S. embassy, the officers they were laughing at me [ laughs ] “How did you meet your
husband?” he says. “Here! I met through writing.” I didn’t expect it because I only needed to improve my
English [ laughs ] Because my sister is always checking my English. “Okay, do you have that?” [my sister
says.] “Yes,” [I say.] And she took it and kept it.
Velasquez: So um. Oh sorry, go ahead.
McEvilly: Yeah, that’s it. And besides, this officer, one of his brothers went to Berkeley University. And
my husband went to Berkeley University.
Velasquez: Oh, wow!
McEvilly: Yeah, so that’s the time…
Velasquez: So how did you and your husband move from the Philippines to America?
McEvilly: Oh, what happen is, when the first time he went there, we met and things like that. And then
we get married but it’s funny just married in the city hall of Manila. It’s funny thing here, the person
who’s gonna marry me, I know him. This is a surprise--he is my customer in the store. [They said]
“Mila!” [I said,] “Yes? I am here.” [ laughs ] Oh, it’s so funny. Yeah, that’s the only thing--that’s the time
we got married. So after 6 months, we went back here [to the Philippines] and back there [to the United
States] in 6 months, and everything I had already the papers and everything. The insurance, the health
insurance. I have everything already when I come over here already. My first child is my son, I’m already
pregnant when I came over [to America.]
Velasquez: So did you… So did you move anywhere else before settling in the United States? Or did you
just live in the Philippines, and then also just here?
McEvilly: Yeah.
Velasquez: Okay, and then, what were your thoughts about America before you moved here? What did
you think America was going to be like?
McEvilly: Yeah, it’s nice and quiet [like] I said. But, you know life is because I can tell already that since
in the Philippines, when I’m living there, I’m working so I know some people that went to the states think
like that, they talk about what’s going on. “I see,” I said to myself. Anyways, I’m just quiet. You know.
Velasquez: What did they say about--
McEvilly: Just to learn. Just to learn about the environment here or whatever. But I’m happy.
Velasquez: What did they say about America? What would your co-workers tell you about what America
was like?
McEvilly: Yeah, I told them what’s going on, what’s America is not like the Philippines, you have a
neighbor to talk to. Here [in America] you don’t have neighbors. All you have to do is work, home, work,
home. It’s not like there [in the Philippines] where you’re jumping around to the neighborhood.
Velasquez: And then um, let’s see. Can you talk a little bit more about what’s different living here in
America and what’s different living in the Philippines?
McEvilly: Yeah, just like I said, the living situation here… The living situation here feels you are rich
because you have a lot and it’s easy. It’s not like in the Philippines, you have a hard time. Before [in the
Philippines] you can buy a chicken for one week, you have to work 1 week before you can buy a chicken.
Yeah, because the first time working here, I am pregnant with my son, I work right away. I’ve been here
for only, I don’t know 1 week or 2 weeks? I don’t know, I take it! So that I have experience, I am
pregnant with my son. So when I got my first job, I always wash… [I was] a dishwasher in a Japanese
restaurant, in a popular building. They really like me [ laughs ].
[15:28]
McEvilly: They always cook every time I go home. So then I get a tip, I got five dollars, I was so happy.
And I said to myself, “Oh my gosh, my five dollars! I can buy already chicken here!” But in the
Philippines, it takes a while… You have to save money in order to buy the whole chicken, I said. Yeah
that’s my first [ laughs ] and my husband is laughing at me because I am a funny person. It’s nice here.
Yeah, everything here, we go to school, there’s help… It’s not like in the Philippines before, nobody can
help unless you have to work, our parents will help you. You know. That’s the only difference that I felt.
Velasquez: And where did you first live when you came to the United States?
McEvilly: Oh, in my brother-in-law’s. They just picked me up and I stayed there for three days and then I
come over and find a place here.
Velasquez: In Sacramento?
McEvilly: Yeah. Yeah, we stay first in the hotel and then… In South Sacramento? Ah, West Sacramento.
I think two days only, and then find a place here, an apartment.
Velasquez: So you’ve been in Sacramento your entire time being here in America?
McEvilly: Yeah. [ laughs ] Uh-huh!
Velasquez: So… What jobs did you… What other jobs did you do when you were here in America?
McEvilly: Ok, so like I said, I worked as a dishwasher in the restaurant. And then the second time, I think
I worked in the Packard Bell. Then after that, I worked… In 1997, I worked in the Herald Printing [sp.],
like as a… you know… a customer relations assistant. I deal with the department store. Like grocery.
Mostly I would go [to] Woodland. Just to get the stuff they need for advertisements for Wednesday. And
then after that, I work in the, what do you call this… Apple computer. I work here. And then, I work at
JCPenney for 8 years. I love JCPenney! The manager is all good. We’re doing our… We’re doing great
there. I receive a lot of compliment from the customers, certificate from the Arden [Mall]. [ laughs ] My
boss, we laugh because I’m also good about asking for the credit application. Yeah. That’s… I love
worked at JCPenney for a long time. And then the last job I had, I had a medical device. Yeah, that’s the
last job I had. I enjoyed everything, no matter what. That was me. No matter how hard, as long as you
have a decent job. I’m happy.
Velasquez: That’s good! So can you tell me a little bit more about going back to school here when you
came to America. When did you start going to school again?
McEvilly: Oh my gosh. When I was pregnant with my second baby. My daughter. Uh, I took business
because that was my favorite. That was 1994, the time that my husband passed away, so I stopped. So I
cannot communicate with, because I don’t drive at that time when my husband passed away. So until
then, I’m taking care of my kids until they grow up. I don’t have problems taking care of them. They
know what’s good and what’s bad for them. I told them what life is like in the Philippines so they know.
[19:48]
Velasquez: So when you started going to school, what school did you go to?
McEvilly: Sacramento City College. So when my second enrollment in 2013, I lost a job because the
company is moving out of the country, so there’s a lot of losing their job and lots of employees. So what I
do, I’m gonna go to school, I said. So I said to my daughter, and then my daughter accompanied me in the
school. And she was surprised. “Mom, how come you already have I.D.?” [she says.] “Because I am a
student when I was pregnant with you!” [I said.] Yeah, that’s the time I took my first [class]… I enrolled
because I don’t know what to pick! I pick whatever I get! And that’s the time I took my real estate course,
and I’m done with that. So I have to take the state exam so I have to study. Then I decided to take fashion
because my mom is a dressmaker, and besides that, my family, they know how to sew. And I have an
aunt, she owns a fashion school for 20 years.
Velasquez: Oh, where?
McEvilly: In Pangasinan.
Velasquez: Oh okay.
McEvilly: Yeah. So, and then after this, I graduate [ laughs ] because now I am still going to school
because I want to take another course of fashion for business, because I love business. So I have to learn
more, I said. It’s gonna… It’s going to help me out someday. I hope.
Velasquez: And then, um... So, I also wanted to ask you… Did you notice anything different between, I
guess, people who immigrated from the Philippines, like first-generation people versus, like, people who
were born here in America that are Filipino? Like, what are some of the differences?
McEvilly: Oh, the difference is, because of the culture… You know, the culture, they’re born here and
they have a very different culture… The Philippines has a very different culture. So you have to adapt,
whatever. So of course, the person who lived here and born here, you have to explain it to them, how is
the Philippines too? You know, what’s going on, what life is, not like here, you live like a queen, you
have everything. Over there, you have to work hard. You know. If you have money, you’re okay, but if
you don’t have, it’s tough. But you have to sacrifice. That’s the only way. Because in the Philippines,
when I was in the Philippines, I worked hard no matter what. I enjoyed whatever I do. That’s why I meet
a lot of people, I meet a lot of people from big businesses, owners… you know… because I’m very
[funny] [ laughs ] that’s why they like me, because [I’m] funny and you don’t need to go to school because
you know everything we say something with you, you know what to do. Yeah. Because I deal with the
bank. I deal with the central bank. And then other manufacturing things, because I enjoyed working. I
don’t care how much I earn, I’m just happy. That’s it! I’m happy. That’s why they call me, I’m
happy-go-lucky no matter what, whatever problem, I don’t care, just relax. Who’s gonna help you? It’s
yourself! That’s the only difference here. People here are different. That’s all I can say, because, you
know.
Velasquez: So can you tell me a little more about your husband… What branch was he in? He fought in
WWII, correct?
McEvilly: Yeah, he fought in WWII. He was a marine. He worked as a plumber for 45 years. He passed
away in 1994. He has kids. They’re all professionals, his kids. I know they know that. I saw them last
night. Yeah, I’m happy, I don’t care what life is. As long as I’m happy, that’s it. You have to work, you
have to sacrifice no matter what. There’s no easy. My husband is great, I don’t have no problems. His
family is good, everybody. So I don’t know probably… His family and my family are almost the same.
We’re always happy! Be happy! That’s it! That’s what my observation is. I said, “Oh my gosh, his family
is just like ours.” Yeah, big family and happy.
Velasquez: Okay, so I think that's all the questions that I have for now. Do you have any questions for
me? Or…
McEvilly: Well for me, I have nothing to say.
Velasquez: Any last words? Any wisdom?
McEvilly: For me, I really like what you did. You are the only person who interviewed me regarding this
matter, but anyways, I appreciate it. You know me, you know me! So, I really appreciate. I am happy.
Thank you for sharing your interview with me to share with your classmates or your professor. I’m glad,
I’m very happy. That’s my first time.
Velasquez: Thank you!
McEvilly: For me, I never.. I just go. As long it’s good, go ahead. If it’s not, no [ laughs ].
Velasquez: I’m sure it’s good, I’m sure it’s good [ laughs ]
McEvilly: Yeah, everything is fine! I like the way you [interviewed] me.
Velasquez: Okay, great!
McEvilly: Thank you.
[25:56]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral history interview with Milagros McEvilly, interviewed by Lauren Velasquez
Subject
The topic of the resource
Pangasinan, San Fabian, World War II - War Effort, Sewing, Tradesman, Pen pals, Packard Bell, Intergenerational, First Generation Immigrants
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Milagros McEvilly, interviewed by Lauren Velasquez
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
1-May-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0047
first generation immigrants
Intergenerational
Packard Bell
Pangasinan
Pen pals
San Fabian
Sewing
Tradesman
World War II - War Effort
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Leng Vang
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Joy Callejo
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Begin Audio File]<br /><br />VANG (V): Today is June 6, 2019. This is Leng Vang. I am interviewing for the Asian American Studies Filipinx [American] Experience class and the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and I am interviewing…<br />CALLEJO (C): My name is Joy Callejo and I’m a 4th year undergraduate student at [the] University of California Davis.<br />V: Alright Joy, so we’re just gonna start it off. Where and when were you born?<br />C: I was born in Mindanao, specifically General Santos City and I was born on April 17, 1997.<br />V: Okay. Where were your parents born?<br />C: My father was born in Togawa (sp?) which is another one of the provinces in Mindanao south of the Philippines. My mom was also born in General Santos City, the same place as me in the Philippines.<br />V: So what jobs do you your parents do?<br />C: So in the Philippines, my mom was an elementary school teacher. While my Dad, I actually don't know what his job was. I know that after he graduated high school, I think he was in and out of the Philippines, constantly revisiting the Philippines and the U.S. And when my parents came (to America) my became a CNA which is a Certified Nursing Assistant and my Dad is now a plumber/carpenter for various companies.<br />V: How many siblings are in your family, like how many kids, how big is your family?<br />C: So my immediate family is actually very small, it's just me, my mom, and my other brother who's 7 years older than me, and myself. I did have another sibling but unfortunately he passed away when he was very young. <br />V: I am sorry to hear that. Did any of your family members moved to America before you? Or when did you moved to America?<br />C: So as far as previous family members go, I know that none of them was born here in the U.S. They were all born in the Philippines and they all actually immigrated here when they were around their 40's or their 50's. That's as long my grandparents go. And sorry what was the other question.<br />V: When did you come to America?<br />C: Oh I came to the U.S. when I was 5 or 6 years old.<br />V: Oh Okay. Do you have any memories in the Philippines?<br />C: I do, I have a lot.<br />V: [laugh} You have a lot. Alright that's cool.<br />C: Yeah [laugh]<br />V: What's one of your favorite memories from [the Philippines]?<br />C: I think one of my favorite memories was ending preschool for the day going home playing video games [laugh] I play a lot of video games and just spending time with my brother. It was a lot easier back then obviously because I was young, but kind of sidetracking I remember riding my first bike without training wheels and I fell [laugh] but yeah I remember quite a bit. Those were just one of my funnest memories.<br />V: Did you say you went to preschool and...in the Philippines, was that, did you only go to preschool, you didn't go to Kindergarten, cause you say to moved here when you were 5?<br />C: Yeah, so I only attend preschool it was a private preschool with 10 students maximum. It was very small there's a lot of small schools there in the Philippines and when I moved to the U.S. I started summer school to help with my English as a second language program. And when I finished summer school I immediately went into Kindergarten and they told me that I didn't have to go back into preschool.<br />V: Okay. So in preschool did they teach you in English or did they teach you in Tagalog?<br />C: They only taught us in English actually. There weren't any classes that I had in Tagalog or any of my home languages. My primarily language is actually not Tagalog, it's Visayan [sp?], Visaya [sp?], and Ilocano [sp?]; which are both of my home languages. But yeah all of the subjects: math, science, social sciences, history they were all talk in English.<br />V: Do you still speak Visayan?<br />C: Yes, I'm also really sad that I don't know anyone in UC Davis who can speak Visayan. I can speak Tagalog but I missed speaking in Visayan a lot.<br /><br />[5:00]<br /><br />V: Okay. So, what year did you moved to the United States? Can you expand on that?<br />C: It was the year after 9/11 so 2002 October 30. It was, I know there was, the day of Halloween. So it was kind of difficult to come in to the U.S. I know that for sure.<br />V: Where did you settled when you moved to the U.S.?<br />C: Where did I settled?<br />V: Yeah<br />C: So my first city was Torence, California and it's located in southern California.<br />V: Okay, did you have any ideas about what living in America was before coming to America?<br />C: No, I remember not watching a lot of American movies in the Philippines. I knew I had to speak a lot of English but as far as the struggles that I had to go through or the racism I had to endure that was definitely not expected. I mean I was five, I don't think I would have been aware of any of that.<br />V: Okay. When your family moved to the city in California, did you guys have family/other cousins living in that city or is it just your family?<br />C: Yes, so I lived my extended family which were the family members who were born in the Philippines. We stayed with...when me, my brother, and me moved to the U.S. we stayed with my grandma, my grandpa, and my Aunty. <br />V: When you came to the U.S. how many of you guys came?<br />C: Three, so my dad brought us over.<br />V: Oh, you dad was already working in America? Oh.What year did your dad work here before, oh how many years before you guys were able to come along?<br />C: I actually haven't asked my father any of those questions because knowing that he has to go in and out I didn't build a relationship with him so I'm not to sure about that.<br />V: Okay. How was growing up in America? You mention you went to English learning class in middle school..you okay with that, how was it growing up?<br />C: I was very confused.[laugh] I realized only in college that I had to take summer school because it was to help me with my English. I thought it was just because my parents wanted me to do something for the summer before I attended Kindergarten. It was difficult because we, the English learners, were excluded from the rest of the class. So there were 20 other students, who were being taught by the actual teacher and then the back where the 5 to 10 of us who were English learners. So we were secluded from the rest of the class. <br />V: Did you have any like other Filipino students in your class that you know of? Like growing up, not just elementary but growing up elementary, middle school, high school. Did you have [Filipino] students?<br />C: I went to...Well for Kindergarten it was a predominantly white school but my best friend was a Filipino at the time. It was very nice because it was nice to know that there was another Filipino who I can talk to. He didn't speak my home language but it was nice to know that there was another Filipino in the school. <br />V: What about middle school and high school? Did you meet other Filipino students or like? What was the ratio of ethnicities like in your classes?<br />C: So I actually moved to many cities, so Torrence that was the school I went to that was predominantly white and then I moved to an elementary school in Carson, CA. And I switched over to a different school which had more Filipinos I wanna say that was definitely predominantly people of color. Not necessary Filipinos, but there was a good amount of Blacks, Latinx, and Filipinx folks in the elementary school and then the same goes for middle school I switched on over to another school. That was also the same case and then for high school, it was predominantly Blacks and Filipinos and I wanna say other Pacific Islanders, South East Asians as well.<br /><br />[10:07 ]<br /><br />V: Okay. So what made you decided to come to Davis? Did you know that there was had a big Filipino population here or?<br />C: I did not know there was a Filipino population here in UC Davis. I think our percentage is somewhere around 3.5% but I only knew after I submitted my SIR, which is um, forgot what it stands for.<br />V: Statement of Intent to Register<br />C: Oh there you go. Yeah you know so I'm not sure what the numbers are right now but I think it was fairly low I think less than 10% Filipinos are here in the UC Davis university. And the only reason why I submitted my SIR here is because I didn't wanna be close anywhere to my parents. [laughs]<br />V: So what city was you parents [in] before you came here? What city are you currently like your parents living in right now?<br />C: Gardena, California.<br />V: Gardena, CA. Does it have a big Filipino population there?<br />C: No, I wanna say it's predominantly Latinx ...<br />V: Latinx...<br />C: Um, and or at least the neighborhood that I'm residing in is predominantly Latinx. The other half is other Southeast Asian communities. But also my life I've lived in communities that have a lot of POC in it, people of color. But knowing that I...it was very nice because I can talk to others and not have to present my white speaking voice. [laugh] I can talk like myself and yeah.<br />V: Okay, Let see what else. Did you notice anything difference between like 1st generation immigrants and the Filipino American community? Would you consider yourself 1st generation?<br />C: I consider myself 1st generation because even though that my mother and father finished college in the Philippines. Their college degree does not equate to anything here in the U.S. My parents basically had to start from scratch, none of their degrees counted for anything. Even though my mom was a teacher and she may have been able to maybe teach as an elementary school student [I think she means elementary school teacher in the US] but her English was not well enough. She was still considered not enough for an elementary school student and so because of that I still considered myself 1st generation in the sense of the U.S.<br />V: Have you back to the Philippines?<br />[wind and leaves rustling]<br />C: The last one I was back was 15 years ago. I don't go there often just because the tickets are very expensive. And actually in two weeks after Finals are over I will be visiting the Philippines after 15 years. I'm scared. [laugh]<br />V: Why are you scared?<br />C: Because I haven't seen them in a long time and I know for sure that my cousins will be very awkward with me. They're going to think that I'm full-fledged American and I don't see any of my Filipino culture, that's not necessarily the case because I want to ease that awkwardness by talking to them in Visaya or Illocano as well. <br />V: Do you have a big family still in back in the Philippines?<br />C: Oh yeah. We have a lot of family, I wanna say at least...I know at least 50 family members just residing in that one city. We're a very big family. Yeah.<br />V: Is the same city where you immigrated from or is it a different city?<br />C: So, both of my families are from, I wanna say 3 cities. One is in Davao, which is also still in the south of the Philippines; General Santos, and Tacauwa [sp?] which is where my dad was born. And I sort of lived in 3 of those cities and I just go there to or the last time I was there I would visit each of those cities, and just let them know, "Hey I'm still alive. Just attending school in the U.S. I'll be back in I don't know how many or so years."<br />V: Do you see like...growing up in America you know there is not a lot of things like you see with Filipino activities, but are you involved in the Filipino community? Like I know there's like New Years comes up to mind, do you guys have Filipino New Year?<br />C: Filipino New Year? Oh sorry what was the first questions?<br />V: Are you involved in the Filipino community?<br /><br />[15:01]<br /><br />C: Herein UC Davis?<br />V: In Davis or at your hometown.<br />C: Um, I am not involved in any activities in the Philippines just because it's kind of hard to speak to them, but I am or was heavily involved in the Filipinx or FIL-AM community here. I worked with BRIDGE: Filipinx Outreached and Retention. I've also worked with Filipinx and Business and Law, and various other folks who just need help here and there.<br />V: Okay. Can you further expand on the organization you've participated in?<br />C: So I did not expected to be a part of the Filipinx community here at UC Davis, or actually I had no expectation at all. I just knew I had to work hard and possibly get a lot of networking because I knew I had to get into grad school or do other things in the near future. I wasn't too sure but when I first came, the first week I immediately signed up to be an intern under Casey Nguyen, I did not know that she worked heavily with the Asian AMerican community here and once that happened she introduced my to Miguel Bugsit [sp?] and he was the current Identity coordinator at BRIDGE: Filipinx Outreached and Retention they are situated at the Student Recruitment and Retention Center. And after that I just was plunged into the community, other people wanted to work with me, I wanted to work with them especially and I learned that Filipino are heavily underrepresented and because of that it fueled my passion to learn more and worked with others who are in need of support. And during my 3rd year, last year, I worked with Filipinx in Business and Law and that's giving support towards those who are interested in those two fields but not limited to that as well. And through that I was able to just continue and I knew wanted to take ASA 150 [Asian American Studies] as well because I was kind of losing that passion, also after studying abroad in France I was just tired of white people bull-[laughs]. I don't know if I can say that. I was tired of it so that ruined my passion and so I took ASA 150 and eventually that go my ball rolling. I wanna work an intern for the Bulosan center in the future. Hopefully [laugh], but because of the involvement I've done [in] the FIL-AM community here at UC Davis, I know what I wanna study for Grad school.<br />V: That's great. Is there anything you share?<br />C:Um...?<br />V: Alright, then if that's all, thank you Joy for sharing spending time taking time and...<br />C: No problem.<br />V: for this interview. Alright.<br /><br />[18:38]
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/19DQnGjA-8DrFYxHzoZIdtVBLzS84VUDz/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/19DQnGjA-8DrFYxHzoZIdtVBLzS84VUDz/view?usp=sharing</a> , <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1piUNJh8GYyGK39gxEknY2dZfp2hz_qXh/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1piUNJh8GYyGK39gxEknY2dZfp2hz_qXh/view?usp=sharing</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History Interview with Joy Callejo
Subject
The topic of the resource
Mindinao, General Santos City, Nurses, Certified Nursing Assistant, Recreation, Trilingual, Ilocano, Visayan, Tagalog, Torrance - California, BRIDGE: Filipinx Outreached and Retention
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Joy Callejo, interviewed by Leng Vang
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
6-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0046
BRIDGE: Filipinx Outreached and Retention
Certified Nursing Assistant
General Santos City
Ilocano
Mindinao
Nurses
Recreation
Tagalog
Torrance - California
Trilingual
Visayan
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Toan Tran
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Katrina Orizonte
View/Download File(s)
Link to download files
<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HjV0Pue7v_ZljgFYsj1p41uHbNeNicT4/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HjV0Pue7v_ZljgFYsj1p41uHbNeNicT4/view?usp=sharing</a>, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_x3S6SRSZTBGZHIReRQkMOXthUwBPyw3/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_x3S6SRSZTBGZHIReRQkMOXthUwBPyw3/view?usp=sharing</a>
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
TOAN: Good afternoon. It is currently 3:30 p.m. on June 5th 2019. My name is Toan Tran and<br />today I'm going to be interviewing Katrina Orizonte today on her experiences of being a Filipina<br />immigrant. So Katrina, how about you go ahead and introduce yourself.<br />KATRINA: So hi, my name is Katrina Orizonte. My pronouns are she her hers. I am 19 years<br />old and I am currently a second-year neurophysio and behavior major at UC Davis with plans to<br />minor in Psychology. And I moved to America at the age of 8 in 2008 with my family.<br />TOAN: Ok great, so we’re first going to start off with some questions about your childhood,<br />growing up and your family. So can you tell me when and where you were born?<br />KATRINA: So I was born on October 4, 1999 in Dumaguete City, Philippines which is in<br />Negros Oriental located in the visayas region of the country.<br />TOAN: And do you have any siblings? Do you come from a big family?<br />KATRINA: So I have one younger sister. Our gap is 6 years and it's basically just the two of us<br />and our immediate family. But outside of our immediate family, there is also my mom's side of<br />the family and my dad's side of the family which are pretty big because where on my mom's side,<br />there's 10 of them as siblings and my dad is the oldest of eight so it's a pretty big extended<br />family.<br />TOAN: And where were your parents born?<br />KATRINA My mom I believe was born in the same town, so she was also born in Dumaguete.<br />And then my dad, I believe, was born in Mindanao and he was there for maybe a few years or so<br />and then his family moved up to Dumaguete.<br />TOAN: And do you know what type of line of work your parents were involved in?<br />KATRINA: So both my parents finished college at Silliman University, which is the col- the big<br />college in our hometown. And so my mom is now working as a registered nurse. Specifically,<br />she's a case manager and then my dad...my dad is an engineer. He currently works for the state<br />[2]<br />oil company. So he, he make sure I guess like the oil fields are okay and working great. It's<br />mostly in the line of petroleum, even though like he graduated as a mechanical engineer.<br />TOAN: And do you know anything about your grandparents’ line of work?<br />KATRINA: So I think neither one of my grandparents finished their education, but what they did<br />work on my mom's side her parents had like a shoe store or something like that when they were<br />very young and then now they have this chang-ghay (sp?) or sari-sari store, which is basically<br />like a small store where you can buy like snacks strings etc. And, on my dad's side, the only<br />thing I recall is that when my lolo, or my grandfather, was still young. He was a garbage truck<br />driver and he would drives my dad and his brother sometimes.<br />TOAN: Ok great, so now we’re going to go into some questions about the process of how you<br />got to here in the United States. So do you know when you moved to the United States?<br />KATRINA: So like I said previously, I moved to the states with my family in 2008, but we<br />technically migrated in 2006 since my mom got a job as a nurse here in America. And so what<br />basically happened was she moved here earlier than us. We visited her Christmas of 2006 and<br />then we moved back to the Philippines, me, my dad, my younger sister and stayed there for one<br />more year until we finally reunited for there again in May of 2008 and that's when we officially<br />and permanently lived here in the states.<br />TOAN: And why do you think your parents, or family even decided to move out of the<br />Philippines?<br />[4:46]<br />KATRINA: I think it was just for better pay I think. That's at least, that's what my that's what I<br />heard my mom say cuz I guess she felt like she could have been paid better. So she thought<br />America had better pay and the place that we move to was San Jose and like her first cousins,<br />actually all live there. So like in addition to that, it was pretty much like a good place to live in as<br />well other than the Philippines.<br />TOAN: Do you know if any of your other family members outside of your immediate family<br />moved to America before you?<br />[3]<br />KATRINA: So in addition to my mom's first cousin’s families who are—whose children are my<br />second cousins—there’s also my aunt's two aunts. They are the sisters of my mom and they have<br />been living in the States since probably like the 1980s, 1990s or something like that.<br />TOAN: Okay, then how about your parents’ immigration experience. Do you know how that was<br />like for them?<br />KATRINA: So, fortunately for my family, I think it was pretty smooth. My mom landed a job,<br />so she was able to get all the paperwork done and she could just, at the time I guess my mom<br />could just like have her family come here to the states. And yeah, like everything was legally<br />processed and eventually, after 5 years, they were able to take the citizenship test and got<br />naturalized. So now all four of us are officially US citizens since I believe 2013?<br />TOAN: Alright, great. It's good to hear that your parents’, your family's, experience of<br />immigrating went by so smoothly. But before moving to America, did you have any conceptions<br />of like what life would be like here?<br />KATRINA: I definitely had a lot of misconceptions especially because I was watching a lot of<br />Disney shows growing up—Disney movies like High School Musical and Lizzie McGuire, Kim<br />Possible. All of them in a high school setting and I thought it would be a [inaudible]. Where you<br />have the bullies and you have the popular girls—stuff like that. But, I mean it was kind of like<br />that up until when I got to high school. But for the most part it was just like this just like any<br />other place you would be living in like in the Philippines. It was like, I'm pretty sure it would<br />have been the same environment but I definitely did have misconceptions. Like for example in<br />5th grade, I believe, I am not proud of this but I did have the stereotypes of nerds being nerds and<br />jocks being jocks. And so when we were playing four-square these two nerds-looking guys was<br />in front of the line and I was like, I was not thinking before speaking I granted, but I did say like,<br />“hey, you like sports? I thought nerds don't play sports,” and he gave me a sassy tone right back<br />saying like, “we play sports, what the heck!” but yeah not a proud moment, but I just like just<br />like a minor example of my misconceptions when I came here and then there was also that<br />incident when I was getting officially enrolled to the elementary school, I would be going to and<br />then when I came out, I saw these two tall older looking guys and I freaked out thinking that they<br />were going to be my classmates. And later on. I realize they were probably like in high school or<br />something. I don't know why I thought Americans were so scary-looking back then but I did<br />notice probably also because I was at I was going to be the new girl at my school. I just wanted<br />to make sure that I said right in until you said so how was school.<br />TOAN: So how was school like in the Philippines before you moved over here?<br />[4]<br />KATRINA: Pretty much the same. Like, meet the similar type of characters amongst different<br />people. I guess the difference, I mean definitely in terms of culture like, not everyone's Filipino.<br />So I had to get adjusted to seeing different faces, some people with different traditions as I do<br />and at the time, I was only like eight so the only thing that really mattered to me was that I was<br />getting myself adjusted for the sake of my family and just making sure that everything was fine<br />when I moved. But yeah, like education you said, right?<br />[10:13]<br />KATRINA: Yeah, it's pretty much similar except later on once I got to like high school and<br />college and I definitely noticed differences in the sense that I feel like in the Philippines, you're<br />more dependent on the system telling you what classes to take and when to take them. Whereas<br />here, you're very independent and you're very much on your own to decide what you're going to<br />do with whatever it is you have to do. It kind of scary thinking that you have to figure this out on<br />your own. I mean, despite resources to help you back up, like still, it's not like set-in-stone. It's<br />still very open and very up to your decision and like, both sides have pros and cons. Yeah, I think<br />that's really the only main difference that I saw between the two educational systems that I grew<br />up with.<br />TOAN: Can you tell more about the transition to experience from moving from the Philippines<br />education system to America’s educational system?<br />KATRINA: So in elementary school, I think probably the biggest difference, as an eight-year-old<br />you would notice is that, oh, the teachers don't move around to get situated in your classroom.<br />You move to get situated in their classroom. That was a big difference that I really saw and then<br />in addition to that, I guess this is more like a special case for me because I actually had to skip<br />third grade when I got enrolled into an American school because apparently like the age that you<br />start here versus in the Philippines is different and so because of my age like I had to skip third<br />grade and then when there was just like one strict Filipino substitute named is Ms Esberg (sp?)<br />one time in fourth grade. And then she was like asking everyone to raise their hands and asked<br />“oh, does everyone remember learning about rounding and estimation,” and everyone raise their<br />hands except me, and then I asked around saying like, “what's that? What's that?” And then they<br />were like, “Oh it's something you learned in third grade. Didn’t you learned it?” I was like “no”<br />and then I started panicking and then I started crying in front of everyone and it was super<br />embarrassing and the teacher had to pull me out and ask like “what's wrong?” I was like “I don't<br />know how to do that” and it's math and like back then I was very much scared when it came to<br />my math skills because my dad had high expectations of me to like be good at it like he is. So<br />yeah, after school my substitute teacher taught me how to estimate and I will never forget it to<br />this day because I felt very embarrassed when my dad had to come pick me up and he was like,<br />[5]<br />“why did my daughter cry?” and she was like, “oh because she didn't know how to round so she<br />cried”. [ surprised, embarrassed face ] I was like, “oh yep, that's me.<br />TOAN: So that seems, that was a pretty rough transition at first but how about afterwards, did<br />you receive any parental support in terms of academics?<br />KATRINA: I guess support in the sense that, if I did well, great. After fifth grade, I didn't really<br />have my parents be like super part of my educational experience. I ended up being the type of<br />student that was like mostly independent. Like my parents weren't always like hovering about<br />about like me with school. Actually towards the end of high school. My mom would just be like,<br />“why are you still up go to sleep its 12.” It's funny because like you expect them to have you<br />always study all the time, but then once that curfew hits, they want you to go to bed. But yeah,<br />yeah, cuz after fifth cousin fifth grade, I remember there was this thing called pow which is<br />problem of the week and it was like for Math. And back, then I would still have to I would still<br />ask my dad for help every time I would ask for help and every time I wouldn't get it right away,<br />he would have a very short temper with me and start yelling and scolding and stuff. Like “why<br />don't you get this? Why don't you get that?”<br />[14.52]<br />KATRINA: And it made me cry a lot. And so I think I was very traumatised. So after so, I like<br />promised myself like once I hit middle school, I'll never ever ask for help again, but then towards<br />high school. I wanted to try to include them again. So like, asking them to like, “Oh, can you<br />quiz me on this? Can you quiz me on that? You just have to read the paper from it and just tell<br />say it out loud for me and I'll explain it and stuff like that,” but then they were they would always<br />just like, they would always just be like ”Oh, you don't need me. You don't need me to help you,<br />you can do that on your own. Just do it, just to study back in your room.” And so like I don't<br />know, I guess at the time, I was trying to include them into what I was actually doing during my<br />education because I thought it would probably matter, but I guess they thought like, “Oh, my<br />daughter is so independent now like she doesn't really need that kind of support anymore.” But<br />yeah, not to say like my parents are bad, like they're supportive parents. But yeah.<br />TOAN: That’s good to hear. So then how about throughout middle school, elementary, well high<br />school, did you experience any prejudice due to your ethnic background?<br />KATRINA: In terms of specific experiences, it would have to be ike there was one incident in<br />5th grade. I had two best friends. Both of them are Vietnamese and then they were also close<br />with this other friend who wasn't in our class and every time it was recess, se would always tell<br />[6]<br />me, “Oh, we have enough players. You don't have to play with us,” and stuff like that. And then<br />later on, I found out from one of my best friends she didn't want me to play with them because I<br />wasn't like them. I wasn't Vietnamese. I wasn't their kind basically. At the time, I just I was just<br />like sad about it for a while and then later on and forget about it because you're like 8 years<br />you're like I was nine at the time so I didn't know any better. I didn't think of it as discrimination<br />back then. And then I guess, this isn't really much of prejudice, but just more of like a funny<br />thing but like in Middle School, I would have this thing called cold lunch. Cold lunch basically<br />means that you bring your own food for lunch instead of buying meals at school. And so<br />sometimes I would have rice with Martin purefood hotdog and they're very red and they stain<br />your rice and I would always be teased by my friends how much the hot dog was bleeding the<br />rice, basically. So yeah, and then I think probably the most prejudice of all, not to say like the the<br />hot dog incident was like kind of prejudice is more like a teasing manner, but the debate about<br />whether or not Filipino, or sorry, Filipinx people are Asian. It's started. I started noticing I started<br />hearing about that topic maybe an eighth grade. When one of my friends at the time was like “Oh<br />yeah, Filipinos aren’t Asian,” and I thought we are hello? [ quizzical expression ] and then I got to<br />ask my dad and then he's like, “Oh, yeah, we're kind of like both. We're like Asian and Pacific<br />Islander,” and then later on, he changed his response to just Asian because like for Pacific<br />Islander, you have to be—there’s like a certain like I guess requirement to be Pacific Islander?<br />Like I guess the number of islands you have or like how separated you are and stuff like that and<br />where it where your place on the map and because Philippines is technically Southeast Asian like<br />how Vietnamese people are even like, we're Asians so I don't know why some people still to this<br />day, wonder whether or not we're Asian. I mean like culture-wise, we are also very similar with<br />Asian countries as well, compared to past Pacific Islanders, which is probably one of the reasons<br />why we're not considered Pacific Islanders. We’re considered Asian and it's not just because of<br />the geography, but it's also because of our culture as well and how similar it is to the rest of<br />Asian cultures.<br />TOAN: So, how was it like, growing up with deciding between Asian or Pacific Islander when it<br />came to test scores or testing papers.<br />KATRINA: So whenever I had to place like ethnicity I am, usually they would have Filipino if<br />they broke down, if they put like if they listed down specific Asian groups.<br />[20:03]<br />KATRINA: Like Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. they would usually have Filipino. But when it<br />came to not having those and just being grouped as Asian, technically at that moment, you're<br />really just focusing on your test and making sure you do well, but like at the same time when you<br />think about it, especially now as I as I grew older, you realize like you're just being clumped up<br />[7]<br />into this one box and it's like I know I said that we have commonalities with other cultures, with<br />other Asian cultures, but we also have our differences. And if you're able to differentiate<br />Caucasian countries such as France and Germany and Italy, why not do the same for Latinx and<br />Chicanx people and like Asians as well and like Pacific Islanders too. Like heck, not everyone's<br />like Samoan or anything. Yeah, I guess.<br />TOAN: Would you happen to know if any of your family members experienced prejudice in the<br />United States?<br />KATRINA: I mean, I guess with my, like, cousin who's close to my age, maybe like him and his<br />group of friends usually tease a lot when it comes to their cultures so like, putting up the accent<br />and stuff. Probably the thing—closest thing that I can recall about being prejudice against<br />another against Filipino is yeah, I know, I've never really heard any stories, especially from my<br />parents in terms of terms of prejudice. The only thing I do recall is like, my mom would always<br />be mistaken for another ethnicity. Like some people would come up to her at like Ranch 99<br />talking to her in Chinese or Vietnamese and she's like, “Oh no, I am, I don't speak that language<br />and I'm not that,” or like technically she's not Chinese, but she doesn't speak the language. But<br />yeah, I think that's really the only thing I remember. Yeah, I don't really hear much about<br />prejudice stories and even if there were, usually like older Filipinx people, especially like your<br />relative your older relatives and your parents themselves, they probably keep it to themselves<br />and not tell their children because they wouldn't want to. They wouldn’t want us to learn about<br />things like that.<br />TOAN: Yeah, that's true. I can see that. So since you immigrated here, what generation would<br />you consider yourself: first generation, second generation, or somewhere in between?<br />KATRINA: I would consider myself 1.5 and what that basically means is I was like it's it's<br />literally how I defined myself like I moved to the states before I was like a young adult or a<br />teenager, but I still I still recall enough memories to recall my past in the Philippines. And yeah,<br />that's how I defined myself. And it's very much in the middle and in the senss like for me, I feel<br />like I'm very stuck and I can't choose one generation of the other because there are times when I<br />would I guess be my Americanized self like I believe in like, being able to speak my mind, being<br />able to think about mental health and stuff like that—things that you wouldn’t really see in our<br />culture. Whereas, I'm still tied to my culture in the sense that there's very much higher<br />expectations for me, I feel from my parents especially, to uphold the traditions that I was raised<br />up because they know that I recall all the past and so like it's kind of hard sometimes and you<br />can't really control, you can't really control, if you're like more American or you're more Filipinx,<br />if you're more second or if you're more first. Yeah, that's all I have to say for that.<br />[8]<br />TOAN: Would you happen to notice any differences then, between the first-generation and<br />second-generation?<br />KATRINA: I think it's, it definitely, a definite top difference I would say is the language because<br />you're first generation,, you know probably Tagalog or any other Filipino dialect better versus<br />the second generation. And I know there's a common issue with second gen feeling very sad that<br />their parents never really taught them how to speak the language and especially hits home when<br />you're talking to relatives who don't know how to speak English<br />[25:04]<br />KATRINA: And so it sets that generational gap, that barrier, because you lack, you lack the<br />ability to communicate with one another and it really hits home for a lot of people. Other than<br />language, what the difference between first gen and second gen I guess is, I guess first gen has<br />more cultural experience in the sense because you grow up in the Philippines. And now you're in<br />this new area that's even more diverse cuz all the culture all cultures from all around the world<br />can be found in America. Whereas the Philippines, it's mostly just Filipinx people. Yeah, I think<br />that's really only the difference that I can really say between first gen and second gen. Just other<br />than like the deep, deep level like beneath the surface. It can be said like we have some<br />commonalities like we probably grew up with the culture still like, regardless of how<br />knowledgeable we are or not about it. We grew up with home-cooked meals that are traditional<br />dishes in our in our native country, stuff like that. Yeah.<br />TOAN: So would you say that you’re, sorry. Would you consider yourself well-knowledged in<br />your culture today?<br />KATRINA: Not yet. I feel like I'm basic, if I can use that term. I feel like I'm basic in my<br />knowledge of my culture in the sense that I don't recall history as much, I don't recall all the<br />Filipino heroes that you would usually learn about in from the Philippines and I'm just beginning<br />to learn about Fil-Am history and Fil-Am history is actually not as taught in the Philippines. And<br />yeah, there's actually this like pretty cool event happening back in my hometown this August, I<br />think it's August 24th. I met a lady who's a part of an organization whose flying back to the<br />Philippines there in the hometown in Dumaguete and they’re opening in Silliman University, the<br />first Fil-Am section in their library, which is pretty cool because like, like I said, the Fil-Am<br />history is not taught in the Philippines and I think it, I think it definitely should be because<br />they're still Filipinx-identified like the people back home are as well.<br />TOAN: Why do you think Fil-Am history isn’t taught in the Philippines?<br />[9]<br />KATRINA: It might be the notion because you left home, like your history is your own history.<br />It's separate. It's separate from us from us or not from ours, but from the natives, I guess quote on<br />quote back home. [ gestures quotation marks ] I remember—actually that's probably too political.<br />But yeah, I think it's because I recently learned in ASA 1 that sometimes like maybe not just like<br />the Philippines but like officials back home at that time when you know more people especially<br />nurses were migrating to the states were leaving the country. They would be all like, “Oh, you're<br />such a shame, like you're abandoning your home your abandoning your country, you're being<br />disloyal,” and I guess that's where it all started why Fil-Am is not as learned because they want<br />to cover, they want to cover what's actually happening at home. It's, it's basically the same, it’s<br />basically kind of the same thing when it comes to US History, even though we have world<br />history in America. We also have US History, which is just all about America. And yeah I’m<br />pretty sure it’s the same in all other countries as well. But like if we could include<br />Filipinx-American history, maybe we would be able to understand more and know more as well.<br />[29:51]<br />TOAN: So, I guess overall, how do you feel about your identity as a Filipina immigrant today?<br />KATRINA: As a Filipino immigrants, I guess I don't feel as much of an immigrant anymore in<br />the sense that I don't feel as different as other people nowadays. But, I still, I still remember my<br />immigrant story or I guess I can say that I remember the past. I honor what my life was in the<br />Philippines and I honor what my life is like here in America as well. And in terms of being a<br />Filipina, I feel like I'm definitely embracing that more. I mean, I've never been ashamed to be a<br />Filipina, but I'm definitely more action to learning more about my culture and my roots here at<br />UC Davis especially thanks to the Filipinx-American community here. And yeah, I'm just I guess<br />I'm just working on that Filipina identity right now. There’s only knowing more my roots getting<br />back to my culture. Yeah<br />TOAN: Oh, wow, that sounds really great. It’s good to hear that you're still trying your best to<br />get in touch with your culture, and that you’re still making an active effort even to today, but for<br />now, I guess that is all my questions I have for you today. Katrina, I want to thank you for your<br />time and patience and for being here for me today. Do you have any final last words to wrap up?<br />KATRINA: I guess Know History, Know Roots [No History, No Roots] [ laughs ], if you know,<br />you know [ laughs ] But yeah, thank you again for interviewing me. I hope my story and what I<br />know is valuable information for whatever you want to use it for and yeah.<br />TOAN: Ok great, thank you. Alright, so interview time ended at 4:01 p.m.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Oral history interview with Katrina Orizonte
Subject
The topic of the resource
Nuerophysio and behaviour, Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Silliman University, First Generation Immigrant, Citizenship, Children of immigrants, Education (High School), Social aspects, Parenting -- Filipino Americans, Asian Identity, Filipino Identity, Filipinx Identity, mental health
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Katrina Orizonte, interviewed by Toan Tran
Date
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5-Jun-19
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0045
Asian Identity
Children of immigrants
Citizenship
Dumaguete City
Education (High School)
Filipino Identity
Filipinx Identity
First Generation Immigrant
mental health
Negros Oriental
Nuerophysio and behaviour
Parenting -- Filipino Americans
Silliman University
Social aspects
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Arnolfo Guinto
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Daichi Takise
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
Daichi: 00:01 Okay. All right. It is June 2nd, 2019 and it is 11:19 AM this is Daichi Takise I'm interviewing for the Filipino immigrant oral history project and um the person I am interviewing is. Arnolfo Guinto. Alright, so Mr. Guinto, um, let me begin by asking where and when were you born?
Mr.Guinto: 00:34 In the Phillipines May,17 1963.
Daichi: 00:38 Um, were your parents, uh, where were your parents born? Is also in Philippines.
Mr.Guinto: 00:42 uh yeah both in the Phillipines
Daichi: 00:45 Okay. Um, how many siblings did you have and did you come from a big family?
Mr.Guinto: 00:50 Five siblings, one brother and three sisters.
Daichi: 00:54 Did any of your family members moved to America before you did?
Mr.Guinto: 01:01 uh yeah my mom
Daichi: 01:01 Oh, okay. Okay.
Mr.Guinto: 01:02 My mom she was the first one
Daichi: 01:04 So you had somewhere to go when you moved over
Mr.Guinto: 01:06 yeah yeah yeah
Daichi: 01:08 Okay. Okay. Okay
Mr.Guinto: 01:11 we got petition
Daichi: 01:11 Did you, did you end up going to college out here or were you, did you go through
Mr.Guinto: 01:15 Uh yeah I went to high school here
Daichi: 01:16 Oh
Mr.Guinto: 01:19 High school and college
Daichi: 01:19 okay nice. Um, after college. I, cause I know you do you do electrical work right now, right?
Mr.Guinto: 01:26 Yeah, I did. I was in the navy.
Daichi: 01:28 Oh Wow.
Mr.Guinto: 01:29 Yeah, right after high school. Went to the US navy force for four years
Daichi: 01:34 Oh wow I didn't know that.
Mr.Guinto: 01:37 Yeah, that was me. That's, why I try to tell Aj to get your education its free.
Daichi: 01:42 Yeah. Well thank you for your service.
Mr.Guinto: 01:45 yeah thanks
Daichi: 01:45 Um, so after the navy, that's when you went into like...um...your current job, which you do electrical work?
Mr.Guinto: 01:51 yeah
Daichi: 01:51 Okay.
Mr.Guinto: 01:53 Yeah electrition-engineering work
Daichi: 01:54 Was, was it pretty, not easy, but was it, was it, um, did you face any challenges trying to get this job or what was it? Through connections?
Mr.Guinto: 02:03 No not, not so much a challenge for the military. Cuz when I joined the military you got VA benefits. Once they know you're in the military, anywhere you go, you got a job.
Daichi: 02:14 Okay.
Mr.Guinto: 02:14 With, pretty much a, that was a good help from the government.
Daichi: 02:18 Okay.
Mr.Guinto: 02:19 The military.
Daichi: 02:21 Did um,s o even in the military, did you face like challenges or anything or was just smooth sailing?
Mr.Guinto: 02:26 Yeah, it's pretty smooth sailing I guess those days in the 80s, not so much. Not well, there's this, there's still discrimination but not that much.
Mr.Guinto: 02:37 Not so much yeah
Daichi: 02:39 So you never faced anything like based off your background, everyone's pretty nice in the 80's.
Mr.Guinto: 02:45 Yeah 80 was a good year. It was good. You grew up in the 80s. It was very good.
Daichi: 02:51 Okay. Um, did you, did you, or sorry,
Mr.Guinto: 02:54 no, go ahead.
Daichi: 02:55 Did you um, decide to move mainly because your mom was out here or was there like some other reason?
Mr.Guinto: 03:02 Uhm well because we were young you know when your parents are here they have to grab their sibling cause you know you have to be together with your family. My mom got remarried and my step dad kind of help us get the U.S. My Stepdad's also use navy.
Daichi: 03:20 Oh Wow. Okay.
Mr.Guinto: 03:22 Yeah. That, that's, that's how we got here, pretty much.
Daichi: 03:25 Okay. Um, lets see
Mr.Guinto: 03:29 Through him what it did, what it did is you petition my mom and dad out there. My mom became a how they call it U.S ah Immigrant alien cardholder. She competition us, so we all came here at the same time. Oh Wow. Yeah. Actually no, not all, all my sister and my brother were here first and then I was the last.
Daichi: 03:56 Okay. So it was a little bit of a process, but it was, it wasn't too difficult right?
Mr.Guinto: 03:59 Yeah. Right. yeh its not too difficult.
Daichi: 04:02 Um, did you move anywhere else before you went to the U.S.
Mr.Guinto: 04:07 No, no, I would not move I'm too young. I was like 16. Yeah. About 16.
Daichi: 04:16 What were your thoughts about America before you came here?
Mr.Guinto: 04:20 It's just like they just like a dream, you know, we came from a poor family, you know a third world country is very poor or you see all this light you done see that lights or where I used to live all we see is uh, you know old school and make your own light, you know, based on like a, a camp like when you're going camping, you produce your own lights. You kind of like that, you know, say no. You know what I'm saying? You know, city life.
Daichi: 04:47 Yeah. You know, you know I was talking before this interview, I was telling her, I was like, cause I, I never knew the struggles of you know immigrating and stuff like that until I took this course. Right. And then all of a sudden the age of like, you know, where your dad went through, he probably was some pretty tough stuff, you know? And he was just like, Oh, do I have no idea. Yeah. You should tell him sometimes he would appreciate everything you know.
Mr.Guinto: 05:06 Yeah, yeah, yeah, well he came from a poor family he came from a third world country
Daichi: 05:11 Yeah
Mr.Guinto: 05:17 Thats why a lot of immigrant that comes here they take the opportunity you know hey take the opportunity grab it because you only see that once in a lifetime. It's not going to repeat itself.
Mr.Guinto: 05:24 Yeah. When you like, I know when you, um, before you came here you were thinking, you know, it's like a dream. All these great things are gonna Happen. Like once you got here, did, did that change at all or was it exactly what you thought it would be?
Mr.Guinto: 05:35 Oh yeah it changed. You got to really put a lot of effort into, you know, you have you have to be the go getter you know you see an opportunity you take it. Because youou don't, you never had that before. When you see it in front of your face, you know why not a at all? You want to live the American dream a good at the same time. Don't use this the wrong way.
Daichi: 05:59 Yeah. Were you, were you the oldest sibling?
Mr.Guinto: 06:02 I'm the second eldest.
Daichi: 06:04 Oh okay. Did you, did you feel any pressure from your parents kind of succeed kind of thing or was it just like..?
Mr.Guinto: 06:11 Oh, well when we came here, my Stepdad has to support five siblings right all stepkids.
Daichi: 06:19 Yeah
Mr.Guinto: 06:20 And I was working in high school to help my parents out because one income isn't enough to raise like five kids. I was working full time and I think, I think I did uh, I went to, uh, I finished my high school and Adult ed because I got to work full time to help them out. So pretty much I was working full time of gave them my check, here you go. Here's my, a portion of my health.
Daichi: 06:49 Wow
Mr.Guinto: 06:49 I kind of liked that pretty much give everything I got. You have to help out because you know, he helped us get over here, so you have to do the same thing on your part.
Daichi: 07:01 Yeah I mean it paid off in the end right?
Mr.Guinto: 07:05 Yeah, yeah it did it paid off At the end.
Daichi: 07:08 Okay so when you, when you first came over here where were you living? Was it in Cali?
Mr.Guinto: 07:11 Ah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Uh, I was in San Jose, east side San Jose.
Daichi: 07:15 Oh Wow. Okay. I'm born in San Jose. Okay.
Mr.Guinto: 07:18 Uh yeah where?
Daichi: 07:18 I am I don't remember it was, it was near the Japanese market, is where I lived for a little bit before I went to Dublin. I, it's like the first, first area of uh San Jose. So maybe south, yeah.
Mr.Guinto: 07:34 Yeah okay.
Daichi: 07:35 Yeah, it's a nice place to grow up.
Mr.Guinto: 07:37 Yeah. Yeah. I grew up in bad neighborhood. Anything east side is bad.
Daichi: 07:45 Oh, no, no. That's why I appreciate like my parents taking me to Dublin because Dublin is such a nice area.
Mr.Guinto: 07:50 Oh yeah. That's a big struggle. If could live in East Oakland, east San Jose.
Daichi: 07:58 Yeah
Mr.Guinto: 07:58 You guys are lucky. My kids are lucky because you know, we bought our house, my first house in Fremont, and after a while, you know, my kids go to elementary school over there after a while the neighborhood's getting worse. So I said, you know I've got to find spots for my kids that, you know, raise them better than better life than what I have. That's why we moved here in Dublin.
Daichi: 08:23 Yeah. So this is, this is taking a little bit of step back, but even in the Philippines, were you working?
Mr.Guinto: 08:28 What's that?
Daichi: 08:29 Were you working when you were in the Philippines?
Mr.Guinto: 08:32 Hey, I'm sorry. I couldn't hear you hang on let me get out.
Daichi: 08:33 You're fine
Mr.Guinto: 08:36 Hang on real quick, man.
Daichi: 08:37 No, you're all good, you're all good
Mr.Guinto: 08:39 Let me get my, uh, let me get out here. My wife's cooking some food in the kitchen and she got her sauce pan. Okay. Sorry, what was the question again?
Daichi: 08:48 I wanted to ask if, um, if you, uh, like had some kind of job when you're in the Philippines?
Mr.Guinto: 08:52 Mmm No no
Mr.Guinto: 08:52 oh you didn't okay
Mr.Guinto: 08:52 no
Daichi: 08:52 let me see this. After the navy, did you go to like some specialization school kind of thing or would did you` just go straight into working?
Mr.Guinto: 09:06 Ah, yeah, I pretty much went to uh, in the military they sent me to school for six months and then when you get out, you do you service you know, pretty much apply for any job that would take you...and I applied for facility work, which I don't know nothing about. That was a struggle for a while, but you know, it helps out people there are very good. Very good. To help me train.
Daichi: 09:35 Don't mind me asking, um, did you meat Mrs.Guinto after all of this or was it like when you got here?
Mr.Guinto: 09:42 Oh yeah, we met we met after 90s I think I met my wife in 89, 10 years fter
Daichi: 09:51 oh okay
Mr.Guinto: 09:53 yeah
Daichi: 09:53 Now this, is this going to be my favorite part because it's specifically going to relate to AJ, but um, did you notice anything different between first generation immigrants and the Filipino, like American year? So like between you and like your son Aj?
Mr.Guinto: 10:08 Oh yeah, there's a big difference, a big difference they got life a lot easier than what we have. We want to make sure our kids get good education the same time we, you know, we're willing to help them out as much as we can. Cuz when I was growing up, you know, I don't have anybody to help me. Well actually when my dad, well, like guess my Stepdad's Caucasian, right. Appreciate it when I turned 18 and he told me out the house, so thats why I joined the military, so I don't have no choice. Thats reason why I joined the military so I didn't have no choice.
Daichi: 10:49 Yeah. That's what we want in there of course too, is that, um, people who immigrate over, you're forced into the military just because that's like the only thing that is available, you know, other than like care taking jobs or something like that right.
Mr.Guinto: 11:02 Yeah, yeah. Cause if I didn't have any recruiter I'd ever thought, because I was 17, I think going on 18 the next year, my dad told me, you know, you gotta be 18 next year, right? I said, yes. Well, you know what that means, right? I said, I don't know. He, my dad just got caucasian. I said, I don't know that make, get out the house. I said what!, it's a surprise for me so I had talk to my mom. I said, mom, what's that mean? Well, what that means. One out of the house sent me to some, I mean she, I mean, she can't say nothing. Because, you know, it's a struggle for them as well right, raising five kids. So I said to release the, the headache or to release some tension in the house or relieve some you know, a little bit of help. So that's when I talked to my, one of the recruiters that goes to my high school took the test. He said, Oh yeah, you pass. I said, okay.
Daichi: 12:00 I mean that's good. I didn't in the end, you know, Dublin's a very nice area and you started from like basically nothing or not nothing but like you know, compared to what you have now.
Mr.Guinto: 12:08 Yeah, it's from nothing. Ay, it's a blessing. You got to count all your blessings. God is good.
Daichi: 12:15 God is definitely good.
Mr.Guinto: 12:19 Oh yeah. Got is good man. My kid doesn't know that, but you know. God, just the one that would give, it'll give and it'll take,
Daichi: 12:26 Aj will realize later once he graduates and you know, starts working everything, he'll know everything.
Mr.Guinto: 12:32 It sounds like you got good head on your shoulders, whose older, you guys are the same age right?
Daichi: 12:39 Yeah. We're on the same age, but even even for me, like after I graduate I'm moving to Japan because my parents are split and I need to go like take care of my mom, you know, so like,
Mr.Guinto: 12:49 ah, ah
Daichi: 12:50 I gotta go over there and get a job and like, you know, go through the struggle to I guess like take care of her a little bit, yeah. But I mean I'm going to make more money in America, but I feel bad because she's been living in America for like my whole life. So I think, I think she wants to live in Japan just for a little bit. You know?
Mr.Guinto: 13:06 Yeah give her that, that's your wish. Japan is nice, I wish I could live there. I mean I lived in Japan when I was in the military.
Daichi: 13:12 Oh yeah?
Mr.Guinto: 13:12 Yeah I went to Yakuzuka
Daichi: 13:17 Oh, nice.
Mr.Guinto: 13:19 Yeah Japan is nice. I liked Japan because it's clean.
Daichi: 13:22 Yeah. Well, I mean..
Mr.Guinto: 13:25 I don't know about now right now.
Daichi: 13:33 Now might be a little tough, but yeah, I mean, is there anything else that you'd like to share? Like any kind of crucial factor that you think, um, would be beneficial towards just learning about the Filipino American community? If not, that's okay. But
Mr.Guinto: 13:48 I don't have a whole lot, but the only struggle. I have, one struggle I have when I was going to High School. You know people when you get here, they make fun of your accent
Daichi: 14:01 yeh
Mr.Guinto: 14:01 You know we hardly speak English, they make fun of you know. Then they used to tell me in PE class, hey, there's one black guy, he goes, hey, why don't you go back in the Philippines? I was like what the heck. Thats kind of like struggle. White people are mean like that.
Daichi: 14:15 I know there's, there's a lot. Even now, like when I was young, I mean I don't think Aj faced anything, cuz you know he's pretty fine. But like Aj is like Aj, right. But my name is Daichi, you know, it's like really out there. So like I would get picked on too in school. But you know, in the end those people who may find you, they're probably not where you're at right now. You know, you have two awesome kids. You have a nice house, you're in a good area. So yeah.
Mr.Guinto: 14:38 Yeah , yeah, yeah like I said god is good but those are the struggles that you have to face when you immigrate. your people make fun of you or not so much you name, pretty much they, they tease you haha you're Chinese you this and that. Should go back over there. They don't know different to a Filipino and Chinese is.
Daichi: 15:02 Yeah that's an issue that is like talked about in our classes and how like, um, how immigrants and just people who aren't American are pushed to Americanize you know, just because of the environment they're in.
Mr.Guinto: 15:13 Yeah now, it's just it's nice because they got so much law that you have to follow. They can't do that. They can discriminate, which is good. They have to stay cooperative for everyone. That's why U.S. is a great country.
Daichi: 15:26 Yeah
Mr.Guinto: 15:29 I mean I don't have a lot to share those are the only struggle I have, you know going to high school people bullying you, making fun of you.
Daichi: 15:38 Those are those, those are pretty big factors Mr. Guinto you'd be surprised. Like everything you've said throughout this interview is kind of like exactly what we've been learning and like, it's good to know about, you know, someone close to me, Like, you know, you just experiences this and I'm, I feel like, uh, it's good that I'm understanding that, you know, all this stuff is happening everywhere. Right. Even people who are right around, you know, right in Dublin, so.
Mr.Guinto: 16:01 yeah, you got to know when I was in High School I had to know the people that wants to hang out with me, because I had a Samoan friend back then he is a pretty big dude. I hang with him and he go "Hey Arnol if anyone mess with you let me know" wow he seems like a big brother to me, I got to get a help me on that. Okay, cool. you a big dude, Yeh after that nobody really messed around with me after that.
Daichi: 16:31 Yeah aw thats nice. Alright Mr.Guinto I feel like I'm taking up all your time.
Mr.Guinto: 16:35 Oh. And anything else I can help you with it. I think that's pretty much the honors I have and information for you.
Daichi: 16:42 and I'm, I'm really glad I took this class because I honestly, I feel like I never asked him these questions too, cause they're really personal, you know?
Mr.Guinto: 16:48 Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you know, you've gotta be open.
Daichi: 16:51 Yeah.
Mr.Guinto: 16:52 I'm open. I mean, I'm cool with that. nothing to hide thats how it is man life is life.
Daichi: 16:57 No cause I got, I, I really do have mad respect for like, you know Justin's dad and you know sh shows that in youtube, cause I know you guys are doing, you guys are working really hard compared to a lot of people to have what you have. Right. So I want you to know, I really appreciate you know, where you started and where you came and I know you, I mean I don't know what Aj is doing right now. Like I don't know, like um, cause I, I we we talk but we don't talk a lot about like just like where he's at in life. But I think in the end...
Mr.Guinto: 17:27 Yeah Aj he has got hooked up man, I got him hooked up with a job at my buddies company.
Daichi: 17:33 Oh Nice. Okay.
Mr.Guinto: 17:45 Yeh he is doing a little bit of engineering he is working with my buddy. He is one of my best friends, from back in the days. So he is in a good spot. I told him just do good over there. You'll, you'll be better off with him because he's got an engineering firm. So into project management, whatever he wants to do, but don't just stay focused don't be hanging around the wrong crowd. Now, you guys are good kid, man. I remember you guys when you guys play football with me. That was man, that was many moons ago.
Daichi: 18:11 Yeah, I remember when we used to box it un in your garage. I never do it cause I get my ass kicked. But I saw, you know, Ajand Dj going at it all the time.
Mr.Guinto: 18:22 No I dont know about now, I haven't seen Dj. I haven't seen Dj in a while.
Daichi: 18:26 Yeah, he's been busy just working. I think he works with a dentist or something.
Mr.Guinto: 18:29 Oh that's good. That's good man. You guy's its a small world man. You guys have one of these days, you got to have a reunion.
Daichi: 18:37 Yeah, well I mean with Aj, I'm telling you Mr. Guinto, I only keep like, you know, good hearted people around me. And Aj is a good guy, you know?
Mr.Guinto: 18:45 Oh yeah. he is a good kid you know my boy I have a struggle with him for a little while until I straightened them out, I straightened him out. I mean, as much as I love my son I hit him one time and that was it.
Daichi: 18:58 Yeah.
Mr.Guinto: 18:59 Yeah. You gotta do, you gotta show them love. Just because you hit your kid doesn't mean you hit your kids. you hit your kid because it makes differently. Yeah I'm pretty sure he knows that he, he changed a lot.
Daichi: 19:10 Yeh he is growing up
Mr.Guinto: 19:10 He's, he is finally coming back.
Daichi: 19:15 Well hopefully, hopefully I'll see you around the house you know I will probably come back sometime.
Mr.Guinto: 19:18 Yeah, yeah. You guys still live in, uh, Dublin right?
Daichi: 19:22 No, no we sold the house in Dublin.
Mr.Guinto: 19:24 Oh so where you at now?
Daichi: 19:25 Um, my dad's in Sacramento. My mom has a place in Japan so, but I live in Davis cause I'm at UC Davis, so we just have like a apartment here with like a bunch of my housemates. But I'll come back and forth to, to Dublin to see everybody, you know, cause that's like, where everyone is.
Mr.Guinto: 19:41 Yeah if you're going to be around, let me know, man.
Daichi: 19:43 Yeah, for sure.
Mr.Guinto: 19:43 I'll take you guys out for lunch
Daichi: 19:45 Oh, awesome. No, I should take you up for lunch. You're helping me right now. I should take you out for lunch or you're helping me, right now.
Mr.Guinto: 19:52 No, no, thats not help man. Yeh I wish that help you a lot. If you're around the area.
Daichi: 20:00 Yeah, I'll, I'll definitely hit you up.
Mr.Guinto: 20:03 I had a friend that goes to UC Davis. He is a kid, used to be my neighbor.
Daichi: 20:10 Oh you mean Ron right?
Mr.Guinto: 20:12 No, not Ron. His name is uh Sal. He is a Afghani but he is a good kid. He's doing the mechanical engineer he got another year till he is finished.
Daichi: 20:28 Jeeze
Mr.Guinto: 20:28 Yeah, you know, get school and he says, he is gonna be finished at 25. I said, you know what, you got to you, no matter what, you still got to keep going to school, man. Don't stop. Don't stop after that.
Daichi: 20:39 Yeah education is required.
Mr.Guinto: 20:41 Yeah, you need that. I told my son ay keep going to school and you know, nobody got to tell you to stop. I wish I could go back to school, but yes just don't have time.
Daichi: 20:51 Yeah.
Mr.Guinto: 20:52 Too busy making money.
Daichi: 20:53 Yeah, don't worry. And then Asia will take care of you. I think he is a very family kind of guy.
Mr.Guinto: 20:58 Yeah, he's a good kid. Thats all I can say, both of my kids turned out to be good kids.
Daichi: 21:02 Yeah, definitely.
Mr.Guinto: 21:04 You guys too man, I seen you guys you grow up you guys, I see you guys in front of my eyes like you guys are my kids.
Daichi: 21:14 Aw thanks Mr.Guinto, I just want to know you're a good father figure. The first time I worked out was with in your garage.
Mr.Guinto: 21:19 Oh yeah, I remember that.
Daichi: 21:22 That was when we were really little.
Mr.Guinto: 21:22 Yeah, I took that weights out of my garage. My garage is nice and clean now.
Daichi: 21:24 Oh yeah?
Mr.Guinto: 21:24 Yeah its just that I don't use anymore because I don't work out in the garage its taking up too much space so I give it to my sister so I just go to the gym. Well it was good chatting with you, man. I mean you know when you're in the area let us know so one of these days Aj know that you are coming we'll go BBQ.
Daichi: 21:50 Oh sweet. Yeah, I'm definitely down. Yeah. I really appreciate you giving us your time right before work. Especially in like
Mr.Guinto: 21:56 Oh no worries man. Anytime you know you can always count on me.
Daichi: 21:59 Okay and the words of wisdom will definitely stick with me.
Mr.Guinto: 22:01 Oh yeah. That's good. That's good.
Daichi: 22:05 All right.
Mr.Guinto: 22:05 Alright you have a good day Daichi
Daichi: 22:06 You too thanks Mr.Guinto take care, bye
Mr.Guinto: 22:08 You're welcome Bye now.
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Oral History Interview with Arnolfo Guinto
Subject
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U.S. Military Veterans, U.S. Navy, San Francisco Bay Area, Fremont, California, Dublin - California, First Generation Immigrants, Racism,
Description
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Oral history interview with Arnolfo Guinto, interviewed by Daichi Takise
Date
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2-Jun-19
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Audio Recording and Transcript
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0044
California
Dublin - California
first generation immigrants
Fremont
racism
San Francisco Bay Area
U.S. Military Veterans
U.S. Navy
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
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Interviewer
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Kim Somebang
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Isabelo Somebang
Transcription
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[Session 1, June 8, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Hello, so I’m going to interview my dad. Okay. Where and when were you born? <br /><br />I SOMEBANG: I was born in Bangaan, Sagada, Mountain Province. On December 24, 1956.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: And where were your parents born?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: They were also born around that area. <br /><br />K SOMEBANG: What kind of jobs did your parents do?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: They are both farmers.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: What kind of farmer?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Farming vegetables, rice. They have rice fields. They have garden and that’s it.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Do you know what your great grandparents did?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: All of, most of the people who are from that area do the same thing, farming. Just to survive. <br /><br />K SOMEBANG: So, you came from a big family correct?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Oh yes, yes.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: So how many siblings did you have?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: I have 6 brothers. No no no. 5 brothers and 1 sister, so there’s 7 of us. Yeah [laugh] because 6 including me and 1 sister. I’m the youngest among us.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Cool, do you know if your parents came from big families?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Uh, yes. Both of them, my dad, there’s also 7 of them, siblings. And my mom, there’s 6 of them siblings. And all of them have their own family. Except my own my dad’s side, one didn’t get married. <br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Oh.<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: But the one that didn’t get married also helped a lot of her nieces and nephews. She helped them get their education.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: How?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: By providing financial and also telling them about the United States because among us, she is, I think she among the family relatives, I think she’s the second one that came here to the States. And then she came here to the States as a nurse.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Uhm, were your parents. So, was anybody educated?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Uhm, I think both my parents – no. They are not educated. My dad, uh since, uh, where we came from the American missionaries came there since I believe it’s 1898. Missionaries came to Sagada and that’s where my dad learned how to speak English by going with them. And sometimes, my dad will translate from the Missionaries to the people over there because at that time, most of the people there were Pagans. They were practicing Pagans. So, on my dad’s side, according to my dad, our grandfather was one of the first one to convert to Christianity – Episcopal or Anglican in particular. The agreement of the American missionaries and the Catholics were [that] wherever the Catholics are, the American Missionaries will not go to those places. They will go to the places where the people are still Pagans or Atheists as they say. And those are the ones that the American missionaries went to convert them to Episcopalian or Anglicans.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: So, when the American Missionaries came, were they welcomed in?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Oh yes, yes. They very much welcomed. And actually, because of the Missionaries, a lot of the people from that isolated area became educated. Down the line, one of the first ones that became bishop of the Philippine Episcopal Church is from that area.<br /><br />[4:44]<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Okay. So as being the youngest in your family, who were the main people taking care of you growing up?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Growing up, mostly it’s my parents because my brothers, when they grow up, they will go to like, go to my uncle’s and they help over there. Or they have better opportunity if they go to other places, go to my uncle’s. And then my sister left early. She was a maid of a priest I think, in Camp John Hay. Camp John Hay is one of the, uh, vacation areas where the American Missionaries or the US military set up over there in Baguio, Philippines. So, it’s mostly – I was – I lived with my parents until I finished high school. I was the one that always stayed with them. Help them, they help me. They nurture me<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Okay. Were you, being the youngest again, were you concerned about being a role model to any other younger cousins? <br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Actually, no because among us, uh, I have cousins that [are] a little bit younger than me but mostly of about 1 or 2 years younger. So, it’s basically I kind of the same age–<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Just friends?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Yeah so, not really. But when my nephews and nieces were growing up, yeah of course I was concerned because as I said, I stayed with my parents, uh, until high school and some of my brothers got married early and their kids come to see their grandpa and grandma at our house, and yeah. I was concerned, taking care of them, showing them the right verses the wrong.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Unfortunately, it’s not good because of lack of funds or lack of financial support. I didn’t do good in the Philippines. High school, you know, is good because I studied in a Christian school, Saint James High School in Besao, Mountain Province and, uh, it was good there. But when I went to college, I didn’t do good. And over there, unfortunately during our time there, most of my peers, they smoke and they drink. And of course, ended up drinking and smoking with them instead of going to school. So it wasn’t that good.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: In high school?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: In college. Because I went to college over there for 2 or 3 years. But I barely pass any subjects because of that.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: What college were you going to?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: I went to –<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: And what were you studying?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: I was – I went to Mountain State Agricultural College that is right now, it is called Benguet State University. It’s in La Trinidad, Benguet. And when we were growing up, most of the people that – I have cousins that finished forestry in UP Los Banos and I was also encouraged to take forestry. But I didn’t do good.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Did you have any jobs in the Philippines?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: No, just a little bit of carpentry, helping, just a little kind of handyman. Not really handy, handy man. But it’s just a labor day job. We have to sometimes, if we just mix, mix cement all day, concrete, that’s all we do. And sometimes just cut a wood or just do some, just do a little work here and there basically.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: What were you building?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: We were, at that time, my aunt bought a house and we were improving her house.<br /><br />[9:36]<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: So, did any family members move to America before you?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Oh yeah, there’s a lot of them. And actually, how I came here was – I have a cousin who opened a restaurant in Natchitoches, Louisiana and offered me to go over there in Louisiana and, uh, the arrangement was good. Uh, he will pay my tuition to college and in return, I have to work at his restaurant. Unfortunately that didn’t, that didn’t materialize. [cough] I stayed with them but, uh, I noticed that from the get-go, I noticed that they were more interested in me working at the restaurant, making money. And in return, they weren’t really concerned about my studies so that’s why it didn’t work out. <br /><br />I have to support myself. I studied over there in Northwestern University in Louisiana and I have a degree. But when I finished, I didn’t use that degree to find a job unfortunately.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: So, did you wish you did something in that field?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Yes, I wish I studied more of – the thing there is, not making excuses, but when I was going to school and at the same time working hard, when I left my cousins restaurant, I worked in, uh, fried chicken restaurant, Farmer’s Brown. And then I don’t know if you have heard of Church’s Fried Chicken – I worked there and actually, I became a manager and I thought I was doing good. I was promised a franchise store later on down the line, but that also flamed out.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Okay, so, when exactly did you immigrate to the Philippines? I mean, to America?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: I came here in the States in August of 1981 and I came as a student. I have a student visa because as I said, the arrangement with my cousin was: I come here to pursue my education and then work at his restaurant. So I came here as a student at first, to learn English as a foreign language. That was on my application.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: So when you came here, was there a huge language barrier for you or with your education with a background of American Missionaries, was that helpful?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Yeah, actually no because when I came here I already – not good, good, good, polished English. But I already – I’m already – I can already speak English. So there’s no problem. Actually, it’s interesting because when I was in Louisiana studying at university, I was helping some of the students from other foreign countries like Thailand or Japan, Taiwan, even the Middle East – Israel and Iran – I have some friends that yeah, they really have a hard time, so I was helping some of those.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Did you wish you travelled or went other places before coming to the US?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Uh, not really no.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Was it ever your goal to come to America and stay here?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Not really because, uh, I have another cousin that has, that was offered by my cousin to come to work at his restaurant, but I don’t know what happened between that [cough], between my cousin and our cousin in Louisiana, I don’t know what happened because he was just waiting for his plane ticket to come to America. Then next thing you know, I was told that if I was asked if I am interested in to come here, and of course, everybody at that time in the Philippines, everybody wants to come here. So, and without hesitation, I said “yes, I want to go” and that’s how I ended up here.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: What were your thoughts about America before you moved here?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: It was, uh, everybody’s goal to come here. Yeah, as I said, I have an aunt, I have an uncle, I have some cousins that’s already here and every time they always talk about how good is America compared to America, so of course I wanna [cough] – I want to come here also. <br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Now that you’ve been living here for, how many years?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: I – 81 – now it’s 2019… That’s what, 81, 91, 2001, 2011… What, 30 – 37, 38 years? It’s uh, it’s good, uh you know, I still have a feeling about my home country the Philippines. Uh, so, by grace of God if I retire, maybe I spend some time here with my kids and some time, go back to the Philippines. Maybe 6 months here, 6 months there.<br /><br />[15:20]<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: So what was different about living here opposed to living in the Philippines?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Living here is of course, the environment is a big, big, big, big difference. Pollution in the Philippines is really bad. Over here, well, clean air and also the food. The food here is a lot cleaner or even, you know, food poisoning – not very common here, over there, yeah it is very common. Sanitation also. And then, most importantly, me and my wife are getting old. Health insurance and medical care is also important to us. That’s why if we can live there for 6 months and then come here for 6 months, get ourselves checked and then go back again, that’s the goal.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: What was, what would you say was the biggest obstacle to overcome when you first was trying to assimilate here?<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: I guess, hey, that’s an interesting question because when I [cough] – the place, the town where I went in Louisiana, maybe there’s not even 10 are considered Asian Americans, there’s very few of us so that’s the difficult one because everything you see is either white or black. So you keep communicating in English. And of course the cultures is – culture is different. Louisiana is, you know, over there in the Philippines it’s okay, but when I went to Louisiana, it’s very conservative state. And then racism, I noticed that where I stayed in Louisiana because as they say, there’s white neighborhood and there’s black neighborhood. So those are kind of hard to adjust to. You have to learn to, [think] “Wait a minute, I’m in a black neighborhood, I better behave like ‘this’.” The same thing if you go to a white neighborhood, you have to behave differently, like try to be one of them but, I of course, I’m not. Yeah.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Were you ever motivated to bring your siblings here? <br /><br />I SOMEBANG: I was. Unfortunately, by that time that I have a chance, well they also have their own family. And they have some to take care of, so I was thinking of nieces and nephews but what I did was try to help them, some of them, to get their education first and tell them what kind of jobs that they would be better off if they study like, well of course Filipinos, not just Filipinos, but all the people there, nursing is very uh, common. Here, there’s a lot of Filipino nurses here so some of them, I tell them, “If you want a better way to come here, study nursing. I will help a little bit, whatever I can do to help for your tuition.” And we did that, but unfortunately, uh, nobody ever graduated because of our help. Instead, the money that we sent, they use it for other stuff such as smoking or drinking or whatever. <br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Uhm, now that you’re here, how has it been teaching your kids about your background? Because, because, both of your kids are both born in America, were there, are there – did you have goals in teaching them your background and the culture?<br /><br />[19:34]<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Well yeah, of course, uh, over here, luckily where we came from, and there’s as I said, we are from the Mountain Province, and Mountain Province used to be called Bontoc. And there’s this organization where the nearby provinces called “BIBAK”: Benguet, Ifugao, Bontoc, Apayao, and Kalinga – they have a big organization and 1 of the missions or goals of that organization is to pass on the culture to the kids, and that’s what we’ve been doing. My wife and I try to educate our 2 girls of the culture that we came from, the traditions that we practice. <br /><br />[20:21]<br /><br />The same thing, they are very lucky that, uh, when we first went home to the Philippines, my parents were gone. But my wife’s dad was still alive, so we were able to introduce them to my wife’s dad and yeah, he was telling them about the traditions that we do – we practice as, uh, we call ourselves “Igorots,” what we practice. And also of course, we are Christians, so we do it both ways according to my wife’s dad, we can do our own culture and then on Sundays, we can also go to church. <br /><br />And luckily, I was able – we were able to uh, pass that on to our kids. And so far, uh, they learned because like, Kim, when Kim came here to Davis, there’s this Filipino cultural night and for 2 years she was able to showcase the traditions or the practices that we do from those 5 provinces.<br /><br />K SOMEBANG: Okay, well I think that answered a lot, thank you for your time.<br /><br />I SOMEBANG: Of course! [laughs]
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Oral History Interview with Isabelo Somebang
Subject
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Bangaan, Sagada, Agricultural Workers, Farmers, Indigenous Philippine folk religions, Philippine Episcopal Church, Mountain State Agricultural College, Carpentry, First Generation Immigrant
Description
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Oral History Interview with Isabelo Somebang, interviewed by Kim Somebang
Date
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8-Jun-19
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Audio Recording and Transcript
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0043
Agricultural Workers
Bangaan
Carpentry
farmers
First Generation Immigrant
Indigenous Philippine folk religions
Mountain State Agricultural College
Philippine Episcopal Church
Sagada
-
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
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An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
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Interviewer
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Janelle Salanga
Interviewee
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Rosalea (Leah) Real
Transcription
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[Session 1, May 27, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />SALANGA: Okay, so this interview is taking place in Tracy, California, May 27, 2019 [at 9:37 am]. And I’m<br />interviewing Leah Real, who’s my neighbor and a family friend [for the Filipino Immigrant Oral History<br />Project]. And I’m Janelle Salanga. First of all, I just want to start out by asking: Where and when were you<br />born?<br />REAL: I was born in Manila, Philippines in the year 1971.<br />SALANGA: And do you have any fond memories of growing up in Manila – did you stay there the entire –<br />REAL: I was born in a hospital in Manila, but we actually lived in the suburbs. It’s called Valenzuela, it’s a<br />different city. So that one, at the time, was more farming. Which like Tracy, I guess.<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: But now the farms are gone here, so.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, that’s true.<br />REAL: It was a farming place and the people were very close-knit. I guess that’s typical of Filipino villages.<br />When you live in the city, like, people sometimes don’t even know each other, even though they’re neighbors.<br />But in the suburbs, people are more closely-knit. So sometimes your brothers and sisters and your parents or<br />grandparents, they live there a long time. And so everybody knows everybody. And sometimes I will walk to<br />school – it’s like maybe a 2 mile walk – and you’ll know everybody along the way until you get to school. So<br />you feel really safe. So in that way, I think at that time, at least when I was growing up, I felt really safe, you<br />know. Like little kids will just play outside in the streets and their parents will let them. Or sometimes, even<br />though I was like seven years old, they will just give me money to buy something from the store that we need<br />to cook, for example. But of course, nowadays, I don’t think a lot of parents even there would do that. But at<br />the time, it was like that.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, because that was over 40 years ago, or 30 years ago, so the dynamic is really different.<br />REAL: That’s true, yeah. And we just play outside.<br />SALANGA: Did you find that some of your best friends came from those experiences?<br />REAL: I became friends with the neighbors, but I think best-friend-wise, it’s usually the school friends that<br /><br />[2]<br />become closer to you, so I think for me I’m more closer to them – to my school friends than my actual<br />neighbors. But we still keep in touch and some of their kids were, you know, my godchildren.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay. And keeping in touch is super easy now that social media [REAL: Yeah, that’s true.] is<br />here. So aside from those friends that you made, you talked about siblings always playing out and it feels like<br />the entire neighborhood is your sibling, but did you have any siblings?<br />REAL: Actually there’s six of us siblings that are alive now. I have one other brother, but he passed away<br />when we were little, so I didn’t even get to know him.<br />SALANGA: So what was that like, growing up in a big family?<br />REAL: Well, I was the fifth in the family. I think it’s probably common, like some people will say that when<br />you are the youngest, you get more spoiled, and when you are the oldest you also get the good stuff because<br />you are first. But then you get more responsibility. And because I was in the middle, kind of, there’s nothing<br />definitive about my place in the family or something like that. But I guess that’s common. Any family, even<br />here, probably. But I was really close with my youngest sister and when we were younger, we fought a lot.<br />You know, like toys, or snacks. But then when we grew up, we became really good friends. Especially in high<br />school, there’s like just a two year gap between us, me and my youngest sister. So she’s a nurse now in Oman,<br />it’s part of the Middle East. And it’s not really well known because it’s a small place and they’re more western<br />than most Middle East countries.<br />SALANGA: What is it like being so separate when you were so close growing up?<br />REAL: You mean, like right now?<br />SALANGA: Yeah, right now.<br />[4:52]<br />REAL: I guess it doesn’t feel really far away now, you’re right, because of social media. You feel like you’re<br />closer to everybody. But there was a time when – because I was always traveling – like right after I graduated<br />from college, I already had a job and I was sent on training in Japan. And then I went back and forth between<br />– [inaudible]<br />SALANGA: So I’m pausing the recording.<br />[pause – Real goes to talk with her family, specifically her husband and youngest child.]<br />SALANGA: So we were talking about your sister being in Saudi – or the Middle East.<br />REAL: Yeah, in Oman. Like in terms of our relationship or...<br />SALANGA: Yeah, how has that affected your relationship, being in different countries but both still being<br />away from the Philippines?<br /><br />[3]<br />REAL: Yeah, so in my case, I’ve been traveling a lot, so I’m kind of used to – like in the beginning, I didn’t<br />really settle down in one place and build friendships there, because when you’re always traveling, it’s hard<br />to...yeah. I form friendships while I’m there, like for example, in Japan. There’s actually one – one person I<br />was really close with, a Japanese friend, and we still keep in touch. But we haven’t seen each other in a long<br />time. And for my sister, she stayed in the Philippines until our parents passed away, because she was a nurse<br />and she was the youngest and single. So she was the one who took care of our parents when they got sick and<br />then they eventually passed away. And we keep in contact constantly. And sometimes we schedule vacations<br />together, like when we went to the Philippines, so we could meet up. And then actually last fall, she was here.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: Yeah, she was so happy to get the visa, the visitor visa. Because for Filipinos, it’s not that easy to get.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: Yeah.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, there’s a lot of – the process is really lengthy.<br />REAL: So we’re [her and her sister] still close.<br />SALANGA: That’s good. So you talked about how you traveled a lot, and how, you know, before you settled<br />down here you had a lot of international experience. Can you tell me about some of that?<br />REAL: The earlier ones were mostly through work. So it’s not really traveling because of vacation, you know<br />– I couldn’t really afford it, even if I wanted to. Yeah, but, I realized how different other places were. And<br />every place – every place has an advantage and disadvantage. And meeting the people and learning their<br />culture, I think, it opened my eyes. Because if you don’t travel, and you just stay where you’ve been born and<br />lived the whole of your life, you think that that’s all there is to life, but it’s not really true. Because even as<br />we’re talking now, people in other places, they’re doing their stuff. Living their lives. And traveling, I think, is<br />a good way for you to learn a lot about life and the important things in life as well.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: Because I noticed even though, in Japan, for example, they have different culture and all that, they still<br />value family. They love their children. They think education is important and they take care of the<br />environment. So you could see that at the end of the day, it’s not that much different.<br />SALANGA: Right, everybody has different priorities, but all the values are the same.<br />REAL: Yes, yeah.<br />SALANGA: So, speaking of values and priorities, why did you choose America to come and raise your<br />children?<br /><br />[4]<br /><br />GLENN REAL: Hello. [Real’s husband – he hands Salanga a mug of hot chocolate. Real laughs.]<br />REAL: So actually, for me, I had opportunity to work in other countries as well. Especially Japan. Actually,<br />when I accepted the offer to work here and move here, I was also considering accepting another position in<br />Japan. But I considered the practical aspects.<br />[9:57]<br />REAL: Like for example, in Japan, even if you live there for a really long time, you can never become a<br />citizen. You’re always an outsider. It’s just their culture and maybe their law as well. So in that sense, the<br />United States is very welcoming, very open. And even though you’re not born here – me, I’m not born here –<br />I’m still considered a citizen after I went through the citizenship process. Yeah, so, in that sense, people, I<br />guess, in general – people accept you as a citizen here, even though I wasn’t really born here. But in Japan,<br />they just won’t. Even if you married a Japanese, or yeah. It’s just not – it’s just different. And then there, it’s<br />very expensive. So even if I’m paid the same amount, convert it to yen over there and dollars over here, I<br />can’t afford, for example, a car. Even if I could, where will I put it? They cannot have houses like this with a<br />two-car garage. So there’s just practical differences as well, and then it’s the expense. It’s actually beautiful<br />over there [in Japan]. It’s very clean. And the people are different. So like I said, you won’t be accepted as an<br />equal. It’s just their culture.<br />SALANGA: Right. Yeah. And I think that’s such a big thing when you choose to settle down somewhere is<br />being able to feel like you can assimilate and feel at home.<br />REAL: That’s true. And also for the Filipinos, I think we have been influenced by the U.S.A. a lot, I think. So<br />a lot of people in the Philippines actually think it’s bad because it’s like – the way you think, they say it’s<br />colonial mentality. That’s like a common term there. Like when you say something, they don’t agree because<br />they think, “Oh, it’s like a foreign idea. Oh, you have colonial mentality, and it’s a bad thing.” But I think in a<br />sense, it’s good because when I came here, it wasn’t that hard for me to assimilate and to adjust. Because it’s<br />almost, in a way, the same – because some of our beliefs in the Philippines are kind of similar, you know –<br />you want to be free, you want to be independent, stuff like that. But in other countries, I could see it’l be<br />harder for them. Like for example, I have officemates from India. And it’s just so hard for them. Even<br />though they’ve been here for a long time –<br />SALANGA: The values clash.<br />REAL: It’s all still Indian stuff. Yeah, they don’t assimilate that well.<br />SALANGA: That’s really interesting to me that you say you conceive the similarity in Filipino and American<br />values as Filipinos want to be free and independent. Because for me, it’s always seemed that a big part of<br />Filipino culture, at least from my family, is that it’s very group-oriented. Whereas in America, yeah, they<br />emphasize teamwork, but ultimately it’s about independent growth. Where I feel like in Filipino culture, it’s<br />always stressed – you’re always putting your family first, you’re always putting the group first, instead of<br />putting yourself first. So I don’t know, I guess – did you think --<br />REAL: Well, maybe it’s just me then! [laughs] I see things differently.<br /><br />[5]<br /><br />SALANGA: Did you think differently? Yeah. I mean, what were your thoughts about America before you<br />moved here?<br />REAL: Actually, my whole idea is what I learned from the books and see in the movies. So it’s kind of<br />idealistic, in a sense. People having rights, you know, that your rights don’t come from the government.<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: I thought that was very interesting. Because in the Philippines, we’re a little bit like socialist. They say<br />it’s democratic, but it’s a little bit socialist. There’s a little bit of socialism there. And I thought that here, you<br />could truly make something out of yourself the way you wanted it to. In the Philippines, there’s a lot of<br />barriers, actually, that I think is not here. Like for example, at my age, it would be hard to find a good job.<br />Because they discriminate against older people.<br />SALANGA: Oh.<br />REAL: Yeah. It’s just the way it is.<br />SALANGA: Right, so there’s a lot more ageism in the Philippines, you’re saying? Or that you see compared<br />to here.<br />REAL: Yes, that’s part of it. Yes. So if you’re competing with a younger person, for example, it may be harder<br />for you too. I guess it depends, as well, what you’re applying for. But unlike here. Because there’s a law.<br />SALANGA: Yeah. That you can’t discriminate. Title IX.<br />REAL: Even though there’s still some of it here, I think, but.<br />SALANGA: Yeah. But it’s less – like there’s no law against that in the Philippines. So for example, if we were<br />going for the same job, then it wouldn’t be based on experience. It would be based on youth.<br />[15:01]<br />REAL: Yeah. And actually, my family and my parents, grandparents, we were – they’re Catholics, actually. So<br />in the Philippines, it’s like 98% maybe – it’s a ripe percentage of the population who practices Catholicism.<br />And when I was in high school, I decided I don’t want to be one anymore. I wanted to be something else.<br />And that was like, at the time as well, an idea that doesn’t go well with people. So they thought I was being<br />“rebellious”, that I’m going to the devil, stuff like that.<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: Really! Even the neighbors, you know, they will.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, because it’s like, if you’re not Catholic, you’re not Christian. You don’t count.<br /><br />[6]<br /><br />REAL: But here, you’re more free to practice what you believe.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: I appreciated that.<br />SALANGA: So your thoughts about America, how did they change after you arrived?<br />REAL: Oh yeah, I talked about idealism, and you know, on the TV, we usually see this white picket fence.<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Yeah.<br />REAL: It’s what they show, right? And when I came here, it was still a little bit like that. Like I think I wasn’t<br />disappointed the first time I came here. Like I was actually surprised – some people will park in the top-down<br />cars, there’s not a lot of those in the Philippines. It’s probably top down because it’s broken.<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: And it’s in the Philippines. It’s actually expensive to buy cars like that. Sometimes they’ll park in a<br />parking lot that’s all open but nobody will steal it. It’s just like that. And people actually follow the rules.<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Oh yeah.<br />REAL: Like traffic lights. And they drive very disciplined, in a disciplined manner, you know. In the<br />Philippines, we have laws like that too, but if people can get away with it, they will try.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, that’s true. Like even just going and seeing the Manila traffic, people don’t listen to the<br />crosswalks.<br />REAL: So the sad part is, at least in California, I’m noticing [that it] is looking like the Philippines every day,<br />so I’m sad in that way. Like I don’t know what it is. It could be because I don’t know. Maybe people haven’t<br />really learned. Because if you’re transplanted here, you’re already an adult. You know, you’re used to how it<br />was where you came from and probably they don’t wanna follow the – I don’t know. Even with the crime, no<br />one right now these days, no one would think of leaving their cars just open like that because even if it’s<br />locked, people break in. So there’s a lot more crime, I think – you don’t feel as safe as before.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay, so that’s what you meant. [inaudible]<br />REAL: Yeah, so I can compare because 1998 was when I arrived here. And at the time, the price of gas was<br />ninety-six cents, would you believe – per gallon? [inaudible]<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Wow, that’s at least three hundred times that [now].<br /><br />[7]<br />REAL: Yeah, it’s a lot of difference. And I guess in that sense, the practical day-to-day, I notice there’s a lot<br />of difference, and not all of it is good. What else is there? But the basic stuff, the freedom, of course, is there.<br />That one hasn’t changed. But some of the little things, every day – it wasn’t like this before. When you think<br />[inaudible]<br />SALANGA: So if there are things you could change, aside from the crime, to fit the America you used to see,<br />what would they be?<br />REAL: So what is it in particular that I would like? This is more, I guess, in a way, politics. Because I feel like<br />these days, everything is politicized. You know, there’s always an agenda behind something. I think it wasn’t<br />like that before when I came here. Like you could say your own opinion and then people will listen and, I<br />don’t know, not get mad at you or even hurt you. But now it’s scary to say some things that most people may<br />not like because they could hurt you. Like you can’t even put some symbols on your vehicle that people will<br />disagree with or they might damage your car. I don’t know, maybe it’s just the behavior of the people have<br />changed.<br />SALANGA: The kind of atmosphere. Especially.<br />[19:52]<br />REAL: People are more violent. And they think it’s okay –<br />SALANGA: And I think politics is a lot more bipartisan now. Or at least more visibly so, in a way that I’ve<br />never heard it talked about in the history books. Because I think it’s very polarized, the way it’s represented in<br />popular culture and the way it manifests because of our current president and our political environment. It’s<br />hard to avoid that kind of atmosphere being created.<br />REAL: Yeah, but still, we can debate. We can exchange words and share ideas. Like destroying property or<br />hurting people, that’s a different story.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, that’s very true.<br />REAL: And I think in that sense, people are less inhibited to display what they’re actually feeling. Sometimes<br />maybe more boundaries needed.<br />SALANGA: And people are very quick to judge. I think that’s another thing about social media too, is that it<br />makes it really easy to just sit behind a screen and forget that this is another person.<br />REAL: That’s true. Especially the idea of being anonymous. We don’t really know you, so you can say<br />whatever youe want.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, it’s all a choice. And sometimes, it comes back to haunt you. Really, at the end of the day,<br />it’s your actions.<br />[Real talks inaudibly to Salanga, looking for something]<br /><br />[8]<br />SALANGA: So I guess moving to a different topic, or moving backward, where were your parents born?<br />And what did they do and what did your grandparents do?<br />REAL: So my parents were born in the Philippines as well, but they’re from different provinces. So my mom,<br />she’s a dressmaker, and she finished vocational school, so it’s high school plus vocational school to learn<br />dressmaking. And then my dad, he finished college, but it’s a different course. I think agriculture. But then he<br />worked as a salesman. So he sold Singer brand sewing machines. It’s an American brand, I think? Singer?<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: So that was what he did. And then my grandparents also were born there – we actually have a Spanish<br />bloodline, so according to what my grandparents said, one of our uncles was a Spanish general. So that was<br />interesting, I thought. And my father’s last name was weird, I thought it sounded German.<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: Yeah, we never figured out that part of the family because we’re not very close with that side.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: Because my grandmother separated with my grandpa when my dad was little, that’s why. So I don’t<br />really know, but my brother was saying that someone from Facebook – from Germany – kind of tagged him<br />and asked him about his last name. It was funny, I thought.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, I’m sure that was definitely a surprise to have that happen. Do you have any fond<br />memories with the grandparents that you are close to or with your parents that really stick close with you?<br />REAL: Yeah, so actually, both grandpas passed away when I was born. But I think some of my older siblings<br />got to know them as they were growing up, but for me, they weren’t there anymore. So I was really close with<br />both our grandmothers, but one of them, my paternal grandmother, lived with us. And that’s actually quite<br />common in the Philippines as well, like multiple generations of families sleeping together. And the houses<br />there are bigger as well, so they could afford to do that. And a lot of times, it’s the grandparents or the<br />parents that own the house where the kids live, even with their own families. That’s also quite common at the<br />time. But maybe these days, it’s more Westernized than that.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, usually kids leave.<br />REAL: Kids leave, yeah.<br />SALANGA: Did you live with your parents when you were going to college?<br />REAL: When I was going to college, yeah. I still went home, but then I requested my mom to allow me to<br />stay at the dormitory near the school. It’s like a five-minute walk to school. And it helped me a lot, because in<br />my college years, the majoring ones, they required us to do three-hour laboratories for computer<br />programming.<br /><br />[9]<br /><br />[24:57]<br />SALANGA: Oh, mm.<br />REAL: And a lot of times it’s in the evening, so my classes will end like ten thirty in the evening, and for me<br />to travel two hours to get home is really hard, arriving midnight at our house. And sometimes there won’t be<br />a public transportation available because it’s really late. So that’s another thing. And at the time, we had<br />problems with flooding in our area, so even though it’s sunny everywhere else, we just have floods every day.<br />And because of that, it also affected the transportation.<br />SALANGA: Mmhm.<br />REAL: Not a lot of drivers want to go out late in that condition. You know?<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: So I convinced my mom to let me go to the dormitory.<br />SALANGA: Mmhm.<br />REAL: So I think from my third year in college – so two years I was in a dormitory.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: Yeah, but I went home to wash clothes.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, yeah. [laughs] I did that this weekend, too.<br />REAL: [laughs]<br />SALANGA: So were you close with your parents – or are you close with your parents?<br />REAL: Oh, yeah, the grandparents?<br />SALANGA: No, no – your parents.<br />REAL: Oh, yes, we’re very close, actually.<br />SALANGA: Mmhm. Is your family – I’m guessing that means your family is pretty tight-knit –<br />REAL: Yes.<br />SALANGA: Because you grow up in that community.<br /><br />[10]<br />REAL: But they were very strict, so I felt when I was in high school, it’s kind of unfair. But then, now that<br />I’m an adult, myself, and I look back, I thought that – that the things they said, were, you know – they made<br />sense and they’re really to protect me. But I thought the “not allowing me to party” thing, even now– I think<br />was unfair. Because I didn’t get to, you know, party with my friends.<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: So now when I have my own family, I kind of try to give them more freedom.<br />SALANGA: More leeway, yeah. What lessons do you think that you learned from their parenting – their lives,<br />I guess, that you kind of take with you in here?<br />REAL: Lessons, yeah.<br />Well, they raised us to have good moral values. I think that helped a lot. Because I, I felt mature even though<br />when I was only in high school.<br />SALANGA: Mmhm.<br />REAL: You know, I thought of bigger things.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: I looked forward about my future. And I had ideas about my – serious, serious stuff. I think just<br />talking with my friends in high school, they didn’t talk – they didn’t think that way, you know. Like they’re<br />thinking about right now, today, doesn’t matter. What – how these things would affect my future.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: They did a lot of dumb stuff.<br />SALANGA: Oh. [laughs]<br />REAL: [laughs] In short. Even though I was there, and I could see them, sometimes I would tell them, “Oh<br />no, let’s not do this.” And stuff like that. But they did their own thing, and I did mine. So the good thing is<br />that they didn’t force me. Sometimes they would invite me, of course, but I could say no. I felt confident that<br />I was doing the right thing, and so in that sense, I thought that even though my parents were strict, it was<br />good for me because it helped me a lot.<br />SALANGA: Mmhm.<br />REAL: But it’s hard, I guess, when you’re learning, you’re younger.<br />SALANGA: Oh, yeah. [laughs]<br /><br />[11]<br />REAL: You don’t have a lot of experience, you know. But yeah. Because of what my parents taught me, I<br />think it helped me a lot to make good choices.<br />SALANGA: Mmhm. Yeah, that makes sense. And I, I – definitely, it’s harder when you’re younger because<br />then [laughs] you always think that, you know, what you want is – you know, something valid. Which it is, it is<br /><br />valid, but oftentimes your parents are thinking more longer term for you. And you’re usually thinking shorter-<br />term. So it’s, it’s cool that you were able to develop that kind of long-term thinking earlier than maybe many<br /><br />of your peers were. So, did any of your family members move to America before you?<br />REAL: No, I am – I, actually, I’m the first.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: So in that case, I’m first generation. [laughs]<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Mmhm. Did your siblings move other places or did they stay in the Philippines?<br />REAL: Uh, well – the brother before me, an ECE one that I told you about, he actually traveled abroad a<br />couple of times in different places. It’s also related to his job. He travels. Sometimes he will stay there for a<br />long time, but they didn’t really move, move. You know? Like me, it’s permanent. I left everything. It’s like<br />that, so. But for them, they didn’t really move here. They stayed probably the longest as like one, two years,<br />like that. But they had a house there to go back to, so yeah. So actually I’m the first one to do that. I had<br />another brother who also traveled to other countries, but he didn’t really live there.<br />SALANGA: Mm, okay. So why did you want to move out of the Philippines? Because it sounds like you were<br />already thinking about at least, what you were going to do when you were in high school. So why America?<br />When did that cross your mind?<br />[29:56]<br />REAL: At first I thought it was fun. It’s just like that. And then secondly, I don’t know. During our time,<br />America’s the number one country you think of if you’re dreaming of somewhere to go to. And it’s just like<br />that, I guess. Even if I talk with other friends, you know, they think it’s cool to come here. I think it’s<br />everybody’s first choice. So the reason people would go somewhere else is if it’s hard for here – for them to<br />come here. Of course they will pick somewhere else. But I think if everyone can just come here, they would<br />pick this place. And for me it’s the same. And also, when I was in fifth grade, I had this notebook where this<br />cover is the Golden Gate Bridge.<br />SALANGA: Mmm.<br />REAL: And I always thought I wanted to go to that place, you know? San Francisco sounded so cool.<br />SALANGA: Mmm.<br /><br />[12]<br />REAL: Like that. And when I was in college, I heard about this thing, Silicon Valley, you know? At the time,<br />it was – they were starting to develop the Windows operating system.<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Yeah.<br />REAL: But back then it was pretty primitive. And that’s what we did in school, you know? And then they<br />were talking about, you know, the World Wide Web, but it’s different, because now it’s so graphical, it’s so<br />easy to use. But at the time, it wasn’t like that. Like you have to download your mailing list and stuff. You<br />have to subscribe.<br />SALANGA: Oh, really?<br />REAL: Yeah! It’s hard to – but still, that was cool for us, because it’s the high tech thing at the time. And I<br />learned that it came from the Silicon Valley. I didn’t exactly know where it was – I knew it was in California –<br />and thought, Oh, I wanted to go there, too. Because I was a computer student at the time. A computer<br />engineering student. So that was one reason why I wanted to go to the United States. And then – and then<br />when I was already working, I came here for a visit and thought, Oh, this is really a cool place. And then I<br />was comparing it with Japan, and although Japan is also cool, but then when I think of the practical stuff –<br />you know, when I was on business trip in Japan, I couldn’t even afford to buy a steak. So a lot of times, I’ll<br />just eat chicken, and what was this? Bean sprouts.<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: It’s cheap. I could afford it.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: But with the same pocket money that they gave me, the allowance from the work – from [inaudible]<br />that they give you – over here, I could eat at any restaurant, you know?<br />SALANGA: Mm.<br />REAL: It’s more affordable, I guess.<br />SALANGA: Yeah. Because if your money goes a longer way --<br />REAL: Yes. Yeah. And people are more impressed when you say, Oh, I live in the U.S. and I’m back now,<br />rather than saying I live in Japan and I’m back now. [laughs] Usually when you say you go to Japan and you’re<br />a female in the Philippines, they think you’re a dancer, or a – some other ---<br />SALANGA: Mm. Like an actress or something else.<br />REAL: Yeah, yeah. So I guess it’s probably just in the Philippines, too, like – you know. How people have<br />that kind of – plot.<br /><br />[13]<br /><br />SALANGA: That’s true, yeah.<br />REAL: About certain countries.<br />SALANGA: Maybe it’s because, you know, the Philippines and America have had a really long, you know,<br />relationship together. So of course you’re gonna think, America is the number one. Because you grew up<br />hearing about it, you said you had a notebook [laughs] of the Golden Gate Bridge – but yeah.<br />REAL: And I think my second choice would have been Canada, if I [inaudible] here. And then after that,<br />maybe Australia. Japan would be maybe the fourth.<br />SALANGA: Mm.<br />REAL: And this is the cause –<br />SALANGA: Right, right.<br />REAL: With the opportunity to move up, I don’t think it’s the same compared with U.S., Canada, or<br />Australia.<br />SALANGA: Right. Because like, Canada and Australia and the U.S. are pretty similar in terms of social<br />mobility and professional flexibility. Whereas Japan, like you said, it’s hard, because you’re always gonna be an<br />outsider.<br />REAL: Yeah. Plus, they speak English here --<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Yeah, that’s true.<br />REAL: So it’s easier language-wise. In Japan, you have to be really good in Japanese, of course, and in<br />Europe, they require you to speak the language. It’s like if you’re going to Italy, you’re working there, they<br />require you to learn Italian. I guess it just makes sense, you know, because for us we already know English.<br />We’re comfortable with it, [inaudible].<br />SALANGA: Right. Oh, okay. So did you learn English in school, or what was your academic experience in<br />the Philippines?<br />REAL: Right. It’s actually required in the Philippines to learn English in language arts. Plus our science,<br />mathematics, and social studies, they’re all in English, so the books we use are all in English. So unlike Asian<br />countries, that’s one of the, I think, difference with the Philippines, because in other countries, they translate<br />their books.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: For example, mathematics or science. I don’t know how you do [translations of] science, because a lot<br /><br />[14]<br /><br />of the words are --<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Yeah, are very long.<br />REAL: [laughs] Can’t be translated.<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: Yeah, so for us it was also an advantage, because the children, they learn English from a very young<br />mind – language. And even the movies we watch, we don’t translate them.<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />[34:59]<br />REAL: [inaudible] So it helps us learn the language easily.<br />SALANGA: Mmhm. That makes sense. Yeah, like even the romcoms – here, that we watch – they have<br />English subtitles, too.<br />REAL: Yes.<br />SALANGA: So people like me who grow up here and don’t speak the language can understand them. [laughs]<br />REAL: Yeah.<br />SALANGA: But aside from English, you know, what – you mentioned computer engineering as your subject.<br />Did you have an interest in it before, or when did you start developing the interest?<br />REAL: Actually, when I graduated from high school, I really didn’t know. Because at the time, there’s no<br />computers at home. There’s no mobile phones like this. The phones at the time were really big and it’s just<br />for calling.<br />SALANGA: Mmhm.<br />REAL: You know, voice. So it’s hard to imagine what I could accomplish even after I graduate from college.<br />But it was the new thing at the time, and even though I looked up at my brother, and wanted to follow in his<br />footsteps, I thought that was something really interesting that I could do by myself. So that’s why I picked it.<br />But at the time, I don’t really have any idea of what it was. And I learned that they have a very high, like,<br />requirement to get in [to the computer engineering program], so that was also a challenge for me. I said, Oh,<br />this one requires a lot more, you know? Academically, as well.<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: So I said, I’ll try to see if I could get in. If not, I’ll take up ECE [Electronic Telecommunications] like<br /><br />[15]<br /><br />I originally planned to do. But then I got accepted, I got a spot, so.<br />SALANGA: Yeah. What was that requirement?<br />REAL: So in the – we also have a college entrance examination, the NCEE – I don’t know what their lowest<br />requirement was to – to –<br />SALANGA: To pass.<br />REAL: To qualify. So ninety-nine plus is about what I had. So it is the highest, there’s nothing else higher.<br />SALANGA: Right. [laughs]<br />REAL: Yeah, so I basically could go anywhere, I guess.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: And they also have the written tests, so I don’t know what my score there was. [laughs]<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: But I didn’t exactly feel like I would flunk, you know.<br />SALANGA: Right. Because you obviously prepared.<br />REAL: You could tell. Right. And the interview was a little bit scary, because that was the first time I actually<br />went into an interview. Because in the Philippines, they don’t train us like that in high school. Probably you<br />have some kind of –<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: No? You don’t?<br />SALANGA: No. Some – maybe in Millennium [the high school Real’s oldest son attends]. But Kimball<br />[Salanga’s high school] didn’t train us.<br />REAL: Oh, okay. Yeah, because they [Millennium] do a lot. Oh, okay.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, it was like – the only interviews I had, I got, were of my own volition. So --<br />REAL: Oh, okay. I thought they do that as part of the language arts requirement.<br />SALANGA: I wish they did. [laughs] But yeah, yeah.<br />REAL: So that was my first time, the college interview. It was scary for me, and I thought I would fail that.<br /><br />[16]<br /><br />SALANGA: Oh.<br />REAL: Yeah, because when you’re nervous and not been in that situation before, I didn’t think I expressed<br />myself well, even though I probably knew the answer too. But I didn’t express it.<br />SALANGA: What did they ask you?<br />REAL: I don’t remember now. Some of them were academic, some of them were like personal stuff. But I<br />don’t remember those things very much.<br />SALANGA: And where did you end up going?<br />REAL: Oh, Mapua Institute of Technology.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay. That’s [laughs] where [Salanga’s] Dad went.<br />REAL: [laughs] Yeah, that’s how I met your dad.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, and my dad likes to joke that it’s MIT. [laughs]<br />REAL: Yeah, it’s MIT [laughs] Sometimes I say that, too.<br />SALANGA: Yeah. [laughs] The MIT of the Philippines. But now it’s – I think it’s Mapua University, because<br />they changed it.<br />REAL: Oh, I don’t know.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, something like that. I know they changed it because it’s not just architecture and<br />engineering now, they have all the subjects.<br />REAL: They have nursing and stuff. Yeah, so at the time it was one of the premier engineering schools, so if<br />you could get there, people would look good on you.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, that’s what my dad said. Because he said that, also, he could go to like UP [University of<br />the Philippines] but he knew that he wanted to do engineering, so he went to MIT.<br />REAL: Yes.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, so after you graduated MIT, what did your professional experience look like? It sounds<br />like you got the opportunity to travel, but – like, what positions did you hold in the Philippines and then<br />here?<br />REAL: Actually, it was quite easy, because I didn’t even walk on the stage yet to get my diploma. But I was<br />already hired.<br />SALANGA: Mm.<br /><br />[17]<br /><br />REAL: So there’s this schedule for hiring that they do, and then they promote it to the schools so you can<br />apply. And so I just followed the steps to do that, and I got accepted at NEC Philippines. they just tell you to<br />apply. So I followed the steps to do that, and I got accepted in NEC Philippines. So that was easy, I thought,<br />because when we graduated, some of my friends didn’t even know where they were going to apply to. So they<br />haven’t even started. But for me, I already had a job, and I — I think graduation was more [inaudible]. And<br />then in May I had to go to Japan for my training. So that was a six-month training.<br />[40:00]<br />SALANGA: Oh, wow.<br />REAL: Yeah. So in that sense, it was easy. I was an entry level software engineer, but I was lucky in the sense<br />that the company I went to first, they have a very good training program. So I — I learned a lot, quickly, and<br />I think it helped me improve as a — as an engineer. Because when I graduated from college, I really didn’t<br />feel like I have anything to offer.<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Oh, yeah. Yeah.<br />REAL: [laughs] It’s like you learned all that stuff, you passed the tests.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, because it’s all theory. It’s hard because computer science curriculum — at least for [UC]<br />Davis — was theoretical, and you don’t really have like — I mean, you have the assignments, but it’s like —<br />it’s not like you feel, Oh, I can take this and apply it to a real life situation.<br />REAL: Yeah, so I actually did well in the interview at that time, but then I don’t know what to do [at work].<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: If they tell me to do something, I don’t know how to go about it.<br />SALANGA: Right. Because you don’t have Google.<br />REAL: Right, yeah. That’s — that’s true as well. At the time, I don’t have my email, so it was very [inaudible]<br />[laughs]<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: You know, there’s no excitement: that one is gone. Yes, they were very good in training us. Actually,<br />one of our mentors was your [Salanga’s] dad. Because he was one year ahead. But I think at the time I<br />reported, he was probably in the U.S, I don’t know.<br />SALANGA: Oh, yeah, because I think he also came — yeah, he also came 199...<br />REAL: No, no, earlier. 1996?<br />SALANGA: Something like that. Because I think he and my mom got married in ‘97. [laughs]<br />REAL: Yeah, so that means he was probably here ‘96, ‘98. [inaudible]<br />SALANGA: So he stayed at NEC for how long? Before he got here?<br /><br />[18]<br /><br />REAL: So NEC...is ‘98, ‘99...like maybe 5 years?<br />SALANGA: Oh, did they have an office here? For him to transfer to?<br />REAL: They had NEC America at the time, I recall. Because before they had a lot of products, a lot of<br />consumer products, like I think they have ovens and weird stuff like that. And then I don’t know now, I don’t<br />think they have that department anymore, but for our company, we were working on the telecommunications<br />equipment. So at the time, there’s not a lot of these fast technologies, data transfer, it was just — it was<br />starting to be developed. We were part of that, actually, so it was fun. But I was on the testing part of the<br />equipment. So the Japanese, they’re the ones who actually write — write the product, the product code for<br />calling. So that for me, I write the testing code. For testing.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay. So like quality control.<br />REAL: Yeah, yeah. It’s kind of like that. So I write the tools for them to test because their equipment needs<br />to talk with another equipment.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: So what we did was a simulator of the other equipment.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay. That’s cool.<br />REAL: For the others to talk to.<br />SALANGA: Did you also do that when you came here? Or like, what was your professional experience?<br />REAL: Here, it was a little bit different because I moved to a different group. So that group was in switching<br />and [inaudible]. So it’s more the Internet thing. So the Japanese department that I worked with, it’s more on<br />the telecommunications side. So like telephones and you know, the big wires that you spot on the roads. It’s<br />like more hardware-related.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: But in the U.S.A., even though there’s hardware, we make a lot of the apps, applications on top of<br />that. And it’s integrated with the — with the rest of the system. So — but in the Philippines, I was only in<br />testing. That’s how I started. So I was just testing the stuff that other people wrote — like your dad, he’s in<br />development.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: So like — but I didn’t do that. I did external stuff.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: It’s different. So yeah, for him, when the product ships, you have a lot of products that ship, his stuff<br />is there. It’s his role. But for me, it’s not, because it’s internal testing duty [Real’s role].<br />SALANGA: Oh, yeah, because I know he works selling cybersecurity, so like making the firewalls and<br />whatnot.<br />REAL: Yeah, and that’s more recent, but earlier it’s more like dial switching and routing.<br /><br />[19]<br /><br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: So it’s not really security, it’s more of the making sure you get your email. That it arrives as you<br />expect. Like I will send something from this house to my office and it will get sent. So that’s what it does. But<br />the firewall that he’s doing now is more of the security, to make sure we don’t get attacked.<br />[45:01]<br />SALANGA: Yeah. So from that group — you mentioned NEC in the Philippines and then you came here —<br />REAL: So NEC America [laughs].<br />SALANGA: Yeah, NEC America — then did you go to Sonicwall from there?<br />REAL: So initially, that NEC America — that department that we were in, it kind of became a start-up. So<br />they kind of broke off.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: Yeah, because at the time NEC was having a lot of reorganization. Like I told you, some of the<br />products just —<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: — They’re not doing it anymore. So what happened to the people working on that, right? So some of<br />them got moved elsewhere, and for us, we just started a, a different company. Well, at least the bosses did.<br />They all set it up, you know. And they [inaudible] —<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: — us. So it was easier. And at the time, I actually had a temporary visa, so a working visa — probably<br />the same as your dad, or maybe he was already a green card. Yeah, I don’t know. But for that one, it’s like a<br />business visa. It’s tied to your company, so if your company closes down or they fire you or whatever, you<br />lose your visa, you’re out of the States.<br />SALANGA: Oh, is it a H1 visa?<br />REAL: Yeah, yeah. It was the H1.<br />SALANGA: Okay.<br />REAL: Yeah, so because your job is gone, you have no reason to be here anymore. You’re supposed to go<br />back to your country.<br />SALANGA: So, I think — was my dad — in that group? Because they dissolved, right? Or something.<br />REAL: Yes. Yes.<br />SALANGA: And he had to switch to another company.<br /><br />[20]<br />REAL: Oh, but before that I worked in a different company in the Philippines because my previous job was<br />related to telecommunications. I worked in Isla Communication.<br />SALANGA: Oh.<br />REAL: It’s like a cellphone company. So they have — here, it’s like AT&T, Verizon Wireless, something like<br />that. So at the time — I don’t think there’s that company anymore — they kind of got bought by another one<br />and changed their name. Yeah, so at the time that was a big promotion for me because I became the acting<br />manager of the Cebu and Visayas area.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: Yeah, and it’s because of my experience living in Cebu. Because I was actually from Manila, but I<br />learned the language because I was living in Cebu. And I learned the culture as well. It’s a little bit different<br />because it’s more provincial — or it was at the time.<br />SALANGA: Oh, right, yeah.<br />REAL: And now it’s kind of the same, you know? But at the time, it was still a little provincial. And I had<br />been living there for five years, so when they were hiring someone, their main office was in Manila. So my<br />bosses were actually from Manila. And they actually liked me because of that.<br />SALANGA: Right, because you have the connection.<br />REAL: Because I could connect with Cebu and the Visayans, they liked me. But then they put a boss on top<br />of me. But he’s not — he’s not concerned with the day-to-day stuff.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay, so that was more your role, presiding over the day-to-day matters.<br />REAL: Yeah. I liked that because he does the politics part of the job.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, you get to work on the actual projects and not the actual managing.<br />REAL: Yes, yes. But I didn’t like the managing the people part, because there was a time we had to cut back<br />on staff.<br />SALANGA: Oh, yeah.<br />REAL: And I had to pick who to let go, I didn’t like that part. So after that experience, I said, I don’t want to<br />go into managerial. I just want to do the technical.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: Right, yeah. I don’t like the managing people part, the HR part.<br />SALANGA: [laughs] I think I’m on the opposite side of you. I’d rather manage people than work in tech<br />[laughs].<br />REAL: Well, if it’s just managing them, mentoring them, I’m all for that.<br />SALANGA: Right, right. But then having to make those tough decisions —<br /><br />[21]<br /><br />REAL: It’s part of your job, right?<br />SALANGA: Right, yeah.<br />REAL: It’s just kind of the business aspect.<br />SALANGA: Right. So here in America, what positions have you had? Mostly technical, or —<br />REAL: All engineering. [laughs]<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: Yeah, I’m happy with it. I don’t actually care about the title, I just care about the pay —<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Yeah, that’s what my dad says, too.<br />REAL: Yeah, you can call me whatever. But I liked the jobs, I’ve learned a lot. In high tech, I think it’s really<br />hard to get bored, unless you didn’t really want the job in the first place. But if you’re interested, there’s<br />always something new. You can’t keep up. [laughs]<br />SALANGA: Yeah, my dad is always reading the books, because you have to read a lot.<br />REAL: [laughs] Yeah, reading — you have to read a lot. If you don’t like reading, don’t go into tech.<br />SALANGA: So you’re still at Sonicwall, right?<br />REAL: Yes, right now.<br />SALANGA: And how long have you been working there?<br />REAL: Since 2001.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay. Almost twenty years.<br />REAL: Yeah. I actually started thinking — I actually started updating my resume because I’m thinking of<br />applying to other places.<br />[49:56]<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: Yeah, but it’s really hard to finish it and submit it. And because I’m still employed, I’m scared of<br />submitting it on these centralized —<br />SALANGA: Sites?<br />REAL: Brokers. Because my company could be subscribed there, and they could see my resume.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay. Yeah, from what I’ve heard from job boards and stuff, Indeed is the best or<br />Glassdoor instead of LinkedIn. But I don’t think you’re really affected for getting like jobs and stuff, at least<br />for tech.<br /><br />[22]<br /><br />REAL: Yeah, I actually don’t update my LinkedIn that much.<br />SALANGA: Right, right.<br />REAL: I need to find out how to do that. If you’re still employed, how to do it so you’re employer won’t<br />know. [laughs]<br />SALANGA: Yeah. [laughs] Yeah, it’s a good question. It’s not even that you’re dissatisfied, you just want a<br />new opportunity.<br />REAL: Yeah. And it’s been a long time.<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: And sometimes I think people would expect me to move.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, yeah. That’s fair. It’s always going to be a new experience, and you learn more, too.<br />REAL: And something I’m noticing now, is that, since I’ve been here a long time, if sometimes there’s an<br />issue, like customer stuff, and all that, they come to me and — for help. And I always get pulled into that. I<br />wanted to work on something else — something totally new. But then I get pulled back on stuff that I’ve<br />done before. Other stuff.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: And I’m not happy with that part of it. So I already told my managers about that, but it’s just the way<br />it is. There’s a high — a priority one issue. And it’s not like I could say no just because I don’t wanna do it. It<br />doesn’t seem professional as well, right?<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: But yeah, I just felt like moving away is the solution.<br />SALANGA: Right. Because then nobody will be going to you for help. Instead you’ll be the one getting help.<br />So when you first moved to the United States — I know it’s a big topic switch — but when you first came<br />here, did you live with family or did you live alone?<br />REAL: Yeah, so when I first came here, I temporarily moved in Tita Jing-Jing and Tito Brad’s house [mutual<br />family friends].<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay. So you lived with them?<br />REAL: Yeah, for about three months, I think. Because I didn’t have any money. So I need to depend on what<br />they pay me, the company, and of course, they’ll pay you after, right?<br />SALANGA: Mm.<br />REAL: Whatever their paying schedule is. And so I only had like, two hundred dollars in my pocket,<br />whatever we could, you know — like get at the time, because exchanging your money for dollars from the<br />Philippines is a lot. Two hundred dollars in the Philippines is a lot, but of course, here it doesn’t mean much.<br />You can’t even get an apartment.<br /><br />[23]<br /><br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: And because I don’t have any credit history here — here, credit history, having good credit is<br />important. And in the Philippines, we don’t care. People actually want you to pay cash. But here, they want<br />you to establish credit. So they use credit for everything, I guess — checking, whatever. So you can’t even<br />apply for an apartment without the credit history. And then you cannot have a credit card without the credit<br />history. So it’s all tied together. But anyway, when I first came here, Tita Jing Jing picked me up from the<br />airport and I lived there with her for some time until I could find an apartment that was nice enough and that<br />I could afford at the same time. And in those days, a lot of our friends are still single. You knew us when we<br />were all married with kids, probably. But at the time, not a lot of us were married, a lot of us were still single,<br />so we used to go to the same apartments. [laughs]<br />SALANGA: Yeah, my dad said that in their early days, when they were still — when they had just moved, all<br />of the titos and titas were in the same apartment complex they —<br />REAL: Yeah, yeah.<br />SALANGA: Would just walk [to each other’s places]. [laughs]<br />REAL: Yeah, it’s super easy to walk to each other’s places or whatever. And then sometimes we’ll have<br />dinner together. You know, just bring your food and eat it here, I think. Yeah. We also kind of shared, as<br />well. So if there’s like two rooms, I get one, you get one, like that. And I think the boys even shared one<br />room.<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Yeah.<br />REAL: It’s just cheaper. You can save a lot of money. So that was what I did at first, until I saved the money<br />and I found a good place, but it’s the same apartment complex where your parents were. So in that sense, I<br />felt secure, because they were already here. I’m sure for them it was different because there was nobody here<br />[when they were] starting out. But for me, they were already here. They learned where the good places to eat<br />are, you know? Some of them have cars, even, but most of the time I just rode the bus.<br />[54:50]<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: So sometimes when they were going to the grocery, they would tell people, “Hey, we’re going to the<br />grocery, do you want anything from Safeway?” And who wants to go with them.<br />SALANGA: [laughs]<br />REAL: So we would carpool and buy groceries together. Sometimes I wanted to, you know, go and get stuff<br />for myself, so I learned to ride the bus here.<br />SALANGA: Mm. So when did you learn to drive?<br />REAL: I learned to drive, actually — [hums in thought] — oh, actually, two years after I arrived here, that’s<br />when I learned how to drive. I think that — so initially, we were riding the bus for a year, because we had to<br />save up for the down payment. At the time, as well, it wasn’t easy to get. It became easier after that, but then<br />we had problems — have you heard of that? The housing bubble burst.<br />SALANGA: Oh, yeah, yeah.<br /><br />[24]<br /><br />REAL: Because they relaxed the rules for borrowing. So people just keep borrowing, even though they<br />couldn’t afford it.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, and then everything kind of...collapsed.<br />REAL: Yeah. But in the beginning, it wasn’t like that. It was actually very hard to — to borrow. And because<br />we didn’t have any [credit] history at all, since we just come here, it was even harder, because they don’t trust<br />you with anything if you have a low score. And so we asked the company to help us, and they do. They give<br />you the letter to — to give to the [bank]— when you’re applying for a loan or something. And so we got a<br />loan, we paid $5,000 to the car, which costed $25,000. It’s a Honda Accord. So that was our first car.<br />SALANGA: Aw.<br />REAL: Yeah. [laughs]<br />SALANGA: Do you still have it?<br />REAL: Oh, no, it got totaled, but it was — I had it when we moved here [to Tracy].<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: And when Alyssa [Real’s youngest child] was a baby. She was already born when it got totaled, so.<br />Yeah, but we tried to take good care of it, it’s expensive, you know?<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: So I really tried fo keep it —<br />SALANGA: As good as you can.<br />REAL: Yeah.<br />SALANGA: I think the last question I have is — or, oh, well — I was gonna ask, do you — do you wanna<br />go back to school here? Or did you go back to school here?<br />REAL: I didn’t go back to school here. I wanted to, but I just don’t have the time. I thought for the expense<br />and what I will get out of it, I think I’d rather just save it for my children to use, you know — the money.<br />Because I think even if I — I study, I wanna keep doing this kind of job, you know. I wanna do — do<br />something else. But I don’t know what I’d do.<br />SALANGA: Oh, okay.<br />REAL: Yeah. But I don’t think I want to be an employee forever. I want to do something else. So even if I’m<br />going back to school, which I’m not going back to school, I have to think of something else.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: Not related to what I’m doing right now.<br />SALANGA: That makes sense. So you can have like a change of pace.<br /><br />[25]<br />REAL: And I think for women as well, it’s different. I don’t know, it’s just the way things are. Especially<br />when you have a family. It’s — it’s different.<br />SALANGA: Mm.<br />REAL: Yeah.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, because it changes why — you have a lot of — more care responsibilities when you have<br />a family, compared to when you’re single and you don’t have, you know, the same kind of the same kind of<br />family dynamic.<br />REAL: Yeah. And that’s why I admire women who move up, you know, like CEO or whatever, and they still<br />have a good family life.<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: Real family. Because a lot of them, they have broken families. It — it’s hard, you know, and you have<br />to make a choice.<br />SALANGA: It is hard.<br />REAL: Like even now, I have to leave work, for example, to pick up a sick child, you know. And we<br />alternate, but still. And then you miss out on some stuff at work. So it, it’s hard.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, it’s — you miss out on stuff at home, or at work [either way].<br />REAL: And for me, I just pick family first. So my career second. It’s different for other women, but for me,<br />it’s like that.<br />SALANGA: Right, right.<br />REAL: Yeah.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, I think that’s what a lot of Filipinos do. You know, because that’s just how we’re raised,<br />you know — we put our family first.<br />REAL: And I’m also happier. Like with these choices.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: Yeah, I could of course choose my work.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: And move up there, but I don’t think that will make me happy.<br />SALANGA: Right, because you know, relationships are really what, you know, fulfill you.<br />REAL: Right, and for us [as Filipinos], I think that’s what’s also really important. Like for Filipinos. Yeah, the<br />family relationships.<br /><br />[26]<br />SALANGA: Yeah, because if it’s not — because if you don’t have a comfortable home with your family,<br />whether it’s chosen or your blood family, then it’s really hard to feel at peace when you come home.<br />REAL: Yeah. And even for the children, I’m happy sometimes when they come home and say, Oh, I’m so<br />happy to be home. That comment like — we’ll be on vacation somewhere, and away for a while, and then<br />we’ll come home, and they will express feeling of “it’s so nice to be home.”<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: And sometimes they just wanna hang — hang out at home and invite their friends over instead of<br />going somewhere else. So I felt good with that, because it means, you know, they have some place to come<br />home to.<br />[59:58]<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: And it’s a good place that they feel comfortable in.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, yeah. I’m sure as a parent, that must feel really nice. So I guess my last question is, do you<br />notice any difference between first-generation immigrants and the Filipino-American community? I know you<br /><br />touched on this earlier, but, I guess, seeing someone like me, who grew up here, completely Filipino-<br />American, and, you know, coming from a place of being here, so now you’re just seeing your kids, and like<br /><br />me, and the children of all the titas and titos...like what do you notice that’s different in us? From —<br />REAL: I think it’s a little bit funny, if you’re a first-generation immigrant, you don’t really care much about<br />the Filipino culture. At least for me. Because it’s — that’s where I’ve been, that’s where I grew up in, you<br />know? I don’t think about it. So when I come here, I’m more concerned about you know, acting the<br />American way. But I notice that when you’re a child of a Filipino immigrant, you’re more concerned about<br />coming back to your culture. Stuff like that. But even here, I thought it was amusing, when they would always<br />have these Filipino parades where they will dance the tinikling and stuff like that. And everybody will be so<br />interested. I’m kind of sad, in the Philippines, it’s not like that anymore. You know? Even the younger<br />generation, they’re not interested in those things, because in — for them, it’s kind of like “old-fashioned<br />stuff”.<br />SALANGA: Right. And they want to go to America.<br />REAL: Yeah, so in a way, there’s kind of a clash that I could see. You probably won’t notice it because you<br />didn’t grow up there, right? But I feel like the culture’s more preserved here, actually. Or maybe in other<br />countries. But in the Philippines, it’s not. In the Philippines, it’s preserved in certain organizations, but the<br />people — you know, the everyday people you come in contact with, they kind of lost that, I think. Even the<br />old songs we used to sing in school — I don’t know if they teach those songs to the kids these days. Because<br />I was talking to some of my nephews, you know, in the Philippines, and they’re learning a lot of new stuff,<br />but not — but not enough of the Filipino, you know —<br />SALANGA: The old stuff.<br />REAL: Yeah, the cultural things. Like you know, the old songs, we used to sing those when we were little.<br />Yeah, and now they don’t. So I feel like the community here is trying to exert more effort to connect to the<br />roots. Of what it is — of what it means to be truly Filipino. And I thought it was interesting, because there’s<br />more preservation here than there, I think.<br /><br />[27]<br /><br />SALANGA: Mm, yeah.<br />REAL: Within the country. In a way, that’s sad.<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: [laughs]<br />SALANGA: Because I mean, that’s interesting that you say that, because I always thought — because I didn’t<br />notice that. I mean, obviously this is somebody [Salanga referring to self] coming from the side of wanting to<br />make connection back to, you know, back to the culture. And even seeing Vernon [Real’s oldest son,<br />Salanga’s family friend] attend PYC [Pilipinx Youth Conference] — [it] was really interesting to hear that<br />from your perspective. Like — what did you think when he said, Oh, I want to attend? And like, who<br />brought up the idea, you know, of the youth conference?<br />REAL: Oh, for him, it was through a friend and I don’t know how that friend learned about it. It was a friend<br />and he wanted to go with him — it was more of a socializing thing. So I was surprised. But when he told me<br />the program, I thought, Oh, it will be good for him. And he took initiative. So I’m usually very supportive of<br />what they [her children] wanted to do, of course, as long as it’s safe and not illegal. [laughs]<br />SALANGA: Yeah. [laughs]<br />REAL: Yeah. So I thought it was good. And I was a little bit worried — there’s a section there that talks<br />about, what’s that? Being activism or something like that. Because I didn’t want him to be, you know, the<br />political aspect, kind of thing — I didn’t want him to worry about that at this point. But he was fine with it. I<br />asked him about it when he came back and he said initially, he didn’t expect to like it —<br />SALANGA: Yeah, I think a lot of people head in not expecting to like it.<br />REAL: But he had really good feedback when he came back and he, he was glad he met other kids his age<br />who were also Filipino.<br />SALANGA: That’s what I hear a lot, too. Because it’s like — as a [Pilipinx Youth Conference] mentor, they<br />have us go through a training, and they tell us, you know. Because a couple of the mentors [this year] have<br />also been through the program, like, multiple times. And they would say, we didn’t expect to like it but we<br />liked it so much that we came back multiple times. So I would say that it’s really interesting, that a lot of<br />people come in, not knowing what to expect or it’s a weekend that we’re not going to have fun during, but<br />yeah.<br />[64:59]<br />REAL: And I think it’s good, because he gets to explore that part of him.<br />SALANGA: Right, right.<br />REAL: Which we don’t do at home, of course.<br />SALANGA: Right, because —<br />REAL: We don’t talk about that.<br /><br />[28]<br />SALANGA: Yeah, you don’t talk about that because it’s like — that’s very true, I think — because at home,<br />you know, it’s [culture] just like implicitly there.<br />REAL: Yes.<br />SALANGA: So you don’t talk about it. But then I think in college, at least in my experience, you really see<br />that identity exploration made explicit.<br />REAL: Yes.<br />SALANGA: Or that doesn’t happen so much in high school, or middle school, because those things don’t<br />really come up. Like in those spaces, it’s just get to college. Just find a plan.<br />REAL: And it’s really good that there’s an organization that’s doing that.<br />SALANGA: Yeah. So I guess to finish off, do you have anything you want to add? About your experience as<br />a Filipino immigrant or anything that I didn’t ask that you wanna close off with?<br />REAL: Um...I think that I made the right choice. Going here, considering my other options before. No<br />regrets there. What else? Yeah, so I think it’s important for Filipinos here to not forget their roots and like I<br />said before, I believe that it’s actually the Filipino immigrants who are not in the Philippines who are doing<br />more to actually preserve the culture. You know, the way they remember it. Compared with the people who<br />are still there [laughs] in the Philippines. So I think it’s important to, you know, remember the good values as<br />well. And also to be reflective of the things that are not good with our own culture. Because I think we had<br />some influences from the Spanish culture as well — I don’t know if it’s distinctly Filipino or if it’s an<br />influence from somewhere else. If you know the history of the Philippines, you know that we’ve been<br />invaded and under the rule of so many different groups. So we kind of learned from them, but we also got<br />their bad attitudes. So some of that bad attitude, for example, is that we have this kind of — I don’t know the<br />English word for it, it’s kind of like jealousy of other people’s success. So I hope, like, um, that kind of<br />attitude doesn’t stay. It’s a crab mentality — people will tear you down because they want to climb up. So I<br />think that was quite common, even in the different place, that still happens. And even here as well. [laughs]<br />But I don’t feel it right now, but in there [the Philippines], that happens. So there are some things like that<br />that I hope we’re not preserving, not just looking at the good stuff, but also seeing what we can change to<br />make ourselves better.<br />SALANGA: Yeah, makes sense. There’s a lot of conversations that could — should be happening, but they<br />don’t. But I think that’s also a very good point, in that preserving a culture, you have to be confronted with<br />the not-so-pleasant aspects of it.<br />REAL: And I think that, usually, we’re [Filipinos are] pretty passive, in the sense that we don’t express our<br />ideas and opinions more. Like sometimes people will shut you down and then you just shut up. And don’t say<br />anything anymore. But if you believe in those things, in those ideas, you should do more effort to express<br />them.<br />SALANGA: Yeah.<br />REAL: And I just notice that. As a whole, I think Filipinos are not very expressive.<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: Compared to other ethnicities here.<br /><br />[29]<br /><br />SALANGA: Yeah, yeah.<br />REAL: I’m just talking about the U.S. Because some groups are really very expressive, even with what they<br />want, but Filipinos. Us, we kind of bear things, you know? If people will do bad stuff to you, you just bear it,<br />right?<br />SALANGA: Right.<br />REAL: And adjust. So in that sense, it’s good, because we’re resilient and flexible, but I think there should<br />also be a time where you have to group together and stand.<br />SALANGA: Right, right. Because I think it goes back to, you know, the mentality of we want to put the<br />group first. If you voice something or you complain, you feel like you’re rocking the boat too much. But, one<br />of the things that surprised me, taking this class [ASA 150], is how much, how big the Filipino population in<br />the United States is. And yet how invisible we are. Because like you said, we don’t care much, unless it’s like,<br />oh, Lea Salonga, oh, there’s some actress or actor who’s made it big.<br />[69:54]<br />SALANGA: So like, Filipino culture, you don’t hear much about it besides, like, adobo or pancit, you know,<br />or lumpia. Because —<br />REAL: Food is big in our culture. [laughs]<br />SALANGA: [laughs] Food is big in our culture. Right. But in terms of like, successes or wants, or I guess, like,<br />aspirations, it’s very hard to — it’s very buried. Yeah.<br />REAL: Yes. [laughs]<br />SALANGA: Yeah. Alright, well, that’s it for the interview.<br />REAL: I hope you got enough for your paper.<br />SALANGA: I did, yeah. Thank you so much, I really appreciate it. It was very — I definitely have a lot to not<br />only write the paper, but also to think about, and I really appreciate that. So yeah. This was an interview with<br />Leah Real, recorded by Janelle Salanga, and this is ending at 10:49 am. [start: 9:37 am]
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Oral History Interview with Rosalea (Leah) Real
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Manila, Valenzuela, Farming, Agriculture, Overseas Foreign Workers, Colonial Mentality, Filipinos -- Employment -- Foreign countries, Philippines -- Civilization -- American influence, United States -- Politics and government, parenting, college experience, Mapua Institute of Technology, cyber security, Filipino Culture, First generation immigrant,
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Oral History Interview with Rosalea (Leah) Real, interviewed by Janelle Salanga
Date
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27-May-19
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0042
Agriculture
college experience
Colonial Mentality
cyber security
Farming
Filipino Culture
Filipinos -- Employment -- Foreign countries
First Generation Immigrant
Manila
Mapua Institute of Technology
Overseas Foreign Workers
parenting
Philippines -- Civilization -- American influence
United States -- Politics and government
Valenzuela
-
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
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<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
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Interviewer
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Sydney May Sabaten
Interviewee
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Blanca Sabaten
Transcription
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[Session 1, June 1, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />S. SABATEN: Hello, it is June 1, 2019, and it is 2:44 pm. This is Sydney May Sabaten interviewing for the<br />Filipinx American Experience course at UC Davis and on behalf of the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies.<br />Today I am interviewing<br />B. SABATEN: Blanca Sabaten<br />S. SABATEN: Okay, so let us begin. So we are going to start out by talking a little bit about your child hood<br />and early adult life. Where and when were you born?<br />B. BSABATEN: I was born in Santa Barbara, Pangasinan, Philippines on October 18, 1963. I studied my<br />elementary and my high school in the Philippines.<br />S. SABATEN: Where were your parents born?<br />B. SABATEN: My parents was [were] born in Santa Barbara, Pangasinan, Philippines.<br />S. SABATEN: What jobs did your parents have?<br />B. SABATEN: My father works as a maintenance at the hospital and my mothere was a plain housewife.<br />S. SABATEN: Are you familiar with the jobs that your grandparents had? [dog barking in the background]<br />B. SABATEN: I haven’t seen my grandparents when I was born. They’re like… they passed [away] already<br />when I was born.<br />S. SABATEN: So, your parents or family didn’t tell you what they did before they passed away?<br />B. SABATEN: Uh, not really. I didn’t ask them.<br />S. SABATEN: How many siblings did [do] you have? Did you come from a big family?<br />B. SABATEN: Yes, I am the youngest of 10. I have 6 brothers and 3 sisters.<br />S. SABATEN: Did any of your family members move to America before you?<br />B. SABATEN: Yes, my brothers, sisters and my parents.<br />S. SABATEN: Why did they move before [to America] you did?<br />2<br />B. SABATEN: ‘Cause two of my brothers were in the United States Navy and then my parents came here<br />and they petitioned to come over here too.<br />S. SABATEN: Did you have any friends that moved to America before you?<br />B. SABATEN: No I don’t have anybody… friends [that moved to America before me]<br />S. SABATEN: Why did you decide to move out of the Philippines?<br />B. SABATEN: Because my parents want us to come here for a better opportunity, to have a good life and to<br />study here.<br />S. SABATEN: But were you willing to move out of the Philippines? Without your parents’ control<br />[discretion].<br />B. SABATEN: Oh yes of course. Cause uh, everybody wants to go see America so I was so excited to come<br />here too.<br />S. SABATEN: [laughs] When did you move to the United states? [dog barking].<br />B. SABATEN: I came here in November of 1980 after my high school graduation [dog bark].<br />S. SABATEN: Did you move anywhere else before settling in the United States?<br />B. SABATEN: No.<br />S. SABATEN: What were your thoughts about America before you moved here?<br />B. SABATEN: Said that it was beautiful, lots of places to see, a lot of opportunities.<br />S. SABATEN: How did you hear about what was offered in America?<br />B. SABATEN: Oh because of my brothers and sisters who came here and my parents.<br />S. SABATEN: Did those thoughts about America change after you arrived here?<br />B. SABATEN: No, actually I like it.<br />S. SABATEN: What was the process of um immigrating to America, for you?<br />B. SABATEN: Oh my parents petitioned me and my other siblings to come here. That’s how…that’s how<br />the process [is] in the Philippines.<br />3<br />S. SABATEN: And how long was that process?<br />[4:45]<br />B. SABATEN: That year 1980, was not as long as not as before… like right now. It used to be three months,<br />I’m here. I’m done.<br />S. SABATEN: What was different about living in America as opposed to living in the Philippines?<br />B. SABATEN: Oh, living in America is better than Philippines, because here you can live independently. You<br />can have… you can work part time so even if you go to school, over there if you go to school you just<br />concentrate on school and you depend more on your parents and it’s more… it’s more easy to go to school<br />here than over there, because over there you don’t drive. You take busses or jeepneys here you can take a lot<br />of transportations.<br />S. SABATEN: was it difficult assimilating to the American culture?<br />B. SABATEN: At first, yes. The food and then I adapted easily.<br />S. SABATEN: Did you have um anything you missed in the Philippines that was not available here in<br />America?<br />B. SABATEN: Maybe oh. Maybe some foods, but now everything is here now.<br />S. SABATEN: other than foods and um school and education. Was it difficult communicating with other<br />people here in America?<br />B. SABATEN: Oh before, yes when you just arrive [dog barking] the language barrier was still there. The<br />accents, and everything… you know.<br />S. SABATEN: How would you describe your English before coming here to America?<br />B. SABATEN: Oh I think it was good, because in the Philippines we studied [and] start English too. So we<br />can speak fluent [English].<br />S. SABATEN: Where did you first live in the United States?<br />B. SABATEN: I first lived in San Diego, California with my family.<br />S. SABATEN: Did you stay with all of your family or were you alone?<br />B. SABATEN: Oh I stayed with my parents, brothers and sisters.<br />S. SABATEN: Um why were some of them located in different areas of the united states?<br />4<br />B. SABATEN: Oh because my brothers were in the military, so they were stationed in every state.<br />S. SABATEN: were you comfortable with the community in San Diego?<br />B. SABATEN: Oh yes, I liked it there. It was so um… it’s a nice city and everyone is friendly.<br />S. SABATEN: So for this part of the interview, we’ll be moving towards your education and your<br />professional career. Um, what was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />B. SABATEN: I finished my high school there and then came here after high school graduation, so I<br />studied… so I went to Southwestern college in Chula Vista, California. Taking up business accounting for<br />two years and then… and then I work part time as cashier and tried working in a high tech electronics<br />company for 10 years and then decided to go back to school.<br />S. SABATEN: What did you plan to pursue professionally or career wise with the business degree?<br />B. SABATEN: Oh, accounting. But then I think I changed my, I think maybe it was not my thing so I<br />changed my path to uh… so I went back to technical school for medical assistant administrative [dog bark].<br />S. SABATEN: When in the Philippines, did you already plan on pursuing higher education there?<br />B. SABATEN: Of course, yes. That was my goal before coming here.<br />S. SABATEN: Did you have the same career path as business or techno- or technical assistant.?<br />B. SABATEN: No, it changed. It changed. I was planning to get… to be a chemist in the Philippines, but<br />when I came here things happened. Things changed, so I decided to go to business and later in the medical<br />field.<br />S. SABATEN: Can you elaborate on what kind of school you attended here in America or the multiple<br />schools you attended?<br />[9:48]<br />B. SABATEN: I went to a community college for two years and then went to a technical school for medical<br />administrative assistant, where I get my certificate for working in the medical field. I worked in the medical<br />office with the surgeons and pediatrics.<br />S. SABATEN: Before you went to community college and technical school, was the education you had in the<br />Philippines sufficient enough for you to get a job in the United States?<br />B. SABATEN: No, I don’t think so. I was … I was just a high school graduate from the Philippines so I had<br />to get some education. [dog barking]<br />S. SABATEN: We’re going to pause the interview [due to a disruption with a neighbor].<br />5<br />S. SABATEN: It is 2:56 pm and we’re going to resume the interview. What jobs did you perform or were<br />able to attain when you moved to America?<br />B. SABATEN: My first job was a cashier at a department store and I worked there for two years while I go to<br />school. And then I tried working in electronics company in San Jose, California and after that I changed my<br />craft to medical administrative assistant work with a doctor… doctor’s office. And now I’m working in<br />United States Postal Service.<br />S. SABATEN: were these jobs related to your previous career path in the Philippines?<br />B. SABATEN: Cashier was. The cashier [position] yeah, because I was planning on getting into accounting,<br />so it is related.<br />S. SABATEN: [outside disturbance] no. oh my gosh. Do you think it was difficult to pursue higher education<br />here in the US?<br />B. SABATEN: Oh for me, yes because my... financially I didn’t know about… financially it was hard because<br />my dad retired that time and my mom passed away when I was 17 so everything changed.<br />S. SABATEN: was it difficult moving to the us at a young age.<br />B. SABATEN: not really, because I was with my parents and brothers and sisters so… I was happy.<br />S. SABATEN: Did you notice anything different between first generation immigrant and Filipino Americans<br />already here?<br />B. SABATEN: I think so, because the first we as a first generation come here for big opportunity and well<br />the second generation are already here and they were born here, they know the language very well and<br />adapted all of the cultures here. SO, it was not as easy for [as] them.<br />S. SABATEN: So that concludes out interview and it is 3:01 pm. Thank you for joining me<br />B. SABATEN: You’re welcome.
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Oral History Interview with Blanca Sabaten
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Pangasinan, United States Navy, US Navy, American Culture, American Cuisine, San Diego, Southwestern college, Tech Industry,
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Oral History Interview with Blanca Sabaten, interviewed by Sydney May Sabaten
Date
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1-Jun-19
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Audio Recording and Transcript
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0041
American Cuisine
American Culture
Pangasinan
San Diego
Southwestern college
Tech Industry
United States Navy
US Navy
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
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An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
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Interviewer
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Juan Amado Sales
Interviewee
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Kathleen Ramos
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Kathleen Ramos: Okay, today is June 8th, 2019. I am- My name is Kathleen Ramos and I’m<br />interviewing for ASA 150. Um yeah. The time is 12:14pm. You wanna say your name?<br />Juan Amado Sales (aka Ado): My name is Juan Amado Sales and I’m a freshman in UC Davis,<br />class of 2022.<br />Kathleen: Cool. And how old are you?<br />Ado: I am eighteen years old.<br />K: Eighteen years old. Let me check something really quick.<br />A: Oh yeah, sure.<br />…<br />K: So where were you born in the Philippines?<br />A: So I was born in Manila, Philippines. Capitol.<br />K: And when were you born?<br />A: I was born in October 16, 2000.<br />K: Do you know where your parents were born?<br />A: I think both my parents were also born in the Philippines- In Manila. In the Capitol.<br />K: Oh okay, so you guys were all born and raised there.<br />A: Yes, but my grandparents are from the province. So they moved to Manila and then started a<br />family there.<br />K: Where in the province?<br />A: So on my father’s side, they’re from Batangas, and then for my mother’s side they’re from<br />Panabo.<br />K: So where did you grow up, in Manila, right? Can you describe that in detail? Like what was<br />your surroundings like?<br />A: Yeah, so I grew up in Parañaque , which is one region of Manila. And it’s more of like a...I<br />wouldn’t say a suburbs type of environment, but it wasn’t really like city. It was more of like a<br />residential area. So we didn’t really get to like, we’re not like close contact with poverty or like<br />those other bad things about Manila.<br />K: So a good neighborhood you would say?<br />A: It was a pretty decent neighborhood, yeah.<br />K: Oh okay, cool. I think I wanna ask more about your parents. Like what did they do when<br />living in the Philippines?<br />A: So my father was a college professor of law. And then my mother was, works in the hospital<br />for a doctor. She was like a medical secretary, like a clerk of the office in the hospital.<br />K: And they’ve been doing that the whole time in the Philippines?<br />A: Yeah<br />K: Okay. And what was their education like? Did they go to college?<br />A: Yeah so both my parents went to college, but my dad went to law school, to become a lawyer.<br />K: Okay. I just wanted to ask more about the Philippine education because we learned that about<br />that in class and how different it is here. But also because America owned the Philippines, they<br />were in charge of the curriculum there. So how would you say the education was there compared<br />to here?<br />A: Well, in the Philippines, I went to a private Catholic high school. So I’m not sure if it’s- the<br />experience is definitely different from the public high school there in the Philippines. So I can’t<br />really talk about the public high school system. But for the private one, it was very strict. Like<br />we had to wear uniforms. And then we had to follow like a certain hairstyle or like a haircut. We<br />can’t do mohawks or bald cuts or something like that. It has to be decent and proper. And I<br />would say it was more difficult like the normal classes in the Philippines are more difficult<br />compared to the normal classes here in the US. But like the APs here and the honors classes here<br />are definitely harder. But like if you compare the average classes, the normal classes, it’s are<br />harder there in the Philippines because there wasn’t really that much student involvement in<br />teaching. It was more like the teacher just teaching the student and that’s it. Because like in the<br />US, if the teacher is teaching you, the teacher wants collaboration with students or like people to<br />talk to each other, your side, or like teamwork activities. In my school, we just sat there for like<br />50 minutes seeing the teacher teach without any student involvement or student collaboration. So<br />it was really different. I would say that the student involvement collaboration is better here,<br />because you get more involved, like the learning is hands on.<br />[Time Stamp 5:13]<br />K: What grade did you come here?<br />A: Sophomore year.<br />K: Sophomore of high school?<br />A: High school, yeah.<br />K: Oh okay. That’s interesting. So you would say there’s more group work here in the classes?<br />A: Yeah, there’s more um, what’s the name of that educational system? The common core one.<br />There’s more common core type activities here than there.<br />K: What about your history classes? Do you remember what you learned in the Philippines for<br />history?<br />A: Yeah, so, we first learned Philippine history, of course, then we proceeded to do Asian<br />history, and then world history.<br />K: Did you learn any American history at all?<br />A: We learned about the Philippine-American war.<br />K: That’s interesting because my parents they learned only like American history. They didn’t<br />hear anything about the wars and stuff. Like anything back then. So I’m glad they kinda changed<br />it. So when did you leave the Philippines?<br />A: I left in 2016.<br />K: So you’ve been here for three years?<br />A: Yeah<br />K: So you’ve lived in the Philippines since you were?<br />A: Since I was zero years old.<br />K: Oh yeah. [laughter] And then you were until how old?<br />A: Until I was 15<br />K: Who came with you to America?<br />A: So my, so I have three siblings, so I came with my two parents and my two siblings. And my<br />older sister had to finish her college in the Philippines first before she went here.<br />K: And who did you leave behind? Do you have family still there?<br />A: Yeah, so I would say most of my family’s still there, although there’s a lot of family members<br />who also migrated here.<br />K: Like most on your dad’s side or mom’s side?<br />A: I guess most on my dad’s side. My mom’s side too. We’re like a pretty big family so, yeah<br />both sides mostly still there.<br />K: Yeah same here. Okay, do you know why you came to America? Any particular reason?<br />A: So when my parents told us the idea that we were gonna move here, at first, I didn’t really<br />wanna move, I was sad, I was kinda mad at them because you know when sophomore year is<br />when you find your true friends in high school and find your true squad. Yeah it was also a fun<br />time. So it was really, it was a bad idea for me to move. But then I understand that, I remember<br />my mom told me that this opportunity is not available for everyone. Like everyone- some people<br />would die to just go here. Then why are we gonna pass that opportunity? It was mostly that and<br />it was mostly because of education. So<br />K: For you guys?<br />A: Mhm. Because the high school here is free, well not really free because you’re paying taxes,<br />but it’s free for kids and stuff. But there you have to pay because you go to a private high school.<br />So yeah, for a good education. And plus public school here is like the private high school there.<br />K: That’s true. And cheaper too.<br />A: Yeah, so that one too, and also going to...It’s really different if you go to an American<br />university and if you graduate there, and if you come back. So like a really different- you’re<br />gonna stand out in your resume. Although we don’t really have any plans on going back there, it<br />was more for education and opportunity to come here.<br />K: Uh, this is kinda going off on a tangent, but do you plan on going back there with a degree?<br />A: Like to work or to live again?<br />K: Yeah just to work, because you said it’s good to have an American degree and go back.<br />A: Yeah, for some people it is, if you’re planning on coming back, but I don’t have any plans on<br />coming back. I mean coming back to go on vacation. But not to live there. We’ll see though,<br />there’s a lot of time.<br />[Time Stamp 10:00]<br />K: Did your parents come here for working reasons? Like you said education, but was there a<br />sole reason that enabled them to move here? Like a working visa or something?<br />A: So it’s funny, there was this family myth or legend when during World War 2, my grandpa<br />accidentally went to a military terrain. He didn’t know it was a military terrain, so everyone who<br />was in that terrain was listed down, like their names, and everyone who was there became a US<br />citizen. Because they served for the US army. As a compensation, they gave them US<br />citizenship.<br />K: Like for your whole family?<br />A: No just for my grandpa. But that was in the 1940s. So my grandpa petitioned my dad and my<br />dad petitioned us.<br />K: Yeah! That’s pretty lucky!<br />A: But I’m not sure if that’s a true story though, it’s like a family myth.<br />K: That sounds pretty legit though.<br />A: I don’t know about that.<br />K: That’s cool though, that’s pretty lucky. Because I hear, like you said, there’s a lot of struggle<br />to come here, with a family too.<br />A: My grandpa thought he was going somewhere to another part of the Philippines and not<br />knowing he was going to war. [laughter]<br />K: Accidentally going to the military. [laughter] What a win though! Could’ve ended up a lot<br />worse...Oh, so what do your parents do living here now?<br />A: Okay, so you know my dad was a college professor back in the Philippines, and he really had<br />a good career there. He was already- he was pretty old at his job so he was on top of the position.<br />So like moving here at that old age is not really the best idea, especially if don’t graduate here.<br />So both of my parents had a hard time finding good jobs or corporate jobs, so it was a really big<br />fall for my dad especially. Like right now, they’re working at a theme park.<br />K: Team park? What’s that?<br />A: Great America.<br />K: Oh I see.<br />A: Yeah.<br />K: How old was your dad when he came here?<br />A: 61, so he’s pretty old.<br />K: And your mom?<br />A: 51<br />K: Thanks for answering that, that was personal.<br />A: Imagine that my dad quitting his career there and just starting from the bottom, and still<br />staying at the bottom.<br />K: And he’s not thinking of retirement soon or?<br />A: He might retire, we’ll see.<br />K: Yeah I’m sorry for that, I feel like it’s a struggle just being a migrant -immigrant and finding<br />a job here.<br />A: It is.<br />K: How would you compare the living experience here from the Philippines? I think you talked<br />about this a bit but just expand a little.<br />A: I’m not really sure because back there we had a comfortable life because my dad had a good<br />job, and so we had our own house. Yeah, we had a comfortable life there and moving here was<br />really different because first off, we didn’t have a house, like my parents had to start from the<br />bottom. So at first, for the first few months, it was a struggle trying to manage our money and<br />our financials and stuff like that, because you always had to start from the bottom right? And<br />then we had to live with our aunt, so it wasn’t really our house. But…(what am I…) I guess<br />because of the help of my relatives and because when my parents started to have jobs, we started<br />having that income and having that money to buy some living stuff, buy a car also, but it was<br />difficult. And I feel like it’s still difficult now compared to our life back in the Philippines<br />because we were already established there, we already had our lives there set.<br />K: And you were comfortable there? So it’s like a huge change<br />A: Yeah it was, it was.<br />[Time Stamp 15:03]<br />K: So how long did it take for you guys to get settled? You said you started from the bottom, so<br />how long did it take to like get a car and a house to live and stuff like that?<br />A: I would say like four months.<br />K: Oh okay.<br />A: But that car is not really the best car. [laughter] It’s like a pretty easy saving to get.<br />K: And you said you had an aunt who lived here? You had relatives coming here?<br />A: Yeah, yeah. They went here before us, like in the 90s, so they’re already pretty established<br />here. And they were like a big help for us.<br />K: That was like my parents, we came here in the 90s.<br />A: When exactly in the 90s?<br />K: 1996, but we lived in Virginia, and we came here 97.<br />A: Were you born here? Or in the Philippines?<br />K: Yeah, I was born in Sacramento, so I was here...So which one do you prefer? Living in<br />America or living here? Or psh living in the Philippines or living here?<br />A: That’s a good question. I don’t know. I feel like, since right now, we haven’t really fully<br />achieved the American dream yet, so I can’t prematurely say that it’s better to live in the<br />Philippines. I guess if you achieve the dream here then it might change, so I don’t really want to<br />say that it’s better to live there than to live here. But I feel like the reward of moving here is<br />probably better, or would make our lives better than the risk of uprooting ourselves from there to<br />here.<br />K: Yeah that makes sense. So what would the reward be for you? Like education right?<br />A: Maybe I would have a- like buy a house. Like buy a house for my parents. Because my<br />parents at this age of their lives would never have afforded a house. It’s already up to us to buy a<br />house for them.<br />K: Like you and your siblings right?<br />A:Yeah, me and my siblings.<br />K: I wanted to touch base a little more on the immigrating process. So what was the process like?<br />Like literally with the papers and stuff like that?<br />A: Yeah, so I think the first one is- back in the Philippines, we had to…<br />(recording issues, still recording, but had to check it)<br />A: ...I think like back there we had to go to a health inspection, we have to get proof we’re<br />vaccinated or we don’t have any virus or we don’t have any tuberculosis, so that’s like the health<br />part of it. And we also had to go to the, I think, the American embassy and interview too. The<br />American Embassy in the Philippines, to interview and stuff like that. And of course, we had to<br />pay money to get that green card and to start the papers going. I think all in all it took like ten<br />months or something for the whole process for us to get a green card. Because once you have a<br />green card, then you’re basically good to go.<br />K: So you had to get for all five of you right?<br />A: All six of us, but my sister had to stay for like two years and then she went here<br />K: So you said the process was ten months right?<br />A: I’m not really sure if it’s ten months, I think like a year or something? Like ten months to a<br />year?<br />K: Would you say it was a difficult process? How was it financially, getting all this stuff<br />together?<br />A: (sneezes)<br />K: Bless you! [laughter]<br />A: Thanks. It wasn’t really that big of a problem or burden for us because I guess my parents<br />were already expecting that process, I guess they saved some money for that event. But yeah, it<br />wasn’t really a burden<br />K: So it was pretty smooth you would say.<br />A: I would say pretty smooth. But although when we went to the health inspection and the<br />proofs, you could see the line, the line is pretty long. And the embassy, the line is pretty long<br />there. There’s a lot of people who want to go.<br />[Time Stamp 20:02]<br />K: Going to America...So how was it for you personally? How you felt with the whole<br />immigration process? It’s kind of a broad question so.<br />A: It was kind of long, for me personally, it was kind of long so I got to have the time to say<br />goodbye to my friends, I had that time- that big time for me to say goodbye and hang out with<br />them for the last time. [laughter] It was a good emotional preparation to move here.<br />K: Oh okay, so it was a good transition?<br />A: Yeah, good transition.<br />K: And you still keep in touch with friends and stuff?<br />A: Yeah, I still keep touch, yeah.<br />K: Last question, what was the most difficult part of immigrating here?<br />A: Like in terms of the process or living here or adjusting?<br />K: Anything really.<br />A: I would say you have to start all over again, like living there for like 16 years, 17 years,<br />speaking the language there, then moving here, with a totally different accent, to a different slang<br />or style. It was hard to really adjust to that much. I knew this girl who also moved here, well<br />she’s not from the Philippines, she’s from another place and then she- it was also hard for her to<br />speak the language and adjust, so she was a bit isolated. I guess it’s also the same for me. For the<br />first few days of going to school, I was isolated from the people because I don’t really know how<br />to talk like this, you know, like what I’m doing now because it was really different. A whole<br />different culture, and also, so that one the language and also the fact that you had to start all over<br />again and not knowing that everything is going to be fine, like that uncertainty, you know?<br />K: Especially with your family?<br />A: And my dad being old, like my mom being old too. So yeah. And all of us not having- is not<br />of working age yet, like don’t have degrees, so finding jobs here, you know.<br />K: Um, I think that’s it. Thank you so much, Ado...it’s 12:37pm now and yeah, thank you so<br />much.<br />A: Yeah, your welcome.<br />K: I think that’s it
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Title
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Oral History Interview with Kathleen Ramos, interviewed by Juan Amado Sales
Subject
The topic of the resource
Manila, Batangas, Paranaque, private catholic school, First generation immigrant, World War II veterans, Virginia, Immigration process
Description
An account of the resource
Oral History Interview with Kathleen Ramos, interviewed by Juan Amado Sales
Date
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8-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0040
Batangas
First Generation Immigrant
Immigration process
Manila
Paranaque
private catholic school
Virginia
World War II veterans
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Therese Pizarro
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Cynthia Salonga Pizarro
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Begin Audio File]<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Okay, it is June 9th, 2019 and it's 5 p.m. This is Therese interviewing for the Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Today I'm interviewing:<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: Cynthia Salonga Pizarro.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: So where and when were you born?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: I was born in Manila, Philippines, on May 23, 1958.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Where and when were your parents born?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: My mother was born in Manila, the same place where I was born, on February 19, 1918. My father was born in Pampanga Philippines on September 4, 1919. <br />THERESE PIZARRO: Where were your grandparents born?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: My maternal grandparents were both born in Bulacan, Bulacan, Philippines while my paternal grandparents were both born in Macabebe, Pampanga, Philippines.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: What jobs did your parents do?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: Both of my parents were lawyers. My father worked for the government, Bureau of Internal Revenue for the counterpart of our International -I'm sorry-Internal Revenue Service. My mother had a private law practice, and at the same time, had a small business that served as a middleman for fishermen in the fish market owners in the Philippines.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: What jobs did your grandparents do?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: My maternal grandparents are the small loan company that accepted parcels of land and residential houses. My paternal grandparents were both farmers. <br />THERESE PIZARRO: How many siblings did you have? And did you come from a big family?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: Oh, yes. I come from a very big family. I have two elder brothers and four elder sisters. Unfortunately, my eldest brother passed away twenty-eight years ago at the age of forty. <br />THERESE PIZARRO: Did any of your family members moved to America before you?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: Yes, one of my sisters moved to America ten years before me. She moved here because her husband was assigned by the government to work at the Philippine Embassy as a commercial attaché.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Did your sister who moved to America before you ever talk to you about her experiences? How would she describe America to you?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: My sister who moved to America before me talked whole a lot about her experiences when I moved here. I have experienced at least 80% of what she had experienced. It may be because we have both come from the same background thus we have very similar expectations. The thing that we highly agreed upon is the limitless opportunities. Both of us agree that hard work and determination are required though. I remember quite well that she told me that America is a beautiful country where you can be your own person and you would be able to support yourself and your family if you work hard.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: I graduated in 1983 from a medical school in the Philippines. After passing the board examinations, I specialized in infectious diseases for two-and-a-half years in a government hospital. The training gave me a very good exposure to my chosen field of interest.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: What is your elementary school or middle school, high school, college or medical school like for you?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: When I started elementary school, I was very much intimidated because the medium of instruction in the Philippines is English, which I could hardly speak. I only spoke Tagalog and a dialect, Kapampangan. Spanish was also taught in grade school, high school and college although I did not find it hard because it was quite similar to Tagalog. Ultimately. I learned English after a year in grade school. High school and college would have been fun but the pressure to get high grades to get to medical school made it otherwise. Medical school requires a lot of studying and sleepless nights, but I was willing to give it my all because my childhood dream was to be a doctor. It was not the best four years of my life, but it made me realize that it was something I would want to do for the rest of my life.<br />[04:46]<br />THERESE PIZARRO: What were some struggles you faced growing up?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: My life was not a bed of roses, but I cannot complain because I had so much blessings. The only thing I wish I had was my mom. She passed away when I was a baby. My dad had to struggle with it too since he was left with seven children. When there were important events in school, most of my classmates would have both parents unlike me. My dad did the best he could for me not to feel the void. There were issues that my dad cannot relate but I am sure if my mom were alive she would have.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: What was your professional experience like in the Philippines?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: Before I started my infectious disease residency, I worked in a community hospital as a general practitioner seeing both young and old patients for a year and a half. 50% of cases for obstetrics, prenatal visits, and some subsequent childbirth. The rest of the patients' visits were because of hypertension, diabetes and common childhood diseases. After my training in infectious diseases, I put up my own clinic and practiced for two years before migrating to America.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Why did you decide to move out of the Philippines?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: Leaving the Philippines, where I was born and raised was not an easy decision to make, but the prospect of learning more, especially the new trends in medicine was very encouraging since the U.S. is the pioneer in almost every field of medicine.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: When did you move to the United States?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: I have visited the United States two times before I decided to move here in 1991.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Did you move anywhere else before settling in the United States?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: All my life, I've been living in the Philippines before I moved to the United States. <br />THERESE PIZARRO: What were your thoughts about America before you moved here?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: While in the Philippines, I have met a lot of Americans living there and through them, I got a good idea of what American culture and every life would be. Since the Philippines was under the Spanish, American- I'm sorry- the American rule for 33 years and since the Americans were the first teachers, as I said previously, the medium of instruction is English in school. We were taught U.S. geography, U.S. literature, and more importantly, U.S. history. My thoughts of the U.S. was that it was a country where equality exists and opportunities abound. What even made it more attractive was the thought of diversity and tolerance among its people. <br />THERESE PIZARRO: Did your thoughts change after you arrived?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: There were things that changed after my two visits, and after moving and living here. It was not exactly how I envisioned it, but quite close. The beautiful places and the cleanliness was just as I had thought, read and seen in pictures. It was a little unfortunate that the equality that I thought was limited to a certain extent. Somehow, I saw isolated cases of racism towards American Africans, Hispanics, and Asians. This, however, gave me more motivation to learn and work harder to prove my worth and to gain success. The belief that here in this country, hard work and determination will lead to success is very true. The limitless opportunities that attract people of all races, religions, and backgrounds is very visible.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: What was different about living in America as opposed to living the Philippines?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: Two things that are very different here in America are the availability of opportunities and the transparency in government. I also have noticed that most Americans followed the law which seems second nature to them. Significantly people here learn to be independent at an early age, which is hardly seen in the Philippines because there are so many help available back home from family and friends.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Where did you first live in the United States? Did you stay with your family or were you alone?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: I first lived with my sister in Chino Hills. In the Philippines, I only drove occasionally, but in Chino Hills driving became a necessity since public transportation are not available then. <br />THERESE PIZARRO: Have you lived anywhere else in America besides Chino Hills?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: Yes, because of my husband's profession, we actually moved everywhere. I have lived in Delaware, where my children were born, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island aside from California. <br />[10:07]<br />THERESE PIZARRO: What jobs did you perform when you moved to America?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: My first job was medical assisting and medical transcribing. The assisting part was easy, but transcribing was difficult for me because I did not have any computer background, but eventually, I was able to cope up.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Did your professional or academic experiences help you get the job? Was the job related to your previous profession in the Philippines?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: My professional experience and academic experience helped me secure the job, although initially, I was told that I was overqualified. I assured them that I'm willing to accept any job related to medicine to gain experience and support myself financially. I have performed other jobs in America. I have not actually- I have to change it. After this medical assisting, medical transcribing, I was not. After I got married, I decided to devote my time to my family, especially my son, who at that time, had so many medical needs. To this day, I do not regret giving up a lucrative career for the sake of my family and as I look back, it was one of the best decisions I have made, although it was not an easy one.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Did you go back to school here in America?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: I went back to school in America, but it was a review of school to prepare me to take up the U.S. Medical licensure exam which I successfully passed. Although the method of teaching and books are the same, the approaching clinical practice is quite different and more updated here because there were so many ongoing medical researches.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: What was your experience like in review school? And how did it differ from school in the Philippines?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: My experience in the review school here was very different from the schools I attended in the Philippines. I have never studied that much in my life. Sometimes, my friends and I would start with studying from 7 a.m until 11 p.m. The pressure to pass the board exam was extremely high and the pressure was too much. I don't know how I was able to survive the gruesome ordeal that I was confronted with, the chance to practice in America was a chance of a lifetime for me then.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Did you notice anything different between first-generation immigrants and the Filipino American Community?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: Well, the first generation immigrants have a very distinct cultural identity compared to the Filipino American communities who have been living here for quite a while. With each succeeding generation, I noticed that they tend to lose their attachment to the Filipino traditions and values. They tend to be more American as they learn to assimilate in this country, which is very understandable. If we take it, there's an old Roman saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."<br />THERESE PIZARRO: Were there any challenges you faced when immigrating or living in America? How did you overcome them?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: The change in lifestyle and adjustment to the new surroundings was a very big challenge. More so being away from most of my family was quite devastating. Somehow, I also experienced loneliness. Back home, there were people doing things for me. But here I have to do a lot of things myself mostly, domestic though.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: What is an important lesson you've learned in your life or in your journey?<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: Well, an important lesson I've learned is that you cannot control everything in life, no matter how hard you try. You can give it your best shot but if it was not meant to be then it will never happen. Adjustments and compromise need to be made once in a while. It is also important to note that happiness always comes from within; it does not come from people places or events. You make your own happiness in life.<br />THERESE PIZARRO: So it is 5:15 and this concludes our interview and I just want to say thank you for your time.<br />CYNTHIA PIZARRO: You're welcome.<br />[End audio file]
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Oral History Interview With Cynthia Salonga Pizarro
Subject
The topic of the resource
Manila, Pampanga, Bulacan, Lawyer, Law, Bureau of Internal Revenue Service, Philippine Embassy, Medical School, Trilingual, Infections Disease Specialist, General Practitioner, Racism, Chino Hills, Medical Assisting
Description
An account of the resource
Oral History Interview With Cynthia Salonga Pizarro, interviewed by Therese Pizarro
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
9-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0039
Bulacan
Bureau of Internal Revenue Service
Chino Hills
General Practitioner
Infections Disease Specialist
Law
Lawyer
Manila
Medical Assisting
Medical School
Pampanga
Philippine Embassy
racism
Trilingual
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Jared Perez
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Gwendolin Perez
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Session 1, May 31st, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />JP: Okay, can you say your name?<br />GP: Gwendolin Perez<br />JP: Where and when were you born?<br />GP: I was born March 2nd, 1969 in Pampanga, Philippines.<br />JP: Where were your parents born?<br />GP: Same place.<br />JP: What jobs did your parents do?<br />GP: My dad was an accountant, my mom was a teacher in the Philippines until she came here<br />and then she did clerical work for Levi Strauss. From the time that she arrived to early 2000’s I<br />think.<br />JP: And your grandparents?<br />GP: My maternal grandparents were farmers. My father’s parents I’m not quite sure what they<br />did for a living.<br />JP: How many siblings did you have and did you come from big family?<br />GP: I have two brothers and a sister and extended family is pretty big on the mother’s side.<br />JP: DId any of your family members move to America before you?<br />GP: No. Oh Before me? My parents. My parents came first and then my siblings and I came<br />maybe 7, 8 years later.<br />JP: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />GP: Say that again?<br />JP: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />GP: I left the Philippines when I was in the third grade.<br />JP: Why did your parents decide to move out of the Philippines?<br />GP: Uhm, Financial reasons, economics, I guess. The story I heard was that my dad was gonna<br />come here, they were both gonna come here and work and save some money and then come back<br />to the Philippines and start a business. But that didn’t materialize, they just ended up staying here<br />and ended up bringing us over.<br />JP: When did you move to the united States?<br />GP: My dad came in 1970, my mom followed a year after and my siblings and I came in June,<br />1977.<br />JP: Did move anywhere else before settling in the United States?<br />GP: No, just the Philippines.<br />JP: What were your thoughts about America before you moved here?<br />GP: Well I was a kid and every time I saw, I knew that you had to fly in an airplane to get to<br />America, so I always thought that America was up in the sky. Being eight years old, I really had<br />no thoughts about what America was like, except what I was told that it was cold.<br />JP: Did your thoughts changed after you arrived?<br />GP: About America?<br />JP: Yeah<br />GP: No because we came in the summer, it was warm.<br />JP: [laughs] What was different about living America, oh hold on. What was different about<br />living in America as opposed to living in the Philippines?<br />[4:50]<br />GP: Uh there was a lot of family members in the Philippines. And as a child you had more<br />freedom to roam around. There weren’t any restrictions like there were here. When we got here,<br />there weren’t any family members it was just my mom and dad and we lived in an apartment in<br />San Francisco. So the freedom to run around as a kid wasn’t there like it was in the Philippines.<br />JP: What were you first feeling when you came to America?<br />GP: Fear. I was scared. It was a whole different way of life and I didn’t speak the language and I<br />didn’t speak the language. And I was a very shy kid at the time.. So fear was the most, was the<br />only feeling I had at the time.<br />JP: What changed?<br />GP: Hm. [Familiarity] I can’t say the word. Just being familiarized with the surrounding and<br />society after a while. And uhm the fact that I was able to communicate by the end of my first<br />year in school. And I found friends in school.<br />JP: Where did you first live in the United States?<br />GP: San Francisco. 16th and Mission.<br />JP: How long did it take your parents to find work in America?<br />GP: Uh I’m not sure, but I don’t think it was that long. We weren’t here when we first got here,<br />so I don’t think, I’m not quite sure how long it took them.<br />JP: What jobs have you had since moving to America?<br />GP: Me?<br />JP: Yeah.<br />GP: My first job was at Marine World, Africa, USA, which is now Discovery Kingdom I guess<br />in Vallejo. And then my second job was at Target and I was the assistant for the Human<br />Resource Manager and then I was going to school at the time and when I got done with school, I<br />quit working at Target and I got my license as an LVN. And that’s all the jobs I’ve done since.<br />JP: Was there a reason why you wanted to become a nurse?<br />GP: I was told that, I didn’t really wanna be a nurse but I was told that I would always have a<br />job. Plus, I think the fact that everyone else in the family was in the medical field, I kinda wanted<br />to learn the medical lingo so I could contribute to their conversations.<br />JP: Can you talk about your experiences with the American education?<br />GP: Uhm, It’s a lot different than it is now. Back when we were in school ,we didn’t have all the<br />convenience of the computer. It was tedious, any research that you had to do, you had to go<br />through the library and carry tons and tons of books, whereas now, you have everything at your<br />fingertips.<br />JP: How would you relate the education here in America to the education in the Philippines?<br />GP: I’m not sure because I was only there up until the third grade. The only difference that<br />stands out is that I notice with my own kids, I notice that, if you notice a lot of the Filipinos that<br />grow up in the Philippines they have beautiful penmanship. In the Philippines, I believe from<br />first, from first grade, there’s a set time just for writing a certain letter for that day. And it wasn’t<br />just about writing, it’s about how you wrote it and what it looks like and making sure that it’s,<br />they’re all proportioned to one another on a single page.<br />[10:25]<br />JP: Did you notice anything different between first generation immigrants and the rest of the<br />Filipino-American community?<br />GP: First generation what do you mean?<br />JP: First generation like the first to move to America so like I guess you, I think you’re<br />technically one and a half because first generation would be if you moved here after you were<br />fifteen or something like that. But yeah. I think what the question is asking like either the<br />difference between you and Mama and Lolo or you and me and Ate. Talk about both.<br />GP: So what was the question again?<br />JP: What are the differences between your generation and like Mama’s generation? And then<br />your generation and then like Ate’s generation.<br />GP: I dunno. I mean I can only speak about your generation and my generation. Mama’s<br />generation I think from what I see or what I saw, especially with women, Asian women, they’re<br />a lot more submissive, especially to their spouses. And then my generation are kinda like in<br />between where, especially you’re still gonna have that Asian culture lingering in the background<br />so you’re not quite Asian and you’re not quite American fully, ya know? So you have a little bit<br />of, you have an influence from a little bit of both sides of the world where East meets West. But<br />in your generation, I think a lot of the Asian culture might be on the smaller percentage side<br />rather than the American side. So I’m not quite sure how to answer that question, but if we’re<br />talking culturewise, there’s a big, I think there’s a big difference from my generation to yours<br />and from mine to Mama’s. Especially with them growing up in the Philippines.<br />JP: Talk about that then.<br />GP: What?<br />JP: Like what makes it different. Like I don’t know like socioeconomic status-<br />GP: Well okay, so I think even in your generation, kids in the Philippines are a little different.<br />Well, not a little different. Like kids in the Philippines, even your age, you ask these kids<br />because they grow up in poor surroundings and education to them is very important. Education is<br />the ticket out of their poverty. So parents they will crawl through mud to get their kids through<br />school. And in the Philippines, there aren’t any government loans or student loans that they have<br />here. So everything, whatever tuition that the kids need paid, the parents have to find somehow,<br />whether they go to relatives and borrow or what, but they will crawl through mud, they will sell<br />whatever they have to sell to get their kids through school and when you ask kids in the<br />Philippines what their goals are in life, you often hear them say I wanna finish school so that I<br />can help my mom and dad, or so I can help my mom and dad support my siblings so that they<br />can go to school. That’s always the majority of the answer. Here, you know, you ask kids, and<br />then you ask kids in the Philippines what they wanna be, they wanna be either lawyers, doctors,<br />or nurses. Something that’s sustainable as far as jobs. Here, you ask, you ask kids what they<br />wanna do, what they wanna major in, like I wanna major in English, well you answer, you say<br />that to a Filipino parent, they’ll look at you funny. Especially if you say I wanna major in fine<br />arts. There’s just no jobs for that in the Philippines or whatever. So those are kind of like a no-no<br />majors in the Philippines. Did I answer your question?<br />[15:34]<br />JP: Have you had an experience with like Filipino activism here? Anything that you could, like<br />remember?<br />GP: Filipino activism?<br />JP: Yeah.<br />GP: In what sense?<br />JP: Just like anything.<br />GP: Uh like political stuff?<br />JP: Uh yeah. It could be but like I know that like for example, like this stuff happened before you<br />were born. And some of it happened before you got to America.<br />GP: Yeah I haven’t run across that, but what I do remember back in the late 70s is this, back in<br />San Francisco there was this gang war between Filipinos and Mexicans. And I remember my<br />brothers were teenagers and my mom, my mom and dad always told them, ‘don’t go out after<br />dark’ because any Filipinos, especially guy Filipinos wandering the streets of San Francisco<br />often got shot by these Mexican gangs, but other than that, I don’t remember anything of that<br />nature.<br />JP: Was there anything else that you wanted to share?<br />GP: Like what?<br />JP: I dunno anything about your experience. Anything about you immigrating here, like a<br />struggle that you had?<br />GP: Uh one of the struggles that I had was when I first came, I was eight years old, I was, before<br />I left the Philippines, I was surrounded by family and then I come here, I didn’t know how to<br />speak the language, I didn’t understand the language. I had no family members except my<br />siblings or my parents. But it was scary and lonely at the same time.<br />JP: Do you wanna talk about your family experience? How you felt like your family experience<br />would have been different if you were in the Philippines as opposed to when y’all were living in<br />America?<br />GP: Uh, I dunno how it would have been different.<br />JP: Do you think it would have been different?<br />GP: Probably.<br />JP: Why?<br />GP: Probably would have different because well a lot of it had to do with family dynamics here.<br />My parents weren’t all that they weren’t all that parental. You know what I mean?<br />JP: Do you think that could be due to the fact that they had to work so much?<br />GP: No, I think it was just how their relationship was. I mean, I kinda, they brought us in when I<br />was eight years old and my oldest brother was fifteen and I think I always said that one of my<br />biggest blessing was not growing up with my parents because they didn’t know how to parent<br />and one of my blessings was that I was raised by people who set that good foundation. I don’t<br />think I woulda had that here with my parents.<br />JP: Was there anything else you wanna share? Nothing?<br />[19:51]<br />GP: No, I mean I pretty much, I was eight years old when I came here, so any way of life that I<br />know would be the way of life here in America, here in California. I remember very, the thing<br />that stood out to me was that of course in the Philippines, we were surrounded by family, by<br />cousins and aunts and uncles and the houses, ya know, you wanna go to your uncle’s house, it’s<br />a hop, skip and a jump away. You wanna go play with your cousins’ they’re all over the place.<br />And here, I didn’t have that, so that was the one thing that really stood out to me. I missed out on<br />that family dynamic, or that huge family dynamic.<br />JP: What about your experiences with Dad? Or like Dad’s experiences?<br />GP: I don’t know anything about Dad’s experiences, what do you mean?<br />JP: Nothing.<br />GP: I mean Dad grew up in the Philippines, he was in his thirties when he came here. So, I think<br />he has, I dunno. I dunno what he would have to say. All I know is that I remember him telling<br />me that he left the Philippines because well, first of all there wasn’t much work out there and he<br />did a lot of hanging out with buddies and with no job and little to do they did a lot of drinking<br />and just hanging out. So he decided to just come to America to see if, to try his luck. And I guess<br />he was fortunate, he found a good job when he got here.<br />JP: What was the process of both of you getting your citizenship here?<br />GP: What’s that?<br />JP: What was the process of both of you getting your citizenship here?<br />GP: Well, mine was easy, I was a minor when both your grandparents became citizens. So that<br />carried us over into citizenship. So I just had to file for it and claim it. But when Dad, Dad had to<br />wait to be a resident at least, I think 3 years before he could file for citizenship and then he had to<br />go through the process of taking the exam, which was nothing, just waiting it out.<br />JP: What was Dad’s background, like in the Philippines? What kind of background did he come<br />from? What kind of family did he come from?<br />GP: I dunno, you’re gonna have to ask him about that.<br />JP: What did his parents do, do you know?<br />GP: His mom was a housewife and his dad owned his own radio control shop. That he repaired. I<br />guess. They’re the two-way radios, he would repair them. And I guess Dad worked a few jobs<br />while he was out in the Philippines. Before coming here. Other than that, and I know that he had<br />a grandfather that had his PhD in Math or something like that. He taught at one of the big<br />universities in the Philippines. But I don’t know much.<br />JP: Okay, that was it.<br />GP: That was it?<br />JP: Yeah<br />GP: Okay, I’ll talk to you later.<br />[24:55]<br />[End Audio File]
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Title
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Oral History Interview with Gwendolin Perez
Subject
The topic of the resource
Pampanga, Philippines, Accountant, Teacher, Clerk, Levi Strauss and Company, Farmers, San Francisco, Marine World Africa USA, Vallejo (Calif.), Target Corporation, Personnel management, Nurse, Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN), Asia, Culture, Immigration, Gangs, Mexicans, Mexican American criminals, Family & Relationships, Family Dynamic, Citizenship -- United States, U.S. Citizenship, Mathematics, University
Description
An account of the resource
Oral History Interview with Gwendolin Perez, interviewed by Jared Perez
Date
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5/31/2019
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0038
Accountant
Asia
Citizenship -- United States
Clerk
Culture
Family & Relationships
Family Dynamic
farmers
Gangs
immigration
Levi Strauss and Company
Licensed Vocational Nurses (LVN)
Marine World Africa USA
Mathematics
Mexican American criminals
Mexicans
nurse
Pampanga
Personnel management
Philippines
San Francisco
Target Corporation
teacher
U.S. Citizenship
University
Vallejo (Calif.)
-
Dublin Core
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Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Isabel Pel
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Sebastian Zablan
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Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Session 1, June 9,2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />PEL: Today’s date is June 9th, 2019 and it is Sunday, 2:05 P.M.<br />I am going to be interviewing Sebastian Zablan for the oral<br />history project.<br />When were you born?<br />ZABLAN: I was born in January 20, 1965.<br />PEL: And where were you born?<br />ZABLAN: I was born in the Philippines in the town, we call it<br />Minalin, Pampanga, Philippines.<br />PEL: And where were your parents born?<br />ZABLAN: They were born in the same town, Minalin, Pampanga,<br />Philippines.<br />PEL: Do you remember what jobs your parents did?<br />ZABLAN: My parents, they [were] businessmen. They had their own<br />rice mill where they also traded household goods stuff to<br />different places.<br />PEL: And do you remember what jobs your grandparents did?<br />4<br />ZABLAN [ Laughs]. So basically I don’t know what their job was<br />because, I think I was two [years-old] then when my grandparents<br />passed away. So I have no recall of my grandparents.<br />PEL: How many siblings did you have?<br />ZABLAN: So I have three brothers and five sisters, and I’m the<br />youngest in the family.<br />PEL: So did you come from a big family?<br />ZABLAN: Yes. So total, we were like ten [siblings]. One died<br />when she was two, a baby, so I didn’t get to see her.<br />PEL: Did any of your family members move to America before you?<br />ZABLAN: Yes. So my oldest brother, Thomasito Zablan, he married<br />a<br />U.S. citizen, but [she was] from the Philippines also. So, they<br />got married in the Philippines and they moved to the United<br />States right after that. That was back in 1980, I think.<br />PEL: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />ZABLAN: So, I went to high school in the seminary for the whole<br />year thinking that I’ll become a priest but just like they said,<br />“many are called but few are chosen.” So I was not the one who<br />[was] chosen. So right after high school, I went to college to<br />5<br />take [a] bachelor in medical technology for four years, which I<br />graduated [in].<br />PEL: Did you have any professional experience, like job<br />experience?<br />ZABLAN: Yes. So right after I graduated college, I was able to<br />find a job at the Philippines Heart Center for Asia. It’s a<br />government hospital where I was doing [a] job as a Nuclear<br />Technologist.<br />PEL: Why did you decide to move out of the Philippines?<br />ZABLAN: So, when my parents moved in 1985, so they decided to<br />petition us and since I… I wanted to be in a better place and to<br />be with my family. So I decided to move to the United States.<br />PEL: When did you move to the United States?<br />ZABLAN: So I worked at the Philippines Heart Center for two<br />years and in 1991, that’s when our petition came and so, my<br />brother… together with my brother and sister, we moved to the<br />United States in August 1991.<br />PEL:Did you move anywhere else before settling in the U.S.?<br />ZABLAN: No, that’s the only place I went. So my entire… until<br />the age of 25 I’ve been in the Philippines and then [in] 1991<br />that’s when I moved to the United States.<br />6<br />[4:45]<br />PEL: What were your thoughts about America before you moved<br />here?<br />ZABLAN: Well of course, when you say America, that’s everybody’s<br />dream. Better places, better life. You can own your own car or<br />house someday as long as you work harder.<br />PEL: Did your thoughts change after you arrived [to America]?<br />ZABLAN: No. When I arrived, that was in 1991, that’s when it was<br />hard to find a job, but with the help of my brother-in-law, he<br />helped find a job. But, this [was] in the military service,<br />which I joined after three months after I arrived here in the<br />United States.<br />PEL: What was different about living in America compared to<br />living in the Philippines?<br />ZABLAN: Living in the Philippines… it’s… life is harder and<br />salaries for employees are lower, and government employees are<br />corrupt. Whereas here in the United States, you’ll find a better<br />job and you’ll find a better salary also, or pay. And as long as<br />you work harder, you are [able] to get what you want when it<br />comes to material things, things like that.<br />PEL: Where did you first live in the United States?<br />ZABLAN: I remember, when we arrived here, my parents lived in<br />Daly City. I can’t even remember the street name but I was only<br />there for three months then I joined the military after that.<br />7<br />PEL: Did you stay with your family or were you alone [when you<br />moved to the U.S.]?<br />ZABLAN: So, the first three months after I arrived here I stayed<br />with my parents, and then that’s when my brother-in-law helped<br />me find a job and [I] joined the military. And so, I went to San<br />Antonio for the basic training for six weeks and right after<br />that, I didn’t get to go back to Daly City so I went to my tech<br />school [in the military] right after my basic training. So that<br />[was] for another eight months. Finally, after finishing my tech<br />school, I went back to San Antonio for my first base station. I<br />was there for five years as a physical therapy assistant helping<br />and working in the hospital.<br />PEL: So you worked in the military when you arrived in America,<br />but were there any other jobs besides that, that you worked?<br />ZABLAN: Since I had my Bachelor’s [degree] in Medical Technology<br />and it was hard to find a job here without any experience. So I<br />tried not to get a job that’s as… nothing to do with [a] medical<br />[training or background]. So, I waited a little, for like, three<br />months and then just like I said, with the help of my<br />brother-in-law, he was able to help me find a job at the<br />hospital, which I really like so basically that’s the only job I<br />applied for when I first came in [to America].<br />PEL: Did you professional or academic experience in the<br />Philippines help you get the job?<br />ZABLAN: I would say yes because of my Bachelor’s [degree] in<br />Medical Technology which has a medical background. It kind of<br />helped me choose hospital related jobs like physical<br />8<br />therapy,tech… so I would say that [experience in the<br />Philippines] helped me as far as because taking the subjects<br />again and different related medical courses.<br />[9:53]<br />PEL: Did you go back to school here in America?<br />ZABLAN: So just like I said, when you join the military, they<br />send you to a technical school where you take classes to prepare<br />you for that job. Like in the physical therapy [classes], I took<br />a lot of medical or science courses or subjects, like anatomy,<br />physiology, biology, things like that. And so, that was a<br />fast-paced course, so once you finish your tech school, you<br />don’t stop right there so you go to your first base and you<br />continue with your training [in the military] and taking some<br />more classes until you get certified. So, that’s what I did, so<br />it took me, I would say five years, to finish my career… or<br />courses in [being a] physical therapy assistant.<br />PEL: And did you notice anything different between first<br />generation immigrants, which is like you [coming from the<br />Philippines] and then you live in the U.S. after that, and the<br />Filipino American community, which is like other Filipinos who<br />were born in America?<br />ZABLAN: The difference you said?<br />PEL: Yeah.<br />ZABLAN: Oh okay. I’ll say, during our [referring to other first<br />generation immigrants] time, we’re more old-fashioned and very<br />9<br />conservative and we… brought that Filipino culture. While, the<br />kids who were born here, we call them millennials, though they<br />don’t know anything about Filipino culture. Basically they are<br />like… born here and whatever culture they have here it’s not…<br />they’re trying to… live by. Very liberal… they’re not so polite<br />[ laughs] -- I would say, just like… the way they call our<br />elderly, they just call them by their first name. While during<br />our time, we’re always taught to be polite with elderly people.<br />PEL: Okay and that is the end of the Oral History Interview with<br />Sebastian Zablan. It is currently 2:17 P.M. and it is still June<br />9th, 2019.<br />[End of Audio File]
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History Interview With Sebastian Zablan
Subject
The topic of the resource
Minalin, Pampanga, Philippines, businessmen, Business, Seminary, Priests, Medical Technology, Philippines Heart Center, Philippines Heart Center for Asia, Radiologic Technologist, Nuclear Technologist, United States, Military, Salaries, Daly City (Calif.), San Antonio (Tex.), Physical Therapy Assistant, Technical education -- Philippines, Culture, Immigration
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Sebastian Zablan, interviewed by Isabel Pel
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
6/9/2019
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0037
Business
businessmen
Culture
Daly City (Calif.)
immigration
Medical Technology
Military
Minalin
Nuclear Technologist
Pampanga
Philippines
Philippines Heart Center
Philippines Heart Center for Asia
Physical Therapy Assistant
Priests
Radiologic Technologist
Salaries
San Antonio (Tex.)
Seminary
Technical education -- Philippines
United States
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Noelani Ruth Pastor
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Noel Pastor
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
NRP: It is May 23, 2019 and it is 4:40 in the afternoon. This is Noelani Pastor, interviewing for<br />the Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project for the Welga! Filipino American Labor Archives<br />and the Welga! Project. Today, I am interviewing:<br />NP: Noel Pastor, Noelani Pastor’s daddy, father.<br />NRP: Okay, so I am going to start asking you questions about your background and things<br />about yourself. So, question number one, where and when were you born?<br />NP: I was born on May 5, 1968 in a little town called Dingras in the province of Ilocos Norte.<br />Located in Northern Philippines.<br />NRP: Where were your parents born?<br />NP: I believe my, my father was born in Laoag City, in the same province Ilocos Norte. My<br />mother was born in the same town where I was born which is in Dingras, Ilocos Norte,<br />Philippines.<br />NRP: What jobs did your parents do?<br />NP: My father worked for a telecommunications company delivering telegrams. People<br />probably don’t know what that is, but they’re called telegrams and my mother was a full-time<br />mother, housewife. And at the same time, they were both ministers of a Christian church.<br />NRP: Okay, what jobs did your grandparents do?<br />3<br />NP: My grandfather, I was very young when, on my father’s side, he was a mechanic and also<br />a musician which is where we got our talents from. And my grandmother, on my father’s side,<br />she was a full-time house wife. My grandfather from my mother’s side, he was a full-time<br />farmer. My grandmother on my maternal side is, she passed away when we were babies so we<br />never really got to know her.<br />NRP: How many siblings do you have?<br />NP: I have four siblings. One older brother, and two younger sisters. Of course I look better<br />than my older brother.<br />NRP: Did you come from a big family?<br />NP: Immediate family or inter-family?<br />NRP: Inter-family.<br />NP: Yes, we came from a very big and very close family on both sides, father’s side and<br />mother’s side.<br />NRP: Did any of your family members move to America before you?<br />NP: My fathers’ brothers and sisters all moved to the U.S. in California before we did. And<br />then, on my mothers’ side, my -- her sister moved to Hawaii and her, my grandfather, her dad<br />moved to Hawaii before we did.<br />NRP: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />4<br />NP: My academic experience [ laughs ] in the Philippines is I remember being a smart kid. Uh,<br />probably that’s where Noelani got her brains from, her daddy. But, um, it’s different in the<br />Philippines. We go to school -- we even, in elementary school, we go to school from basically<br />sun up to sundown. From 7 to 11 o’clock. And then, I remember taking an hour for lunch break,<br />maybe hour and a half. And then, from 1 to 5, in the afternoon, so there was a lot of schooling.<br />And the, at 5 in the afternoon, we were not done yet. Uh, we had to clean the classrooms. So, all<br />the kids had to clean their own classroom. We did not have any janitorial services, so yeah, we<br />basically cleaned the school. We studied, of course the basic things like english, math, science,<br />home economics, Philippine history. Those sorts of things -- those are the subjects that I can<br />remember. And of course, physical education, that’s why I’m fit.<br />[4:51]<br />NRP: Okay, I know in class, we talked about how, in the Philippines people are forced -- or<br />students are forced to speak english and were punished, in a sense, if they spoke one word of<br />filipino. Was that experienced the same as you were growing up in school?<br />NP: That’s really not true. We are not forced to speak english. We were very encouraged to<br />speak english -- or tagalog, which is the national language of the Philippines which a lot of<br />filipinos are very smart speaking english because they do encourage -- they do teach it in<br />elementary school. There were days where we could not speak, uh, the local dialogue which was<br />ilocano -- we could either speak english or tagalog.<br />NRP: Why did you and/or your family decide to move out of the Philippines?<br />NP: To find a better life -- supposedly. My father's’ family migrated to California long before<br />we migrated and they petitioned us to come and live in -- to the U.S., to join them in the U.S.<br />which we did, decided to come to have a better life because as you know, U.S. is the land<br />flowing with milk and honey. I haven’t seen the milk and the honey yet. All I have are school<br />5<br />bills from my daughter Noelani [ laughs ]. Oh she is the honey, that’s it -- she’s the honey, that’s<br />what it is. Okay, I got it.<br />NRP: [ laughs ] Okay, when did you move to the United States?<br />NP: I believe it was January 1982.<br />NRP: How old were you at that time?<br />NP: Do I have to say it then you’ll know how old I am?<br />NRP: [ smile ] You already said your birth date so.<br />NP: I believe I was 12 at that time and I was in, I just finished, I had just finished sixth grade<br />in the Philippines when we moved to -- when we migrated to the United States.<br />NRP: Did you move anywhere else before settling in the United States?<br />NP: Uh, no. We, we lived in the Philippines. I lived with my grandparents, and then of course<br />I didn’t live with my, my immediate family.<br />NRP: What were your thoughts about America before you moved here?<br />NP: I didn’t have any, really any thoughts about America -- I mean, I didn’t want to come to<br />the U.S. because I was living with my grandfather's’ siblings who took me in when I was, since I<br />was two years old so I never really wanted to leave them -- that’s the environment I grew up in<br />was full of love and I didn’t really want to leave them there. But of course I was forced to come<br />to the United States of America. So I never really wanted to come.<br />6<br />NRP: What was different about living in the -- living in America, as opposed to living in the<br />Philippines?<br />NP: The food. There was a lot of abundance of food here in America. Burgers, we don’t have<br />burgers when I was growing up, only hot dogs, only rich people could eat hot dogs and even to<br />this day, only rich people can afford to eat burgers and hot dogs. Philippines is a very poor<br />country and, depending on where you’re from, and only the rich can afford those foods so that<br />was the main difference, I think for me was the food and the vehicles you know, you have a ride<br />everywhere you go. Down there, you don’t really have a ride -- you ride the tricycle or you walk.<br />And of course the people are brown in the Philippines, everyone is brown. Here, everything is<br />multi-culture, you know, multi-colored people. So, yeah. But the main thing that I noticed, the<br />main difference that I noticed was really the food.<br />NRP: Where did you first live after coming to the United States?<br />NP: We [immediate family] first lived in, Salinas, California. That was our port of entry<br />because, again I said my -- like I said, we were petitioned by my father's’ sister. My father's’<br />family all, live in California. My mother’s family live in Hawaii so we came here [Hawaii] for<br />two weeks and then we -- our port of entry was California so we lived in California first.<br />[9:50]<br />NRP: Now, I’m assuming you stayed with family?<br />NP: Yes, we did.<br />NRP: [ nod ] Okay. What -- oh this question doesn’t exactly pertain to you. [ long pause ].<br />7<br />NP: Are we confused with the questions?<br />NRP: [ laughs ] What job did you perform when you moved to America?<br />NP: I was in the seventh grade so I did not really perform any jobs. However, we, I remember<br />doing, at that young age, my uncle Frank’s friends would hire us to do yard work. So we would<br />go clean their yard because they’re well off. Clean their yard, you know, tend to their garden,<br />that kind of stuff. Yeah.<br />NRP: So last question. Did you notice anything different between first generation immigrants<br />and the Filipino American community?<br />NP: The first generation immigrants from the Filipino community?<br />NRP: Filipino American.<br />NP: In my era and today’s era?<br />NRP: From when you first moved to the United States, did you notice anything different<br />between immigrants and Filipinos who have grown up in America and were born in America?<br />NP: Well, you know, for the ones that are first generation filipinos migrating to the states, it’s<br />a lot tougher. You know, you’re not spoon fed with anything really. You have to work hard for<br />everything that you got. Of course, you have to live with reality at central to make it. You have<br />to work to help the family because granted your parents are only getting paid minimum wage.<br />So, you have to find ways to earn money for your school supplies, that kind of stuff. So, I think<br />that’s the, that’s the main thing is trying to, you know, make a living and going through the<br />culture shock at the same time. Whereas if you were raised here, really, everything is already<br />there for you. As a, a first generation, an immigrant from the Philippines, you don’t have such<br />8<br />thing. You know, you really have to work really really hard, even to have a good future, you<br />know, no college is promised to you, the future’s not promised for you. You have to go get it, so<br />you really have to, to work very very hard. Not only to help yourself so you can have a better<br />future, but to help the family. Yeah, I think that’s the main thing. The uncertainty of your future<br />is very very challenging, you know, what are you going to do when you can’t afford college.<br />What are you going to do when you don’t have money for -- when your parents don’t have<br />money for your school supplies? We are mentoring kids now also from -- that are first generation<br />immigrants from the Philippines and I see them go through the same things that I went through.<br />These kids come from, you know, straight from school. They go straight to work at McDonalds<br />or some fast-food chain until 10 o’clock or 11 o’clock at night -- they get home around 11<br />o’clock at night and still have to do their homework. So, those are the challenges of first<br />generation immigrants from, from the Philippines. So as you go through life, you try to make a<br />good life for yourself and have a good future so that, you know, your kids will not have to go<br />through the same things that you went through. So that, they can have a nice house or they can<br />have better food. They don’t have to worry about school supplies. To be a first generation<br />immigrant, is very very difficult and a lot of kids wish they could go back to the Philippines and<br />live the life that they have cause here you got to, really, have to work. [ sigh ] yes.<br />NRP: Alright, so thank you so much for taking your time out of the day to do this interview for<br />the oral history project. Right now it is 4:55 pm in the afternoon --<br />[14:22]<br />NP: Can I add something?<br />NRP: [ laughs ] sure.<br />NP: I’d like to add that I’m so proud of my daughter Noelani. [ laughs ] Cause she’s so smart.<br />And she, uh, works so hard and you know, uh, and she’ll have a good future. Hopefully, she’ll<br />9<br />find a good husband, someday. [ laughs ]. I’m embarrassing her, but I’m really really proud of,<br />you know, how she embraces her filipino culture. You know, it’s very very rare for the kids that<br />grow up here, granted she was born in Oklahoma, she’s an Okie. But it’s very rare for, uh, the<br />children, second generation filipinos that grew up here [United States} to embrace, try to<br />embrace the filipino culture and I wish that she’ll go back to the Philippines and eat the filipino<br />food once again and then she’ll marry filipino -- I’m not racial but I’m just hoping [ smiles ].<br />NRP: Well, thank you. And we conclude this interview at 4:56 pm.<br />[15:33]<br />[End Audio File]
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Oral history interview with Noel Pastor, by Noelani Ruth Pastor
Subject
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Immigrant Families--United States, Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project, First Generation Immigrant Families, Filipino American Community, Ilocano, Salinas,
Description
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Oral history interview with Noel Pastor, by Noelani Ruth Pastor
Date
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5/23/2019
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0036
Filipino American Community
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
First Generation Immigrant Families
Ilocano
Immigrant families--United States
Salinas
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
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Interviewer
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Jaynah Palma
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Trisha Garlit
Transcription
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[Session 1, June 7, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File] <br />PALMA: Alright it is June 7, 2019 and it is 1:40. This is Jaynah Palma, interviewing for the Filipino American History Project, and today I am interviewing:<br /><br />GARLIT: Trisha Garlit <br /><br />PALMA: Alright, so let’s begin. So we are going to start off by talking a little about your child hood and early adult life. Where and when were you born? <br /><br />GARLIT: I was born in the Philippines, in the city of San Carlos. I was there until I was about 8 years old and then we moved to America. <br /><br />PALMA: Where were you parents born?<br /><br />GARLIT: They were also born in the same city. And the same with all my siblings too. <br /><br />PALMA: So what jobs did you parents do in the Philippines?<br /><br />GARLIT: In the Philippines my dad worked in the farm which his family has owned for years. So he kind of helped to like, I guess manage it and kind of kept it going and my mom was a stay at home wife. <br /><br />PALMA: So a little more on your family, do you have any siblings? <br /><br />GARLIT: Oh yes, I do! So as I mentioned earlier, I have two younger siblings. I have a sister and a brother. <br /><br />PALMA: Did you come from a big family?<br /><br />GARLIT: In terms of I guess other relatives, yes. My mom had, including herself, there were 10 of then. My dad, including himself, there were 7? Yeah, 7 of them. So I grew up with a lot of cousins. <br /><br />PALMA: Did any of you family members move to America before you did?<br /><br />GARLIT: Yes, So I had my uncle, which is the second oldest child in my dad’s side. He came here because he married his wife so then they moved to America, then they petitioned my grandparents, which are my dad’s parents, then they petitioned my dad. <br /><br />PALMA: When did you move to the US? <br /><br />GARLIT: March 4,. 2006. <br /><br />PALMA: So do you know the reason why your parents decided to move out of the Philippines? <br />GARLIT: At the time when I moved, I didn’t really know the reason behind it. I was just going along with it because I was only 8. We went with the flow, but then now as I got older I understood more and how big of a sacrifice that was. I don’t know if you wanted me to elaborate on that, like now my perspective on it. <br /><br />PALMA: Yeah sure. Go ahead. <br /><br />GARLIT: So I guess now, growing up with people, I guess I met more people that had the same experience as me. It was more of that American dream. They [Parents] prioritize our future because in the Philippines, they said that they don’t think that they could afford to give us the life we have now. <br /><br />The major things that play into that was education. I feel like here we would have more opportunities with that. So I think that was really the main reason, for a better future for the three of us [her and her siblings]. It was definitely a sacrifice on their end because during that time, my mom had to stay behind and I didn’t really understand that part of it, but I guess they only had 2 options then. It was between both my parents coming to the US or it was my dad and his kids. And obviously, they wanted the kids to have a better education, better future, so that’s why they chose their decision. <br /><br />PALMA: So you mentioned education, what was you academic experience in the Philippines? <br /><br />GARLIT: I went to a public school, just because I grew in the province and that was the only type of school they had. I was there until third grade and I guess the schooling system was like first to sixth grade and then high school. I just stopped at third grade.<br /><br />PALMA: So what were your thoughts on America before you moved here [US]?<br /><br />GARLIT: You know, I guess my dad over-hyped it. “Oh America, the land of the rich,” you know? I just think of money this. I just thought of it as a fortune, where it was like landing the jackpot once landing in America. I was eight, so that’s all I thought. That’s all my parents said when they talked about America. It was like, you know, we would have a better life. You know, US dollars is worth more so I guess rich, I don’t know. I guess that would have been the first thing I probably thought of. <br /><br />[5:15]<br /><br />PALMA: Ok, so would you say that your thoughts on America changed after you arrived here. <br /><br />GARLIT: Yes, during that time. The first few months I didn’t really think much of it because I was just adjusting. My aunts and uncles were spoiling us. They were taking us to the mall, buying us candy, chocolate. Especially chocolate as a kid, you know, you got chocolate you are good. And after that, I guess the reality of it kind of sunk in.<br /><br />I remember my dad working at a lumber company, and he worked night so we didn’t really see him and my grandparents took care of us. And so, it was like that from Monday to Wednesday. He would just drop us off in the morning and then he would come back and then we won’t see him until the next morning when he drops us off. I guess I definitely saw the big sacrifice. <br /><br />I didn’t like it honestly. I would rather be home where I lived a comfortable life where I had cousins, where I had my mom. I was missing my mom a lot. I guess during that time I had to play the mother figure for my siblings and myself. I had more responsibilities. I had to care for them on top of myself, so it was definitely rough. <br /><br />PALMA: So can you elaborate more on what was different living in America vs. the Philippines? <br /><br />GARLIT: In terms of life, with food, we have access to that and transportation was easy because we had a car here, where it was easier to get around with, but in terms of family time. There was definitely very minimum of that. <br /><br />Barely anything on the weekends because my dad would be so tired, that we would barely spend time with him because he would be sleeping, and my cousins would take us to church on Saturdays. Then on Sundays, he would say, “Oh I want to rest before I go back to work.” So definitely we lost a lot of family time. I feel like we didn’t really see each other that much or even had that connection because my dad was so busy providing the basic stuff. <br /><br />Making sure that basic needs are met, that we have food, we have clothes, a roof over our heads. But there was more to that I feel that I didn’t really get. Which was the love, the one on one time, that I got a lot of in the Philippines because we just lived a simple life. But my dad had to work harder and we had a lot of family time and that was definitely different when we came here. <br /><br />PALMA: So I’m going to move back to your professional and academic experiences. You did come here when you were 8, so you have kind of been here for a while. What jobs did you perform when you moved here as you grew up?<br /><br />GARLIT: I didn’t start working until I was in Highschool. My first job, I was a sophomore. I worked at the business office at my old high school, then I moved in the middle of the school year to Lathrop Highschool and I didn’t get another job until my junior year of high school. I worked for an organization called Students in Prevention, which is a year program educating the public, especially the elementary students on substance abuse disorder and mental health awareness. It was more like learning and school based so I didn’t mind that. <br /><br />When I went to college, I worked the front desk at my dorm. I started my sophomore year and I worked until my senior year. I also did some caregiving jobs on the side during my summer vacations and Christmas break. I worked at a care home that my mom works at. <br /><br />PALMA: So you are in college right now?<br /><br />GARLIT: Yes <br /><br />PALMA: So what are you majoring in?<br /><br />[9:53]<br /><br />GARLIT: So this is my senior year, I am a nursing major. I am currently doing the bachelors program at Pacific Union College, so I took my board exam back in February, and so I am a registered nurse and I am just going back to school to pursue an even higher education and then hopefully start applying for jobs at a hospital. <br /><br />PALMA: Is there a reason you chose nursing as a Filipina?<br /><br />GARLIT: Yeah there is. My senior year of high school, the teachers were asking and kind of helping us choose a profession and I wanted to avoid being a nurse just because of that stereotype that you are a young Filipina choosing to do nursing. <br /><br />My mom is not a nurse, let me just clarify that, but other than that it just comes with that. So I thought, oh I’m not going to do that but then my dad kept insisting “why dont you want to do nursing,” and I would tell him I don’t want to do nursing, but as I looked more into the profession itself, I really liked the stability. I think that played a major role, besides the caring aspect of it, because I grew up not really having a sense of stability financially. Growing up, I didn’t want to repeat that. That is mostly the reason why I chose it. <br /><br />PALMA: Did you notice anything different being a first generation immigrant and the Filipino American Community?<br /><br />GARLIT: Yeah there were definitely some differences. I think one of the major ones, would be the motivational kinds in the things that you do. Like I mentioned earlier, throughout nursing school there was definitely a lot of pressure because my parents have made so many sacrifices for us. They worked so hard to be where we are today. So I feel like with everything that I do, for example with exams, it would be more stressful because I look back and think about my experiences of being where I am today. <br /><br />The past situations with people who are Filipino, that were born here, I feel like they didn’t get to see the sacrifices that were made. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, but I think that it made me work harder. <br /><br />PALMA: So how has coming to America effected the person you are today? <br /><br />GARLIT: I am definitely more grateful that what I was in the beginning of this journey. The whole move made me a stronger person, just because being an immigrant here the first few years, I feel was the hardest for us. But then overcoming it, in a sense of having the stability right now made all of those few years and hard work, and all of that, worth it. I feel like the person I am today, I guess I am very grateful and I work harder to achieve my goals. It’s not just with school too, I mean in general I am always reminded how fortunate we are to be here. <br /><br />PALMA: Would you ever consider going back to the Philippines? <br /><br />GARLIT: Going back to the Philippines, in the sense of vacation here and there. In terms of living, not so much. I feel like, just because here we have family and friends here, we found a community. I guess we made a place to call home, so I feel I wouldn’t want to go back and have to restart that. That was the whole purpose of that sacrifice to give us a better life and I feel like we do have a better life here than we do in the Philippines. So yeah, in terms of that, no, but with vacations here and there to visit relatives then yeah. <br /><br />PALMA: So you mentioned that you stopped school in the Philippines in the third grade. So how was transitioning in school for you when you came to America?<br /><br />[15:00]<br /><br />GARLIT: It was rough. After we came here, I was just at home for three weeks adjusting to the life here and then I went to school. It was already rough with the fact that I was starting in the middle of the school year, and yet alone different language played a major role in that. We learned a little bit of English in the Philippines but it was only from reading books. So communication was definitely hard. <br /><br />For a couple of weeks, my cousins would come to the classroom with us. Because I went to a small church school, we only had two major class rooms, one for the lower grades and one for the upper grades. Since I was in third grade, I was in the lower grade level class, which was second to fifth grade. Anyways, it was really hard. I was really shy, and I wouldn’t really talk to people because I didn’t know how to communicate. <br /><br />What I did was, I paid attention to how they [other students] communicated and their facial expressions and based it off of that of what they were trying to say. They knew I had spoken little English, so they were very understanding but then eventually I started picking up the language and started talking. But it took a while, and they were very nice. The teacher was very understanding about it, and really helped me. She even took the time out of her day after school, and we would read books to really just help me out. <br /><br />PALMA: So did your parent speak English?<br /><br />GARLIT: No, that’s the thing too. Not really, not a lot. So eventually once I started picking up English and kind of getting comfortable with speaking it, then I started being the spokesperson at such a young age for them communicating with other people. <br /><br />PALMA: So you would say that you learned English through observing people at school. Not directly from your family member. <br /><br />GARLIT: No, not really. Well I mean my cousins that group up here and were born here. I learned a little from them, but mostly from school because that’s where I spent most of my time. <br /><br />PALMA: Ok, I’m going to bring it back to saying that there were only two options where it was either your mom or you and your siblings that come to America with your Dad. How did you feel being separated from your mom? <br /><br />GARLIT: At first, I kind of liked it because growing up, when I was little I didn’t really have a good relationship with my mom because she was more of a Boss. The person that would make the decisions, and so she would always tell me to do this, do that. As a little kid, you don’t like being told what to do, and that was a lot of the parenting style that she practiced so I didn’t really like her. I remember at one point when we would argue, I be like “I’m glad we are leaving you, and that we are going to America,” without really realizing the impact it would have. But it was definitely hard towards later on. <br /><br />I remember celebrating Mother’s Day. At first, I didn’t really know of the Holiday, so the first couple years I was like, “Oh okay, it’s Mother’s day, celebrate mom,” but a lot of my friends understood that my mom wasn’t here, especially my teacher. But then as I got a little bit older, at about fifth grade, we would always do an activity. I remember this clearly because every year we would do an activity about Mother’s day or whatever the Holliday was and I would put so much effort into that activity to the point where my teachers and cousins would say, “Wow, that’s so nice!” and then I remember just coming home and not having her there. <br /><br />PALMA: So can I ask, how long were separated with your mom and how long was you dad separated from your mom and your siblings? <br /><br />[19:54]<br /><br />GARLIT: We left 2006, and she didn’t come here [America] until 2013. So 7 years. <br /><br />PALMA: And then what year did your dad come to America?<br /><br />GARLIT: 2006. <br /><br />PALMA: So you all came the same year?<br /><br />GARLIT: With my dad? Yeah, the three of us and my dad came at the same time. <br /><br />PALMA: How was your relationship with your dad? Because I know you said that he was working, and that he wasn’t really home, or when he was home he was asleep.<br /><br />GARLIT: It wasn’t really, I’m not saying it was a bad relationship in terms of you know, like nothing physical or abusive. None of that. It was more distant, I would say. He was just sort of like a stranger. It was just like, yeah that’s my dad. Conversations were just very vague and general. <br /><br />I felt like there was really not much of a connection. And I’m not blaming him. I’m never mad looking back because now I understand why he was always at work and all that. But I feel like it did affect how I formed relationships with people. Like friendships, it was more, it was very general. Nothing personal about it. So it definitely affected how I interacted with other people just because I feel like I didn’t have that I guess… I don’t know if it is foundation. I would say I didn’t have the experience to be able to do the same thing as others. <br /><br />I know people would be like, “Oh my dad, would read me bed time stories, this and that,” but I never had that experience growing up so I was more kind of tough, not much of a soft spot just because of that. <br /><br />PALMA: And you said it was your grandparents who were taking care of you when he would work, did you live with your grandparents? <br /><br />GARLIT: Yes. So I don’t know how it is for other people but I feel like that’s very common in the Asian culture to have your grandparents live with you. And yeah, I guess I kind of had a mother figure because my grandma was there. But again, it’s different you know having your own mom. <br />But my grandparents were there, I felt like I had a better connection, a deeper relationship with them than I did with my Dad. But I am not hating on him or anything. It was just the circumstances. <br /><br />Some of my friends did not understand that. They would say things like, “Oh your grandparents live with you, we would visit my grandparents during Christmas,” and you know it was definitely different growing up. It was because my school, my elementary school, it was a lot of Americans. Not really, We were the only Asian family there. So there were a lot of whites, so they didn’t really understand that it was normal for grandparents to live with you. <br /><br /><br />PALMA: So I guess that’s all we have time for, I just want to thank you again for taking the time to do this interview with me. <br /><br />GARLIT: Thank you for having me. <br /><br />[Stop Audio File]
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Oral history interview with Trisha Garlit, interviewed by Jaynah Palma
Subject
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San Carlos -- Philippines, First generation immigrant, Immigrant children, Farm owners -- Philippines, American Dream, Immigrant Children -- Education -- California, United States -- Immigration -- Economic aspects, Immigrant families -- United States, Family & Relationships-- Parent and Child, Lumber, Children of Migrant laborers, Transnational Families, Working Student, Immigrants -- Education (Higher) -- United States, Nursing, Filipino American Community, Education -- Language barrier in schools, Filipino Immigrant Oral History
Description
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Oral history interview with Trisha Garlit, interviewed by Jaynah Palma
Date
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6/7/2019
Rights
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Audio Recording and Transcript
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0035
American Dream
Children of Migrant laborers
Education -- Language barrier in schools
Family & Relationships-- Parent and Child
Farm owners -- Philippines
Filipino American Community
Filipino Immigrant Oral History
First Generation Immigrant
Immigrant children
Immigrant Children -- Education -- California
Immigrant families -- United States
Immigrants -- Education (Higher) -- United States
Lumber
nursing
San Carlos -- Philippines
Transnational Families
United States -- Immigration -- Economic aspects
Working Student
-
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Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
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Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Nicole Osorio
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Vicente Marcelo
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[June 12, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />OSORIO: Today is June 12, Wednesday and 8PM. I’m doing an oral interview for my ASA 150 final paper. And I am interviewing Vicente Osorio.<br /><br />MARCELO: Yes.<br /><br />OSORIO: Okay. So, I’m just going to ask questions about your immigration story. The first question is when and where were you born?<br /><br />MARCELO: I was born in the Philippines on February 24, 1964. <br /><br />OSORIO: And then where in the Philippines did you live?<br /><br />MARCELO: It was in the Southern tip of the main island Luzon. The province is called Camarines Norte.<br /><br />OSORIO: How about your parents? Where were your parents born?<br /><br />MARCELO: Both of my parents were Filipinos. My father was born in the Central Philippines. It is an island. It is called the island province of Romblon. And my mother was born in Bicol. The province is called Albay in the Philippines. <br /><br />OSORIO: What kind of jobs did your parents do?<br /><br />MARCELO: My father was a judge. He heard cases, he decided cases both in civil and criminal. And my mother was a public-school teacher.<br /><br />OSORIO: How about your grandparents? What did they do?<br /><br />MARCELO: My grandparents on the mother’s side, my grandmother was a public-school teacher and my grandfather was an employee of a public agency. On the father’s side, my grandfather was an owner of a big estate of land, a grazing land and a pastureland. And he owns a lot of lands. And he was a very rich man in the islands of Romblon. And my grandmother was a Chinese immigrant. And during that time, my grandfather saw my grandmother who was a Chinese trader and then they got married.<br /><br />OSORIO: How many siblings did you have, and did you come from a big family?<br /><br />MARCELO: Yeah. We are a big family. We are 8 in the family. I had four brothers and three sisters, so we are 8 in the family.<br /><br />OSORIO: Did any of your family members move to America before you?<br /><br />MARCELO: Yes. My sister in college took up nursing. She went to the United States and be employed as a nurse, a registered nurse. And my other two siblings, my eldest, went to Australia. And the other one is a civil engineer. He went to Australia too.<br /><br />[04:49]<br /><br />OSORIO: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br /><br />MARCELO: I finished two bachelor’s degree. One agricultural engineering which [inaudible] and I took up a Bachelor of Arts in laws.<br /><br />OSORIO: What was your professional experience like in the Philippines?<br /><br />MARCELO: I loved to be in the public sector. I was an employee in the Department of Justice.<br /><br />OSORIO: Why did you decide to move out of the Philippines?<br /><br />MARCELO: Actually, I did not have a plan to move to the United States. I just have a problem with the family. My relationship with my former wife gone sour because of irreconcilable differences. But before I went to the United States, my only plan was to visit upon the invitation of my sister. But at the time, I already have a plan of separating from my former wife and actually prepared my annulment with my former wife. And then I had a vacation in the United States where I met my second wife.<br /><br />OSORIO: Okay so, when did you move to the United States?<br /><br />MARCELO: I think first, I went here as a tourist in February 2006. And then it was in August 2006 that I again went to the United States and then finally stayed here as an immigrant because at the time I did not anymore think that my relationship with my former wife would be reconciled or that there is still a chance that we could reunite. There is no more hope that we could reunite at the time.<br /><br />OSORIO: What were your thoughts about America before you moved here?<br /><br />MARCELO: I saw America as a good place to start a new life. There’s a lot of good jobs, there’s a lot of hopes. And I was also planning then that once my status here as an immigrant was approved, I could get my four children and have them study here and have a good life.<br /><br />OSORIO: Did your thoughts about America changed after you arrive and how have they changed?<br /><br />MARCELO: Yeah, they changed because here it was very convenient. The weather was fine, the jobs were aplenty. I did not think that looking for a job is very difficult. And then I also thought that I could continue my career as a legal practitioner because in California in the United States, they will not require you to study again.<br />[10:07]<br />The only requirement is that you have to request permission to take the bar exam and then if ever you pass the bar, then you can become a legal professional here.<br /><br />OSORIO: what was different about living in America as opposed to living in the Philippines?<br /><br />MARCELO: Living here in the United States is different. In the Philippines, living a life is hard. The salary is low compared to here in the United States. And of course, the climate here is different too. The climate here is good for me unlikely in the Philippines, it’s so hot, it’s so warm. My health here is [inaudible] health conditions.<br /><br />OSORIO: Where did you first live in the US and who did you stay with?<br /><br />MARCELO: I stayed with my sister first. I stayed here in San Jose, California. And then I started to court my wife that became my spouse. I started to court her and then she liked me. Maybe after two months or three months we decided to have my marriage annulled first here because then I was still married. So, in order to have my marriage with my former wife to divorce my marriage so we could marry. So, what I did then is I went to my uncle there in Las Vegas. I lived there for six months. Because in Las Vegas, I think it’s a six-week requirement that you have to reside there. And after that, you could file a divorce. So, I filed my divorce after six weeks of residing in Las Vegas. So finally, I got my divorce and then once my divorce got final, we decided to marry here with my wife, my present wife. That’s what happened.<br /><br />OSORIO: Okay, what kind of jobs did you perform when you moved to the US?<br /><br />MARCELO: Actually, starting life here in the United States, yeah, it is so hard. Because when you move here in the United States, you do not have a status. At first, I was just a tourist and then I don’t have a job because as a tourist, you are not allowed to get a job and be hired. And then it’s just a good thing that I have my savings so for half a year, I relied on my savings and financial assistance from my sister because I lived with my sister first.<br /><br />[15:01]<br /><br />And then my present wife also helped me financially. But you know, when I get my permanent resident status, my first job was a caregiver. And then when I worked as a caregiver for four months, I trained as a certified nursing assistance. And then after I got certified, I worked in a nursing facility for two years. And then after that, I met a lawyer here, a Filipino who is an esquire in California. And then when he knew I was working in Department of Justice office in the Philippines, he hired me as a legal assistant. So, I worked for him for two years in an office, in a law office.<br /><br />OSORIO: Did your professional/academic experience help you get the jobs you had?<br /><br />MARCELO: Yeah.<br /><br />OSORIO: What would you have done differently in terms of looking for jobs and coming to the US?<br /><br />MARCELO: Actually, when I come here in the Philippines, I did not look for the job that I want first. For me, what I thought then was just to live. And then, you know, I worked as a caregiver. It’s a very hard job. I worked certified nursing assistance. It’s also a really hard job. I did not imagine that I could work with this kind of job. But since I have four children in the Philippines that I need to support so I took up this job because anyway I could earn money. And some of the money that I earned from those jobs, I sent it to the Philippines just to support my children.<br /><br />OSORIO: Why did you choose to go to the US instead of somewhere else?<br /><br />MARCELO: I saw United States a very good country. It’s a good place to live and if you have the talent, if you have the skills, if you have those things that needed to strive and then to aspire for something. You just need patience; you just need to be hardworking. And then you’ll get what you want. The only problem with me is I have four children that I need to support so those things are the ones that pulling me down. If I am only single, and then I don’t have anything to worry, then everything that I wanted is not hard. But of course, I have to balance all of those things. I need to work. Just like when you are taking for a bar exam, you need to study hard. You need to study full time. But I could not do that because I need to work. I need to support my children. So, it’s really very hard.<br />[20:22]<br />But I’m still trying. Even though I’m working Monday to Friday, 8 to 5, at night even though I’m sleepy, I’m tired, I would still work to study, to read, to review. Just if ever I will be ready, then I will take some of the exams I need to become a full-fledged lawyer here in California.<br /><br />OSORIO: What was the most difficult part about leaving the Philippines?<br />[NARRATOR interpreted the question as “What was the most difficult part about LIVING in the Philippines”]<br /><br />MARCELO: The most difficult part of living in the Philippines is that the money that you earn is not enough. You are an employee of the government, and the salary that they will give you is not enough. Not enough to get all what you want. And the security, if you are working in the government, you have no protection. If anybody from the persons or the people you are helping, you are working with, and then they are not satisfied with what you are doing, they have a way of harming you. And then there’s no protection.<br /><br />OSORIO: What most surprised you when you first arrived in the US?<br /><br />MARCELO: Living here in the US, they are very different. The food is abundant, the houses are clean, the environment is so cozy, they are beautiful [the environment], they are in order [the traffic], the traffic, the roads, the houses, the people. They are all in order. And the climate, very good. They’re cool, there’s no pollution, and the technology is available. And the things that you need, they are not so expensive. That’s all.<br /><br />OSORIO: What did you miss most about the Philippines after you left? Like what was the one thing you still miss even though you felt you liked a lot of things here?<br /><br />MARCELO: The friends. My friends in the Philippines. Most of the time, I work. Compared to the Philippines, your friends are there. Only the friends that I miss. Most of the time here, I work. I work all the time. My resting time is only Saturday and Sunday. And then most of the time I spend my time with my family.<br /><br />[25:06]<br />OSORIO: Who was the most helpful with helping you get settled in America when you first moved here?<br /><br />MARCELO: My sister and also my present wife. She was very helpful [present wife]<br /><br />Nicole: Migration can be very hard. Where did you find strength in difficult times?<br /><br />MARCELO: It’s really very hard but the hope and faith that you will have a good life here. That’s the one that gives strength.<br /><br />OSORIO: How do think migration to the US changed you?<br /><br />MARCELO: It has changed me in terms of knowing the technology because here I was able to learn the present technology like the computers which are so very advanced here. And when you work, even though in simple place, you need to use a computer. Then you will have username and you will have your own account. Unlike in the Philippines which is sort of backward. Moving from one place to another is you need to have a car. In the Philippines, moving from one place to another is not a problem because of public transportation. But here public transportation is so scarce especially when you are living in a place like Sacramento compared to those cities like San Francisco where public transportation is not a problem. Those are the things you need to adjust. I think that’s the only thing that I can think of.<br /><br />OSORIO: What have been your biggest challenges being in the US?<br /><br />MARCELO: The biggest challenge is how could I realize my dream of becoming the professional that I want to be because there are so many obstacles, there are so many problems that I have to solve. But I think I’m kind of improving on what I’m trying to do.<br /><br />OSORIO: What have been your greatest sources of joy?<br /><br />MARCELO: My sources of joy are my children. Since I was able to bring them here, I was so happy because I could live with them. I could watch them growing up. Then train them, then watch them going to school and then watching them doing what they want to do.<br /><br />[30:11]<br /><br />OSORIO: Can you think of times when you felt unwelcomed as a Filipino immigrant and describe when you felt unwelcomed as a Filipino immigrant? Unwelcomed or discriminated also.<br /><br />MARCELO: Actually, I’ve been applying for some jobs. Sometimes during the interview, I applied a lot of jobs, I got interviewed that from most of the interviews that I was able to attend to, only 20% accepted me. When you are applying for jobs, those are the times that you will feel unwelcomed to be a Filipino immigrant.<br /><br />OSORIO: Do you ever feel insecure about speaking in English and whether people will judge based on your accent?<br /><br />MARCELO: Yes, of course. Because that’s not the language I’ve been using. Sometimes I feel uncomfortable. Sometimes I am missing the language, sometimes I talk to people here. Of course, yeah. That’s true.<br /><br />OSORIO: What is the thing you are proudest of and why?<br /><br />MARCELO: I don’t know. Maybe I’m proud to be Filipino. I’m proud of my country, I’m proud of my race because modesty aside, in the workplace that I’ve been to, I usually excel. And then they rely on me. Presently I’m working as a tech in a facility sa DCR. And then I’m one of the most reliable employee therein. And for that reason, I’m proud of being a Filipino.<br /><br />OSORIO: What do you think will help your dreams come true like you mentioned, taking the bar exam and become a professional lawyer? What do you think will help you achieve that dream?<br /><br />MARCELO: I think I just need some support from my children, from my wife, because my children, they’re still in school. I usually prepare their things going to school every day. And then in the morning I usually prepare their breakfast, I usually prepare the necessary things and that consumes my time. I have limited time studying. Usually, I would wake up early in the morning at around 2 o’clock in the morning. And then I have limited time of reading all the materials. Usually, I could read or review for three hours and then after that, I would usually start my routine during school days. And then also I have to buy the necessary things in the house.<br />[34:59]<br />I think for me, I just need some support. Maybe when they’re already grown ups then they could do these things like cook their food. And then they could do the chores, the home chores.<br /><br />OSORIO: So basically, you would have more time studying if you didn’t have to do more of the chores and cooking and they become more independent as they grow up. That would help give you more time.<br /><br />MARCELO: Yeah.<br /><br />OSORIO: In what ways do you think migrating to America has made you a stronger person?<br /><br />MARCELO: Yeah it made me stronger because I could do everything. Everything as an ordinary person because I used to be a professional in the Philippines and I did not imagine then that I could do all these things. But when I went here, when I was back to zero as a person, I was able to work from the lowliest things just like become a caregiver. Everything is really a very hard job, but I was able to do it. Also, as a certified nursing assistant. You cannot just imagine what they are doing! Everything you know to take care of a patient, an elder person. Yeah, it made me a very stronger person.<br /><br />OSORIO: If someone you know was planning to come to the US, what would you tell them to expect? What advice could you give them?<br /><br />MARCELO: Of course, I would advise them to be strong. Become patient. Expect the worst. And then do not choose job because I will tell them, if you want to live, you have to not be choosy in the jobs that you will find.<br /><br />OSORIO: Would you say that your siblings who came before you had also similar challenges in finding jobs?<br /><br />MARCELO: Yeah. I expect that. And then I think of that. Because as a new person here and then you are different person from the place where you came from. And then you will be here as a new person. It’s as if you did not do anything at all and then you have to start from the scratch. You have to build up.<br /><br />OSORIO: Would you say that if you came here at an earlier age, maybe in your 20s or younger, you would have had a better opportunity in finding your job?<br /><br />MARCELO: Yeah. If I studied here in the US, then I have a better chance. Maybe if I studied here in high school or studied here in college, then it would be different. I would be a very successful professional here in the US.<br /><br />OSORIO: What do you wish more people knew about immigrant like Filipino immigrants? It could be people like Americans, like what do you wish they knew or understood more about Filipinos?<br /><br />MARCELO: I don’t understand it, but I could say here that if you want to immigrate to the US, immigrate here as a young person. Not in your forties or in the fifties. Because it would be very hard to catch up.<br />[40:09]<br />But if you’re here, be ready to face the challenges. It’s really hard but if you want to stay here and then start a new life, you have to face it, you have to start from scratch, you have to build up. It’s good if you have some support, but the problem is, if you’re gonna start and then there will be no help or support from other person or from your relatives, it’s really very hard.<br /><br />OSORIO: What are two or three most important things that people could do to make the process of coming to a new country better? To make the most out of their experience?<br /><br />[ABRUPT PAUSE]<br /><br />MARCELO: Choose your profession or choose your career. And then in the place where you will come, you have to prepare all the necessary things that you need to do. And then don’t just come here without anything. Be ready, be prepared. If you need to study, then you have to choose to select the profession you anticipate, that you will be, you will become here. And then to condition your mind that in the place that you will go, it’s different. You have to understand that here it’s a very different place. And then the place that you will go, it’s a good place, but you have to be ready for any eventualities.<br /><br />OSORIO: What would have been some reasons that, if there was anything different, what reasons they have to be so you wouldn’t have to leave the Philippines? Like what do you wish was different, so you didn’t have to leave your home country?<br /><br />MARCELO: If my family life was good and then my wife was so understandable and then maybe it would be different. I would have not thought of going here or coming here if we have a good relationship with my wife [ex-wife]. I don’t think I would be here. <br /><br />Nicole: So that means that it’s mainly because of the relationship that convinced you to leave? It’s not necessarily the position or job that you had? [inaudible]<br /><br />MARCELO: Yeah, that’s the main reason [bad relationships]. But if I had the chance, other than that [bad relationships], if I had the reason, then I would also come to the US for this kind of life. [meaning that he would have possibly still moved to the US even with better relationships to have a better kind of life]<br /><br />OSORIO: What would be your advice for your children in navigating life in the US as young people in a new country?<br /><br />MARCELO: It’s not difficult for them because they grew up here. They would be studying in the schools; they would be meeting schoolchildren who are living here. Then it will not be difficult for them to adjust to the way of life here.<br /><br />[45:14]<br /><br />OSORIO: Do you have any final remarks or just general comments about your immigration story or just anything in general like advice or comment to close the interview?<br /><br />MARCELO: My advice to the immigrants is they just need to be strong. They just need to be ready. They just need to face that there would be a big problem when you come here but you just have to face them. You just have to be ready because actually coming here is really huge. It’s a tall order. Because you leave your life and then you are beginning a new life here. And then you are just starting from the scratch. You need to build a foundation here and you need to be strong.<br /><br />OSORIO: Thank you for story and your comments. Thank you.<br /><br />END AT 46:41
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History with Vicente Marcelo
Subject
The topic of the resource
Camarines Norte, Luzon, Immigrant families -- United States, Romblon, Albay, Landowner, Chinese merchant, First generation immigrant, American Dream, San Jose, California, Las Vegas, Divorce, Marriage, Filipino Caregivers -- United States, Migrant Remittances -- Philippines, Family & Relationships -- Reference, Filipino Americans -- Ethnic Identity, Language barrier, Work and Family, Filipino Immigrant Oral History
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Vicente Marcelo, interviewed by Nicole Osorio
Date
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6/12/2019
Rights
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0034
Albay
American Dream
California
Camarines Norte
Chinese merchant
divorce
Family & Relationships -- Reference
Filipino Americans -- Ethnic Identity
Filipino Caregivers -- United States
Filipino Immigrant Oral History
First Generation Immigrant
Immigrant families -- United States
Landowner
Language barrier
Las Vegas
Luzon
Marriage
Migrant Remittances -- Philippines
Romblon
San Jose
Work and Family
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Katrina Ongtengco
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Mitas Cuenca
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Begin Audio File]<br />Katrina: Alright so today is May 26, 2019 and this is Katrina<br />Ongtengco interviewing a Filipina immigrant for the oral history<br />project for the Welga Filipino American Labor archives and the<br />Welga! Project. Okay, first question is where and when were you<br />born?<br />Mitas: I was born in Manila on October 13, 1950.<br />Katrina: Where and when were your parents born?<br />Mitas: My parents were born also in the Philippines in Manila.<br />And my mother was born in 1910, and my father was born in 1911.<br />Katrina: They were both born in Manila or . . .<br />Mitas: They were both born outside of Manila in the suburbs of<br />Manila.<br />Katrina: Okay, what jobs did your parents do?<br />Mitas: My mom was an elementary school teacher for over 40 years<br />and my father was a mechanic.<br />Katrina: How long did they work for?<br />Mitas: My father worked, I think at least over 30 years in his<br />last company and he retired just because the retirement age<br />during his days was 55 years old. My mother worked until she had<br />to retire at the age of, I believe, 60 years old.<br />Katrina: How many siblings do you have?<br />Mitas: I have six siblings. There are seven of us in the family.<br />There are five girls and two boys. And I am the youngest in the<br />family.<br />Katrina: Did any of your family members move to America before<br />you?<br />Mitas: Yes, I had one sister who moved to Canada and one sister<br />who moved here in California.<br />Karina: What type of Visa did they arrive with?<br />Mitas: They were both . . They had the green card holder or<br />immigrant.<br />Katrina: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />Mitas: My academic experience was that I graduated in the<br />Philippines at a Philippines women university with a degree in<br />B.S Psychology.<br />Katrina: And did you have a professional experience?<br />Mitas: My professional experience there was just short lived. I<br />may have just worked less than total of six months before<br />immigrating to Canada. When I started working, I was just a new<br />graduate from college and about six months later, I already<br />immigrated to Canada and then I went back after a year and a<br />half from Canada and I worked again for another three months in<br />the Philippines before deciding to move back to Canada on a more<br />permanent basis.<br />Katrina: When did you decide to move out of the Philippines?<br />Mitas: I decided to move out of the Philippines after I<br />graduated in 1973 . . Oh in 1972. And six months later, because<br />the processing during the time was a lot faster than what it is<br />now, I was in Canada within six to seven months.<br />Katrina: And when did you move to the United States?<br />Mitas: I moved to the United States in 1980.<br />Katrina: What were your thoughts about America before you moved<br />here?<br />Mitas: Well as you know the Philippines is very much . . . has a<br />close relationship with America so we think of America as<br />something that’s just like a better place and better<br />opportunities and better working condition than what it is in<br />the Philippines. And also because of the stories I hear<br />especially from my sister when she first moved to Canada. And so<br />Canada being close to America, they about have the same<br />opportunities that I thought I could have. So when I graduated<br />from college I asked my sister, from Canada, to sponsor me and<br />so I became also an immigrant in Canada. And then six and a half<br />. . . about seven years later, then my parents who already<br />immigrated here in the states, have sponsored me to come here<br />and stay with them.<br />[5:11]<br />Katrina: What kind of job did your parents work here in America.<br />Mitas: Uhh no . . . well, work a little bit yes, but because<br />they were already retirees then, so what they did was that since<br />they lived close to a school, so they baby sat only a few kids<br />though and they had maybe about two or three kids that they<br />babysat and no more than that. They did a lot volunteer work in<br />the church and my mom was very active in the church where they<br />lived and they were umm she was part of sort of the pioneers in<br />the church where they worshiped and were often asked to be<br />translating some materials, church materials, from English to<br />Tagalog which is our native language<br />Katrina: Did your thoughts about America change after you<br />arrived?<br />Mitas: Not really. I thought it was what I thought it would be.<br />That there were better opportunities and less traffic of course<br />and the weather is nicer especially here in California and you<br />know that is one of the reasons I stayed here. When I left the<br />Philippines in 1973 and lived in Toronto, I was not sure whether<br />that was the place where I wanted to stay, so about a year and a<br />half after I lived there, I went back to the Philippines to<br />figure out if that’s where I should be with my parents. Being<br />the youngest and unmarried child in the family I thought it was<br />my responsibility to be with my parents. But after that I knew<br />that they were going to be immigrating to the US so that's when<br />I went back first to Canada again. Until I immigrated to the US<br />in 1980.<br />Katrina: So you worked in Canada too?<br />Mitas: Yes. I did work in Canada. I worked not in my field but I<br />worked first in a bank and then after that, I worked in the<br />research psychology department of Clarke Institute of Psychiatry<br />and that was in Toronto.<br />Katrina: and how long did you work there?<br />Mitas: Well, I worked there for about maybe five years?<br />Katrina: Did you live on your own or did you live with a family<br />member?<br />Mitas: I lived with my family member. I lived with my sister who<br />sponsored me and so that’s what my situation was.<br />Katrina: Where did you first live in the United States?<br />Mitas: I lived with my parents first and I stayed with them in<br />their house and the reason why I stayed there was because I<br />wanted to give myself a year to figure out whether I would call<br />the US as my home or I would go back again to Canada because I<br />was having a wonderful time also in Canada. I didn’t have any<br />problem there. I had a good job and also at the same time I had<br />friends there too and family but when my parents sponsored me<br />again the responsibility . . . I thought of the responsibility<br />of being the youngest and being the unmarried child to take care<br />of my parents. They were very open to it so I just like I stayed<br />with them for a year and then after a year I moved back to<br />Canada to visit, to at least give myself a chance to say “okay,<br />which of the two countries would I want to settle in?” and<br />without any hesitation I said “It’s going to be California for<br />me.” So that’s when I already moved then I knew in my mind that<br />I would like to live here permanently and so then that's when I<br />started looking for a place of my own close to my parents, so I<br />lived in an apartment on my own, before I got married.<br />[10:06]<br />Katrina: So what made you decide to stay in America instead of<br />Canada?<br />Mitas: Well the opportunity was much better, I had a better<br />paying job here in the US and also the weather had something to<br />do with it. I was tired already of just like . . . during the<br />winter season when you have to go through so many hardships of<br />just like, you know, walking in the snow and the cold weather<br />was just nahhh. You know after experiencing the California<br />weather you know people would just like (laughs) will not have<br />any second thought about the opportunity of being able to move<br />here in California.<br />Katrina: And did you have friends and family here? Oh, well you<br />parents were here . . .<br />Mitas: My parents were here . . .<br />Katrina: Who else?<br />Mitas: And then also my three siblings were already here. So I<br />have my nephews and nieces and my sisters and my brothers in<br />law. And I also have some friends, childhood friends back home<br />in the Philippines who also were here. So it was a wonderful<br />experience and so . . .<br />Katrina: So you didn’t have trouble adjusting?<br />Mitas: Not at all. Not at all. I didn’t have trouble adjusting.<br />I really enjoyed my job and so you know it was a better<br />opportunity so there we go.<br />Katrina: What jobs did you perform when you moved to America?<br />Mitas: When I moved to America, my first job was an assistant in<br />a research psychology, a research department of a a major<br />hospital organization here in the bay area. However, six months<br />or less than three months into the job, another company who<br />responded to my application called and so I thought you know I’d<br />go for an interview and all that stuff so and since it was based<br />in San Francisco, they offered me a higher paying job. And so I<br />decided to forgo my position at this hospital and even though<br />the position that I went into was no longer in the line of work<br />that I got, but I thought that it was something that was, you<br />know, was an okay position for me as well.<br />Katrina: Did you apply to these jobs on your own or did you have<br />like someone to recommend you?<br />Mitas: My sisters when I moved here they gave me a list of the<br />more renowned companies here both in San Francisco and bay area.<br />So those were the companies that I targeted. The job that I got,<br />I got because I responded to their ad in the newspapers. So when<br />I went to the interview, the day of the interview they already<br />gave me the offer. So since the other companies have not<br />responded to my application so I accepted it however three weeks<br />into my working in the hospital then this company that I worked<br />for that answered to my resume called me for an interview so . .<br />Katrina: Did your professional/academic experiences help you get<br />the job?<br />Mitas: The first, the one in Canada, yes it did and the one in<br />here in the hospital also did. However, the one that I ended up<br />in San Francisco, which is a multinational apparel company, it<br />was yes and no. It’s because of the fact that later on my three<br />years after I started with the company, I was sort of borrowed<br />so to speak to be part of the executive office of this company<br />supporting the president and CEO and the chairman as their<br />executive assistant and I figured you know, my experience or<br />just like my academic experience with my degree sort of helped<br />me navigate working with different levels of people and so it's<br />just one of those things that I thought maybe helped me<br />understand the different levels of positions of the hierarchy<br />within the company and allowed me to really .. . what I learned<br />helped me to navigate the . . . how I [inaudible] be dealing<br />with this people. And even though it did . . . so that was<br />indirectly I think what helped me but in order to be in touch<br />with the profess . .. or academic experience that I had in the<br />Philippines, I volunteered to organizations. One of them is . .<br />I served as a counselor, phone counselor at the Suicide<br />Prevention and Crisis Intervention group and so I did that for a<br />few months.<br />[16:21]<br />Katrina: Did you go back to school here in America?<br />Mitas: I did try. I did try because of the fact that I . . .<br />before I worked in the executive office at the company I worked<br />for for over thirty four years, I didn’t know whether . . . I<br />worked there as an administrative assistant to a director of a<br />company. However it’s just like, you know, I didn’t know whether<br />that was where I want to . . . where I would like to spend the<br />rest of my life doing what I was just doing there. I shouldn’t<br />say just, but it was also a very, you know, a very high paced .<br />. . fast paced position. So I went and studied at the community<br />college here and I but in the area of information technology.<br />Even though I passed, you know, the two the subjects I took, and<br />got good grades I did realize that it wasn’t for me and so I<br />decided to just not pursue it and at the same time that’s when I<br />started volunteering at the suicide prevention because that’s<br />still where I wanted to be connected with the psychology part of<br />my academic experience.<br />Katrina: Did you notice anything different between first<br />generation immigrants and the Filipino American community?<br />Mitas: Okay . . . say that again.<br />Katrina: Did you notice anything different between first<br />generation immigrants and the Filipino American community?<br />Mitas: First generation immigrants and the Filipino American<br />community. During the days of the first generation immigrant?<br />I’m talking about the first generation immigrant and they are<br />the children of the . . . ?<br />Katrina: I think the first generation is like the first . . your<br />parents I guess, the first people that . . . from your family<br />that migrated here.<br />Mitas: I see, okay. What . . is in the Filipino community? Well,<br />my . . . because my parents were really more like very active in<br />their . . . and they came here as retirees and they didn’t have<br />to work, I didn’t see much of a difference like what I said my<br />mom was very active in her church, she sort of had the<br />leadership role with the organizing community, the Filipino<br />communities. And so I did not think much of a difference that<br />was experienced by my parents. So I don’t know about other<br />families but even though my parents immigrated here in their<br />sixties, they were able to assimilate into the lifestyle here.<br />They didn’t have any issues that sometimes I’ve heard from other<br />friends who said that their parents would always want to go back<br />to the Philippines, or do this, or you know, the longing of<br />going back to the Philippines, I never, my parents never<br />mentioned anything like that. I don’t know if it was because<br />most of us were already here, so that’s maybe the difference.<br />They were . . . they felt right at home right away.<br />[20:11]<br />Katrina: And did you assimilate okay here in America<br />Mitas: Oh yah. I didn’t have any problem.<br />Katrina: No problem?<br />Mitas: Nope.<br />Katrina: Or how about your siblings? Same?<br />Mitas: They . . . the same yah. I think it’s because we lived in<br />a big city in the Philippines. We lived in Manila and so . . .<br />no. My siblings had very stable jobs as well. They were also had<br />college degrees, and so they were able to find good jobs here.<br />So I don’t think there was any issue among us about that.<br />Katrina: When your siblings went to school in the Philippines,<br />did they earn like . . . what type of degree. . . Did they earn<br />a degree in the Philippines?<br />Mitas: Yes. Yes, my oldest brother, I mean you know, he got a<br />degree in engineering. I have two sisters who umm business<br />administration. One sister who had a degree in education and one<br />sister who is a CPA.<br />Katrina: Did the job that they have here . . or the level . .<br />or the job that they have here in America, is that like. . .<br />Did their degree help them?<br />Mitas: I think so. Yah. I think so. I think that their degree<br />helped them.<br />Katrina: Because some people earn a degree in the Philippines<br />and then they don’t use that degree here because of the . .<br />Mitas: Correct, right. But sometimes on the other hand I can say<br />that I mean if you looked at it in terms of what I did, my<br />degree helped me adjust to my position very well. I worked an<br />executive assistant to chairman, the president, and CEO but I<br />mean if you look at it, even my degree in B.S psychology would<br />not have been good in the Philippines if I just not have any<br />masters degree or PhD degree, so to be able to work in that<br />field. So yah no . . . it helped me, it helped me, but it's just<br />like is it something that I you know, directly . . .you know if<br />I become a psychologist here? No I did not. I was doing okay in<br />my job and I didn’t feel that there was something . . . a need<br />at that point to go to a grad school or something like that. I<br />mean, I was fulfilled both professionally and also my psyche was<br />fulfilled as well. So I didn’t think I was missing anything<br />since I was able to make all the adjustments.<br />Katrina: Alright. I think that is it for the interview. Thank<br />you for doing this interview.<br />Mitas: You’re very welcome. I hope this is helpful to you and to<br />the organization that’s going to be using this information.<br />[End Audio File 23:50]
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Oral History Interview with Mitas Cuenca
Subject
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Manila, Bachelor of Science in Psychology, Tagalog, volunteering, volunteers, Canada, research psychlogy, San Francisco Bay Area, First Generation Immigrants
Description
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Oral History Interview with Mitas Cuenca
Date
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26-May-19
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0033
Bachelor of Science in Psychology
Canada
first generation immigrants
Manila
research psychlogy
San Francisco Bay Area
Tagalog
volunteering
Volunteers
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
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Interviewer
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Maryjo Santos Nunez
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Wilfredo Marcel Nunez
Transcription
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Oral History Interview With
Wilfredo Nunez
May 24, 2019
South San Francisco
By Maryjo Nunez
UC Davis Asian American Studies Department
[Session 1]
[Audio Link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qPITVkQ9xf0 (Part 1) https://m.youtube. com/watch?v=3FA8xzkCUOg (Part 2)]
[Begin Audio File]
M. NUNEZ: Today is May 24, 2019. Right now, it is 3:17pm. My name is Maryjo Nunez interviewing Wilfredo Nunez for the Oral History Project.
M. NUNEZ: When did you first immigrate to America?
W. NUNEZ: March, 1980.
M. NUNEZ: Did you have any family that came before you coming to America?
W. NUNEZ: Yes.
M. NUNEZ: That was Mommy Let [older sister of W. NUNEZ] and Daddy Vic [brother-in-law of W. NUNEZ], right?
W. NUNEZ: and your Lolo [father of W. NUNEZ] and Lola [mother of W. NUNEZ]. They are the ones who petitioned us.
M. NUNEZ: What year did they come to America?
W. NUNEZ: That was March, 1980 too.
M. NUNEZ: So, did you all come to San Francisco together? . When you all came to America, was San Francisco your first stop?
W. NUNEZ: I think Hawaii.
M. NUNEZ: Do you remember what part of Hawaii?
W. NUNEZ: Honolulu.That's the point of entry.
M. NUNEZ: So, what did you all think about the U.S. [United States] when you first came? Were there lots of other Filipinos when you immigrated?
W. NUNEZ: Yes.
M. NUNEZ: Did you have any ideas of what America would be like before you immigrated?
W. NUNEZ: Just a little bit. no. not really.
M. NUNEZ: When did you decide to move to Alaska?
W. NUNEZ: Sometime in May, 1980.
M. NUNEZ: How long did you live in Alaska?
W. NUNEZ: Actually, it is only seasonal jobs.so only a couple of months. The first time I came [inaudible] June, July, and August. It was more than two months for that season, and then after that I come back next season in 1981. So, I did that every seasonal job.
M. NUNEZ: How many years did you do that for?
W. NUNEZ: I think, about five years, maybe six. Actually, 1980-1985.
M. NUNEZ: What was it like working in Alaska? Were there lots of other Filipinos?
W. NUNEZ: Yes, they have a lot of Filipinos, especially in our union. It's a unionized job. So, it is almost all Filipino in that union.
M. NUNEZ: What was the name of your union?
W. NUNEZ: I think they have a local number. I think thirty-seven then the.Let me see if I remember the union [inaudible] International Warehousemen Union, something like that with the local number thirty-seven, something like that.
M. NUNEZ: Did you work with other unions in Alaska?
W. NUNEZ: No, that is the only union that I applied for and then the union is going to look for some company to send you to, so you have to be first of all a union member. Then they're going to look for job for you, like a job placement. So that's why we have to stay in Seattle. That is the main office of the union, in Seattle, Washington.
[5:02]
W. NUNEZ: So, after that, after they send you, they are the ones negotiating the price and how much you are going to get paid. So, we are doing that every year for every season. The hardest part is the first time to be a union member because you have to wait there [Seattle] and get some place to stay in Seattle unless you have some friend to stay with. Like us, we came here to California so we have to spend some time in the hotel temporarily. [Inaudible] that our first time, we stay in Seattle for almost, I think, two weeks. You run out of money, so I think I called your Tito Vic. We asked him to send us money because we are stranded in Seattle. I go with the brother of Tito Vic, so they send us money [laughs]. But after that year, the second year is more easy because you don't have to stay more in Seattle because they will send you a letter that says on that date you have to come here because they have a job for you-not like the first time. You are waiting there every day. The only bad thing that happened I think is the second year. They got some murders in the union-that was 1981. So that's how everything was messed up. Actually, we wanted to work in a longer season, more than two months so we can get more money but for some reason if you are new, they will send you in a short season like one month only. Actually, there's a guaranteed pay for one month even though.the season. It takes fifteen days for the basic pay. And the food there, once you get to Alaska, everything is free-the food, the accommodations there, even the bedding we don't wash the bedding; we only wash our own clothes. So, it is like a hotel, and for the food, you have to go to the place where you can eat, like we eat four times in the day. If we work until midnight, then we get midnight lunch or
midnight snack, something like that. But during the morning, sometimes we have to wake up five o'clock and it is when they start the season. But they paid overtime. more than eight hours, you will get paid overtime. Even Saturday and Sunday, they paid for that.
M. NUNEZ: What was work in the canneries like? What exactly did you have to do?
W. NUNEZ: There are different assignments. If you are assigned in the processing the fish or something, then you are in the packaging of the salmon eggs. They are processing it to bring it to Japan-so, we have to work.I used to be assigned there in the egg area-they are sending it to Japan. But if you are assigned in the canning, in the machine, sometimes you have to work twenty-four hours [laughs].
M. NUNEZ: Do you get overtime for that?
W. NUNEZ: Yes, yes because once you start at five o'clock.even lunchtime, some people they don't clock out. They tell you not to clock out.
[10:15]
W. NUNEZ: So, they give only fifteen minutes to eat your lunch, but your time is continuous until you are in midnight. That's why you have some people who say, "oh, I work twenty-four hours" [laughs]. Because once they start processing, they don't finish until they process the whole thing, the whole fish, but this doesn't happen everyday because you cannot work twenty- four hours every day. And the weather is like you can see in the night time because at five o'clock in the morning, the sun is already rise and then even at twelve midnight, the sun is still in there.
M. NUNEZ: Was it hard adjusting to the weather in Alaska, coming from the Philippines?
W. NUNEZ: Actually, it's not much because during that time it was the summer time, but it was still cold because you see they still have ice in the mountain.
M. NUNEZ: Do you think that your employers treated you or other union members differently because you were Filipino?
W. NUNEZ: No, because I think they like Filipinos because most of the workers there are Filipino and in the union. You cannot work there without the union. If you go directly to the company that's in Alaska, it's different, maybe they pay you higher but you have to find your own place to stay. In our case, we are paid lower but everything is free. They like Filipinos. Bu t in the food, we are separate from those who are from the management people, but the food is still ok because if you want Filipino food, they will give it to you because some of the cooks are Filipino.
M. NUNEZ: So.you mentioned in 1981, the second year you worked in the cannery, there were murders? Do you mind talking about it?
W. NUNEZ: Yes, they are union. I think the union officials, something like that.
M. NUNEZ: Do you remember their names?
W. NUNEZ: No. I think Shilme Domingo (sp?) and [inaudible]. I think . They got some Filipinos involved in that case because in Alaska, there was gambling or something like that.
M. NUNEZ: Were you in Alaska when the two men were murdered or in Seattle?
W. NUNEZ: I think I was in Seattle.
M. NUNEZ: How did you hear about the murders then?
W. NUNEZ: Oh, we don't ask anybody because we don't talk about it. Especially us because we are from a different place and in Seattle, they had these gangs, and so we cannot talk to others about that. We just have to keep quiet [laughs] about what's going on.
M. NUNEZ: Was there anything different with the union after that year [1981]?
[15:01]
W. NUNEZ: Yes.
M. NUNEZ: Do you remember any of the changes?
W. NUNEZ: No. I don't remember.
M. NUNEZ: So, you spent five years in Alaska adjusting and was difficult you would say. How was the other three years, was it similar or different in any way?
W. NUNEZ: No. It was still ok, because the longer you work there, you have people there, the same people, and most of them are from here in California, like from Stockton because some of them work in only the summer. They work in the summer because people there are working in the field, so it is very hot, and instead they prepare to work in Alaska.
M. NUNEZ: Did you have to go to any union meetings as a union member?
W. NUNEZ: No, I didn't.
M. NUNEZ: Were meetings then only reserved for union officials?
W. NUNEZ: Yes, I think so but we could never talk to them. They are in the always in the office. We didn't talk to them.
M. NUNEZ: What were some of the benefits that the union brought to Filipinos?
W. NUNEZ: One thing I noticed is the health insurance. Once you are a member, they dispatch you. Even though you work only two months, you get health insurance for one year and that's for one year, so you can use it even here in California. Maybe, they got some limited amount,
like for the dental. They have a limit, fifty dollars for the dental but I can use it even in the Philippines and they paid it. Before, I didn't know that they had a free health benefit for the whole year. That's why one time I got a problem in the eye, with my eye, so I just went to the provincial-or, I mean the country hospital and said I don't have any work and I want to treat my eye. I didn't know my health insurance could work for that. I think the union; they are the ones negotiating about the salary every year because they increase the salary ten percent every year. So, when it is your first time, maybe a little bit lower but the second time you come back there, it will be based on the year, so they are going to increase you. But it doesn't matter even though you work for five years, you will still get paid by the same level but not like in the other company where every year they have increase. But in Alaska, only the difference from the first time and the second time but after is the same pay.
M. NUNEZ: Were there any strikes or boycotts to try and increase the pay?
W. NUNEZ: No, there wasn't.
M. NUNEZ: Were a lot of your co-workers complaining about the pay and how it didn't increase
?
W. NUNEZ: No, they didn't complain. Except that sometimes they have some position, maybe they work harder and they have a little higher pay, around twenty-five cents an hour.
[20:56]
W. NUNEZ: But for that kind of job, I think it's the same thing. Once you clock in, everybody's in there.
M. NUNEZ: You mentioned Tito Victor.did we have anyone else in our family who worked in Alaska or in the fields or in Hawaii, or was everyone just in San Francisco?
W. NUNEZ: Most of them worked in California. They came here to California and in Washington. Because those people in Washington, they can easily go to the union because they are close to the union in Seattle. A lot of them that I know, a lot of them were students looking for summer job. So, they apply there and work for the short season, around two months or less than that. They go there in June, July.
M. NUNEZ: Ok, that has been all the questions. Thank you. Again, this has been an interview with Wilfredo Nunez for the Oral History Project.
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Title
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Oral History Interview With Wilfredo Nunez
Subject
The topic of the resource
Hawaii, San Francisco, Alaska, Seasonal Worker, Migrant Worker, Migrant Laborer, International Longeshore & Warehousemen Union, Seattle, Canneries, Cannery Workers, Salmon,
Description
An account of the resource
Oral History Interview With Wilfredo Nunez
Date
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24-May-19
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0032
Alaska
Canneries
Cannery workers
Hawaii
International Longeshore & Warehousemen Union
Migrant Laborer
Migrant Worker
Salmon
San Francisco
Seasonal Worker
Seattle
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
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Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Hanah Miller
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Jenika Alyssa Maala
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
May 29, 2019)<br />(Start audio file)<br />Hannah Miller: Okay, so it’s Wednesday May 29th, 2019. 8:56pm, and I am with Jenika Alyssa<br />Maala. And I am doing this recording for my ASA 150 final project.<br />Hannah Miller: So Jenika, where and when were you born?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: So I was born February 10th, 1999 in Batangas City, Philippines.<br />Hannah Miller: Where were your parents born?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: So my parents were born in the Batangas region as well. My dad was born<br />in Bulacan and my mother was born in Laurel.<br />Hannah Miller: What jobs did your parents do?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: So in the Philippines, my dad is a doctor, an internal medicine doctor and<br />my mother was a nurse who worked abroad. She worked in Saudi Arabia for a few years and she<br />moved to America to work for quite a while until she brought us over, the whole family over.<br />And now my mother is a nurse here in America. My dad also came here and became a nurse for<br />about 10 years but now he moved back to the Philippines and continues his job as a doctor.<br />Hannah Miller: Do you know anything about your grandparents?<br />Jemika Alyssa Maala: My maternal grandparents, I don’t know much of but I know that my<br />paternal grandparents were both high school teachers. I think my grandpa was either a math or<br />history teacher.<br />Hannah Miller: How many siblings do you have?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: I have three other siblings. Two sisters and one brother, I am the youngest<br />one. The oldest is currently turning 31, the second older is turning 30, and my brother who is the<br />third oldest is turning 25 this year.<br />Hannah Miller: Did you come from a big family?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: From my mother side, she has a big family. She had 9, 10 siblings. I think<br />two kinda past away at birth, but from my mom side is a big family. My dad side, he had 4<br />siblings and they have around like 2-3 kids each.<br />Hannah Miller: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: So in the Philippines I went up to 1st grade.<br />Hannah Miller: What was it like?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Comparing it to like…<br />Hannah Miller: America<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: America? Oh gosh. I remember moving here to America and thinking ‘Oh<br />my gosh. I literally learned all of this like in kindergarten.’ And I was in 2nd grade!<br />Hannah Miller: *laughs*<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: I don’t know. I just remembered learning a lot of things in the Philippines.<br />Like I learned like multiplication when I was in kindergarten. And you don’t learn that until like<br />what...2nd or 3rd grade.<br />Hannah Miller: Yeah<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: And we did a bunch of science projects in…<br />Hannah Miller: In kindergarten?!<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: In like 1st grade<br />Hannah Miller: In 1st grade?? Wow.<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Yeah! It was just...I don’t know. It seemed like at that time like when I was<br />going through elementary like I was like ‘Wow, I think the Philippines education is more<br />advanced.’ *laughs*<br />Hannah Miller: So why did you decide to move out of the Philippines?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Well it wasn’t my choice. It was my parents’ choice. My mother who<br />moved here first, I guess really liked the environment and you know how safe it is. And both my<br />parents learned about you know, the education here and you know in the Philippines, they’ll<br />always praise someone who got a degree in America. And so that’s why they decided to move<br />the whole family to America to get, you know, better education, you know, better job<br />opportunities and yeah. And so my siblings all came along too.<br />Hannah Miller: So you said that your mom brought you guys over. So did that mean your mom<br />came here first and then...?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Mhmm.<br />Hannah Miller: Oh<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Yeah. So she was working here as a nurse. And I would visit her. I would<br />visit. She worked in LA area so I’d visit her. Before I moved here in America, like I visited<br />America. Like a few times. So it wasn’t like moving here was like completely my first<br />impression of America. She was the first one here. I think she was like, she lived here a year or<br />two? Yeah a year or two before we came.<br />Hannah Miller: What year did she move to the United States?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: I-I think around 2004 around that time. 2004...2005.<br />Hannah Miller: When did you and the rest of your family move to the United States?<br />Jeniak Alyssa Maala: I actually remember the exact date. Cus my dad and I were the first ones,<br />you know from the Philippines, except for my mom, my mom was already here. My dad and I<br />came here first. It was March 31st, 2006. I was seven years old. It was so crazy... oh my gosh!<br />*in awe*<br />Hannah Miller: *laughs* That was not too long ago.<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Yeah! And then my siblings came like a month after. Yeah, cus I<br />remember like we moved literally right when I finished school. Cus yeah that’s one thing too<br />like with the differences in schools. In the Philippines we use to end in March. Yeah and so<br />that’s why we moved here in March and I think my siblings had to stay a little longer because<br />their school ended later than mine.<br />Hannah Miller: Did you guys start in August?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: We started in June...yeah.<br />Hannah Miller: Woooow okay.<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Yeah, yeah. In the Philippines I remember we ended in March and we<br />started in June. Yeah so that’s why when I moved here before I started 2nd grade I had like<br />what...a four month vacation? Yeah I had a four month vacation before I started school here.<br />Hannah Miller: Interesting. Did you move anywhere else before settling in the United States?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Nope. I was just in the Philippines, in Batangas City.<br />Hannah Miller: Okay. Where did you move to when you came to the United States?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: So we lived in my mother’s apartment for I think just like a month until my<br />parents I guess got their house paperwork done and we moved to Bakersfield. And I think I<br />remember when we came, the house wasn’t done yet so we had to live in like a hotel for like a<br />month.<br />Hannah Miller: Oh wow<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Yeah it was...it’s Homewood Suites. If you know where that is, it’s like in<br />Ming next to the Marketplace. Yeah we were there for a month and then we would like<br />continuously like check on the house that was still being built.<br />Hannah Miller: What were your thoughts about America before you moved here?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: So as I said, we visited my mom here before I moved here. I don’t know, I<br />was like really young. But all I remember was going to Disneyland a lot. *laughs* Going to<br />Disneyland, and I was just, the weather is the biggest thing. I’d be like ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so<br />cold.’ *laughs* It’s so cold like coming from like Philippine weather...oh gosh. That and also<br />like the cleanliness, and the roads were so big here and I don’t know, also just like the diversity<br />of people, you really don’t see that in the Philippines. It was a lot to take in but I was young so I<br />just grew and developed.<br />Hannah Miller: So would you change like your perspective changed?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Oh yeah definitely. I felt like when I moved to America it’s when I<br />realized like ‘Oh there’s more to the world than like Filipinos’ I guess *laughs* Like it felt like<br />the world was bigger than I knew. Like I think my world was revolved around the Philippines.<br />And like the culture in the Philippines was like similar else. Yeah, I learned a lot. Like moving in<br />America, that there was like different types of people, like languages and culture.<br />Hannah Miller: I see. What was different about living in America as opposed to living in the<br />Philippines?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Oh so I had to really grow to be independent. Cus in the Philippines, when<br />your parents make like a decent amount of money, they can hire like nannies, and like cleaners,<br />like helpers, like maids. And so my parents had that. They gave me a nanny, I had a tutor. And<br />so I always just had someone to like wake me up in the morning, help me to get dressed, cook<br />me food, like help me with homework. And so moving here to America, I remember like<br />thinking ‘Oh my gosh, I have to do everything myself.’ *laughs*<br />Hannah Miller: *laughs*<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: And like I think I asked my parents one time, ‘How come I don’t have a<br />nanny?’ and they were just like, ‘No, it doesn’t work like that here.’ Yeah, that was one big thing<br />and then the other things...oh...like the living environment. Cus in the Philippines you get really<br />close to the people in your neighborhood, the people just like your neighbors. You get really<br />close to them. Like I played a lot with the kids in my neighborhood. But here when I moved to<br />America, everyone is just like isolated to themselves. No one really goes out, no one really like<br />talks to their neighbors. And so, I don’t know. That’s one big thing. Like in my childhood, I had<br />to like play inside by myself as oppose to the Philippines I would go out every night playing with<br />other kids. That’s one thing. I don’t know, there’s just so many differences that I could say.<br />Hannah Miller: You can keep going!<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: I can keep going?! Oh! Food. Like you go to a grocery store not just like<br />some food stand by the street or you don’t go to like the Palengke or like the wet market, that’s<br />what they call it. What else...oh...the tv is different, tv channels *laughs*<br />Hannah Miller: Oh interesting<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: There’s more channels here. So I watched tv a lot as a kid. Yeah that’s one<br />thing too, like in the Philippines, or at that time when I was there, they didn’t really focus on<br />technology that much. That’s why I would be out like playing with other kids. So it’s like, I<br />don’t know, I would be out more. In America, since I was inside my house a lot, I would watch<br />tv a lot, like all day. That’s one thing. That’s the biggest difference I’d say, like growing up.<br />Hannah Miller: So it’s kind of like you actually had like that childhood<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Yeah it was just like a big shift<br />Hannah Miller: How did it make you feel?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: It made me feel lonely. At that time, my siblings and I weren’t really that<br />close. They were still in like their teenage years so they were out doing their things. I didn’t<br />really have a friend, and of course in a new country, your parents don’t really know what’s<br />normal here. And so they were very overprotective of me and I couldn’t go to like my<br />classmate’s house to play. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t go out to like watch a movie with friends.<br />That was the biggest thing. I couldn’t go out to watch a movie with friends until like high school<br />I think. Yeah, so they were very overprotective of me. They didn’t really know how the other<br />kids were like. And so they always just kept me inside. And so that’s why I felt really lonely like<br />I didn’t have someone to play with and so yeah. That was the biggest thing. I felt lonely. But it’s<br />okay. *laughs*<br />Hannah Miller: It’s okay! You’re not alone now *laughs*<br />Hannah Miller: Okay, so did you stay with family or were you alone when you came to the<br />United States?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: So in La, my dad’s side lived close by. So we visited them a lot while we<br />were living in LA. Even like when we lived in Bakersfield, we would go back to LA to visit<br />them. But yeah, we would go there a lot. But we didn’t like live with them or anything but We<br />visited them a lot. Cus they were like one of the few people we know who was there in America.<br />It was in Montebello, so to be exact..in LA.<br />Hannah Miller: What jobs did you perform when you were in America?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: I mean here, I just do a bunch of part time jobs. Like in the food service<br />industry. So like I’m working for the school, Peet’s barista. I also got a job in Bakersfield as like<br />helping out in like an acai shop. It’s really hard to find a job here in America I really noticed,<br />comparing it to the Philippines. In the Philippines, even though there’s like a lot of people, you’d<br />think it’d be competitive, but there’s always something you can do to earn money there. But here<br />it’s just like it was more difficult to find a job. It’s also kind of hard, or at least from my<br />perspective, it’s hard to like trust babysitters, those jobs that are like under the table. In the<br />Philippines there’s a lot of like under the table jobs and it was normal there. But here like it’s not<br />that normal so it’s kinda like scary, you don’t trust it.<br />Hannah Miller: Did your parents have jobs here in America before like their stable jobs now?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: No, it’s always been the same. Like my mom was a nurse so she came here<br />as nurse. My dad, cus he you know, came from being a doctor to a nurse, I think he got like his<br />nursing certificate in the Philippines and got it like approved. So they’ve always been like nurses<br />here in America. Nothing more than that.<br />Hannah Miller: Did you notice anything different between 1st generation immigrants and the<br />Filipino American community?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Oh yeah. There’s such a huge difference. I really noticed that when I came<br />here to Davis. Cus before I got into college I thought that Filipino Americans would act like 1st<br />generation immigrants and that like, I guess you can say ‘fob’ like ‘fob sense’ cus in where I<br />lived, basically all of the Filipinos that I know, they were really in touched with their culture or<br />they’re really in touch with the Philippines I’d say. Like everyone watched the tv shows from the<br />Philippines, like they would be up to date with the celebrity gossip, or like everything that’s<br />going on in the Philippines. Yeah they would always like speak tagalog or they would listen to<br />Filipino music that was sang in tagalog. And like the humor too. That’s the biggest thing.<br />Filipino humor is interesting and so not a lot of Filipino Americans can understand that humor.<br />Yeah so that’s what I noticed when I came here. Like I met more people who were born in<br />America as opposed to like people who moved here. Though like their parents who taught them<br />like the food, the cuisine, simple phrases, like the respect in culture, but there’s still like a huge<br />difference between 1st generation immigrants and Filipino Americans. I guess the biggest thing<br />too is that Filipino Americans have that greater chance of being conservative, just cus they came<br />from the Philippines, where it’s like super conservative. So I feel like Filipino Americans are, I’d<br />say are a lot more open minded, and they’re definitely, Filipino Americans are definitely more in<br />touch with American culture, like music wise, media, tv shows. And so yeah, with humor too.<br />The inside jokes between immigrants and the Filipino Americans, I don’t think they would ever<br />get it. Like I noticed that. And I don’t know, I don’t know how to describe it. But there’s a really<br />clear distinction between those two groups. But yeah, moving here to Davis, coming here and<br />joining the Fil-Am community, I saw like 1st generation immigrants and Filipino Americans and<br />you can really tell the difference between those two. And I don’t know, I think 1st generation<br />immigrants are kind of more appreciative of what they have. Cus in the Philippines, there’s<br />really a huge difference in living situations and here, what you have here is hard to get in the<br />Philippines. So I think 1st generation immigrants are definitely more appreciative of what they<br />have here cus Filipino Americans kind of just grew up into it. Like the immigrants, you know,<br />came from like living, or like for me, my family came from a province where electricity would<br />go out a lot because of really strong rainstorms. And so when it happens here, you’re like ‘oh my<br />gosh’ the world is ending for some people, like literally we’re like ‘oh my gosh!’ But like for me,<br />when that would happen, I’d be like ‘oh, this is normal.’ It’d be so normal.<br />Hannah Miller: Did you ever feel like you felt different or like you felt like you didn’t belong<br />here because you were from the Philippines?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: I feel like...yeah. I felt those moments. I mean the biggest thing is you<br />know, my parents. I’d be different from like the kids in school. I’m pretty sure like I think my<br />parents told me too that growing up ‘oh your accent is getting better’. So I think when I moved<br />here, my accent distinguished me between all the students in my class. Also with, I think with<br />toys or with everything that’s going on that’s popular, I guess I was like a little later in finding<br />out, so that’s when I felt a little left out. Oh and with like lunch. I don’t know. I always saw kids<br />come to school with like packed lunches and I would think to myself, ‘How come I don’t have a<br />packed lunch..how come my parents don’t do that?’ So that’s one big thing too. It’s just like oh,<br />my parents would never do that. So that’s also like when I felt I was different.<br />Hannah Miller: Did you ever feel like moving to the United States made you feel like you’ve lost<br />your cultural routes?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: The biggest thing would be language. I’d definitely, like throughout the<br />years, I’m losing fluency just because I’m more exposed to people who speak english and I’m<br />more inclined to speak english. And it’s to that point where I speak english to my siblings now, I<br />speak english to my parents now. Which is weird because growing up, my parents would instill<br />that idea that when you’re at home always speak tagalog. And so we try to keep that up but we<br />eventually, all my siblings just got to the point where it felt like it was easier to communicate<br />with each other and to my parents in english. And so as time went I realized like ‘Oh shoot, I’m<br />losing fluency in tagalog.’ Like I’d go back home and I just realized how much I don’t know.<br />Like I can still communicate but my grammar is all wrong and it’s just not as fluent as it used to<br />be. So that’s one big thing how I changed.<br />Hannah Miller: Would you say that your siblings kind of got it better than you?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Like in what sense?<br />Hannah Miller: Like their living experience here cus they were older and you were younger<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: I don’t know. I feel like from what I’ve heard from them I wouldn’t...it’s<br />hard to compare. Just cus like we came here at like a different age. And so my sisters came here<br />and they went straight in college. So they experienced here till high school and when they<br />explained to me *outside disruption*. Okay so when they explained to me what they experienced<br />in high school, which it seemed really fun. And when I grew up and eventually got through high<br />school, I realized like ‘Oh, my high school experience wasn’t as fun as that.’ So I don’t know.<br />It’s hard to compare if their experience was better than mine on moving here. Although like, you<br />know I could say that I’d definitely grew up in America compared to them cus who like really<br />spent most of their lives in the Philippines. I guess for me, I think I learned to be a lot more<br />open-minded just cus like the diversity here is just way more than how it is in the Philippines.<br />Hannah Miller: So just to clarify, your siblings moved here when they were in high school?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: After high school they moved here. They graduated high school and they<br />moved here, and they went to college. My brother graduated 5th grade in the Philippines and<br />started 6th grade here. And so I think my brother is in the same boat as me. Like he also like<br />definitely grew up and grew accustomed to American culture.<br />Hannah Miller: Would you call yourself an Asian American?<br />Jeniak Alyssa Maala: That’s so hard. You know on paper I am. It’s so hard. I never like ever<br />addressed myself as an Asian American or Filipino American. It’s really wild like I never really<br />thought about it. I always just say ‘No, I’m Filipino.’ And I think it’s because I was born there.<br />Though I grew up here, I owe a lot of my personal growth from being here but even though I’m a<br />citizen here, I still consider myself Filipino.<br />Hannah Miller: Why do you think that there’s such like...not today...but there’s like...it’s a<br />serious topic for people to be asked ‘Are you Asian American, are you Filipino American, are<br />you Filipino, are you South East Asian American?’ Stuff like that, so why do you there’s such<br />that difference in culture I guess?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Oh like the title. I can see it. Just cus for me personally I’d definitely<br />would prefer to be called a Filipino above all the things that you said. Just cus some of them are<br />too general. Like they kind of like generalized a bunch of ethnicities that are completely different<br />from each other. Like Asian American, like although we came from the same continent, we all<br />experienced different culture.<br />Hannah Miller: Yeah, different struggles.<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Different struggles. Even within the minority, there’s differences between<br />us. And some Asian Americans have it better than others. And the thing with like South East<br />Asians too, that title, I feel like, I don’t know, from my perspective, it seems like some people<br />have like a negative connotation in South East Asian compared to like East Asian. And I feel like<br />the biggest thing between in those two are skin color. And you can definitely tell that you know<br />South East Asians are darker and Asian mentality, they’re always gonna praise the lighter skin.<br />And so I think Asians like me don’t really appreciate being known as a South East Asian. Just<br />from my experience, just because being viewed as a South East Asian is just an Asian who’s<br />dark skin. That’s the reason why ‘oh, that person is dark because they’re South East Asian.’ And<br />so that’s why people are kind of like picky with what they’re known for. And the same thing<br />with like Filipino and Filipino Americans, there’s a huge difference between a Filipino and a<br />Filipino American. Just like the way they grew up and just like really learning where you are<br />born kind of really shapes how you are as a person. So like growing in the Philippines, even if<br />it’s just seven years of my life, it’s still like really impacted how I am today. Like I don’t think<br />that I would be who I am if I wasn’t born in the Philippines. And so that’s like the biggest thing<br />on why there’s a huge difference between Filipino and Filipino American, and South East Asian<br />or East Asian or just being called an Asian or Asian American.<br />Hannah Miller: What about Pacific Islander?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Oh that with like Filipinos? Before, I don’t know. It was probably just me<br />being oblivious or not knowing anything but I thought we considered ourselves as Pacific<br />Islander. I mean we’re an island in the Pacific Ocean right? So like wouldn’t you think? But no,<br />apparently it’s to classify those people who are like deeper into the ocean. I don’t know, I felt<br />that really weird. It’s just someone, like someone told me straight up that ‘You’re part of Asia.<br />You’re asian.’ Or ‘You’re Filipino, there’s a clear difference.’ Is there really? I felt like the<br />biggest thing because of like colonization it’s just that we...I think them colonizing us and just<br />changing our culture separated us from the other Pacific Islanders. And so that’s why we kind of<br />like, I guess like we lost that title just cus we’ve changed so much. But like you kind of like look<br />back in the past, there’s a lot of big similarities between like Pacific Islanders, Samoan culture<br />with ours. There’s a really like big similarities between us compared to like, us and like China.<br />Hannah Miller: That’s good. Okay well, let me see if I have other questions. How do you feel<br />about the model minority? About Asians being the model minority.<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Like being the more successful minority<br />Hannah Miller: Especially since you’re an immigrant, so like how did you feel about that when<br />you first moved here?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: So when I first moved here, I never really saw that. I never saw it. Like<br />growing up I always just thought that ‘oh, we’re all a minority. We’re all in one level. We’re all<br />the same.’ But you know then I realized that not all minorities are on the same level. And I think<br />it’s true. I don’t know what it is but I think it’s got to do with culture and racism. I think that’s a<br />big thing. Yeah, I think one big thing would be culture. How I feel like the majority, I feel like<br />the reason why we became a model minority is because the majority had interest in our culture,<br />like they started praising our culture. Kind of used it, like our aesthetics, our music, they kind of<br />like grew to praise it. So that kind of like opened the door for us to step up in that ladder. As<br />compare to like African Americans, you don’t really see that kind of like aesthetics in media<br />compared to like Japanese aesthetics, right? Like you always see it, that cherry blossom, the<br />really intricate designs, as compare to like, you know like native African culture. And so I think<br />that’s what started that model minority. It’s...I don’t know if I...if it effects me on a personal<br />level, but I definitely do see it in media, where they praise you know Asians making it big, as<br />compared to other minorities.<br />Hannah Miller: I see. Do you feel like the minority groups should help each other out?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Mhmm. I do think so. Just because we all face that oppression. So we<br />understand that struggle of oppression. And so we can’t leave the people behind who understand<br />what you’ve gone through. And it’s really hard to leave people behind who you know is going<br />through those struggles. So I definitely think it’s good to help other minorities succeed too.<br />Hannah Miller: And like you know the struggles for African Americans are different than like<br />Filipinos. So like would you say that if the Filipinos help the African American groups, would<br />they still be considered the model minority or would they be looked as the whites...not to<br />like…discriminate.<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: *laughs* It’s okay!<br />Hannah Miller: So like how do you feel about that?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Mmm. So it’s just like, I understand what you’re saying, it’s like, if<br />basically the Filipino Americans are helping the African Americans then that means there is a<br />model minority going on. That there is like, you know, that they’re on different steps of the<br />ladder and you’re helping the other one go up. Um...what was the question again? *laughs*<br />Hannah Miller: So like would you feel that it would be a good decision to help other minorities<br />instead of like staying within your culture and like help your own culture?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: So you’re talking about like the experiences in America. Of course, you<br />know. Equality right? You’re fighting for equality for yourself, you should also fight for equality<br />for others.<br />Hannah Miller: Did you ever experience the typical Asian stereotypes when you moved here?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Typical stereotypes...oh yeah of course! There’s no way of like avoiding<br />that. As an Asian, you’re always gonna get joked around by like eating dogs or cats, being joked<br />about being yellow. It’s yeah, it’s always under that. And like as a Filipino, there’s always that<br />stereotype that ‘Oh, Filipinos are talented, all Filipinos are dark skinned. All Filipinos are hairy’<br />or something like that. Whatever they hear somewhere else is what they first perceive us as. So<br />yeah I’ve definitely experienced those stereotypes.<br />Hannah Miller: How did that make you feel, cus like knowing that you moved here when you<br />were seven and then now you’re twenty, so did you feel like it changed overtime?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Yeah, definitely. I grew to accept it. It would was like, at first I would be<br />like ‘Hey that’s kind of rude’ or like ‘Hey, I don’t know what you’re talking about.’ It’s like<br />where did all of these dumb assumptions come from. Why is it being used against me. Why is<br />that description tied to me. Like I didn’t do anything, it’s just because of my identity. But I grew<br />up and it was like non-stop. Like I just grew to accept it. And thankfully now, I don’t experience<br />it as much cus I’m in college and I feel like by that time a lot of people have realized it’s not<br />right to hold those stereotypes against people.<br />Hannah Miller: They’re more woke.<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Woke.<br />Hannah Miller: Woke. *laughs* Let’s see, just to close it off, what would you say to a new<br />Filipino immigrant, like what advice would you give them?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Immigrant?<br />Hannah Miller: Mhmm. Like immigrants coming to America now.<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Like how old?<br />Hannah Miller: It doesn’t matter how old. But based on our society right now, like how life is<br />right now, like the changes that are going on right now. What kind of advice would you give<br />them?<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Definitely the people here and their mindsets, and their mentality, and their<br />way of thinking, their perception of the world and life is completely different from people back<br />home. And you learn a lot. I think you learn a lot more from the people here than from the people<br />back home. Yeah the diversity is like the biggest thing that helps you grow, or like learning more<br />about it.<br />Hannah Miller: Mmm okay. Well thank you. Thank you Jenika.<br />Jenika Alyssa Maala: Thank you, thank you.<br />(End audio file)
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The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Oral History Interview with Jenika Alyssa Maala
Subject
The topic of the resource
Batangas City, Bulacan, Laurel, Immigrant Families, Tagalog
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Jenika Alyssa Maala, interviewed by Hanah Miller
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
5/29/2019
Rights
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0031
Batangas City
Bulacan
Immigrant Families
Laurel
Tagalog
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Lindsay Mendoza
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Edgardo Medoza
View/Download File(s)
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ADdveZPwkHI1VCy7RfbD3Iq_3BwOTtm3/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ADdveZPwkHI1VCy7RfbD3Iq_3BwOTtm3/view?usp=sharing</a>, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1co7KO_oPL1_ZV5-IohbPDbpE2nmjDx-C/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1co7KO_oPL1_ZV5-IohbPDbpE2nmjDx-C/view?usp=sharing</a>
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[June 8, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />LINDSAY: It’s June 8, 2019 and it is 5:51p.m. This is Lindsay Mendoza, interviewing for my Asian American Studies course: the Filipino American Experience and here I am..today I am here with:<br />EDGARDO: Um, my name is Edgardo Mendoza.<br />LINDSAY: Ok, let’s start talking about, um, where and when you were born.<br />EDGARDO: I was born on, in Mindoro, Philippines, on August 1965.<br />LINDSAY: How about your parents? Where, where were they born?<br />EDGARDO: They were born, my dad, or my father, born in Batangas, Philippines, or Lubo Batangas, Philippines. And my mom, was born in Marindoque, Philippines.<br />LINDSAY: How about your grandparents?<br />EDGARDO: Um, my grandparents, on my mother’s side was born in Marindoque, and my dad is same Batangas, Lubo Batangas, Philippines. Same as my dad.<br />LINDSAY: So how many siblings do you have? Do you come from a big family?<br />EDGARDO: Yes, came from a big family. My, I have a four brothers, five including me, and three sisters.<br />LINDSAY: Are you the oldest?<br />EDGARDO: No, I’m the second one.<br />LINDSAY: So your the oldest-<br />EDGARDO: -Brother<br />LINDSAY: Brother, ok. So did you have any family members move to America before you?<br />EDGARDO: No one.<br />LINDSAY: You, you’re the first-<br />EDGARDO: -just me.<br />LINDSAY: So what’s your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />EDGARDO: Um, you mean I’m gonna start from elementary grade-<br />LINDSAY: -yeah let’s start from elementary school.<br />EDGARDO: Ok, um, I gotta elementary school graduate and high school, and two years in college.<br />LINDSAY: Mhm.<br />EDGARDO: Which is I didn’t finish it.<br />LINDSAY: Why?<br />EDGARDO: I’m start working. Probably when I start earning money, I think that’s why I decide not to continue my school. Because I think I have a good opportunity to just keep on going on this, uh, kinda work.<br />LINDSAY: Wouldn’t you make more money if you finished your school?<br />EDGARDO: Mmm, maybe not. Or maybe yes. I’m not sure about, about it. But I’m happy for what I got right now. I think my job is the way how I came to America.<br />LINDSAY: So what was your professional experience before you came here?<br />EDGARDO: Um, my professional experience? I can tell probably working in the kitchen as a, as a chef.<br />LINDSAY: What, what kind of kitchen? Where?<br />EDGARDO: Ok, I’m start working in a hotel. Which is the Silayas International Hotel, called that time. That’s the name. And, I started working there as a storekeeper. Then I transferred being a kitchen helper, and to be a chef. Japanese restaurant sushi chef.<br />LINDSAY: How old were you?<br />EDGARDO: When I started working?<br />LINDSAY: Mhm.<br />EDGARDO: Umm, it’s about like eighteen, eighteen years old.<br />LINDSAY: As a sushi chef?<br />EDGARDO: Working in a hotel.<br />LINDSAY: Oh working in a hotel. So were you cooking already?<br />EDGARDO: Uhm, no. Storekeeper.<br />LINDSAY: Oh, storekeeper. oops [laughs] Ok, did you immigrate with anybody when you came here?<br />EDGARDO: Uhm, no just me.<br />LINDSAY: Just you. So why’d you decide to move out of the Philippines?<br />EDGARDO: Opportunity, America is a lot of opportunity, and I heard since I was, um, I was a kid. America is good, better place to live. Better place to work-<br />LINDSAY: -Mhm.<br />[5:12]<br />EDGARDO: It’s better for everything.<br />LINDSAY: So when did you move to the United States?<br />EDGARDO: Uhmm, January 19—<br />LINDSAY: Mhm.<br />EDGARDO: 1995, and that was January.<br />LINDSAY: So did you move anywhere else before settling in the U.S?<br />EDGARDO: I have experience working in other place.<br />LINDSAY: Like where?<br />EDGARDO: Uhmm, I’m working in a hotel, so I have um, I have lot of opportunity working in other places like Saipan, the islands. Which is, they call Micronesia Island or Marianas Islands.I used to work there for two years in, in a hotel, which is Diamond Hotel. Uhmm, and after that two years-<br />LINDSAY: In Saipan?<br />EDGARDO: In Saipan, yes.<br />LINDSAY: Ok, and then?<br />EDGARDO: And then, after that two years, I went back home to Philippines, for vacation and then I decide not to go back to Saipan, stay in, in the Philippines.<br />LINDSAY: How long was your vacation?<br />EDGARDO: My vacation is just like two months, the most.<br />LINDSAY: Mhm.<br />EDGARDO: Then, during that vacation time, I have a friend working on a Luxury ship.<br />LINDSAY: Mhm.<br />EDGARDO: And then he ask me if I want to join him. Because, this is the deal.<br />LINDSAY: Mhm.<br />EDGARDO: Because he is the uh, the uh head chef on that, on that job, on the ship. When he went to vacation, then I’m gonna replace him. So he’s coming back home to Philippines, then I’m going to replace him to the boat. That’s how I started. Then I continue working on that, that luxury ship.<br />LINDSAY: So you’re replacing him because he’s on vacation?<br />EDGARDO: On vacation, and he didn’t manage to go back.<br />LINDSAY: Ohh, ok, so-<br />EDGARDO: So I continued his position while I’m working-<br />LINDSAY: So you just replaced him.<br />EDGARDO: Yeah.<br />LINDSAY: How long was he supposed to go on vacation?<br />EDGARDO: Uhmm, the most?<br />LINDSAY: Mhm.<br />EDGARDO: It’s two months. Could be one month but-<br />LINDSAY: He didn’t come back.<br />EDGARDO: One month or two months it’s up to you, the most you can get is two months, but he didn’t manage to come back because some family problem I guess. I don’t know exactly what is the real reason.<br />LINDSAY: So when you worked on the ship, where did the ship travel to?<br />EDGARDO: Well it’s travel around the world.<br />LINDSAY: Like where?<br />EDGARDO: Around the globe.<br />LINDSAY: Like where?<br />EDGARDO: Europe, Caribbean places, countries, asian countries, some part of, um, just like in the Mediterraneans, yeah.<br />LINDSAY: And you worked as a sushi chef on the ship?<br />EDGARDO: Exactly.<br />LINDSAY: So how long did you work on the ship?<br />EDGARDO: Two years, I got a one vacation in between. I have a contract of like ten months, then I have a two months vacation, then I went back.<br />LINDSAY: To the Philippines?<br />EDGARDO: No, no. To the ship again.<br />LINDSAY: Oh [laughs]<br />EDGARDO: After that two months vacation.<br />LINDSAY: Where, where was the vacation?<br />EDGARDO: I went back to Philippines.<br />LINDSAY: Oh ok. So right after you worked on the ship, you moved to America?<br />EDGARDO: Yes I signed, I did sign off my contract in America.<br />LINDSAY: When you were on the ship<br />EDGARDO: Yeah, after my ten months, working on the boat, my sign off is right here in the United States which is in, Florida.<br />LINDSAY: So that’s, isn’t that when you’re supposed to have your vacation?<br />EDGARDO: Mm yea.<br />LINDSAY: But I thought-<br />EDGARDO: It’s time to go back to-<br />LINDSAY: -The Philippines<br />EDGARDO: The Philippines for another vacation.<br />LINDSAY: But you stayed in America?<br />EDGARDO: But instead I stayed in America.<br />LINDSAY: In Florida.<br />[10:08]<br />EDGARDO: In Florida, first, then I moved to here, in Oakland.<br />LINDSAY: Ok, okay, So your thoughts about America before you moved here was that it had a lot of opportunity, so did it, did your thoughts change after you came here?<br />EDGARDO: First, I stopped by here, just because I have this uhm, I don’t exactly remember what kind of pass I have, but I have this pass, like I can use it for, they said, I can use it for about six months. And, my intention is, if I can get a job here, I’m gonna quit the job on the boat, and I’ll stay here. Because I wanna take chance.<br />LINDSAY: So what was different to living in America as opposed to living in the Philippines?<br />EDGARDO: Oh, it’s a big different. Which is like, here is really organized.<br />LINDSAY: Mhm, like the streets?<br />EDGARDO: Yeah, like the streets. Even the, how do you, how you respect people.<br />LINDSAY: Like how?<br />EDGARDO: The safety, and the job opportunity.<br />LINDSAY: Was different?<br />EDGARDO: A lot of different.<br />LINDSAY: So what’s the difference in respecting people?<br />EDGARDO: Uhm, here, everyone say hi to you here.<br />LINDSAY: Oh really?<br />EDGARDO: When you see it, in the Philippines, you don’t say hi, if you don’t know that person. And, in here it’s kind of easy to communicate, without hesitating that you gonna be snob.<br />LINDSAY: What do you mean?<br />EDGARDO: Like in the Philippines, when you ask some question, they just not gonna answer you, politely. But in here, as long as your approach is nice, the answer, which is also nice. In the Philippines, it’s kind of like, especially in Manila, it’s kind of like, I live in Manila, once you don’t see your things on the table it’s gone, just like that. Like you don’t put your belongings that you don’t see it. The next thing you know, it’s gone.<br />LINDSAY: What about safety?<br />EDGARDO: That’s the safety! Ok—<br />LINDSAY: What else?<br />EDGARDO: I’m here, over there, kidnapping cases. Robbery, it’s a lot. It’s very, common. Cheating-<br />LINDSAY: On your spouse?<br />EDGARDO: About not spouse, I mean, cheating about the money.<br />LINDSAY: Ohhh.<br />EDGARDO: Because, everybody needs money right. And yeah, over there, they’re gonna make any chances to get your money.<br />LINDSAY: What do you mean?<br />EDGARDO: Just like, they gonna create some drama. Just to get your money out your pocket, and run away. I think, it’s happening over here too, but over there it’s a lot.<br />LINDSAY: Ok, so where did you first live- oh you lived in Florida in the United States. So when you came here you were all by yourself? Did you stay with anybody when you came here?<br />EDGARDO: Ok, I’m by myself, but I know, I know my friend, live here, and he invited me to uh, to stay on his house.<br />LINDSAY: In Florida?<br />EDGARDO: In here, California.<br />LINDSAY: Oh, what about when you came to Florida?<br />EDGARDO: Florida, when I got on the boat. I mean, when I get off on the boat-<br />LINDSAY: -Yea!<br />EDGARDO: Just uh stay there until, um , not too long. Not even a week<br />[15:02]<br />LINDSAY: Oh so you stayed in like a hotel?<br />EDGARDO: Mm, kinda, mm, mhm.<br />LINDSAY: And then, you moved straight to Oakland<br />EDGARDO: Uh-huh, yeah. Uh no, uh, my plane, went to uh LA<br />LINDSAY: Ohh, and then?<br />EDGARDO: And then from LA, I came here.<br />LINDSAY: How?<br />EDGARDO: My friend picked me up.<br />LINDSAY: From Oakland?<br />EDGARDO: Yeah.<br />LINDSAY: And he drove all the way to LA?<br />EDGARDO: Yeah, just to pick me up.<br />LINDSAY: Wow.<br />EDGARDO: Because he’s the one encourage me to live with him.<br />LINDSAY: How did you know this friend?<br />EDGARDO: Oh, he’s my, kind of like, childhood friend, in the Philippines.<br />LINDSAY: From school?<br />EDGARDO: My neighbor in the Philippines.<br />LINDSAY: Oh, your neighbor.<br />EDGARDO: Yeah. Uncle Dennis.<br />LINDSAY: Oh, I know him. So when you came to America, uhm, what jobs did you perform?<br />EDGARDO: My first job?<br />LINDSAY: Yeah.<br />EDGARDO: Is working in a Japanese restaurant.<br />LINDSAY: Where?<br />EDGARDO: In, uh, in between Oakland and Berkeley.<br />LINDSAY: What is it called?<br />EDGARDO: Isobune, Japanese sushi restaurant. I’m still doing the same job.<br />LINDSAY: From the ship.<br />EDGARDO: From Manila, from the ship, all the way here.<br />LINDSAY: So until now are you a sushi chef?<br />EDGARDO: Exactly, yes.<br />LINDSAY: How long have you been a sushi chef?<br />EDGARDO: If you’re gonna count.<br />LINDSAY: Let’s the count the kitchen. When you were 18.<br />EDGARDO: My kitchen work?<br />LINDSAY: Yeah.<br />EDGARDO: I think I start working at 18, then take that off the two years being store keeper, and then the rest is kitchen.<br />LINDSAY: And then it’s all sushi?<br />EDGARDO: And then the sushi chef, no in the beginning I’m just a kitchen helper, you can not call just a sushi chef, straight, you have to earn that before being a sushi chef. So i still probably take a year, or two years, as a kitchen helper.<br />LINDSAY: At what age?<br />EDGARDO: Maybe 20, 21.<br />LINDSAY: So did you know you wanted to do sushi?<br />EDGARDO: Who’s they?<br />LINDSAY: Did YOU?<br />EDGARDO: Oh me, that I wanted to be a sushi chef, Oh yeah, uh huh.<br />LINDSAY: Why not other types of food.<br />EDGARDO: No first, I’m uh, working as store keeper, and then, this guy working in a Japanese restaurant has a unique uniform, looks like a ninja. And then I’m fascinated about this uniform, every time we meet on the employee’s canteen, cafeteria. And then I said someday I’m gonna work there because of that uniform. Which is I did, because I have an access with the head chef of that Japanese restaurant because I supplied their groceries and um the thing that they need at the restaurant, because I’m working as a store keeper at that hotel.<br />LINDSAY: So you never went back to school when you were here?<br />EDGARDO: Nope.<br />LINDSAY: You thought you didn’t need it?<br />EDGARDO: I need it, but I don’t get a chance.<br />LINDSAY: Why not?<br />EDGARDO: Because I got married, and I got my family, and I need to support them.<br />LINDSAY: So how long were you in America before you got married?<br />EDGARDO: Not too long, it’s just. Uhm, I got married..7 months.Just 7 months, then I got married, with Alice Mendoza, my wife right now, my wife then and now.<br />LINDSAY: [laughs]<br />[20:07]<br />EDGARDO: And today.<br />LINDSAY: So did you notice anything different between first generation immigrants and the Filipino American Community?<br />EDGARDO: Um, it’s a big different. I came from Philippines, with um, I bring all my, I learn all the Filipino culture in the Philippines, so, American culture, is…different. Ok, um, talking about how you respect your old, your parents, and then your grandparents. And the Filipino American generation respect to their parents and their grandparents and great grandparents. That culture is really different. The food is different too. I eat all this kind of things, Filipino foods, which is Filipino American that’s<br />LINDSAY: Yeah Filipino-American food is different than Filipino food?<br />EDGARDO: Filipino American food, like the kids in this generation, hamburger, pizza<br />LINDSAY: That’s Filipino American food?<br />EDGARDO: Mhm,<br />LINDSAY: Isn’t that just American food?<br />EDGARDO: Just because they grown up here, it’s Americans, it’s very American. How they treat their friends, their parents, sisters and brothers. Mine, my generation, we always, like, especially, my generation that time, we don’t talk back with the parents, we always listen what they saying even we don’t like it. Every time we say something we’re in trouble, even we don’t like it. Every time we say something we’re in trouble. Um, the food is like really different too. Like, you know, the adobo thing, pancit, ginataan, and so many things, singing. And then, American, Filipino American , mm they eat but barely,<br />LINDSAY: Barely?<br />EDGARDO: Not really, I mean they don’t really like it, as I noticed. So I think so many more things really different.<br />LINDSAY: Like what?<br />EDGARDO: Um, just like me, my thinking is always like helping my brother and sister and my parents, because probably they came from a poor family, and I need to help them, to bring somehow, my family goes up, or have a decent life. So that is stuck on my brain, all the time I’m gonna help them. Even I don’t have any left money on my pocket, I’m gonna send them just to help them, and this is my generation. Always like, trying to help, my siblings, and my parents . I don’t think that generation right now is gonna do that.<br />LINDSAY: Why not?<br />EDGARDO: Because that’s I observe.<br />[25:05]<br />LINDSAY: Ok. So when you came here, did you leave, anyone behind?<br />EDGARDO: You mean my family, parents, siblings?<br />LINDSAY: So you left everyone behind.<br />EDGARDO: Yes, they all in the Philippines.<br />LINDSAY: How did that feel?<br />EDGARDO: I’m not exactly sure, but I think they’re happy.<br />LINDSAY: No, for you.<br />EDGARDO: Me.<br />LINDSAY: Yeah.<br />EDGARDO: Im happy too.<br />LINDSAY: Oh yeah?<br />EDGARDO: Yes.<br />LINDSAY: You weren’t sad?<br />EDGARDO: No. Not a big-<br />LINDSAY: Not a a big deal?<br />EDGARDO: It’s not a big deal. I mean it’s a big deal like, I feel I made it, I got in America. Everybody dreams of it, come to America. And I’m, I’m one of those. So, I feel like, I’m grateful. Even I, even my family is in the Philippines. Because somehow, we have communication, and then I can help them later, once I establish myself.<br />LINDSAY: So what was the process like moving here? What is easy, was it hard?<br />EDGARDO: I got lucky, it’s kinda easy for me.<br />LINDSAY: Easy?<br />EDGARDO: its easy,<br />LINDSAY: Why?<br />EDGARDO: First, I thank God. I thanks God because I think He guided me, and he helped me, how to got in here, how to get in here. First work in the hotel , work in a luxury ship, which is travel all over in America all the time, many times.So, I got here without any expenses from my pocket, which is very hard in my situation, because my family got no money. Just because of that job, that’s why I can tell, just because of that job, I got here, and work here.<br />LINDSAY: So because of that job?<br />EDGARDO: I thinks that’s the way, why I got here, and work here.<br />LINDSAY: And it made it easy to move here too? How about moving here?<br />EDGARDO: Moving here, you mean staying here, get the papers?<br />LINDSAY: Yes, staying here.<br />EDGARDO: Well, I’m single. I don’t have any, like, girlfriends, wife there. So when I met a girl which is my wife right now, then she’s the one help me to stay here.<br />LINDSAY: How?<br />EDGARDO: Well, we got married, and she helped me to process that paper. She , we filed the petition, or she filed the petition to get that papers, being an immigrant, so I can stay here, until and then after that 5 years after, then I become a citizen, with the help of my wife.<br />LINDSAY: So , when you came here, how did the people treat you?<br />EDGARDO: Good.<br />LINDSAY: Good, what does that mean?<br />EDGARDO: Cause they are my friend.<br />LINDSAY: Here?<br />EDGARDO: In america?<br />LINDSAY: Mhm.<br />EDGARDO: Yes.<br />LINDSAY: What about people you didn’t know?<br />EDGARDO: Um I have a lot of experience, I’m exposed with the people because I’m working in the hotel, in a big hotel, a lot people, different people, I’m not only working Filipino workers in the Philippines, I also work foreigners. Working in a ship is almost all foreigners.It’s nothing different in America.<br />LINDSAY: So it’s like you’re working on America.<br />EDGARDO: Exactly.<br />LINDSAY: Like a moving America.<br />EDGARDO: It’s about the same, or maybe it’s because I’m working with American people, European people, Asian people it’s really mixed. So I know how to deal with those people. So it’s kinda like easy for me to communicate.<br />[30:11]<br />LINDSAY: So did you know english in the Philippines?<br />EDGARDO: I know how to communicate, I know how to talk English, but now fluent. But I think it’s good enough to understand them and understand me.<br />LINDSAY: So by the time you came to America, were you fluent in English? Where did you learn in English, in school?<br />EDGARDO: I learned a little bit in school. I learned from experience working those peoples.<br />LINDSAY: So do you regret your choice immigrating here?<br />EDGARDO: I can tell, maybe 60% yes.<br />LINDSAY: You regret it?<br />EDGARDO: Ah you mean, regret?<br />LINDSAY: Yeah!<br />EDGARDO: Of course not!<br />LINDSAY: But you said 60%! [laughs]<br />EDGARDO: No, what I understand is you said, No, I told you before like I’m grateful living in here, why’d you ask me that question again?<br />LINDSAY: So why’d you say 60%? What did you think I asked?<br />EDGARDO: Um, like regretting.<br />LINDSAY: Regretting what.<br />EDGARDO: To live here, no ah, choice to live here.<br />LINDSAY: That’s 60% regret?<br />EDGARDO: No.<br />LINDSAY: So why’d you say 60%?<br />EDGARDO: Because its kinda about a choices and then staying here, that’s I think, when I recall, staying here, to stay and to go back to Philippines something like that, like 60% I want to stay here 40% I wanna go back there.<br />LINDSAY: Ohh. Yeah.<br />EDGARDO: But, that 60% is greater than 40.<br />LINDSAY: So 60% you wanted to stay in America, but you don’t regret staying here.<br />EDGARDO: I’m not.<br />LINDSAY: So what do you like most about America.<br />EDGARDO: Dollar.<br />LINDSAY: Dollar?<br />EDGARDO: Food.<br />LINDSAY: Better than Filipino food?<br />EDGARDO: 50/50 because American food in Philippines is very expensive. Steak, lobsters, shrimps, crabs.<br />LINDSAY: But it’s cheap here.<br />EDGARDO: And you can eat everything here.<br />LINDSAY: You like the food here the most?<br />EDGARDO: I still like filipino food.<br />LINDSAY: But you like the most about America is the food?<br />EDGARDO: No.<br />LINDSAY: Oh, what is it?<br />EDGARDO: The lifestyle.<br />LINDSAY: Oh, ok. Like what?<br />EDGARDO: Here you can travel from state to state, you can drive all day with no traffic, clean air, no mosquito, no flies. Um, I survive here easier, I think, than in the Philippines, because, I can find job here easier than in the Philippines, because so many jobs awaits here, especially my job, that time, not much sushi chef, so its just like one a day looking for it than you have it.<br />LINDSAY: Wow.<br />EDGARDO: So kinda easy for me.<br />LINDSAY: But now there’s a lot of sushi chefs?<br />EDGARDO: Right now, still a lot of sushi chefs, but still a lot of restaurants looking for sushi chefs that kind of job. Particular that job.<br />LINDSAY: Ok.Thanks for letting me interview you. And this is the end of the interview.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History Interview with Edgardo Mendoza
Subject
The topic of the resource
Mindoro, Batangas, Marindoque, Silayas International Hotel, Micronesia Island, Saipan, Florida, Oakland, Berkeley, Culture shock
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Edgardo Mendoza, interviewed by Lindsay Mendoza
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
6/8/2019
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0030
Batangas
Berkeley
Culture shock
Florida
Marindoque
Micronesia Island
Mindoro
Oakland
Saipan
Silayas International Hotel
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Kimiko Masaki
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Novey Masaki
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Session 1, May 27, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />K. MASAKI: It’s May 27, 2019 at 3:21 [pm]. It’s Kimiko Masaki interviewing:<br />N. MASAKI: Novey Masaki.<br />K. MASAKI: And I have a few questions about your immigration history so here it is. First question is where and when were you born?<br />N. MASAKI: October 25, 1973. Manilla, Philippines<br />K. MASAKI: And where were your parents born?<br />N. MASAKI: Oh. My parents were born in the Philippines. My mom was born in San Juan, La Union, I think. My dad was born in Pangasinan, Philippines.<br />K. MASAKI: What jobs did your parents do?<br />N. MASAKI: My dad was an oversea worker, and my mom was a stay at home.<br />K. MASAKI: Did your dad say where he worked specifically?<br />N. MASAKI: Not specific. But I think he first started working at Trinidad and Tobago.<br />K. MASAKI: Oh, where’s that?<br />N. MASAKI: I don’t know Trinidad and Tobago. That’s why Phet Phet is named Phetrina. Philippines and Trinidad. [PAUSE] What did I say?<br />K. MASAKI: Trinidad and Tobago.<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah where’s Trinidad?<br />K. MASAKI: I think that’s Central. Do you know what kind of work he did?<br />N. MASAKI: Uh, something about the telephone line. Here Trinidad and Tobago. [SHOWS PHONE]<br />K. MASAKI: Oh it’s one country?<br />N. MASAKI: Caribbean? Ooh it’s a Caribbean Nation. Are you done looking at it?<br />K. MASAKI: Yeah.<br />N. MASAKI: That was nice.<br />K. MASAKI: So he was never in the U.S?<br />N. MASAKI: Well before, yeah. And then he crossed to the U.S.<br />K. MASAKI: Around, like, what time?<br />N. MASAKI: 1980’s.<br />K. MASAKI: Did any of your family members move to America before you?<br />N. MASAKI: No only my dad.<br />K. MASAKI: In the 1980’s?<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah only my dad was here in the 1980’s and then he petitioned me and my two brothers.<br />K. MASAKI: When was that?<br />N. MASAKI: 1992.<br />K. MASAKI: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />N. MASAKI: My academic experience?<br />K. MASAKI: Yeah.<br />N. MASAKI: Well I had to learn the same as in here [U.S] we have English, Math, and Science with the exception of going to church every Friday because I went to a Catholic school.<br />K. MASAKI: Were you taught in English?<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah, at kindergarden.<br />K. MASAKI: That’s weird because you’re in the Philippines.<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah.<br />K. MASAKI: And then you said you went up to nursing school before you moved?<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah.<br />K. MASAKI: How close were you to finishing?<br />N. MASAKI: I was in third- second year in college so I had three semesters.<br />K. MASAKI: Did you know you were going to move to the U.S when you were younger?<br />N. MASAKI: No, not so soon. We know my dad was working on it but we didn’t- I did not know I had to leave until I was told I had to leave when I was- before I was 18.<br />K. MASAKI: So that’s why you went to nursing school?<br />N. MASAKI: I went to nursing school and then stopped because if I pass 18-year-old then my petition VISA would be obsolete. You have to be dependent, I guess, because it’s my dad petitioning.<br />[5:08]<br />K. MASAKI: Why did your dad petition you to move out of the Philippines?<br />N. MASAKI: Well, the mind of being in America is to have a better life and better opportunities. Which I think so.<br />K. MASAKI: So, your thoughts about American before moving here was- You thought it was like-<br />N. MASAKI: Disneyland!<br />K. MASAKI: Like Disneyland.<br />N. MASAKI: And chocolate.<br />K. MASAKI: You didn’t have chocolate over there?<br />N. MASAKI: Not as extravagant of chocolate here. The closest chocolate you would get is coconut sugar.<br />K. MASAKI: Ah, and Sticko.<br />N. MASAKI: And sticko.<br />K. MASAKI: We learned in class that in the Philippines its common for like, instead of the kids saying what they want to be when they grow up they say where do you want to be. Because moving out of the Philippines is a common thing. So was that a thing for you when you were a little kid?<br />N. MASAKI: No, it was still a question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is what I hear a lot. I guess it has changed because we are so global now and everybody can easily work outside the Philippines. So I guess it has changed from the time I was a kid to now.<br />K. MASAKI: Oh I forgot to ask- Oh wait never mind you already answered that; about your thoughts about America then and now. Is that- Do you still think it’s a land of opportunity?<br />N. MASAKI: Oh yes! for sure.<br />K. MASAKI: Where did you first live in the United States?<br />N. MASAKI: In Santa Clara, California. [In] 1992. In October, right before my birthday.<br />K. MASAKI: So you were close?<br />N. MASAKI: I had my 18th birthday here in the U.S<br />K. MASAKI: That’s nice.<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah and it was sad at the same time. It was exciting and sad. Bittersweet, because I had to leave my family behind, my friends. The culture. It was a shock because when I look out the window, in the Philippines you’ll see faces and dogs and crowded streets and alley. In here, I’m always looking for people. Where are they? I always wonder, “Where does everyone go?”<br />K. MASAKI: Did you ever find out where they go?<br />N. MASAKI: Not until I started working. Everybody is at work or at school. The good thing about here is that everybody has something to do.<br />K. MASAKI: You said your first job when you came to America was McDonald’s.<br />N. MASAKI: Yup, I worked at McDonald’s.<br />K. MASAKI: How did you get that job?<br />N. MASAKI: A neighbor of us was moving away from California. So she gave me- asked me if I wanted her job at McDonalds. And so she backed me up to her boss and gave me the job.<br />K. MASAKI: What were you doing before then?<br />N. MASAKI: Before?<br />K. MASAKI: Before you got the job at McDonalds?<br />N. MASAKI: Nothing. I got the job right away. After just a few weeks.<br />K. MASAKI: How long were you there?<br />N. MASAKI: I don’t know. I can’t remember. I would say at least a good year.<br />K. MASAKI: Before you went to dad’s job?<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah. [Talking to other family members eating in the room]<br />[10:05]<br />K. MASAKI: Did your professional or academic experience help you get your jobs?<br />N. MASAKI: I think so. I think mainly being able to speak English. That’s a big plus. Professionally, I don’t know. Its just more of, I’m not afraid to work in the kitchen because I’ve always worked in the kitchen ever since I was a kid.<br />K. MASAKI: How about your job at UL? What kind of work did you do?<br />N. MASAKI: I was an engineering aid. So I assist the engineer with their needs for electrical chord measurements.<br />K. MASAKI: What does that mean?<br />N. MASAKI: It means I have to measure the requirements that the engineers ask me to see whether the material pass or not pass based on the specification.<br />K. MASAKI: Did you go back to school here in America?<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah I tried.<br />K. MASAKI: How far did you get?<br />N. MASAKI: Not much.<br />K. MASAKI: What kind of schooling did you do?<br />N. MASAKI: Dianza Junior college. Dianza Junior College.<br />K. MASAKI: How long were you there?<br />N. MASAKI: Well, before I had kids I tried to go for two semesters.<br />K. MASAKI: How about after you had us?<br />N. MASAKI: When I had you guys?<br />K. MASAKI: Yeah, cause I remember going to your school one time.<br />N. MASAKI: I tried to go for two semesters? Or three semesters? Yeah Las Positas. I tried to go for maybe three semester.<br />K. MASAKI: Were you trying to be a nurse? Or complete your nursing?<br />N. MASAKI: I was trying. But I could never finish. It was hard, I feel like the little train that could, but could not get there. Because I had other priorities. My kids. My family.<br />K. MASAKI: Did you notice anything different between the 1st generation immigrants and the Filipino America community? So like you and then your kids.<br />N. MASAKI: Oh yeah! Big difference.<br />K. MASAKI: Like what?<br />N. MASAKI: Well for one, if you’re born here already your adjustment is easier because this is where you already feel you belong right? This is where you build your identity. As compared to being born like me. I was born somewhere else. Having friends there until I was 18 and then moving here was very difficult because by that age, I think its harder. For me it was harder for me to start all over again. Although you can do it, it just took a long time of adjustment. Until now, I’m still adjusting with my diction. My pronunciation. One day I can work on that.<br />K. MASAKI: Do you think there is a difference in culture and upbringing.<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah. There is a big difference. There’s good and bad on each side of the country. I like how the parents bring up closeness in the Philippines. I like how the family look out for each other. But I don’t like how strict the parenting is in the Philippines. But in here- [Interrupted by Lexi] It’s also good in here. There’s good and bad. The bad thing is parents here are just too too loose. Too, too- how would I say it? I don’t think they know how to discipline very well. I still have my ways about how I was brought up but not as bad as how my dad and my parents were. To teach us they always whack our butts with sticks if we make mistakes.<br />[15:15]<br />K. MASAKI: Mistakes like what?<br />N. MASAKI: I don’t know. A lot of things. Even if it’s a little mistake like maybe your grades aren’t good enough. Or you didn’t cook when you’re supposed to cook. To do your chores when you’re suppose to do your chore and you don’t do your chores. You get to meet stick.<br />K. MASAKI: That’s strict.<br />N. MASAKI: It’s very hard and strict. And if you’re not suppose to go outside because you have to do your chores and they find you outside. You disobeyed you’re in big trouble. You get to meet stick again. Stick and belt.<br />K. MASAKI: Do you know what your brothers did when they came here?<br />N. MASAKI: What do you mean, ‘what they did?’<br />K. MASAKI: Like the jobs they had?<br />N. MASAKI: They went to school first. They tried to finish high school.<br />K. MASAKI: Oh yeah because they were 16.<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah so they were trying to finish High School.<br />K. MASAKI: Did you ever felt any kind of oppression for being Filipino in America?<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah, I think. I felt a little bit. How do you explain oppression? Like discriminated?<br />K. MASAKI: Yeah. Or people thinking a certain way because of where you came from.<br />N. MASAKI: Yeah, I had experiences. I couldn’t remember but I did have experiences. I think everyone gets that experience whether you’re from the Philippines or from other countries or not. But I did get. I don’t know if it’s because I’m from the Philippines or maybe because of my<br />accent or maybe the way I think sometimes. [PAUSE] I remember Ate Jocelyn was telling me a story when she was working at SM. So there was a foreigner who came up to her and goes, “Do you have bleck?” and she kept asking, “What’s ‘bleck’?” “Bleck”. And so she had to call another person and ask, “He wants ‘bleck’.” And then the co-worker goes, “What’s ‘bleck’?” So then the foreigner got even more upset so they called the manager, that’s a third person. It ended up that ‘bleck’ was black shoes. So its better to ask, to avoid frustration, just to ask how to spell it or to elaborate because the accent, sometimes, is hard to understand. Like you have a good, better accent. My accent is different, but it just means the same way. But people do get frustration.<br />K. MASAKI: Like the ‘bic mac’. [Referring to a story when she was working at McDonalds with poor English and struggling to communicate to a customer who also had imperfect English]<br />[19:43]<br />N. MASAKI: And spaghetti at McDonalds. I was really expecting spaghetti at McDonalds because we have it in the Philippines. Oh! McDonalds McDonalds! After a long day of driving with my Dad. I was so mad. I said, “No! you have to have spaghetti we have it in the Philippines!” Well you’re not in the Philippines. [Talks to other family members in the room] Ok, what else Kimiko?<br />K. MASAKI: I can’t find any other questions that are relevant. Most of what we learn is about migrant workers and different visas for like agriculture work and care giving work.<br />N. MASAKI: Oh yeah. A lot of Filipinos want to be in the medical field. Nurses. Because you know why? It’s the easier ticket to get out of the Philippines.<br />K. MASAKI: Oh yeah we learned that too. Because then they can become professionals in the U.S.<br />N. MASAKI: Even doctors are giving up their license just to get out of the Philippines because the pay is three times as much. So you’ll meet quite a few doctors in the Philippines who are nurses here [U.S]<br />K. MASAKI: Because it’s better?<br />N. MASAKI: Well for one it’s a better life for their children. Right? It may not be for them anymore because they give up their- they went to school to become a doctor for many, many years. And then in here, they become nurses. But, it’s a sacrifice they make to give their kids a better future.
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History Interview with Novey Masaki
Subject
The topic of the resource
Philippines -- Manila., San Juan, La Union., Pangasinan, Phiilippines., Migrant Labor -- Philippines., Immigrant Families -- United States., U.S. Citizenship., Philippines -- Social Conditions., Santa Clara, California., Immigrants -- Cultural Assimilation., Continuing Education -- United States., Family & Relationships -- Parenting -- Child Rearing., Immigrants -- Social Conditions.,
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Novey Masaki, interviewed by Kimiko Masaki
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
27-May-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0029
California.
Continuing Education -- United States.
Family & Relationships -- Parenting -- Child Rearing.
Immigrant Families -- United States.
Immigrants -- Cultural Assimilation.
Immigrants -- Social Conditions.
La Union.
Migrant Labor -- Philippines.
Pangasinan
Phiilippines.
Philippines -- Manila.
Philippines -- Social Conditions.
San Juan
Santa Clara
U.S. Citizenship.
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Fatima Marin
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Nancy Gabriel
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
Marin: Hello. My name is Fatima Marin. It is June 3rd, 2019 and it is 8:52 AM and I am doing the<br />oral history project for ASA 150 and I am interviewing Nancy Gabriel.<br />Marin: Where and when were you born?<br />Gabriel: I was born in a province in the Philippines. The name of the province is [Batac] Ilocos<br />Norte.<br />Marin: And were you an only child?<br />Gabriel: No. I have one brother and two sisters. So, including me there’s four of us.<br />Marin: And you’re the oldest?<br />Gabriel: No. I’m the second oldest.<br />Marin: So, did your parents work? What did they work as?<br />Gabriel: Oh yeah. Luckily, my dad was the only one working because back home we have a<br />tradition that the mom always stays home and on top of that we have maids too because we do<br />everything. We don’t have luxuries like we have here in the U.S. like washing machines,<br />dishwashers… so we have maids that help the moms to raise the kids.<br />Marin: What did your dad works as?<br />Gabriel: He got a Bachelor of Science in agriculture, so he was teaching in the city.<br />Marin: So how was your childhood like growing up in the Philippines?<br />Gabriel: I had a good childhood. My mom was very calm. She really raised us well, to be nice,<br />forgiving, to help other people you know? Things like that.<br />Marin: And did you go to school in your same province?<br />Gabriel: Oh yeah, I went to school there.<br />Marin: What did you think of the United States when you were little?<br />Gabriel: You know, I see Disneyland I thought this is like heaven but when I migrated here<br />whatever I was thinking then is totally different.<br />Marin: So, on that when did you decide to move here?<br />Gabriel: Well my dad applied to come here as an immigrant. During that time if you have a<br />bachelor’s degree you can apply to come here as a… I don’t know but he migrated here, he<br />applied for a job here and they hired him. So, when he was able to get everything settled here<br />then he moved us here. So, we joined him.<br />Marin: How old were you when you moved here?<br />Gabriel: I was sixteen when I moved here<br />Marin: So, did you finish high school over there?<br />Gabriel: I finished high school there. But we don’t have grade seven and grade eight [there] so<br />when I migrated to the U.S. they tried to hold me back, they wanted me to go back to eleventh<br />grade but I didn’t want to, I refused to go back to junior [year]. So, they told me to take a test.<br />So, I took the test and I passed, and they just put me to twelfth grade right away. I skipped<br />eleventh grade.<br />Marin: What state was the first state you moved to here in the U.S.?<br />Gabriel: Here. California. Ever since then, I never moved. Because my dad bought a house here<br />and he said it’s hard to move from one place to another and it’s expensive, so we just moved to<br />one area and we stayed there until now.<br />Marin: How did you feel when he told you “We’re moving to America.”?<br />Gabriel: Well, at first, I didn’t want to come here because I already have my friends there and I<br />wanted to study there but [it was] his choice. He said it’s very hard to be away from each other<br />so we need to be together, so I was forced to move here.<br />Marin: So, you were a bit sad maybe?<br />Gabriel: Uh yeah. It was a big transition for me I had to adjust. What can I say, you know? I’m<br />already here.<br />Marin: Growing up what was the language you spoke?<br />Gabriel: Well, I studied in a catholic school so English was not really difficult for me because we<br />were talking in English already back home. So, just to get the accent from here, adjust the<br />accent but English wasn’t really hard for me to learn because I was already talking in English at<br />school.<br />Marin: Okay. Do you also speak Tagalog or any other language?<br />Gabriel: Yeah! I speak two dialects actually my mom is from a different province and my dad is<br />from a different province, so my mom has her own dialect and my dad has his own dialect and<br />then we have the national language which is Tagalog.<br />Marin: So, you speak all three of those?<br />[4:50]<br />Gabriel: Yeah!<br />Marin: What are the names of the other two?<br />Gabriel: One is Visaya and then [the other one is] Ilocano.<br />Marin: Wow, so you speak a lot of languages.<br />Gabriel: No, no. They’re dialects. I only speak one [language] just Tagalog. So, Ilocano is a<br />different dialect and Visaya is a different dialect, but the national language is Tagalog. So, if you<br />talk Tagalog back home everybody can understand you.<br />Marin: Oh, so that’s how you communicate with everybody around you.<br />Gabriel: Just like Sacramento you speak same dialect and then Fresno different dialect,<br />something like that.<br />Marin: Kind of like accents, in a way?<br />Gabriel: No, it’s totally different. You know, when you don’t speak the national language, like if<br />you’re from Fresno and I’m from Sacramento we won’t be able to talk. That’s how it is we have<br />to speak the national language so we can communicate with each other. Otherwise, even<br />though were both Filipinos we cannot understand each other. That’s how it is.<br />Marin: Oh, okay. Did you ever visit Manila?<br />Gabriel: Oh, yeah.<br />Marin: How far away was it?<br />Gabriel: It’s like equivalent from Elk Grove to Los Angeles.<br />Marin: Oh, so it’s a bit far away?<br />Gabriel: Eh, it’s like a six to seven hour drive.<br />Marin: So, you came here, graduated from high school. Then after that did you go right away to<br />college?<br />Gabriel: Oh yeah, I went to college. I took my pre-nursing and then I got my associate’s in two<br />years and then after that I went on and I didn’t know what I wanted to do but then I was always<br />sick as a child, so I decided to go to nursing.<br />Marin: So, where did you get your nursing degree from?<br />Gabriel: San Joaquin Delta College.<br />Marin: Where is that?<br />Gabriel: It’s in Stockton.<br />Marin: Did you notice any differences when you first moved here? Between the Philippines and<br />the United States?<br />Gabriel: Oh yeah. I’m more independent now. I have my own thing. So, it’s just like… you know<br />back home we support each other. Even though you’re old you can still depend on your mom<br />but over here I noticed once you turn eighteen or nineteen most likely you are independent<br />already. So that’s what I noticed. Totally different from back there.<br />Marin: It’s very “independent” here.<br />Gabriel: Very independent.<br />Marin: [It seems] back there, it’s more family-oriented.<br />Gabriel: Yeah. Even though you are married, you still get support from your parents. They can<br />support you financially but not here.<br />Marin: Have you ever visited back?<br />Gabriel: Mm-hmm. Yeah.<br />Marin: And how is it when you go back?<br />Gabriel: It’s different! I see the difference. It was a situation for me because back then when I<br />went there, I basically do everything on my own and we had maids there. The maids would say<br />“What’s wrong with you? You’re cooking your own food?” [I would say] “Yeah! I want to cook<br />my food and do all my stuff on my own.”<br />Marin: It’s very different. Back then you had maids and helpers.<br />Gabriel: Yeah. They used to cook for me. [When I visited] I usually get up before them and I’d<br />be cooking already and they’d ask, “Who cooked breakfast?” I said, “I did!” and they say “Oh<br />my god! You’re so early! I was supposed to do that.” And I said “No, it’s okay.” They said, “Oh<br />my god! You are so different than when you left.”<br />Marin: How do you feel when you go and then you have to come back here?<br />Gabriel: Well, I feel very fortunate because I see most of the people there even though they<br />have a good job they cannot buy whatever they want. Not like here, you know. We just have a<br />regular job but most likely we can probably do everything, you know. So, I feel blessed because<br />at least you can go to school. Not like back home where you really have to strive and do<br />everything you know. You have to struggle real hard to get everything you want.<br />Marin: Yeah, It’s very different here.<br />Gabriel: Here we have scholarships. Back there, even though you do it’s still hard to do.<br />Marin: It’s hard to move forward?<br />Gabriel: Yeah.<br />Marin: Why do you think that is?<br />Gabriel: I just think it’s the way. It’s a third world country you know. It’s just the way it’s set up<br />financially, I think. A job is very hard to get. Even though you have a bachelor’s degree. That’s<br />why my dad migrated here because of that. He was in a higher position, but he wasn’t making<br />enough to support four of us. So, he was forced to migrate to the U.S.<br />Marin: So, in the end you feel grateful that you’re here?<br />Gabriel: Yeah, grateful.<br />Marin: What’s one difference you can say about the people in your country in comparison to<br />the people here?<br />[9:52]<br />Gabriel: They are more family-oriented back home. Even though we are having hardships back<br />there we’re just together as a family. Breakfast you eat as a family, lunch you eat as a family. All<br />the problems [you face] as a family. Here, you have your own thing. You wake up and eat by<br />yourself, everybody’s like gone because they have to work. Over there, no. Before we leave the<br />house, we have to eat as a family and then we talk about issues and help each other solve<br />problems. We have family time. Always family, family, family. Here, you only see your family on<br />special occasions like thanksgiving or Christmas you know.<br />Marin: So, do you have kids?<br />Gabriel: Yeah! I have three kids.<br />Marin: And they’re from here?<br />Gabriel: Yeah, they were all born here. I have a twenty-seven-year-old. He’s in med school and<br />he’s graduating next year. Then I have a twenty-two-year-old and she goes to Sac State to study<br />biology. Then, I have a young one. He’s fourteen. He’s graduating on Wednesday. He’s going to<br />high school.<br />I took them back home so they can see the life that we have so they can appreciate more. So, I<br />took them there when they were teenagers and they really appreciated the life that we had,<br />and it was a challenge for them to strive harder here. I’m a nurse, I don’t make good money,<br />but I make a decent amount. I didn’t give them what they asked for when they were little. I let<br />them work on their own like I did. So, now they’re very hardworking kids. My eldest one, I<br />spoiled him with my love but not material things. I let him work for whatever he wants to get.<br />Because I told him that a love that a parent gives is not all material things, it’s love, guidance<br />everything like that and he appreciated it. That’s why he’s going to be a doctor next year. I<br />really taught them well you know.<br />I told them I’m taking you back home, you need to see the life that we had. I want you to see<br />and experience it all at least a month. How life is in a third world country you know. [The<br />people] are very happy, they don’t have all the material things but they’re very happy people<br />because they’re surrounded with family, the aunties, the uncles, the grandparents. Everybody’s<br />there to support each other. So, they appreciated it.<br />I took them to the city. There’s a lot of homeless people there. Kids as early as seven years old<br />making their own living like selling flowers along the road. They’re selling a lot of stuff on the<br />sidewalks<br />Marin: You see a lot of things that you probably wouldn’t see here.<br />Gabriel: Yeah. So, I told them look at the kids. They’re striving and you guys when you have leftovers<br />here you just throw them away. Them, no they don’t. They have to put away their leftover<br />and eat it the next day. For you guys, you just want three bites of your cheeseburger and<br />then don’t want it anymore. That’s not how it works in the Philippines. So, they appreciated it.<br />When we came back here, I saw a big change. They were saving their left-overs. I mean, they<br />are nice. I taught them to be nice, but they were nicer.<br />Not to look down on the people back there but I wanted them to experience it and see how<br />they’re going through life over there.<br />Marin: It’s very different. And you experienced that because you grew up back there, but they<br />didn’t.<br />Gabriel: Yeah. They didn’t.<br />Marin: It’s good that you let them see that.<br />Gabriel: Oh yeah.<br />Marin: To finish off, what is something you would say to people like who are moving here at a<br />young age? What is a word of advice you would give them based on your experience?<br />Gabriel: I would say, listen to your parent’s advice and learn as you go. Take advantage of<br />whatever your parents have, if they help you. Take advantage of that. Because they are here to<br />support you and advice from them, take it. Because, they are more experienced than you. Every<br />lesson learned you have to appreciate it and thank God for everything, always and everyday<br />thank God for everything, bad or good. Always call for help. Don’t start your day without<br />praying. I was brought up as catholic so bad or good always thank God. Don’t start the day<br />without calling him because that’s your guidance all the time. He gives you wisdom and then as<br />you go you will see the difference.<br />Marin: Alright, well thank you so much for the interview!<br />Gabriel: Yeah. Thank you!<br />[end 16:18]
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Title
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Oral History Interview with Nancy Gabriel
Subject
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Batac, Ilocs Norte, Immigrant Families -- United States -- Social Conditions., Philippines -- Social Conditions., San Joaquin Delta College, Stockton, California, Family & Relationships -- Parenting -- Child Rearing., Tagalog Language., Ilocano, Visaya, Dialect., U.S. Citizenship., Immigrants -- Cultural Assimilation., Continuing Education -- United States.,
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Nancy Gabriel, interviewed by Fatima Marin
Date
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3-Jun-19
Rights
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0028
Batac
California
Continuing Education -- United States.
Dialect.
Family & Relationships -- Parenting -- Child Rearing.
Ilocano
Ilocs Norte
Immigrant Families -- United States -- Social Conditions.
Immigrants -- Cultural Assimilation.
Philippines -- Social Conditions.
San Joaquin Delta College
Stockton
Tagalog Language.
U.S. Citizenship.
Visaya
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
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Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Isabel Mangoba
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
James Garcia
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[June 2, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />[0:00]<br />MANGOBA: Could you give me your name and just a brief introduction about who you are?<br />GARCIA: My name is James. I am a 1.5 immigrant. I immigrated here when I was 9 years old in<br />2006.<br />MANGOBA: Who are you right now?<br />GARCIA: [laughter] I’m a 4th year college student at UC Davis. [pause] I don’t know how to<br />introduce myself.<br />MANGOBA: That’s fine.<br />GARCIA: Just cut this out. [laughter]<br />MANGOBA: So you’ve answered where and when you were born.<br />GARCIA: Okay.<br />MANGOBA: Where and when were your parents born?<br />GARCIA: So my mom was born in Batangas in the Philippines in 1971, and then my dad was<br />born in Cavite in the Philippines in 1971.<br />MANGOBA: How old were you when you immigrated to the U.S.?<br />GARCIA: So I immigrated to the U.S. when I was 9 years old.<br />MANGOBA: Where did you first live in the United States?<br />GARCIA: So the first place I lived in when I moved here was in Los Angeles in 2006 in<br />Koreatown.<br />MANGOBA: Is that where you live now?<br />GARCIA: No. So my family lives in West Covina now. So they moved from L.A. back in 2009<br />to West Covina.<br />MANGOBA: When you immigrated, who did you come with and who did you leave behind?<br />GARCIA: My mom actually came here first in November 2005, and then, during that time, there<br />were four of us- three of my siblings and I- being taken care of by my grandmother in the<br />Philippines- my mom’s mom. In May 2006 was when we first moved here to the U.S.<br />MANGOBA: Why did your family decide to move out of the Philippines?<br />GARCIA: So, as you know, the life in the Philippines is kind of tough compared to the life in the<br />U.S. The Philippines is filled with situations where there might be possibilities that my siblings<br />and I are going to get sucked into a life of drugs, a life of alcohol, gambling, and stuff like thataddictions.<br />My mom really wanted to take us out from that life, so she decided to bring us to the<br />United States and bring us here so that we can have a better life, better education, and a better<br />future.<br />MANGOBA: What were your family’s hopes, or your own hopes, for your new life in America?<br />GARCIA: Like I said, my mom’s one hope, or one wish, is that we all grow up to be really<br />successful in life- to live a life without drugs and have a really bright future- to live up to our<br />potential basically.<br />My hope from moving to the U.S. is really to just one, reach my dreams, which is to become a<br />doctor, support my family in the future ‘cause my mom worked really hard. My one goal is to in<br />the future just buy her a house. It’s not just my goal, it’s my siblings and I’s- it’s all of our goals.<br />Right now, we’re all just working really, really hard to get a really good career and give back to<br />our families once we grow up in the future.<br />MANGOBA: Did immigration affect what you planned to pursue [as a career]?<br />[4:32]<br />GARCIA: Yeah. In the Philippines, I studied really, really hard. I was in a good school. I was top<br />one out of my whole class in kindergarten, in grade 1, grade 2, grade 3. I worked really, really<br />hard to just excel in school. But immigrating here, I think that it kind of advanced that skill and<br />the experiences. Because of the opportunities that I was given here, I was able to integrate that to<br />who I was in the Philippines and do better here. So I would say that immigrating here really did<br />just give me the skills and give me the experiences I need to really excel and become a better<br />person than I was as a child in the Philippines.<br />MANGOBA: What was the most difficult part about leaving?<br />GARCIA: So the most difficult part about moving from the Philippines to the United States is for<br />sure adjusting to the life here- to the American society- and there was a lot of challenges that just<br />came with that. ‘Cause, you know, there’s that language barrier, the culture barrier. It was really<br />hard. When I was a kid, it was hard for me to adjust just because 1, I couldn’t really speak<br />English that well. There was a time in elementary school where I didn’t talk to anyone for 6<br />months and I just sat by myself during recess and lunch because I didn’t know how to talk to<br />people. That’s the thing- I couldn’t make connections and really engage in communicating with<br />my peers when I was in elementary school. And also the cultural barriers- the life. Families here<br />in the United States are very different from how I lived in the Philippines, or how my family<br />lived in the Philippines, so there was that disconnect between my friends and I. What they<br />experience in their life is so much different than the way I experienced my life. Their values are<br />different, their heritage. I have a very different heritage than they did- a different upbringing than<br />they did. Just like understanding where they come from, and really just assimilating to how they<br />lived their life- I think that was my main goal as a child here growing up. Just to like understand<br />how to really live in the United States. That was the hardest part. I really had to learn a lot and<br />really sit in the background and try to learn how to live here with people- with friends.<br />MANGOBA: Since you were so young, how did you approach having to transition [into<br />American culture]?<br />GARCIA: I had a really good school. I think that, when I was in elementary school, my parents<br />tried really, really hard to let the principal know and my teachers know where I came from, who<br />I was, and that I immigrated here. So my principal and my teachers there were very<br />accomodating of me. It was actually my principal who introduced me to the first person I ever<br />talked to in elementary school here in the U.S- the first friend I ever made. I still remember his<br />name. I don’t talk to him anymore, but he’s made a big impact on me, on my life. I think they<br />were really willing to help me adjust to life here. I tried really, really hard in fifth grade and<br />fourth grade. I still excelled in my studies which was good, but it was because of the them-the<br />staff that worked there- that made it easier to interact with my peers.<br />MANGOBA: Do you think that anyone saw you differently?<br />GARCIA: I think so. I think that fifth grade is that time, you know- I was like 10 I think- where I<br />started to become more integrated into the culture here. In the beginning I’m sure they did. I’m<br />sure they saw me as that kid that just sat alone by himself, didn’t talk to anyone, didn’t have any<br />friends. But once I started to integrate myself more into extracurricular activities that they<br />offered- I was in the basketball team- I did all these extracurriculars. You know, softball,<br />volleyball- I just really tried my best to participate in as many activities as I [could] as my way of<br />trying to fit in. I really liked playing sports, so I was like, “You know what, I might as well try<br />it,” and make new friends, learn from them, and maybe it would make it easier to adjust here.<br />MANGOBA: What was different about living in America as opposed to living in the<br />Philippines?<br />[9:43]<br />GARCIA: [sigh] There’s so much more freedom here. I don’t know. I think that’s also the<br />cultural [difference] here compared to the Philippines. In the Philippines, [pause] there was a<br />problem with poverty and stuff like that so, in the Philippines, it was more restricted, you know?<br />I didn’t have as much freedom as I did here because I didn’t have the capacity to. My mom<br />didn’t have the mean to give us that kind of life. But here, when I moved here, I just found it<br />really easy to [...] In terms of, let’s say, financial capacity, right? They were just giving me<br />money and everything, and I was just like, “Damn, I could really just save up and buy stuff.”<br />Whereas in the Philippines, it was really hard for me to get money. My mom was trying really<br />hard to provide us with money. I think that’s it. [pause]<br />Sorry, what was the question?<br />MANGOBA: What was different about living in America as opposed to living in the<br />Philippines?<br />GARCIA: Yeah, so again, the culture part is a big thing. Different cultures, different values for<br />sure. [pause] Yeah, I want to elaborate on it, but I just don’t know which example [...] ‘cause,<br />you know, American families are very different from Asian [and/or] Filipino families. Our<br />values are different, and there’s just that clash between cultures that I just really had to learn how<br />to live with. You know, as Filipinos, there’s this certain hierarchy that we have to follow, right?<br />We have to always follow our parents, we have to respect our elders. Whatever they tell us, we<br />just have to follow it. It’s just the way it works in our culture. Here, once you’re 18-once you<br />have the ability to make decisions on your own- you can kind of start living on your own life and<br />really just start learning and experiencing whatever opportunity was given to you- whatever is<br />presented to you either in school, at home, or in any other place you come across here in the<br />United States.<br />MANGOBA: [inaudible] So with such a big difference, in culture and value, do you find it<br />difficult to stay rooted in your Filipinx culture while transitioning into America and American<br />culture?<br />GARCIA: Surprisingly, no. [...] There’s two different examples for why I was able to stay rooted<br />in my Filipino culture. One is because, being a part of an immigrant family, my whole family<br />was deeply rooted in our culture. That would help because I would come home to my family, my<br />mom would cook Filipino food, I would speak Tagalog at home because I couldn’t speak English<br />at home. Well, it’s not that I couldn’t, but my mom just told me that in order for us to not forget<br />our language, we have to preserve it at home. And two, my first group of friends here were<br />Filipinos. They were the ones that I spent all of my elementary school [years with]- Fourth and<br />fifth grade and most of middle school. We just stayed friends and they were all Filipinos too. A<br />lot of my friends, even now, are mostly Filipinos, and that’s the main reason I was able to stay<br />rooted. We were able to share our values, our experiences, our culture. So being exposed to the<br />values of being Filipino both at home and at school and my other experiences too, I think that<br />kept me rooted in my culture.<br />MANGOBA: So you say most of your friends are Filipino and always have been, but do you<br />notice anything different between first generation immigrants and Filipino Americans here?<br />[14:14]<br />GARCIA: Yeah. My friends back then- yeah, they were Filipinos, but they had a very different<br />upbringing than I did. They were second gen[eration] Filipinos, so meaning that they were born<br />in a society where they can live their life as Americans. Yes, they are Filipinos- that’s how they<br />were born- but they were really living American lives. Whereas, for example, for me, I was born<br />as Filipinos and I lived a Filipino life. Yeah, so the main difference again, it comes back to how<br />we function in society. The culture and the values that we all have are very different. So, for<br />example, like I said, even if my friends were Filipino, the way they talk to their families, or just<br />the way they spend time with their families, were not similar to Filipinos do it. You know,<br />Filipinos are very family-centered. They’re very collectivistic, meaning that family is one of the<br />big things for them. They always want to support their family. They always want to respect their<br />elders. Whereas here, Filipino Americans- yes, they do still live that kind of life, but they<br />definitely live by the American life more. They’re more towards autonomy, like making your<br />own decision. They’re more into following their dreams. In Asian culture- in collectivistic<br />cultures, especially in the Philippines- you can follow your dreams, but your main goal is to<br />support your family in the future. You can always see that. Kids in the Philippines, once they<br />grow up, they’ll still live with their parents. There’s kind of that switch in roles: once they grow<br />up and get their jobs and make money, a lot of that money is going to go back to their families.<br />Whereas here, once you get money, you can start buying stuff. You can create your own life.<br />You can experience new things. The family values is very diminished within Filipino Americans<br />here compared to Filipinos in the Philippines.<br />[pause]<br />MANGOBA: So your family has tried really hard to maintain that type of dynamic right?<br />GARCIA: Yes.<br />MANGOBA: And it’s still like that to this day? Nothing has really influenced [a shift away from<br />those values]?<br />GARCIA: Actually, no. So I live in SoCal, my family’s in L.A. I think there has been a shift in<br />the way my parents have treated [my siblings and I] now compared to how they treated us as<br />kids. I think that once my siblings and I started to adjust to the American life, my parents started<br />to treat us like American kids. They would tell us, “Follow your dreams or whatever makes you<br />happy.” which is not common in the Filipino culture. The fact that they’re saying it really just<br />shows that they’re really trying to give us the means to be happy and to do a career where we can<br />prosper and love what we do. There has been for sure a shift from how they treated us as kids<br />and how they treat us now. I think living in the United States has really influenced how they<br />treated us.<br />MANGOBA: [pause] [inaudible]<br />GARCIA: [laugh] It’s okay, take your time.<br />MANGOBA: [pause] How do you think migration has changed or formed who you are today?<br />GARCIA: That’s a good question. I think definitely moving to the United States has given me<br />more opportunities prosper, to become a better person, to do more with my life. I think it really<br />goes back to the things I was given as a kid- the opportunities I was given: better education, a<br />better way to develop my own autonomy. If I was in the Philippines, for sure I would’ve been<br />different- I wouldn’t be the same person if I was in the Philippines. The way I am now, I’m a<br />very service-oriented person. Service-oriented meaning that I like to give back to my<br />community. I think the main reason why is because I experienced living a life in poverty. I<br />experienced a life surrounded by stress, surrounded by pressure to assimilate into this culture. So<br />whatever I can do to lessen that stress, because I went through it, in other people, I think I really<br />try my best to make sure that other people- not remove that experience, not remove that feelingbut<br />just alleviate what they’re going through. Yeah, I think my experiences before migrating here<br />and, actually, my experiences after migrating here, really shaped who I am today and what I<br />want to do in the future.<br />[20:52]<br />MANGOBA: What do you wish more people knew about immigrants and immigration?<br />GARCIA: I love this question. So, in my opinion, I think that when people think about<br />immigrants, it’s more like people coming here to work, to have a better family, and that’s just<br />where it ends- to work and to have a better future for their families. But they never really think<br />about the things that these families have to go through. I don’t know if you know the word<br />“acculturation”. Acculturation is a little similar to assimilation, but more towards adjusting to<br />the receiving culture and experiencing everything that comes with this cultural clash, like stress.<br />There’s something called acculturative stress that is very big on mental health research in Asian<br />American immigrants. People need to realize that immigrants come here not only to work, nbut<br />also to really overcome challenges that go with that. The United States- yes, it was built by<br />immigrants. We all know that, it’s in our history books. But it’s it is not made, right now, for<br />immigrants. As you learn in [Asian American Studies], the path to citizenship is so difficult right<br />now. I have Filipino friends whose families aren’t even citizens yet, and they’ve been waiting for<br />20 years. There’s so many implications that come with that. You can’t do much in the United<br />States without being a citizen. In order to rent an apartment, you have to be a citizen. In order to<br />start a bank account, you have to be a citizen. All these challenges that come with becoming<br />citizens, and not even [just] that- like providing for your families, looking for jobs that don’t<br />require you to be a citizen. A lot of those jobs are minimum wage, low-income jobs. In addition<br />to trying to become a citizen, you’re also trying to get a lot of money for your family. All this<br />stress builds up to the point where it affects immigrants’ mental health and physical health. I<br />think if we can come to an understanding that immigrants are going through much more than just<br />trying to get a job- just moving here and trying to get a job. They all have to go through a great<br />deal of obstacles. A few do rise above. It takes time, but it happens. In order to live a good life in<br />another country, you have to work for it. I think our society, especially the American society, just<br />needs to sit down and understand what’s going on within these immigrant families.<br />[ 24:49]<br />MANGOBA: You took ASA 150 [The Filipinx Experience in America] right?<br />GARCIA: I did. Yes.<br />MANGOBA: Do you think the class does justice [in reflecting the experiences of all generations<br />of Filipinx in America]?<br />GARCIA: I think so. ASA 150 is one of the few classes in the United States where it talks about<br />the Filipino culture, Filipino migration. I think that’s really important because it gives us the<br />opportunity to learn something about ourselves- learn something about who we are that we didn’t<br />learn in high school. When I took ASA 150, and I learned a lot of different topics about Filipino<br />migration, export, and stuff like that, it really just took me back to how my family is. Honestly,<br />that’s how my family is- how one of the greatest sources of income or GDP for the Philippines is<br />labor export. I have my aunts and my uncles that work in Dubai and Singapore, and all of these<br />remittances go back to the Philippines and raise their GDP and stuff like that. Learning about<br />these things in ASA 150 really opens your eyes to how the process is. It really makes you realize<br />that it’s not just your family, but it happens to families all over the world. At least in my opinion,<br />understanding that this is happening not only to you but to everyone else is a doorway- an<br />entrance to figuring out how to help each other out. Because, again, our Filipino culture is very<br />family-oriented and we really try to do our best to look out for each other so ASA 150 is a<br />subject that gives you the first step in how to do that. It always comes back to understanding<br />where you come from.<br />MANGOBA: I think you covered most of my questions, so is there anything you’d like to add<br />that has not been asked?<br />GARCIA: No. Unless you have any other questions, but it’s up to you.<br />MANGOBA: I don’t think I have anymore questions.<br />GARCIA: Cool.<br />[End Audio File]<br />Finding Guide for Oral History of James Garcia<br />[0:00-10:00]<br />Immigration at 9 years old in 2006 - 4th year college student at UC Davis - mom born in<br />Bantangas in 1971 - dad born in Cavite in 1971 - First lived in Koreatown in 2006 - Moved to<br />West Covina in 2009 - Mom immigrated first in 2005, grandmother takes care of siblings in the<br />Philippines until immigration in 2006 - hopes for immigration - effect of immigration on career -<br />transition into American culture as a child - comparison between American and Filipino culture<br />[10:01-20:00]<br />Comparison of life in America and in the Philippines - affect on personal cultural life -<br />comparison between immigrants and Filipino Americans - family values - affect of immigration<br />on family values - affect of immigration on identity<br />[20:01-27:24]<br />What more people should know about immigration - acculturation - acculturative stress - affect<br />of immigration on mental health - Immigrant perspective/opinion on ASA 150
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History Interview with James Garcia
Subject
The topic of the resource
Batangas, Cavite, University of California Davis, Immigrant families--United States, Filipino Americans -- Social conditions, First Generation Immigrant Families, 1.5 Generation Immigrant Families, Second Generation Immigrant Families, Children of immigrants -- Education, Immigrants -- Education, Americanization, Acculturation, Assimilation, Collectivism, Individualism, Filipino Labor Export, OFWs, Reasons for Immigrating, Language barrier, Filipino Americans -- Family relationships
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with James Garcia, interviewed by Isabel Mangoba
Date
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6/2/2019
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0027
1.5 Generation Immigrant Families
Acculturation
Americanization
assimilation
Batangas
Cavite
Children of immigrants -- Education
Collectivism
Filipino Americans -- Family relationships
Filipino Americans -- Social conditions
Filipino Labor Export
First Generation Immigrant Families
Immigrant families--United States
Immigrants -- Education
Individualism
Language barrier
OFWs
Reasons for Immigrating
Second Generation Immigrant Families
University of California Davis
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Shawn Lupo
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
"Jane"
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Session 1, June 2, 2019]<br />[Being Audio File]<br />SHAWN: It is June 2nd, 2019, 7:08pm, I shall be doing an interview with a Filipino immigrant,<br />this immigrant did not want her real name to be used in the interview , so throughout the<br />interview I shall be referring to her a Jane. So hello Jane , and thank you for giving me your time<br />today.<br />JANE: Hello and go ahead with your questions<br />SHAWN: Okay, so to start off where and when were you born?<br />JANE: I was born July 7th, 1968, in Dingras, Illocos Norte, Philippines<br />SHAWN: Where were your parents born?<br />JANE: It is the same thing, Dingras, Illocos Norte, Philippines<br />SHAWN: Oh okay, so it looks like your family is generations into that city, how many<br />generations is your family in that city?<br />JANE: We have three generations.<br />SHAWN: Oh okay, what did your parents do in terms of work?<br />JANE: My father is a businessman and my mother is a housewife<br />SHAWN: So for your father’s business is it like a family business or was just working under<br />someone?<br />4<br />JANE: It’s a family business<br />SHAWN: Oh okay, what did your grandparents do?<br />JANE: My grandfather on the mother's side is in military and my grandmother is a farmer and a<br />housewife and my grandmother on the father’s side is a businessman, the same thing with my<br />grandmother<br />SHAWN: On your grandfather that was in the military was the military in the family?<br />JANE: Yes<br />SHAWN: And on the business side, for your grandparents that were in the business is that also in<br />the family?<br />JANE: Yes<br />SHAWN: Okay, and so growing up how many siblings did you have? And like was your family<br />big?<br />JANE: No, we have a small family, and I have two siblings<br />SHAWN: Two siblings, okay, did you or did any of your family members move to American<br />before you?<br />JANE: No, it’s just by myself<br />SHAWN: Just by yourself, okay, what was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br />JANE: When I was in college I was a library assistant, and after college I served as an assistant<br />at Allied Bank<br />SHAWN: What did you major in at college?<br />JANE: Business and Management, Business Management, bachelor of science in business<br />management<br />5<br />SHAWN: Okay, so do you have any professional experience working in that field?<br />JANE: Yes I do<br />SHAWN: Okay so, what made you devide to move out of the Philippines?<br />JANE: Coming here to the US, its financial staiblity and a better life<br />SHAWN: What made you think that you would have better finacial stability in the US?<br />JANE: First of all is they said that there’s more job here compared to the Philippines and the pay<br />rate is better than the Philippines<br />SHAWN: And who did you hear this from?<br />JANE: A lot of people, a lot of Filipinos coming here and I heard it from them.<br />SHAWN: Okay, so when did you finally move to the US?<br />JANE: That was 1996<br />SHAWN: 1996, was there any huge struggles you had in moving to the US?<br />JANE: Yes, because it is hard to get a visa and when I came here again I had to find a job, thats<br />the struggle I do, and then competing with Americans is not that easy to find a job<br />SHAWN: When you first moved to the US how were your English skills?<br />Jane: So-so<br />SHAWN: So-so, did you move anywhere before you came to the US?<br />JANE: Yes, I work in Taiwan and Hong Kong, Indonesia, and China<br />SHAWN: Was this apart of the export economy of the Philippines? Where they send out many<br />workers to different countries, was it apart of that?<br />JANE: No<br />SHAWN: This was on your own accord?<br />6<br />JANE: This one I applied in the Philippines, its an import-export business from a US company,<br />they hired me after graduation, like 6 months before my graduation they hired me, and they send<br />me to every countries, like every like Hong Kong 6 months, I go to Taiwan, 6 months,<br />something like that. It’s like quality control.<br />SHAWN: Okay so with your thoughts that you had about America before you immigrated did<br />they change after you came to America? Before you came to America you believed there was<br />more financial stability, do you agree with that now that you arrived here?<br />JANE:Not exactly<br />SHAWN: Why?<br />JANE: Because if you don't have a good job money is not good , yes, and if you don't have an<br />education job is not good either, so it’s not a paradise<br />SHAWN: Okay so, what was different about living in America compared to the Philippines?<br />JANE: Living in America is easy if you have a good job, living in the Philippines is not that easy<br />because there's no job in the Philippines, there is a job again they’re hard to find , you have to<br />have a connection to get a job in the Philippines. Down here it is fair, you apply, you have the<br />skills they hire you, so that’s the difference in it<br />[4:57]<br />SHAWN: With your belief that with skills you can get hired in America, do you think as an<br />immigrant your discriminated against a lot more than Americans? In the American job market<br />JANE: Yes-yes , and no. Yes if it depends on the company and no because some companies<br />don’t discriminate. But on my experience they do discriminate, the first time I worked, but the<br />second time I worked for a company, no.<br />7<br />SHAWN: And so with your English abilities being so-so, do you think it gave you an advantage<br />or disadvantage compared to other immigrants from other countries?<br />JANE: Disadvantage<br />SHAWN: Why do you believe that?<br />JANE: Because sometimes they don’t understand you, the way you speak in English is different,<br />they can hardly understand you sometimes with the Americans. But with the migrants just like<br />us, they do understand, so that’s the disadvantage of it<br />SHAWN: Okay and so when you came to the US where do you live?<br />JANE: I live in San Diego<br />SHAWN: Did you stay with family or were you alone by yourself?<br />JANE: Alone by myself<br />SHAWN: How did you provide for yourself<br />JANE: I had to work<br />SHAWN: So what was your first job when you came here?<br />JANE: When I first came here, my visa was just a tourist visa, so I did so-so job, like a<br />housekeeper, babysitting, something like that. And then when I get my card, or greencard<br />something like that, I get married, so I helped my husband, my ex-husband by the way, to run his<br />business, and then after that when we get divorced i find my own job by myself, which is in the<br />hotel being a manager.<br />SHAWN: Did your professional and academic experiences help you get this job as a manager?<br />JANE: Yes<br />SHAWN: Was the job related to what you did in the Philippines in terms of profession wise?<br />8<br />JANE: Yes, because its management<br />SHAWN: Was managing in America very different from managing in the Philippines?<br />JANE: Of course<br />SHAWN: What were the biggest differences?<br />JANE: Here, it just not only management, in the Philippines if they say you're manager, you're<br />manager. Down here being a manager you need to do everything, like if you're short of staff you<br />need to step in and do their job, in the Philippines you don’t do that, you have to find somewhere<br />else to do the job, not you doing it, here you are forced to do it<br />SHAWN: When you came to America did you continue your education in America? Did you go<br />back to college?<br />JANE: Yes<br />SHAWN: What college did you go to?<br />JANE: Ashford University, online college<br />SHAWN: What did you do?<br />JANE: I did my master roll<br />SHAWN: In what?<br />JANE: Business management<br />SHAWN: Business management, and so has that helped you with your career in America?<br />JANE: Yes<br />SHAWN: Is it significant or just a little?<br />JANE: Significant<br />SHAWN: Like how?<br />9<br />JANE: Right now I’m dealing with a lot of doctors, okay, and also in hospitals it helps me do all<br />the job im not supposed to be doing it, meaning to say it advances, because they see that with<br />master roll they respect you more, and they give you more opportunity to go up<br />SHAWN: So when you came to America have you noticed anything different between first<br />generation immigrants like yourself and the Filipino-American community?<br />JANE: Yes, I do, the first generation, more family orientated, more respectful to their eldery<br />family, listens more, advices and education are the priority, while the second generation is<br />ego-lucky, doesn’t know struggles, disconnection from Filipino culture, and traditional culture<br />clash with western culture, and largely unfamiliar with their home country<br />SHAWN: What do you think causes these differences?<br />JANE: Well which one? Are you talking about the first generation or the second generation?<br />SHAWN: What do you think caused the difference between first generation immigrants and the<br />Filipino-American community, do you think it's more so how the Filipino-Americans were raised<br />or do you think it's more so just being in America?<br />JANE: Definitely the way Filipinos raise, like when the children are born here they are raised<br />like Americans, whereas the Filipinos born in the Philippines come here they raise us like a<br />Filipino, meaning to say that the respect is there, the more--go ahead<br />[10:08]<br />SHAWN: So you believe the first generation immigrants raise their second differently than they<br />would in the Philippines?<br />JANE: Yes, definitely<br />SHAWN: Why do you think that happens?<br />10<br />JANE: Maybe because parents down here don't have much time with their kids, while in the<br />Philippines we got a lot of time to mold our children. Here parents they tend to work more hours<br />and they tend to forget their kids, they need to mold them the way their supposed to be, but<br />because of their work hours or work load they don't have that time, that’s the reason why,<br />because the way you do it, you have to spend more time with the kids or the children while<br />they’re growing up, so that that’s the big impact of raising a kids, so comparing to the<br />Philippines y’know people down there you have your own family, you have your relatives that<br />they look after, so the kids saw it. Down here in America you have your family and your<br />relatives, it's still again the time is not there for them together or something like that. Plus you<br />know there a lot of people here already like a lot of, what do you call it, countries coming in here<br />so those things they learn things from those in the school, where in the Philippines there’s only<br />one country that you're dealing with, so we are just like one company or something like that, that<br />you don't have any kind of people there like Americans or Chinese in the school that they learn<br />bad things or good things from them, it's only Filipinos, down here [California] its Filipinos,<br />Mexicans, White, or something like that, so those are the different one, those one different<br />cultures. So with this one they learn things from them, that’s what I think, I might be wrong<br />though.<br />SHAWN: So I know you’re pressed for time so I guess I’ll just ask you one more thing. So do<br />you have any advice for any Filipinos in the Philippines that want to come to the US?<br />JANE: For them it’s not bad to dream to come here, but you need to think first, because down<br />here if you come here without education it’s useless, okay, with education on it it's easy, better<br />life, because if you don’t have an education , you can have like housekeeper making $9 an hour,<br />11<br />$9 an hour not gonna put food on the table, not enough. So with education your making more<br />than that , so better before you come here to get an education first , and then when they come<br />here they can study more, that's all I can tell<br />SHAWN: Jane, thank you so much for your time<br />JANE: You’re welcome<br />SHAWN: So it is June 2nd, 2019, 7:22PM, and I shall be ending this interview<br />[End Audio File]
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Oral History Interview with "Jane"
Subject
The topic of the resource
Dingras, Ilocos Norte; San Diego, California; Filipino Americans -- Social conditions, Criticism of American Dream, Filipino Americans -- Employment, Discrimination in employment -- United States, Ashford University (online college), Business Management, First Generation Immigrant Families, Second Generation Immigrant Families, Filipino Americans -- Family relationships, Filipino Americans -- Cultural assimilation, Generational differences
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with "Jane" [pseudonym], interviewed by Shawn Lupo
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
6/2/2019
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0026
Ashford University (online college)
Business Management
California; Filipino Americans -- Social conditions
Criticism of American Dream
Dingras
Discrimination in employment -- United States
Filipino Americans -- Cultural assimilation
Filipino Americans -- Employment
Filipino Americans -- Family relationships
First Generation Immigrant Families
Generational differences
Ilocos Norte; San Diego
Second Generation Immigrant Families
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Matthew Lawrence
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Andrea Alcantra
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Andrea Alcantra is a 1st year civil engineering major, I know her through PASE as she is part of the incoming board with me. I’m interviewing her for the ASA 150 Final project spring quarter 2019]<br />Matthew: <br />The first question is when and where were you born?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />I was born in Manila Philippines on November 12, 2000.<br /><br />Where my mom was born in Balayan Batangas and my dad and I have no idea i have no information on him.<br />Do you want me to talk about my dad or my biological dad or like?<br /><br />Matthew: whoever you feel more connected to<br /><br />Andrea: Ok um, Well then my dad is born in Manila Philippines<br /><br />Matthew: did your mom and dad meet in Manila?<br /><br />Andrea: yeah that's where my mom grew up. She was born in the province then came to Manila<br /><br />Matthew: and then the next question is what jobs did your parents do growing up?<br /><br />Andrea: growing up[pause], my mom had a restaurant that lasted for just like the most recent thing I remember she had a restaurant down the street from my house and that lasted for like 8 years. And she was an english teacher online and that lasted for another 6 years and then no, yeah we came here. <br /><br />Matthew: <br />Alright, do you know your grandparents on either side?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />I know my grandma from my mom’s side.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />And then, Do you know what your grandma did or where she was from?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />My grandma is also from Balayan Batangas and she also grew up in Manila, that’s usually how it works<br /><br />Matthew: <br />Yeah I kind of figured<br /><br />Andrea: <br />Yeah that’s kind of how it works, you were like raised in the city and my grandma did everything. She sold everything that she could sell. She graduated college with journalism, and so she was writing a little bit but that doesn’t really make money. She was also a realtor and that’s really all I know from like what she did before she came to the US. and then when she came to the US she worked for [inaudible Bishop?] and worked her way up and became a manager and then she retired<br /><br />Matthew: <br />Do you have siblings? Wait you have more than one right?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Yeah I have 9 siblings, or there’s nine of us yeah from my mom’s side.<br /><br />Matthew: And then do all of them live here?<br /><br />Andrea<br />Uh so all of us live here in the US except the eldest Which because when we were trying, immigrating she was like overage. <br /><br />Matthew: <br />And then did anyone move to America before in terms of your siblings, or obviously your mom, did your mom come over first?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />No so my great grandma came here, then immigrated my grandma and her kids. Then my mom was overage so she had to wait 15[?] years and then immigrated all of us like my grandma did it<br />So we all came here at the same time <br /><br />Matthew:<br />Ok. and then what age did you move over from the Philippines?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />I was 8. <br /><br />Matthew:<br />And so yeah do you remember anything from school in the philippines? What was that like.<br /><br />Andrea:<br />I was there until I was in third grade. I was put into a school a really big private school, and all the kids were rich and it was a really competitive school. Out of all my siblings I was the youngest so I was the only one they could afford to put in there. And then it was like a bunch of spoiled rich kids And I wasn’t that because I had so many siblings and had very little money and whatever money we had was to put me in school. And then it was a lot of comparisons between what they had and what I didn’t have. And but yeah school was a lot harder in the Philippines they’re just less sympathetic with your needs in education and how people are in different levels. They expect you to just be smart and if not you just fail [insert expletive from Matthew]<br /><br />Matthew:<br />So have you had any professional experience?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />No but here I don’t know what that means.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />Did you move anywhere else before coming to the US?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />No I’ve only lived in two countries, and like 3 homes<br /><br />Matthew:<br />What were your thoughts about the US before moving here?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />I thought the US was a lot of chocolates, and I thought the whole US was chocolates and it was really cold everywhere and that there was snow everywhere all year long. And then when I talked to my cousins on facebook they come from the philippines to here and they were like your feet don’t get dirty here and everywhere’s carpet so your feet don’t get dirty.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />And so what was it like finding out the US wasn’t full of chocolate?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Well when I came here it was like, I didn’t know I was going to stay here forever cause it didn’t like register to me till like a few months of being here and then like i don’t know, I didn’t love it because it wasn’t my home and I thought we were going to go home. And like I just started hating little things about the US and then the chocolate was [insert Matthew saying: so the chocolate was gone] like way gone I didn’t even think about it anymore. And then I realized even here we weren’t rich and there were a lot of trips to the dollar store with my grandma but like as a kid to me you know it was just a store you went to. It wasn’t until school like influenced my thoughts on what like poor people had or rich people had.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />What was the switch like coming from private schools in the philippines to US schools? Did you go to private school, public school, catholic school?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />I went to public school and I went with my cousins so it kind of helped. She was around for like recess and stuff. It was a lot more diverse people, and in the Philippines I went to school with like a lot of muslims and it was weird not to [see] people with Hijabs and stuff.and I went to school with a lot of Koreans too so yeah and it was weird not seeing that. And then it was like it was a lot of people that look different but was all American. As for school was I wasn’t really studying for tests like I did in the Philippines where I had like pages and pages of study guides and practice exams in the third grade [laughs] and then here it was like all the test scores didn’t matter and it would be hard to fail a grade.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />That’s a big change. then what school did you go to in the US, what city are you from?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Um I’m from richmond. But for my first year of school I lived in Pinole which is also in east bay cause that’s where my cousins went to school.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />And then in school did you stay with your cousins, did you stay at your cousins school?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />I’d stay with my cousins During the week and then on the weekends my Uncle would bring me back home.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />Ok<br /><br />Andrea:<br />That was also because my house was really crowded, [inaudible]<br /><br />Matthew:<br />And then how much older is your oldest sibling?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />My oldest sibling is like 30,yeah, but then like they’re all like a year a part and me and my sister is like 3 years apart.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />And then when your family first moved here did you stay with extended family like cousins and uncles?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />My grandma actually bought a house for us before we moved here and that was in Richmond so then yeah and then a month after living there she had us pay for everything so my siblings got jobs like 2 weeks after moving here. But yeah it was with my grandma.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />Let’s see, [commentary on questions not being applicable] and then what were your thoughts on America moving here? You mentioned a lot of transitions any thoughts on that?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Well in terms of family we didn’t really have extended family in the philippines anymore because they all came here so it was getting to know family and cousins who barely go back to the Philippines and there was a lot of family parties and trying to have everyone connect. And there was a lot of like I remember my mom tried to keep me out of it but there was a lot of like financial problems you know? Because my grandma didn’t really give us much room to make money and expecting payments and stuff. I don’t blame her but she’s already had done a lot for us. That brought me and my siblings together and that kind of helped us mature faster. I can’t really be a kid anymore because they’re too busy working. And like theres more serious things going on than me wanting to play or wanting nice things and stuff<br /><br />Matthew:<br />I suppose the next question is when you were in high school or as you got older were you expected to work a job?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />My mom always put that I was going to college no matter what, because on top of everything that was the priority that was why my family came here in the first place. So that even though none of my siblings went to higher education, I would go and I would graduate but I knew that we wouldn’t have money for me to go to college. And at 16 I started looking for jobs so junior year. I knew I had to start saving up money for college and anything else I wanted to do. The last thing in my family’s mind was to be giving me money for like needs I had with everyday stuff. And then seeing my siblings work it was kind of weird for me not to work and I always wanted to work because [my siblings were working] and so I wanted to work. It was never expected of me though<br /><br />Matthew:<br />I know your mom expected you go to college, what brought you here to Davis instead of the East Bay or SF state or something?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />It had a lot to do with family. I didn’t apply to schools in like Southern California or anywhere else other than Northern California just cause I wanted to stay close to my family ,as close as possible, even though I wouldn’t be going home very much like every weekend so if anything I could just go back. [inaudible/and/um] The thought of being like a flight away from my family I just didn’t want to do it. I wasn’t ready for it and I’m glad I stayed close to home.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />Do you notice anything different between first generation immigrants and the FilAm community? Things like cultural differences, between people born here vs people coming here as a kid. <br /><br />Andrea:<br />Yeah I do, like I’m not going to name any names but I here some rich kids talk and it’s just really different cause they never really experienced not having money even though they can speak on their parents’ behalf. If you’ve never experienced it first hand, you won’t really now how much you had compared to how much you would have had<br /><br />Matthew: <br />Any cultural differences that you noticed?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Yeah actually, I noticed like back home with a group of friends back home there’s no judgement and everyone’s close. No matter who you hang out with it’s not like a conclusion that you’re into that person. Here it’s like oh you talk to one person it’s easy to assume you’re into that person. You know? [You can’t just be friends with someone without people starting to talk] In the Philippines it’s common they don’t really see the gender if you’re a group of friends you’re a group of friends anyone is going to be talking to anyone. And then there’s also like yeah sometimes I feel like people aren’t as genuine as people back home. There’s still like fakeness despite coming into the FilAm and expecting genuinity and yeah it’s still like a bunch of American kids.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />Were you surprised by that coming into it because I know you spent a lot of time about half your time growing up here were you surprised that people weren’t as genuine<br /><br />Andrea:<br />I expected people to be exactly like people from back home. Or at least resemble that like family trait or that family comes first and that we’re all family. It’s not like that we’re just friends.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />Any other differences you noticed culturally with about food, relations, sports ?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />A lot of people in the filam actually play volleyball and in the philippines everyone played volleyball and everybody knew how to play volleyball. It was funny to see how every Filipino played volleyball. And then there’s some weird sports that filipinos wouldn’t know. Like you play water polo? And then the thing where everybody likes boba, that’s a thing in the philippines too[Matthew: so the addiction goes across the ocean?].yeah Bingsoo too. And like yeah people in the Philippines are obsessed with falafels and korean food, and even here filipinos are known to go to Korean BBQ. [Interjections from Matthew about mutual friend Anthony going to korean BBQ the preceding day] yeah but Korean BBQ is so expensive!<br /><br />Matthew:<br />Yeah I think that’s a NorCal thing because I used to go to a place back home that was $10 and I complained when it became $12.<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Yeah I went to Socal it was so much cheaper<br /><br />Oh I guess that was another thing. Famous people were like everywhere but that was just LA. I thought all the Landmarks were all in one place and I could go to like the Statue of Liberty from the Golden Gate but it’s like really big. I thought no states existed other than California and New York. [Matthew: So Texas that’s not real?] Yeah [laughs] I didn’t know there was so many different states<br /><br />Matthew:<br />When you were going to high school and middle school did you interact with the Filipino community there? Or was Davis FilAm your first experience with Filipino Americans?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Yeah it was, there was just a lot of Latinos. I guess it’s just cause it was California. It was either white, black, latinos yeah.<br />You can ask me about my profession, I worked here!<br />I worked at target here and every summer I worked at a camp.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />What was the camp like?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />It was Camp Galileo, so it was for exploring science and stuff like that. It’s about advancing science and technology, stuff like that.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />So getting more people into the engineering major?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Yeah like basically K-8th grade<br /><br />Matthew:<br />What was it like coming to Davis and going to Engineering?<br />Andrea:<br />Well as a woman, there’s a lot of men with intentions. It’s really hard to get respect from people as engineers and as a student because yeah. I feel like people always got their intentions. Like I’ll help you in this class but they got intentions. Like my professors are really intimidating, as a colored person I always try to go for a colored professor or hispanic or at least women. That way I won’t end up with some random guy with a really bad accent. <br /><br />Matthew:<br />And then the other question I have that I ask a lot of the filam, do you ever felt impostor syndrome?Like it’s all kind of an act or that you don’t belong?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Yeah I feel it, coming into Davis I knew because I talked to like so many people about it. How I get through things is you know fake it till you make it and it’s like I know I belong here and as long act like I belong here, I belong here. And no one can take that away from me because I’ve worked hard to be here. Impostor syndrome, I didn’t know that there was a word for it<br /><br />Matthew:<br />Are you a first gen-[switched the phrasing in the moment] are you the first in your family to go to college? How was navigating things like college applications and filling out the FAFSA for Financial Aid<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Yeah my mom never finished college, and she was really good at filling out forms like tax forms. My siblings also went to CC [community college] before I did. They never really graduated, my mom also went to CC for a couple semesters so she knew and was able to help me with that part. It was more she didn’t know how hard it was, she just, I couldn’t show her how hard high school was or how hard applications were or the essay questions. [Matthew: groans, oh the damn essay questions.Do you want to say anything about them? For context I spent nine months writing mine] [Laughs] no I don’t want to say anything about them I blocked them out. I’m never gonna look at these again, I don’t remember the ones I answered. It just goes to show how unimportant these [expletive] questions were.And then my mom was an english teacher but she wouldn’t look over them.<br /><br />Matthew: <br />Did you have any language barriers coming over here with your mom or grandma?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />No because my mom was an english teacher and I was taught to speak english and Tagalog at the same time.That’s another stigma in the philippines, if you don’t speak english you’re poor. So yeah my grandma was a journalist and wrote some books. She even has a published book, it’s a poem book. [Matthew: Do you want to put a plug in here?] Nah I don’t even remember the name. I didn’t really support it because when she was looking for pictures and stuff because she chose my third cousins. My grandma never really liked me until I got into Davis. Then she started representing me before she didn’t represent me because I was the dark kid. She would always representing my sister because she had the lighter skin. She’d always represent my third cousins because they had lighter skin.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />Did you ever have to deal with that in the philippines or from you family here outside of your grandma?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Yeah um, when I first came here there was jokes about how I’d be surrounded by black kids and be in a group of black kids because I was dark. Like that was something my uncles always played around with. They always made jokes when we’d get together like “How is your black friend?” even though I didn’t really have black friends. Black people actually hated me, I was hated by black girls a lot. I only remember a few black girls who liked me because of my hair. It was really straight and yeah.<br /><br />Matthew:<br />Has your experienced changed since coming to Davis?<br /><br />Andrea:<br />Well it was, they compared me a lot to my other cousins. Since I got here I was always compared to my cousins. We were still being compared and that they always had this idea that I didn’t work hard to get to college and that it was given to me. I don’t know how college acceptance works but I guess however you want to make yourself feel good about yourself. None of my aunts went to college and the aunt that came here when she was the same age as me had a kid by like 16 and ran away from home. A lot of people thought that I was gonna be like that but she didn’t really take advantage of the privileges. She took it as a joke and didn’t really plan out her life. By the time she came here my grandma was working and had money where by the time I came here my mom didn’t have money so I saw that struggle and used that as a motivation to work harder in school.
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Title
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Transcription of Immigrant Interview of Andrea Alcantra
Subject
The topic of the resource
Richmond, Pilipino Americans in Science and Engineering (PASE), Manila, Philippines; Balayan, Batangas; Families -- Philippines, Grandmothers -- Family relationships, United States -- Emigration and immigration, Immigrants -- Education, Criticism of American Dream, Filipino Americans -- Family relationships, Filipino expectations on education, Generational differences, Food habits, Impostor Syndrome, Women in engineering, Colorism
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Andrea Alcantra, interviewed by Matthew Lawrence
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
6/20/2019
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0025
Batangas; Families -- Philippines
Colorism
Criticism of American Dream
Filipino Americans -- Family relationships
Filipino expectations on education
Food habits
Generational differences
Grandmothers -- Family relationships
Immigrants -- Education
Impostor Syndrome
Manila
Philippines; Balayan
Pilipino Americans in Science and Engineering (PASE)
Richmond
United States -- Emigration and immigration
Women in engineering
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Anthony Lagunda
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Jose Lagunda
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Session 1, June 2, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: The date is June 2, 2019. My name is Anthony<br />Lagunda, and I am here with Eric Lagunda, or Jose Lagunda as he<br />would like to be called, and I am going to interview him about<br />his immigrant experience coming to the US. Can we start with<br />when and where you were born?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: June of 1967 in Manilla, Philippines.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: When were your parents born, and where were<br />they born?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: They were born in a small town in the province of<br />Laguna in the island of Luzon in the Philippines. They both came<br />from the same town.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: And what did they do while you were growing up?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: My mom worked in a bank, and my dad worked as an<br />engineer.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: And what was your family life like? How many<br />siblings did you have?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: I had one younger brother and one younger sister.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Did any of your family members move to the US<br />before you?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: No.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: What was your academic experience like in the<br />Philippines?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: I went to college, and I went to medical school in<br />the Philippines<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: What schools did you go to?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: I went to the University of the Philippines in<br />Diliman City for my pre-med, and then I went to University of<br />the East Medical School<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: And why did you decide to move out of the<br />Philippines?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: I think the reason was more because there was an<br />opportunity here [US] at that time needing doctors in America,<br />and it was not that hard to take the necessary prerequisites or<br />examinations to be able to take advantage of that opportunities.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: The exams were easier?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: It’s not easy, but the process was not that<br />difficult. What I mean by that is that at that time, in the<br />early 1990s, after you graduate from medical school, you have to<br />take a couple of licensing exams, and once you pass those, what<br />you need to do is look for a medical residency program here in<br />America. A residency program is like a on-the-job training for<br />doctors. For example, if you take a residency in pediatrics,<br />which is what I did, it’s on-the-job training to become a<br />pediatrician for three years. After you take those exams, what<br />you need to do is get interviewed and find a residency program<br />in hundreds of hospitals here in America. At that time, there<br />were not a lot of American medical school graduates who were<br />taking these residency programs. there was a lot of<br />opportunities for foreign medical school graduates from India or<br />the Philippines or some other foreign country to be able to get<br />into those residency programs. So if you are a medical school<br />graduate in the Philippines, and you feel like you want to not<br />stay in the Philippines anymore because maybe it will be easier<br />to get a job here in America than to get the job in the<br />Philippines because it is kinda hard to get a doctor’s job in<br />the Philippines. There was a lot of doctors who graduated from<br />medical schools there. The pay is not as good unless you are<br />lucky enough to be able to be accepted in the few prestigious<br />hospitals that recruit Filipino medical school graduates there.<br />So I decided it would probably be a good thing to try taking<br />those exams and see if taking those residency programs here in<br />America, which I was able to do. The other thing was I had a<br />green card already at that time. A green card is like basicallyyou<br />are almost an American citizen, not yet, but you have a<br />green card. That means you have a- well, you’re an immigrant<br />already. That’s basically an immigrant visa.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: You were expecting to move out already when you<br />were in the Philippines?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: Yeah, it’s almost like a commitment because once<br />you decide that you are going to do a residency program here in<br />America, most people, most foreigners who do that end up wanting<br />to stay in America and not go home and practice in their home<br />country, which is what happened in my case. As soon as I started<br />residency, I already had in my mind that I think I would like to<br />immigrate to America and live here for a long time<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: So when did you move out here?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: In 1994<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Did you move anywhere else before settling in<br />the US?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: No, after medical school that was in the<br />Philippines in Manila, I did not live anywhere else that was in<br />the Philippines.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: What were your thoughts about America before<br />you moved here?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: The Philippines is a very Westernized country.<br />There’s a lot of US influence in the Philippines. First of all,<br />we all speak English, and learn English starting from elementary<br />[school] all the way up to college, so we’re very fluent in<br />English. Western culture is very rampant there [the<br />Philippines], in TV, books, and news, so we do know a lot about<br />American culture. It is something that all Filipinos all aspire<br />to be a part of. Basically, especially people in the lower<br />socioeconomic class, because back then in the 1980s, still now,<br />unfortunately the Philippines is a poor country. It’s a<br />developing nation, but it’s just very hard to find jobs. Also,<br />there’s a little bit of political instability there. There’s no<br />civil war, but the political situation such that it seems like<br />the middle class seems to not get- they don’t improve. The lower<br />class gets poorer and poorer, and it just doesn’t seem to get<br />better, so I thought it might be good to move to another<br />country. So I am very familiar with living in the US. Basically,<br />it’s easy enough because I know the language.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Did any of your thoughts about America change<br />when you moved here?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: No. When you live in another country, you’re not<br />really home, so you have to adapt. It’s not hard, but you have<br />to know how to adapt because you have to know little bit of<br />their traditions and customs, which is kinda not that different<br />from the Philippines. America is a predominantly Christian<br />country, and I’m a Christian. Most Filipinos are Catholic<br />Christians, so from that point of view, it’s not that hard. Like<br />I said, Western lifestyle is very familiar to us. However, since<br />most of your friends and family are from the Philippines, you<br />will still have to contend with being homesick at some point,<br />and you will not have as many friends as you were used to when<br />you were back home, so that kind of homesickness is something to<br />contend with during that time. Plus, being in a stressful job,<br />like being a doctor and being a foreigner, sometimes you feel<br />like you always have to make sure that you are doing much<br />better, so they don’t think that you are- you have to show them<br />that you’re worth being a doctor here and that you have enough,<br />that you’re just not a second-rate doctor because you graduated<br />from a foreign medical school, so you have to do better. That’s<br />added to the stress. But for the most part, besides that, I<br />don’t think it was much of a problem.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Did the differences in poverty between the<br />Philippines and America affect you in any way? Did you make any<br />observations about that?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: I already expected a big difference. If you forget<br />about the loneliness or being homesick, it is much better here<br />in America by a long shot. In the Philippines, there is poverty<br />everywhere, and sometimes it affects- doctors in the<br />Philippines- there’s no medical insurance in the Philippines, so<br />you can really tell that people here have it better. In the<br />Philippines, you could die from just not having money. Period.<br />If you’re sick and don’t have any money, you’ll probably really<br />get sicker and sicker. Here in America, there’s no such thing.<br />They don’t ask for insurance when you’re in the emergency room.<br />They will treat you as an emergency. The payment comes later.<br />There’s always programs that will pay for the medical care of<br />people, young and old. If you’re poor, somehow you’ll get the<br />medical treatment that you deserve. And that’s one of those<br />things that you really notice the big difference is. The<br />lifestyle here is much easier so long as you have a job and you<br />do a good job, you’ll be able to get up and be able to succeed.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: When you moved to the Philippines, were you<br />with any- did you come with anyone?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: When I moved to America, you mean? No, I was<br />alone.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Where did you first live when you came here?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: Actually, before settling here permanently to<br />start my residency training, maybe a handful of times, I lived<br />in America during summer vacations, during my college and<br />medical school years. For maybe one or two months, I would be<br />living in California during my summer breaks. So that’s where I<br />lived first. I get my first driver’s license in California<br />during one of those times that I had extended visits here. But<br />when I moved to start my residency training, the first place<br />where I lived was in Pennsylvania.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: What city?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: Johnstown.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: What jobs did you perform when you got here? Or<br />were you mostly in school and stayed on your career path?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: I stayed on my career path. I did not have to go<br />to school here. I just did my residency training, which is<br />basically being a trainee doctor in a hospital. That’s what I<br />was doing. That was my career path.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Did you feel like your academic experience in<br />the Philippines helped you enough during residency?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: Yes, it was enough.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: You didn’t feel like you weren’t getting- you<br />got the education you needed to survive residency? You didn’t<br />feel like you weren’t behind your other peers?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: I don’t think so. There’s a little bit sometimes.<br />Some of the technology that was being utilized here in America<br />we know of theoretically in the Philippines, but like it was the<br />same equipment, medical procedures that would be expensive to be<br />done in the Philippines, so it wasn’t done as often, so we may<br />not be as familiar with it in real life. But we know about it.<br />It wasn’t that hard to learn about it here, so yeah, that may be<br />like the only thing that would be difficult. And obviously<br />because we talk with an accent, that might be a little bit of<br />language barrier, but it’s really not that much of a big deal<br />because I think we can understand English quite well. And I<br />think, even with our accent, the Americans were able to<br />understand our English also.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: In regards to adapting to the culture- you<br />didn’t know any other Filipino immigrants that came here?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: Well, there were Filipinos in the residency<br />program. Yes, those are the ones who you interact with mostly.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Looking at those who arrived here before you,<br />were there any differences between the first generation<br />immigrants and other Filipino-Americans that were already here?<br />Or did you not experience-<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: No, I don’t think so. The Filipinos that I<br />encountered were first generation. They came maybe the same time<br />as me or a few years before, so they were not old enough to be<br />considered second generation.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: In regards to a previous comment, you said<br />earlier that you sometimes had to prove you weren’t a<br />“second-rate” doctor. Do you recall any specific experiences<br />that made you feel that way, or was that just the mindset you<br />had?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: It was a mindset you had, but just like any job,<br />you can make mistakes. When you do make mistakes, and mistakes<br />get pointed, you feel a little bit worse because you sometimes<br />feel like the people feel like you made a mistake because maybe<br />you don’t know you’re job as much. There’s a little bit of that<br />feeling sometimes. You get a little bit more embarrassed when<br />things like that happen. But you get over it, and it’s not a big<br />deal.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: These are all thoughts that came from your<br />head? You never really experienced any backlash from your<br />American peers.<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: No, if you’re talking about racism, no. I think<br />for the most part, there may be a couple of instances were they<br />make jokes, and you kinda have an idea what it was about maybe a<br />little bit racist. It doesn’t happen a lot, and they quickly<br />take it back. If you pretend you didn’t hear it, it goes away.<br />It’s not persistent. For the most part, The aMericans I dealt<br />with were not, ya know. We were all professionals too, like<br />myself. These things don’t tend to happen in that group. The<br />patients also, for some reason, if you do a good job- I don’t<br />think I’ve ever experienced racism from the patients. They might<br />be very curious about where you come from. They’re not asking<br />because they think you’re coming from an inferior place.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Do you feel like the reason you didn’t<br />experience what many immigrants face, like racism, as a result<br />of your professional field?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: Maybe. Sometimes I feel like there would be more<br />racism in the places where I lived because I lived in a small<br />town in Pennsylvania. We also lived in North Carolina. It’s in<br />the south, so there was the issue between blacks and whites. In<br />North Carolina, they don’t see too many Asians in the 90’s. They<br />just look at you differently because you look different, but<br />they realize that you speak their language, and you try to<br />understand them. They don’t really play the race card or<br />anything. The people in the South, like North Carolina, are<br />actually really polite, much more polite than what I found in<br />California.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: What kind of racism did you experience here in<br />California<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: No, here in California, I didn’t really experience<br />much racism here either. In the South, you may feel like you’re<br />out of place, a foreigner, because you’re Asian, and then you’re<br />in the hotbed of racism. The usual impression that people havethey<br />might think “Oh, you’re gonna experience more racism in the<br />South.” No, that didn’t really pan out because there were<br />actually friendlier. In a way, you actually feel much more<br />comfortable. They go out of their way to act more respectful to<br />you. You do feel more out of place because when you go into a<br />room, or a church, or a restaurant, and there’s no Asians there.<br />So they give you a second look, but that’s all there is. At some<br />point, you become very comfortable with that. We became<br />comfortable with that kind of feeling. It wasn’t a big deal. In<br />California, even though you feel like it’s more at home with<br />more Asians, but in general, the people in California are a<br />little bit less friendly. You may feel at home, but you sense<br />that the people are not as polite. In that sense, you feel like<br />it may not be related to the color of your skin, but that may be<br />the way people are in California. If you’re not friendly, it may<br />be construed as racism.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Final question: did you have any preconceivedwere<br />you expecting any forms of racism coming to the US, or did<br />you have any idea what regions you feel like you would expect<br />any of it?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: Yes, I had preconceived notions.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Were you expecting any coming to the US?<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: Yes, I was expecting some, but like I told you, I<br />didn’t really experience it that much. Maybe I was lucky, but<br />you still hear in the news, especially when you’re in North<br />Carolina, you know there’s still racism that exists, obviously,<br />because you still hear news about the Ku Klux Klan having a<br />rally here and there. But I don’t know. Those things happen in<br />the South, but in actuality, where you live, most regular people<br />in North Carolina- The blacks and the whites lived together<br />without any problems. Maybe I’m just too naive to notice any<br />problems, but I don’t think I saw those. But you see signs here<br />and there, signs of the old South, but that’s where it happens.<br />But I did not experience- I was almost expecting it, but it<br />really didn’t happen as much.<br />ANTHONY LAGUNDA: Thank you so much for your time.<br />JOSE LAGUNDA: You’re welcome.<br />[End Audio File]
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Dublin Core
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Title
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Oral History Interview with Jose Lagunda
Subject
The topic of the resource
Bakersfield, California; Manila, Philippines; Laguna; Johnstown, Pennsylvania; North Carolina, University of the Philippines in Diliman, University of the East Medical School, Filipinos in medical field, Education -- Philippines, Residency programs, United States -- Emigration and immigration, Americanization, Assimilation, Homesickness, Imperialism -- History, Language barrier, Microaggressions in the workplace, Racism
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Jose Lagunda, interviewed by Anthony Lagunda
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
6/2/2019
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0024
Americanization
assimilation
Bakersfield
California; Manila
Education -- Philippines
Filipinos in medical field
Homesickness
Imperialism -- History
Language barrier
Microaggressions in the workplace
Pennsylvania; North Carolina
Philippines; Laguna; Johnstown
racism
Residency programs
United States -- Emigration and immigration
University of the East Medical School
University of the Philippines in Diliman
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Jenny Khoeut
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Jaselle Abuda
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Session 1, June 6, 2019] [Begin Audio File] KHOEUT: Alright, it is June 6, 2019 and it is 9:03 PM. This is Jenny Khoeut interviewing for ASA 150 Filipinx American Experience class and today I am interviewing ABUDA: Jaselle Abuda. they/them/theirs KHOEUT: Alright, and let us begin. So I’m going to ask you a few questions, just about your life history, experience, and journey here to America. So what is your name? ABUDA: My name is Jaselle Abuda. KHOEUT: And where and when were you born? ABUDA: I was born on July 2, 1996. KHOEUT: And where were your parents born? ABUDA: Same town. KHOEUT: Um, do you know what jobs your parents did when they lived in the Philippines? ABUDA: In the Philippines, no. KHOEUT: And what about what they do now? ABUDA: What they do now is that because my dad has disabilities, he doesn’t work anymore but my mom works as a CVS assistant in the hospital. KHOEUT: Okay, thank you. What about your grandparents? Do you know what they did and what they are doing now? [2] ABUDA: Yeah, I’m not sure if my parents did this back in the Philippines, but my grandparents were families of farmers, small owned lands in the provinces, we, I think we grew rice, small plants and then to either sustain ourselves or sell it to the community market. KHOEUT: Okay, cool. I wanna ask you a little more about your family. So do you come from a big family? ABUDA: Yeah. KHOEUT: Yeah? How many siblings do you have? ABUDA: I have a total of five siblings, including myself KHOEUT: Okay ABUDA: I mean 4. KHOEUT: 4 siblings? ABUDA: One unfortunately died. KHOEUT: Sorry to hear that. Um, did any of your family members or relatives move to America before you? ABUDA: So a lot of my dad side moved to america moved to america way before any of us. I believe the first one that moved here is my aunt. She’s the second oldest or the oldest out of my dad side Khoeut: Okay, do you know how that journey was like for them? ABUDA: I know snippets of it, because it’s kinda hard because she has a mental disability so conversations with her is kind of hard, but from my knowledge it was all because she married a person from the military. KHOEUT: What age did you migrate to the US? ABUDA: i migrated around 5 or 6 years old [3] KHOEUT: Do you have any academic experience when you lived in the Philippines? ABUDA: I did preschool and a little bit of kindergarten KHOEUT: Can you tell me why your family decided to move to america or move out of the Philippines? [ 4:38] ABUDA: One of the reasons my parents and my family moved to the US because they really saw how bad it was especially during Marshall Law. My dad explained that it was really hard it was a very difficult time not only for him but everyone else in the family, so what they wanted was a better life not only for us but for future generations KHOEUT: Thanks did you move anywhere before settling in the US or did your family move anywhere? ABUDA: They did here and there. I think mainly from Seattle to LA to Sacramento: KHOEUT: And your family is still in Sacramento? ABUDA: Yeah, well most of them at least KHOEUT: Okay, do you have any thoughts abouts America before you moved here? Did you family have any thoughts? ABUDA: I thought America was its own planet because I always thought each country was in each own. [laughs] I don’t know how to describe it because the plane when you were a young kid it’s kind of a big jump from the provinces to another country so I always thought it was something foreign something new. I didn’t know what I was going to what I was putting myself in. KHOEUT: What about your parents? What did they think? ABUDA: They thought that the US was a great opportunity to make a family and build a family because the education here is free, the K through 12 at least is free. They saw the opportunity for us to receive education the way that they weren’t able to in the Philippines. [4] KHOEUT: Okay, moving on. Did you have any impressions about the culture or politics of america before moving? ABUDA: I did not. In what way? KHOEUT: Like when you were younger? ABUDA: No. KHOEUT: No? Do you know if your parents had any impression about the culture? ABUDA: I think they know about the racism and bias in the workplace, especially for my dad and yeah what was the question? KHOEUT: The impressions about the culture or politics before moving to America? ABUDA: I think a lot of them thought was better like I guess the way of living. A lot of them were I guess full assimilation. They wanted us to be fully assimilated into American culture, because they didn’t want us to struggle in America. KHOEUT: After settling and living in America, did those impressions change or alter at all? ABUDA: For my parents? KHOEUT: For your parents and for you? ABUDA: Definitely yeah. I think they realized that although it’s kind of better compared to the Philippines, the same problem such as poverty and working harder than you should is the same here then there. So like all their struggles didn’t leave the Philippines. It was the same here in the US. KHOEUT: So what was different about living in America as opposed to living in the Philippines? [9:49] [5] ABUDA: So something that was different was especially the environment especially in the Philippines or in my region, it was predominantly trees, fruits that you could pick out of the trees near my house. Just being able.there‘s a different connection to nature in the philippines compared to here where it’s predominantly buildings, building structures. KHOEUT: What do you have a preference living in? Would you have rathered stayed in the Philippines or continue to living here? ABUDA: As a young person or now? KHOEUT: Now. ABUDA: Now I think I would’ve lived in the ph because it’s simpler there and also it’s just different there. And also, but I know there’s things that I can’t run away from and the situation in the ph especially for my family in the Philippines, we’re not the migrants that migrated to the Us who were educated and well-off and have financially stable. I think that will always be a dream not only for me but for all of us here and like yeah I would love to live in the Philippines, but I don’t think it’s sustainable considering the state of the Philippines and like I don’t know you have to work harder than you should to survive. KHOEUT: So earlier you mentioned you went to school in the Philippines. Did you go back to school here in America? ABUDA: So my situation is I came to the US at 6 years old and then I stayed here for 3 more years. Did and finished my kindergarten years here and then went back to the Philippines at 9 years old and stayed there for 3 more years so I was there for 1st grade and 2nd grade and then after that 4th grade, I started 4th grade in the US, so it’s like a back and forth situation. Sorry I didn’t give you that context. KHOEUT: No worries about it. Can you describe how that transition was like and if you can what was different about the education. ABUDA: The education in the Philippines is by period, from what I can remember. Its by period where the 1st period was like math or science and then there’s so the curriculum that I was exposed to there was always math, science, social science, I guess that ties into history, and then Tagalog as the language and then English as the language. That was kind of a little too much. I didn’t excel in Tagalog. I didn’t excel in English either, so I don’t know. [6] [15:00] The transition to the US is that although I had a fundamental understanding in English, I wasn’t fluent. So coming to the US around 4th grade to 6th grade, I was always taken out of the classroom to go to a different classroom because I was considered ELS, English learner student. We would always have separate worksheets that I would do for English, so have me be more fluent and meet the requirements to pass to the next grade. Yeah, okay. [laughs] KHOEUT: [laughs] Okay. What generation would you consider yourself? ABUDA 1.5 KHOEUT: 1.5? Okay. Do you notice anything different between 1st generation immigrants and Filipino Americans? ABUDA: I think I see a difference because in the first generation there’s certain ideals that they’ve been exposed to in the Philippines compared to in the US, so I guess there’s a hint of or a mixture of American culture, not to say there’s no influence of Ameican culture in the Philippines but there’s more here in the US [pause] KHOEUT: Okay. ABUDA: Oh wait, I want to add this in. A lot of what I noticed is that there’s always this push for authenticity within the Filipinx diaspora where the Filipinx migrants from the Philippines to the US feels more authentic than their FIlipin American counterparts and that’s something that troubles me because the notion of authenticity is kind of in a grey area and it doesn’t necessarily define a person or country, and I’ve been seeing that throughout my years in the US and the Philippines, and all around my community. KHOEUT: Okay, thank you for sharing that. To end this interview, can I ask what you believe is culturally authentic or what makes someone Filipinx? ABUDA: I think what I believe what makes someone Filipinx is not forgetting Filipinx American and Filipinx history. As much as there’s hurt and trauma in our history, in Filipinx history such as 330 years plus 4 years of Japasnese colonial and 48 years and beyond of US imperialism. [7] [20:00] I think that even in those histories, they’re important because it not only shaped the Filipinx identity because it also shows our resistance as a Filipinx diaspora and nothing defines a person authentically but what I think defines a person’s authentic self is looking back on their own history. Not only their families histories, but their ancestral histories and not forgetting where they came from and how they came to be and how they came to exist. KHOEUT: Okay, thank you so much for taking your time for this interview. ABUDA: [laughs]
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Oral History Interview with Jaselle Abuda
Subject
The topic of the resource
Martial law -- Philippines, Immigrants -- Education, Discrimination in employment -- United States, English Learner Student (ELS), English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers, Education -- Philippines.
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Jaselle Abuda, interviewed by Jenny Khoeut
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
6/6/2019
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0023
Discrimination in employment -- United States
Education -- Philippines.
English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers
English Learner Student (ELS)
Immigrants -- Education
Martial law -- Philippines
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Jake Hutchinson
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Mia Hosain-Hutchinson
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
For my oral history assignment I chose to interview my mom, an immigrant from the Philipinnes in 1985. While this is the second time I have conducted an interview with my mother on her life experiences, this course and assignment was an opportunity to dive more in depth into how experiences related to labor, education, family, language and immigration form Filipinx-American identities. <br />Mia Lucylyn Hosain was born in Baybay City on the Island of Leyte in the archipelago of the Philippines on 31 October 1972 to Pacifico Hosain and Aurora Ramirez. Mia was devlivered by a midwife in the home she was raised in for the first five years. She joined an older brother, older sister and two parents in this house, with a local community and distant family on the Hosain and Ramirez sides. In her adholescence Mia was exposed mostly to family on the Ramirez side, and was closer to her mom’s family because of how frequently she saw them. For the first twelve years a few blocks were Mia’s whole world. A walk around the bend to Grandma’s or a friend’s house seemed greater than miles. Until leaving the Philippines, the corners of her world had not much expanded past the local church and the Franciscan College of Immaculate Conception, her Catholic grade school. Everywhere Mia and the Hosains went they were walking. They could not afford a car or cabs until well after they’d lived in California, but walking remains Mia’s favorite means of transportation. She would walk to Catholic school, where they taught her subjects she enjoyed like problem solving and religion. While she spoke Visayan at home and around town, in classes they’d learn Tagalog, the national language, and English, a subject she had great struggles with. Writing and speaking in different languages may have proved difficult, but reading was where she focused her practice with them. Most of what she read was in Visayan, but standardized texts were written in Tagalog. For English reading, the students read the Bible, but were also provided random literary artifacts from the west such as syllabi, labor contracts, terms and conditions. Mia’s peers bullied her for her short height starting in grade school, but the antagonism would not end here. At Mia’s first home, the family unit commonly consumed food from the market like fish, steamed rice, and vegetables such as okra, eggplant, squash and zucchini; Everyone wa always more excited for weekends when Papa purchased chicken instead. Mia enjoyed her time with family in Baybay, especially in Grandma Lons house at age five. Her grandmas was sweet, generous, and taught Mia many of the values and identities she holds today. It was with Hosain family who would visit from the US that she began to understand there is a larger world. She did not have many toys accept household objects imagined into something more playful. They did not have many sweets either, unless Auntie Erlene mailed the children candy that Aurora divided three ways. While most of the music she heard was in Tagalog from the Phillipines, Papa’s brother Allen also played lots of “American” records from his turntable. Despite being raised outside of the United States, Mia grew up listening to the Jackson family, Queen, and Frank Sinatra. <br />Mia was 10 years old when she found out she’d soon be leaving for America to join the rest of the Hosains. After experiencing snippets of American popular culture she was excited about moving, even if she had never been there, or actually understood the dangerous political climate in the Philippinnes under President Marcos. Unfortunately Mia still doesn’t quite understand the violence of the Marcos administration despite being very aware of the devloping violence of President Duterte’s regime. The lessons Mia learned in the Philippines as a child instilled religious and family values, as well as an amaterial sense of home, community and happiness. What she most enjoyed about being a kid was the freedom from responsibility, worry, and living closer to the Ramirez family. Even with poverty, violence, and sometimes bombings tied into her childhood, she always managed to see the light. Nothing could’ve shatter her little world, but eventually she’d have to leave for a new one.<br />Embassy visits, full-body medical examinations, and invasive interviews occupied most of the family unit’s time in the years leading up to their departure for the United States. It had taken ten years while living under Marshall Law for the request Erlene submitted to be approved and for the Hosains to know they were escaping. Mia had just been born when they fearfully applied to migrate, and being the youngest, was nearly born after the request was submitted. When the day came to leave Mia was twelve years old. While she may not have realized it at the time, all of the questioning she recieved as a child was to gauge the threat posed to them by the Philipinnes, as well as the threats her family may pose to the United States. The travel process would be long and arduous too, filled with driving, flying, and rough sea voyages. Nervousness and excitement competed for her mind’s attention. The anxiety of not knowing what was happening or where she was going or what family she was going to in America ate away at her for most of the trip. Mia remembers throwing up her last meal on the taxi ride to the airport in Manila, having never even experienced anxiety before. She was finally relieved when they arrived in San Francisco to Erlene and a bag of Burger King to fill the void. The year was 1985. They would hold green cards for their first five years in the states until they collectively applied for US citizenship in 1990. Mia was the only minor when they applied, being seventeen years old, and so there were fewer questions about US history and denouncing her former nation. The logistical process of leaving the Philippines and later becoming a US citizen had less of an impact on her evolving identity than her experiences in the states during and after high school.<br />For the first two years in the US there was a separation in the family unit . Aurora, Henry, and Pacifico stayed in Pleasanton with Mel and Baltizar Tongco, while Mia and Ruthie lived with James and Ruth Hosain in San Lorenzo. James was more strict than Pacifico had been in the Philippines, and in those two years Mia had more chores and responsibilities in addition to school than she’d ever had. By cooking, cleaning, and babysitting her baby niece Rhea, Mia grew up exponentially during the time period she attended American middle school. In various Hosain households in America she slowly began to speak Visayan less. English was more commonly used to get everyone adjusted, and to educate Hosain children born in the states. The idea was transitioning to English speaking was how they could assimilate and succeed in this American society. Middle school was a major challenge and a radically different system of education from the Philipinnes. Mia struggled through middle school, but used these new experiences to exceed expectations in her next grade. The family unit reunited and moved to Livermore her Freshman Year at Livermore High School. High school would prove much easier than middle school had been for a recent immigrant. Mia was alwyss bullied for her height, but in 7th and 8th grade her difficulties with the English language also became the punchline of cruel jokes. During middle school she had few friends, and was often mistaken for having a different nation of origin, like Fiji. Before High School she questioned what this said about the “positive” American culture and values, and reinforced her love for herself, her family and heritage. High school changed some of this as Mia became extraordinarily more sociable and popular and talked to patriotic American men. Her English improved enough, she socialized and met lots of new, interesting folks, and has come to believe and accept that the men who bully her for her height project their own bodily insecurities. The lifelong friends she first made in high school introduced her to all sorts of new experiences, like country music and rodeos, early nineties boy bands, cars, wine and varieties of homemade Asian foods she’d never gotten to try in the Philipinnes. At sixteen, her Junior year, Mia was employed by Little Caesars along with her sister Ruthie; They easily landed the positions because the owner was an American friend of the Hosain family. The varous Hosain family units made lots of American friends when first arriving, and it typically made it easier to become part of the new community. Between working in food service, attending American schools and hanging with Asian-American friends she was speaking almost entirely English during this period. While Little Caesers was influential in defining the value of labor for her, the work experience was short lived. Nearing the end of high school and being ahead of her class, Mia enrolled in ROP classes to begin working at a local hospital to train for a nursing career. Mia earned favor with management and remained as a receptionist at Valley Care Medical Center after high school. On the side she began taking courses at Las Positas College to fulfill General Education requirements. One of the things about living in the US Mia most appreciates is the ease she had in acquiring an education ans a variety of careers, calling it, “truly a land of opportunituy”. Working as a receptionist was where she met Jeffrey Hutchison. Dating had been new to Mia. Mia remembers romantic interest was handled very differently in the Philippines, even though she was just a child. Filipino pursuants often wrote letters to their interests and their interests family members, as dating was more “formal” than the notably aggressive, spantaneous behavior of Americans. Jeff would ask the other nurses if they knew when Mia was working, so he could be sure to bring his fresh-baked goods when he knew she’d be there to taste. It was through dating that Mia says she picked up the most “Americanisms” for herself as they relate to food, colloquial language, confidence, and performance.<br />Mia married Jeffrey in 1996 at twenty-four years old and after dating for four years. Another year later, she’d give birth to their first child, me. As a parent Mia made many sacrifices and returned to a lot of the values she was conditioned into in the Philippines. She made the difficult decision of dropping out of nursing school when I was born to ensure I’d have someone I could call family raising me. During my childhood Mia taught me preliminary school lessons like how to count, spell, memorize, and solve puzzles, but because of opposition from Jeff she never taught us how to speak Tagalog or Visayan. She did not want my brother and I to begin schooling behind as she believed had been after moving here, though I disagree and see her ability to speak three distinct languages as an incredible advantage anywhere. To get us ahead of our class there were some things our parents chose to teach early on, while other lessons like learning the language of the Hosain family were unfortunately sacrificed because of Jeff’s American hegemony and Mia’s acceptance. Mia took us to Catholic Mass and guided us through the process of getting First Communion, hoping we’d adopt many of her religious values as our own, but making it clearer as we got older these beliefs were choices. I think it does dissapoint Mia that I am not Catholic though, and it disapoints her moreso to talk about Catholicism in relation to colonization. Mia taught us to cherish family over all else, and never forget family stays together and cares for each other. She encouraged us to hang out with friends in oour families home so she could meet them and recreate the atmosphere she had as a child of spending time at home with friends and family together. Since they've been together Mia and Jeff Hutchison both highly value photography and documentations of family time together. While they came from different parts of the world, neither had the privilege of home photos or videos from their youth. They may hold their memories close, but they also usually keep a camera handy. Mia did not want her children to think back on their childhood and wonder what has been lost in the blur, but look back on those photographs as tools for remembering how we got here. Because Mia and Jeff have very little photographs of their childhoods at all besides legal documentation, there are thousands of photos of Jason and I growing up in the Hutchison scrapbooks.<br />Around when I was ten years old Mia went back to community college preparing to further educate herself and later begin employment. Again, Mia left school after a couple years but this time from a place of strength. She knew what she sought from working, and also knew how limited and expensive her knowledge would be onl learning in a classroom. When I neared the age of thirteen, Mia told me she’d soon be returning to work. Mia loved raising and spending time with my brother and I as we became more capable, but she also missed the empowerment of feeling she was working and learning for herself. She applied and began working at a local Costco Wholesale. While raising two was an opportunity to learn, grow and recapture those childhood feelings of freedom, Mia also missed being around other adults everyday, so work became a necessary outlet for adult communication. While employment is not enjoyable under capitalism anywhere, Mia appreciates she is a worker here instead of in the Philipinnes where she claims there are longer hours, less breaks and lower pay, though never was employed there. Mia has continued to learn being part of the American workforce about the value of the bodies of laborers, and how important it is to take care of and appreciate herself.<br />During summer of 2018 Mia returned to her home in Baybay City for the first time since 1985, and with Jason for his first visit ever. She was very excited to return to her other home! While nervous for what could possibly have changed, it was not the same anxiety she felt when she left a confused child. The process of travelling, affording to travel and avoiding discriminatory immigration practices was much easier for her as an adult with a career and US citizenship. When she returned to her little world it all came rushing back; She reunited with Ramirez family on her mothers side for the first time in over 25 years; it was a welcome feeling reconnecting, but still left her seeking more about what was missed between their times together. Mia is used to speaking English and Visayan blurred in a strange harmony with the Hosain family, but going home she realized how much her Visayan and Tagalog had faltered. Their old Catholic church still stood and the old houses are still kept in the family; They visited the local cemetery and reminded themselves of Hosains and Ramirezes past. Mia’s grade school is open too, and when visiting, she was reunited with her lovely Kindergarten instructor. The roads seemed smaller though, and those few blocks are not quite the grand landscape they had been as a child. The infrastructure of the city was mostly the same, but the population had exploded. She understood now both spaces she’d lived in are a larger world, and how different experiences change your perception of reality. Mia was usually happy with what she discovered had changed about Leyte, and especially larger cities like Manila and Cebu. The local market she used to frequent every week had apples, oranges, and other imported goods. Were the locals still eating the local food? In bigger cities, large exciting markets were replaced with shopping malls, with most of the stores inside being US-based companies like Pacsun and Forever 21. Vehicularly transportation had grown in popularity, despite not always having the right amount of space on the road for the capacity of cars, and despite sometimes not having paved roads at all. As a result they walked less frequently on this visit, and were able to visit more than Baybay City. Being back for a short three weeks and not always experiencing a revitalization of her old life made the feeling incomplete; Like she was a tourist in her own home. In her experience there were still not many Americans living in the Philippines, but the Philippines felt like it was still grappling with the ever-presence of the west. Workers from around the world in more or less developed countries are noticeably growing, usually working for American and Korean, and filling the void left by a dimishing number of skilled workers leaving the state. This disappointment was heightened by her sister Ruthie’s lack of concern over gentrification in Baybay. Ruth didn’t mind shopping from retailers or eating from chain restaurants, going as far as to encourage her own children not to buy from vendors or get “sick” from street food. Mia couldn’t understand how Ruth could have come so far from home, finally voyage back, and still, “be so American”. Mia was disapointed her sister could fall for propoganda othering their home a “third world”, and knew the space there were in was the same loving community they had been born into. <br />What seemed like a lifelong chapter in her journey from adolescence and being Filipina to immigrating to the US and adopting aspects of an American identity was concluded with the trip back to where her journey began. While Mia had always held onto Catholic and family values no matter where she went, coming back home she knew she was foremost a Filipina and loved that home. Mia valued many things about the US between the landscape, music, opportunities and diversity of other cultures, but her roots are in the Philipinnes. There is still no food that can match traditional Filipinx food, nor beaches as clean and flourishing. The energy of the Filipinx people through histories of colonialism, poverty and revolutio runs through Mia and forms into a positive and self-loving spirit no matter where she may be. Mia is proud to be a woman of the Philippines, having grown up with strong women but experiencing more feminist discourse in the US and with coworkers. Most of all Mia takes nothing for granted. Even after living in a central valley suburb for twenty years and sometimes forgetting how valuable her privileges are, going home she still disdains how Americans have tried to “make our home beautiful”, and prefers a walk down those small, rough streets to anywhere else. She still loves speaking Visayan with the Hosain family despite being most comfortable with English now. In the future Mia wants to speak her orginal families language more and has asked Jason and I to try and learn as well. She also would like to travel on her own accord more; In travelling she’d hope to explore her connection to other women in other parts of the Pacific in ways she could not do by simply staying in school, though remains cautious of the realities she’ll have to accept the more she understands the history of Catholicism infiltrating Asia. Throughout her journey she has come to identify as Catholic, as a wife and mother, a proud Woman, a Hosain, Hutchison and Ramirez, and in part as an American worker, but for forty six-years Mia has been most proud of being a kind Filipina in the world and from where her journey started.
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral history of Mia Hosain-Hutchinson
Subject
The topic of the resource
Baybay City, Leyte; Education -- Philippines, American popular culture, Marcos regime, Martial law -- Philippines, United States -- Emigration and immigration, Green cards, U.S. Citizenship, Identity, Family Separation, Assimilation, Immigrants -- Education, Las Positas College, Interracial marriage, Interracial families, Language shaming, Catholicism, balikbayan, Capitalism, Multilingualism
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Mia Hosain-Hutchinson, interviewed by Jake Hutchinson (written as report)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
6/13/2019
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Report
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0021
American popular culture
assimilation
balikbayan
Baybay City
Capitalism
Catholicism
Family separation
Green cards
Identity
Immigrants -- Education
Interracial families
Interracial marriage
Language shaming
Las Positas College
Leyte; Education -- Philippines
Marcos regime
Martial law -- Philippines
Multilingualism
U.S. Citizenship
United States -- Emigration and immigration
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Tyler Ho
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Angelika Villapando
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1512Omdgt-zGjIKHjONF8NvkiTmEHQ5KB/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1512Omdgt-zGjIKHjONF8NvkiTmEHQ5KB/view?usp=sharing</a>, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MwWAzE-3m2O7B8sOxV-zVue5lJdNgbtV/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MwWAzE-3m2O7B8sOxV-zVue5lJdNgbtV/view?usp=sharing</a>, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eBEjgNCmLnRQ39SiwDrevnshesWJj8dN/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eBEjgNCmLnRQ39SiwDrevnshesWJj8dN/view?usp=sharing</a>, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a4KrI0AxtHIzaq5SgGD_fw-HCZV_I-F0/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a4KrI0AxtHIzaq5SgGD_fw-HCZV_I-F0/view?usp=sharing</a>
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
Ho: Hi everyone it's June 1, 2019 and its currently 12:07AM . This is Tyler Ho, interviewing<br />for the Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project Today, I am interviewing<br />Villapando: Angelika Villapando<br />Ho: Nice to meet you. So we like to start off our questions by trying to get to know you, so I was<br />wondering where and when were you born.<br />Villapando: Okay, I was born in August 29, 1998 in Mataas Na Kahoy, Batangas, Philippines.<br />Ho: Mhm, okay, it's good to hear that. I was also wondering where were your parents born.<br />Villapando: My mom was born in Quezon City, I have an accent, okay.<br />Ho: Okay.<br />Villapando: Like not a Tagalog accent, like an American accent. Um, yeah, she was born in<br />Quezon City, ugh I hate when I say that. Um and I don’t know where my dad is from.<br />Ho: mkay, mkay, so you mentioned you had an American accent, where do you think like that<br />came from, or it first started.<br />Villapando: Um I know I had um… I know I had a Filipino accent when I first came here and it's<br />not like that I try to lose that accent, I just- I got teased for it, so like I didn’t talk for a while so I<br />guess I am trying to- I wasn’t trying to lose it but like it's just harder now after years of speaking<br />English cause my parent- my mom speaks English to me<br />Ho: Mhm<br />Villapando: And so I don’t really and my grandma is the only one who would speak to me in<br />Tagalog and I would speak to her in Tagalog and now that she's like- like we’re not- she can’t<br />speak in- like I don’t have anyone to practice Tagalog with, so now I have an American accent.<br />Ho: Mhm, mhm, okay. So how long were you in the Philippines before you immigrated to the<br />America.<br />Villapando: I was seven when we moved.<br />Ho: Mhm<br />Villapando: Should I say why?<br />Ho: Um if you feel comfortable for it.<br />Villapando: Yeah we moved because- I was going to joke but I was- I’m just kidding. We moved<br />because um most of my family was already moved up here. Like my grandma and all of my<br />mom’s other siblings like theres eight of them, five of them already moved up here. So she’s the<br />only one left. So she moved up here cause she’s also the caretaker for my grandpa<br />Ho: Mhm<br />Villapando: And so she was doing that all by herself and she was raising her kid, you know thats<br />alot for a single mom, so we moved up here. And that was the plan all along.<br />Ho: M’kay, so um did you, you were- said- you moved here around seven, correct?<br />Villapando: Mhm<br />Ho: Um so in your first few years in the Philippines, were you taught Tagalog first, English first?<br />Villapando: Oh yes that's a good question, because so the Philippines, I told this in another<br />interview- um that the Phillipines stop trying to be a super power at one point, I don’t remember<br />what point in history that was, probably after the second colonization. I don’t know, but um they<br />stopped being- trying to be a superpower and instead their goal is to export like their citizens to<br />other nations and have their money sent back to the Philippines, that way it can kick up their<br />economy. So basically, when you go to school, you are taught in Tagalog but you’re not allowed<br />to speak in Tagalog. Like you have to- um I remember in elementary school, like if you were<br />caught speaking Tagalog you have to wear a necklace that has a like a plaque that says ‘I don’t<br />know how to speak English’ and if you do speak English and you don’t get caught, you get like a<br />little star that says ‘I can speak English’ and there's a smiley face on it.<br />Ho: Wow, haha.<br />Villapando: Yeah, that's in all schools too, like I moved- I don’t if I moved from an island to<br />another island, but I moved very far away and we- that, that was still applied.<br />Ho: Oh hm, how did you uh feel about like that whole concept like oh, um you would have to<br />wear like this plaque or you wear a star just based on like how you spoke.<br />Villapando: Um, I thought that was- I mean I was just a kid, I was like I just want the star, you<br />know. So it didn’t like- but I felt bad, I felt like that was kinda shameful to a kid, that was kind of<br />sad. But I mean- like... their more rough in like asian countries, you know. Even in that aspect<br />and like in an educational aspect like I don’t mean to be rude but like when I got here, I got here<br />when I was in second grade right? And I kinda had to wait like a year for like for them to catch<br />up. Like we were already ahead like, by like the middle of like third grade I was like okay, now I<br />am learning new things, you know. Cause in like the Philippines like I feel like it goes like way<br />faster, you know. Like they really get you started<br />Ho: So-<br />Villapando: and here, it’s like aw.<br />Ho: Which like subjects in school did you feel like oh this is everything I already bust off-<br />Villapando: Math.<br />Ho: Math?<br />Villapando: Mhm, actually yeah it just math but still, that's still like a good thing to be ahead<br />about.<br />Ho: Was there any struggles you faced in school when you moved here?<br />Villapando: When I moved here? … Honestly, I don’t know if I can remember or if I just don’t<br />have- No I did, I did. Like I had like, the- I was very nonchalant so I didn’t really care that I didn’t<br />have any friends, like it didn’t hit me very hard. Probably did, I’m just not remembering, but- I<br />think it was just not understanding anybody. Like I- I feel like I’m more- I had an advantage<br />cause I had people speak to me in English. Their English was broken too, like there was like no<br />English speaking person to like correct us so we were all just speaking broken English in the<br />Philippines. Um, but it was not understanding like the teachers or like even if they spoke really<br />basically like theres like intentions and nuances in the way their speaking so even like or<br />connotations, like I couldn't understand like what someone was saying sometimes so I would<br />like nod to my homework cause I didn't know there was homework. I just didn’t get it, like it took<br />me a long time to be like a per- like a student. Like it was a long adjustment period, but I feel<br />like- I said this in another interview too I was was blessed in the sense that where I moved to<br />was a good diverse place like- I didn’t see so much white people until I moved to Davis, you<br />know. And like everyone was very welcoming and like my- I was introduced in all my classes- by<br />all I mean my main class and my PE class like to my- the entire- my entire grade. I think that's<br />nice, and it was like, I never felt like I was like isolated by anybody because my race or because<br />I came from somewhere else.<br />Ho: Hm, that's interesting. So you mentioned, um um when you moved to Davis there was quite<br />of a big culture shock, what was that like?<br />Villapando: I feel like.. Okay, I feel like where I lived, the Asian people lived like white people.<br />Does- is that- does- you know what I mean by living like white person right? Like it's different.<br />Oh, okay, oh I have something else to say, I didn’t even like understand words like ‘woke’ and<br />like- I was always knew I was a liberal person but here I understand why those beliefs are valid<br />in my head, do you know what I am saying?<br />Ho: Mhm<br />Villapando: So, wait where was I going.. White people.. Culture shock?<br />Ho: Culture shock in Davis.<br />Villapando: Oh yeah, and I feel like, I feel like I didn’t even like understand like police brutality<br />and like racism like that- I never, I probably have, I don’t know, systematically probably, but, but<br />like direct racism, I never experienced that cause I lived in such a diverse area. And then<br />coming here is when I started to understand like- like ra- like stuff like that, like systematic<br />racism exists even if you never experienced it, you're experiencing it somewhere else, like I had<br />to ask Angela if you can be racist to white people. It's a whole different thing.<br />Ho: Um for our listeners out there, Angela is um Angelika’s housemate.<br />Villapando: Oh yeah<br />Ho: Um so you mentioned like you didn’t understand all these systematic racism topics, and um<br />concepts, um do you feel- uh- what about when you were in the Philippines, do you felt like<br />there was some type of racism.<br />Villapando: Oh yeah, Filipinos are super racist.<br />Ho: What was your experience like with that.<br />Villa pando: Oh like in the Philippines? What no no no, okay- I think I don’t know if this is racismokay<br />what I mean by Filipinos are super racist is Filipinos are super racist to every other race<br />but white people. And I feel like that, that is an effect of- I don’t know, whats it called colonialism<br />and shit, that's for sure. [gasp] I said a bad word... okay, and then um Filipinos… I don’t know if<br />this is racism but its like I always got shi.. I always got shit.. Can I say that? I always got shit for<br />being dark, like I always been dark and then um like my grandma and my mom would be like<br />‘Stop going out in the dark, you’re going to get dark’ they’re both light skin and I always thought<br />there as - even when I came here, it's not even from kids from like school or like other people or<br />like white people, I know that's a whole other thing, but it's always from my family, they always<br />teased me for being so dark, like I thought it was problem, and I didn’t know I didn’t even think it<br />was problem, I thought it was just confusing like what's wrong with being dark. But um, I feel like<br />that racism. Like on TV, like Filipinos only show like skin people, I feel like that's racism right? In<br />the Philippines, that's here too though, it's in a lot of culture.<br />Ho: Interesting, okay so one last thing I like to um hear more about is um when you immigrated<br />here after seven years in the Philippines, what were a couple of the hardest things you<br />struggled with?<br />Villapando: mmm, hardest thing I struggled with… Its.. I feel like, I felt.. Oh now it's coming back<br />to me. I did not, not care that I didn’t have friends. But I was shy, it was combination of being<br />shy and not being able to communicate with my peers so that feels very like isolating, especially<br />for a little kid, That sucks. And then um, it was… I think that was really it. Other stuff was like<br />personal family stuff, but I don’t think it attributed to being an immigrant cause they’re filipino<br />too.<br />Ho: so you said you didn’t really care about having friends cause you couldn't communicate with<br />them.<br />Villapando: No I got that wrong, I was just not remembering that correctly, I did feel bad I didn’t<br />have friends, but I Didn't know what I could do, I mean could still play but they need to think I'm<br />funny or something<br />Ho: Was there like this specific memory where you feel like you couldn’t communicate with them<br />and you felt bad.<br />Villapando: Oh I remember, this is going to seem like anything but this is stuck in my head. Like<br />in, it was the second grade school performance, and Chris Moon, ugh Chris Moon was so mean<br />to me and I went um my.. My sweater is so scratchy and he was like ‘Scratchy isn’t a word, its<br />itchy’ but I couldn't… wait that's not even related to what you ask about being able to<br />communicate to my… But that was like a thing, like… I- right now it seems like scratchy and<br />itchy are the same thing to me right? They are! But I didn’t know better and that kind of thing got<br />to me, like I- it was just- it felt like I was scared to say the wrong thing and I knew I- I knew a lot,<br />I Knew most of the time I would say the wrong thing. On my- in my second grade art project, you<br />could see it was very grammatically incorrect, but I was also seven who was grammatically<br />correct at seven years old.<br />Ho: so when did you realized that this was actually normal for you and that like you- and there<br />wasn’t anything wrong with your word choice were<br />Villapando: Um probably like, fifth grade, I don’t know, when I learn the word scratchy. I just feel<br />like I didn't ever.. Did I think something was wrong.. I don’t think I ever… I think I just gained<br />confidence over the years, I don't think I ever thought I was wrong, but I felt confidence in myself<br />over the years, you know what I am saying. And I learned English better but I lost tagalog a little<br />bit.<br />Ho: What were some ways you gained your confidence?<br />Villapando: I started doing well in school and I feel like that's a power move you know. Like she<br />ain’t even from this country and she's getting good grades, I think that's, that's the dream! There<br />it is, there you go thats some American shit.<br />Ho: Alright, so I just liek to close this interview by just saying thank you for your time for<br />everything, it was a honor being able to interview you. We got a lot, we really appreciate you<br />being able to share your story because it takes a lot of courage to come out here and share<br />your story out here and reveal your struggles… Um is there any closing remark you want the<br />listeners to hear.<br />Villapando: Thank you for listening and if you are an immigrant you are an amazing person and<br />it seems hard now but it will get better.<br />Ho: So hello everyone again, this is Tyler Ho interviewing for the Filipino immigrant um oral<br />history project, um I here with Angelika again. We wanted to add a couple more things to this<br />interview. So first question was that um what was different about living in America as opposed<br />to living in the Philippines<br />Villapando: Living in America, I remember my first night here, we came back from the airport, we<br />ate dinner and then my aunt do you want ice cream and I was like yeah and she went what<br />flavor and i was like wait you not only have ice cream here but there's multiple flavors<br />-interview paused due to an incoming call for Angelika-<br />Ho: Okay so we’re back, earlier we were talking about um your exper- you thoughts about<br />america before you moved here, oh no sorry actually what was different about living in America<br />as opposed to living in the Philippines, and you mentioned getting ice cream with your aunt.<br />Villapando: yes, for dessert she was like do you want ice cream and I was like yes and she was<br />like what flavor and I was like not only do you have ice cream but you have different flavors thatand<br />then their freezer came out from the bottom of the fridge and water came out of the fridge.<br />That blew my seven year old brain and their garage door opened, it was just like- it was legit a<br />whole new world and this was like middle class living like this isn’t even the top yet, they're not<br />even millionaires and their garage door opens on its own and they have a freakin water machine<br />coming out of their fridge they have multiple ice cream flavors it was just ... it was an<br />experience. It was- And in the Philippines, you showered with a bucket in a tub with a little thing.<br />Like that's how you showered, here the shower comes out of a magical faucet, that just<br />something rich people had in the philippines, you had a tv you know. That just something you<br />had, i lived in a apartment, i swear half this size [referring to her apartment in Davis] and my<br />mom was like working at the same like amount- working the same amount she was here you<br />know, it just a higher standard of living no matter how you don’t want to admit that you know?<br />Ho: alright yeah, that sounds good, sounds good. Earlier I was uh, wanted to ask you, what<br />were your thoughts about america before when you moved and did they changed after you were<br />here for a couple of years?<br />Villapando: yes, so I thought honestly, the way my family was moving here it seem like we were<br />running away from something in the Philippines or something or like this place was more<br />amazing then was I super understand why we moved but prior to moving here, I use to think like<br />America. Oh I said this earlier, America is just like Disneyland, I honestly thought that. like . like<br />America was just california and AMerica was just disneyland, and I thought everyone was going<br />to be white, I didn’t know other races could exist here i thought everyone was just white... and i<br />thought everyone was just rich, yea that was it. Everyone was rich, everyone was white, and it<br />sounded like really perfect in my head, that how i imagined here but moving here we got issues<br />y'all and the people I thought were the knight in shining armor the white people they were the<br />source of the issue. [laughs] I did not know that. And i did not know we were the way were<br />because of that. I just learned a lot of things in america, lie I- I know america is like not good but<br />like I get why people move here- like I understand the concept of the american dream and I<br />think for my mom a lot of immigrant the american dream isn’t just moving here and getting crazy<br />rich it's just moving here to have a higher standard of living and not having to kill yourself over it.<br />I mean you still do but its very different.<br />Ho: Mmm... so um thank you for your response. And so for the last question, I just wanted to<br />ask did you notice anything different between the first generation immigrant and the filipino<br />american community here.<br />Villapando: Yes! Okay so, I don’t want to seem arrogant but this is a real answer, I notice that I,<br />I’m- I don’t take things for granted as much as my cousins did. Like when I first moved here, II’m<br />still like this for every- I don’t feel like I can ask for anything you know. I’m very afraid my<br />cousins got whatever they wanted and I feel like thats me understanding I know what my mom<br />comes from cause I came from there too and I know where their parents come from cause I<br />came there too. Like its, we’re the same age but we have different context. They live in a world<br />where it's easy to get things. And I came from a world where I know moving here is a giant hit<br />on my mom you now. My mom can’t take this but this is for us in the future and that teaches you<br />to be more grateful and you don’t take things for granted.<br />Ho: when you mean your cousins, you mean your cousin who were<br />Villapando: Who were born and raised here<br />Ho: Uh, thank you!<br />Villapando: Yeah.
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral history interview with Angelika Villapando
Subject
The topic of the resource
Batangas, Quezon City, Accents, Family separation, Filipino Americans -- Family relationships, Tagalog shaming, Education -- Philippines, Racism of Filipinos, Colorism
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Angelika Villapando, interviewed by Tyler Ho
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
6/1/2019
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0020
Accents
Batangas
Colorism
Education -- Philippines
Family separation
Filipino Americans -- Family relationships
Quezon City
Racism of Filipinos
Tagalog shaming
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Ellen Hickman
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Janelle Calaguian
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
It is June 4, 2019 and it is currently 4:05 pm this is Ellen Hickman here for the Filipino history project for the class Filipinx Experience in the US with Dr. Robin Rodriguez. Today I am interviewing Janelle Calaguian. Where and when were you born?<br />So I was born in the Philippines on June 24, 1998 in Metro Manila San Juan<br />Where were your parents born?<br />My parents were also born in the Philippines. My mom was born in Naga city, in Bicol region in the Philippines. My dad was born in Cagayan de Oro in the Philippines too.<br />Awesome yeah were those cities also where your grandparents were from?<br />Yeah so my Mom’s parents were also from the Bicol region they were based there, and then my grandparents from my dad’s side was also from Cagayan de Oro both of them are from Cagayan.<br />All right that’s awesome so did you have any siblings?<br />I have one older brother and he is currently in the Philippines right now, he graduated from De la Salle University in Manila and he studied information systems. <br />Good for him! Yeah that’s awesome. Uh yeah so did any of your family members move to America before you?<br />Uh yes so my family didn’t move to America but we have a lot of family in America, especially on my mom’s side. So three of her siblings are here. First my aunt, Auntie Edith moved here when I would say she was about 25. She’s a Registered Nurse. She moved to southern California, LA and my Uncle, Uncle Francis, he moved to San Francisco when he was, um I would say also like 23-24 years old and uh he lived in San Francisco with his wife, and then my Aunt, Aunty Mungu also lived in San Francisco. All my relatives here actually live in California. And they were all petitioned by their husbands or wives. <br />I think you mentioned that you were moved from the Philippines when you were really younger so for academic experience could you tell me about after the Philippines in Qatar?<br />So I was actually born in the Philippines but I moved to Qatar in the middle east when I was 9 months old because my dad found a job on Qatar Airways. He’s an Aircraft engineer. So I grew up in Qatar and I went to an international school like all my life and there were like many foreigners there. I would say it’s pretty similar to the education system here inn the states except we had a British curriculum, well there were also America schools but I was in a British school. So from elementary to middle school I was in a school called Al Jazeera Academy so that school typically, most of the students are actually Arab so many of them are Qataries and Muslims so like it was a different culture than mine. There weren’t many Filipinos at that time but I still managed to make friends. After grade 6 I moved to Doha British school and I was there from grade 7 to grade 12 and I graduated high school there. I actually did the international Bachelorette program so the IB diploma<br />Congratulations that awesome! <br />Yeah so I did that, so I would say that my academic experience in Qatar was really good, all the teachers were really professional and they all came from good backgrounds. Studying in an international school I was exposed to many different cultures not only to Filipinos like myself but also Indians, Pakistanis, South African like all my classmates were from different countries. We were all I the same boat where their parents had moved to Qatar to work so it was really nice learning about different cultures and making friends from different countries. <br />So what motivated your family to move out of the Philippines?<br />So my dad actually had a job in Philippines airlines in the Philippines so it’s also the same airline it’s the same industry as Qatar Airways but he found Qatar Airways was better. It payed more, higher salary better benefits. So he took that opportunity and moved to Qatar, so that’s what motivated my dad to move, then his company was able to sponsor him and he was able to bring our whole family to Qatar<br />6:00 minutes.<br />So when did you move to the United States?<br />I moved here in 2016 so when I started college so my freshman year<br />Alright so yeah that sounds good! We talked about Qatar what is your current immigration status?<br />So I’m currently on a Foreign 1 Visa for international students and it was I would say it was a pretty easy process on my end because first I had applied to all the schools that I wanted to go to like to college for so like UC Davis, UC San Diego, UC Irvine,<br />So a lot of the California schools?<br />Yeah a lot of UC, and then a bunch of other California universities including state so like SF State, San Diego State university, California state Long Beach, so that was the first part of my process to become to getting the F1 Visa. Then once I got my acceptance letters in the emails it would say like “the next steps to your acceptance” <br />Now that I have accepted what do I do now<br />Yeah so you would figure out the F1 Visa and they would just like link you to the website. It was pretty easy because they give you step by step. I would just have to upload my passport, and make sure I actually got an acceptance from the colleges that I wanted to and in that case, it was UC Davis. I had to wait for the I20 to be mailed to me, and then I had to go to the US Embassy and submit all my documents. After that it took about two to three weeks to get my F1 Visa on my passport so it wasn’t that long of a process. I honestly did like everything myself because like my parents had already studied in the Philippines so they wouldn’t know how to apply to like US schools so I did everything by myself. So like my F1 visa lasts until I graduate so next year 2020, but I have the option to extend it if I want to go for like a masters program or if I want to go for optional practical training which is like working in your field of study.<br />Do you plan to stay on after you graduate or are you still in the process of working that out?<br />Currently I know I want to take a gap year in-between my undergrad and masters so in the gap year I’m not sure if I’m going to stay in the States or go back to Qatar <br />To catch up with family to relax<br />Yeah or travel around<br />Yeah that’s closer to Europe so it’s easier to travel around<br />Yeah so I’m not sure yet but I definitely want to do my masters program so in that sense I would have to extend my F1 visa, and my hopes are hopefully when I finish my masters I want to apply… I want to work in a hospital in the health field hopefully after my master’s program I would be able to land a job and so through there I can start my process of stating to wanting to live in the states. <br />What were your thoughts about America before you came here? Did you always know, “I want to go to college in America” or just like “it’s that place like my relatives are in”. <br />Honestly because a lot of my relatives are here, we actually come here every summer so it wasn’t a shock to me when I got here. Like we always come here for the summer, but I guess my thoughts on America are obviously I would say the movies like what I see on TV. And literally would be like “oh it looks so fun!” and there is so much to do everyone is partying <br />Disneyland<br />Yeah but I’ve know, that I’ve always known I wanted to study in the states and the same goes for my parents like they wanted me to study here because like because opportunities are much bigger and like personally I always knew I wanted to study here. I guess my thoughts definitely I wanted to come here because like first I wanted to experience being more independent. I didn’t want to study in Qatar. It’s not that there aren’t good universities there it’s just I wanted a different experience. To like try to be independent on my own and like not relying on my parents. And I don’t know I always thought that America would give me a better future and I know that everyone says that, that’s what motivates people to want to immigrate here because there is so much more opportunities here in the states. <br />So how did they change after you arrived? I know you said you lived here in the summers so what was the biggest change of living in an apartment setting or a dorm setting? What were like the biggest changes that you didn’t expect?<br />I guess the biggest change after I arrived. Living in Qatar the values there are more conservative. Like in Qatar just to give context you have to cover your shoulders. We’re not typically allowed to wear shorts in public because of their conservative culture and like moving here it was like “Oh I can wear anything I want now” like no one is really going to care what I wear. So that was more like culture change that I noticed also how people interact here so like just in Davis in some ways it’s really easy to make friends whereas like in Qatar it’s like making friends with Qataries or at least like locals in Qatar is really intimidating. Typically Qataries are very wealthy and like they typically look down on foreigners and like they always stay in their circle. It was like coming to the states I could talk to whoever like I wasn’t scared to socialize with people on campus and once I joined clubs, like actually I joined the Filipino American clubs here on campus <br />Like the Fill-ams<br />Yeah the Fill-ams so it was easy to make friends and it was nice knowing that there were a lot of Filipinos here in Davis and uh what else… another change is obviously living on my own. First I lived in the dorms and the first quarter was really rough for me because I’m really close to my parents and just my family in general and that’s one of the values of Filipinos in general like family is so important and being away from them first quarter like I was really home sick. I was like “could I do this? I don’t know if I can handle this by myself…” and like I just wanted to go home. But then like as the quarters progressed, I got used to it and it’s like, I was able to see my family during Christmas breaks and summers. So that eased the process.<br />Yeah that makes it a lot easier<br />But yeah I defiantly learned a lot being independent and doing things on my own.<br />That’s really cool, let’s see culture shock I think we talked about that, and then the differences. Let’s see, so did you first live in Davis or did you live with relatives? You mentioned in San Francisco or other places first?<br />So when I came in with my F1 Visa there was a period of time where we didn’t have school yet, we started like September 20 something<br />Yeah 20 something <br />Yeah I came here early September. So first I lived with my Uncle Francis I mentioned him earlier because he lives in Elk Grove which is closest to Davis. So I lived at his house with like my cousins. I lived there for about 3 weeks then after that I moved into the dorms and currently because I’m a third year, I live in my own apartment with my two other friends <br />That’s good, yeah awesome so like, that answers if you were with family or alone,<br />You could ask any other questions if you are curious <br />Yeah so like well I’m curious about the student organizations, so did you join that the first quarter or did you just over time find out more about organizations? Or did you just hop into the Asian American Study center and just find a thing<br />Ha Ha, so I think my first year fall quarter almost all of the clubs tabled at the MU so I was just walking around the MU and I was tabled by Ahmelahabated (Transcriber’s note Mga Kapatid?) it’s the main social org for the Fill-am community here in Davis and though that I was able to branch out to other Filipino orgs. Just to give you like a background like so the Fill-am here in Davis has 7 orgs for your major or what you are interested in. So first I joined Mga Kapatid like the social club to meet new people first to like make those connections and like after that I joined Filipino Americans in health careers so that’s short for FAHC and though there I was able to meet people who also wanted to go into health care like nursing, Physical therapy, dentist ect. And then after that I also went to events for FILAH Filipinos in Liberal Arts and Humanities. That club is more for like expression if you’re into poetry ‘cause they have open mics <br />Yeah so like the Filipino open mics night like we can go for extra credit <br />Yeah so like I joined FILAH and like I really like the atmosphere there so like I actually applied for a board position just cause I felt like I was really close to all the people there and I like being able to give students like in Davis a place to express themselves so I applied for a fundraising chair and currently I’m FILAH’s secretary, so I would say like I’m really involved in the Fill-am and one other thing is every year we have Filipino culture night which is like the annual show that the Fill-am present to their families and the Davis community and we really engage in our culture though dance and like singing and like acting and we’re really able to tell our stories to everyone who comes so yeah I’m really thankful for the Fill-am community here, it’s like a home away from like back in Qatar <br />Yeah! That’s great, I’m glad you found that. So have you been back to the Philippines?<br />Yes so I actually go back to the Philippines at least every year to visit my LoLo so my grandfather, yeah on my Dad’s side of the family his younger brother so my uncle is still there and a bunch of my cousins are still in the Philippines so we go there every year to visit during Christmas or the summer break. I think the last time I went was last Christmas. It’s nice going home even if I didn’t grow up in the Philippines it still feels like home and I’m still able to get that experience of like being in the Philippines because it’s so like different from Qatar and the states. You really realize how privileged we are to be, to have you know all the things we have. Like in the Philippines like in your car when you are stuck in traffic you’re going to see kids like bagging for money and like doing what they can to support their family even though they are like so young. It’s just I’m always reminded how blessed I am to be able to study here in the states to be able to have my parent’s support me to like have an education so like yeah I love going back home, it’s nice to be with family. It’s nice like being in a country where everyone is like yourself. <br />Yeah you feel like you belong <br />Yeah <br />Ok so I think that’s about it, thank you so much for talking with me. I really enjoyed hearing your story. <br />Of course! Thank you for letting me share.<br />Alright.<br />End of Recording. <br />Notes from the interview:<br />Janelle was kind enough to let me interview her after class and to sign the consent form for this interview. I asked if I could interview her after the class on June fourth after I heard a portion of her story. She explained how one of her relatives in Qatar was treated poorly since she was a service worker while her father was treated better as an engineer. As I interviewed her, I started to see how being connected to her Filipino roots influenced her life positively. One of the important aspects that helped her succeed was the strong support of her family including her nuclear family and extended families support for her as she pursued her dream of one day being able to work in the United States. Her Filipino heritage also helped her make friends, not only in Qatar but also in the United States when she joined Fill-am groups discovering friends with similar interest. I initially came to her because she was a student immigrant however as we talked it was clear that she really had a heart for others in her community. She even decided to run for a leadership position to give back to the same clubs that helped her find community when she came to Davis. A second point that stood out to me was that although she had grown up in Qatar and had spent time in the United States, the only place she really felt at home was in the Philippines. Even though she lived most of her life in Qatar and was hoping to get a job after graduation in the United States, the Philippines was the only place she felt like she belonged. She did understand some of the challenges of living in the Philippines and also why her parents had moved away for work, yet she still felt like that place was her real home. She did appreciate the freedom of dress in the United States, wearing a light summer top that showed her shoulders, or the opportunity to talk to anyone that she wanted to. That didn’t mean that the United States felt like home though. Potentially this could come from feeling like she wasn’t represented in society or the fact that she had strong connection to her Filipino people back in the Philippines. Even though she did have a strong love of the Philippines, she still felt like that there was more opportunity in the United States. This could be contributed to the effect of colonialism in encouraging a system which makes it easier to leave the country than to stay in it. That explains why her father left his job in a Philippines airport for a job in Qatar since that payed more. In the course we have continually returned to colonialism and how the countries who have been under its savage reign still suffer from some aspects such as exportation of workers. This interview did have one extremally positive example though in that showed how groups in the Filipino community like clubs helped students like Janelle find a safe network of friends far away from home. This is a victory for those who have advocated for these organizations in that it shows how one student was directly affected by those working for these organizations. It was an honor to interview her and hear about her life, history and dreams as she continues her studies in Davis.
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Title
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Oral History Interview with Janelle Calaguian, interviewed by Ellen Hickman
Subject
The topic of the resource
Bicol, Cagayan de Oro, De la Salle University, Registered Nurse, Nursing, Qatar, International Students, F1 Visa, Filipinos in Liberal Arts and Humanities, FILAH
Description
An account of the resource
Oral History Interview with Janelle Calaguian, interviewed by Ellen Hickman
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
4-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Video Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0019
Bicol
Cagayan de Oro
De la Salle University
F1 Visa
FILAH
Filipinos in Liberal Arts and Humanities
International Students
nursing
Qatar
Registered Nurse
-
Dublin Core
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Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Samuel Hewitt
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Noemi Botor
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Session 1, May 24, 2019]<br /><br />[Begin Audio File]<br /><br />HEWITT: Okay are you ready? [laughs]<br /><br />BOTOR: Yep!<br /><br />HEWITT: Alright my name is Sam Hewitt and today is May 24th. It is currently 7:15pm and I am interviewing:<br /><br />BOTOR: Noemi Botor.<br /><br />HEWITT: Alright. So, I have a couple questions that - not a couple, a good amount, I was hoping you could answer for me. First question: Where and when were you born?<br /><br />BOTOR: I was born in Baguio City, Philippines. And when?<br /><br />HEWITT: Mhmm.<br /><br />BOTOR: March 1st, 1997. <br /><br />HEWITT: Where were your parents born?<br /><br />BOTOR: My parents were also born in Baguio City, Philippines. Yeah.<br /><br />HEWITT: What jobs did your parents have in the Philippines?<br /><br />BOTOR: Before I was born, for a while my parents were managing a floral shop. But they decided to move out of the Philippines to find better pay as their main jobs as nurses because they weren’t paid very well in the Philippines.<br /><br />HEWITT: Okay what jobs did your grandparents do?<br /><br />BOTOR: My grandma was just like an office worker and then my grandpa - on my dad’s side - and my grandpa was, he was in the, oh yeah, he was in the navy.<br /><br />HEWITT: How many siblings do you have?<br /><br />BOTOR: I’m an only child [laughs]<br /><br />HEWITT: That’s rare for Filipinos. [laughs] Do you have a large extensive family?<br />BOTOR: Yeah. Actually, even my parents’ families are kind of small. Cause my mom had two other siblings and then my dad has one other sibling but their parents, they had families of like ten to twelve siblings.<br /><br />HEWITT: Did any of your extensive family move to America before you did?<br /><br />BOTOR: Some of them, but not really the ones who we’re very close to so I’m not really sure where they're at or what they're doing.<br /><br />HEWITT: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br /><br />BOTOR: I remember for preschool, it was very - it was a very small class and it was very hands on. And then when I moved to a different school, it was kind of more of what you see here with several classrooms and different teachers and things like that?<br /><br />HEWITT: Was the different school in the same city?<br /><br />BOTOR: Yeah it was in the same city. But I think one was private and one was public. So the private one it was really only our class that they had to manage.<br /><br />HEWITT: Why did your family decide to move out of the Philippines?<br /><br />BOTOR: Like I said, my parents wanted better pay as nurses cause they don’t pay very well in the Philippines. But also, just like in general trying to look for a better life. So first we moved to England then we moved here.<br /><br />HEWITT: When did you move to the US?<br /><br />BOTOR: When I was seven or eight. That’s when I moved.<br /><br />HEWITT: What year?<br /><br />BOTOR: Oh god what year is that? <br /><br />HEWITT: I don’t know [laughs]<br /><br />BOTOR: I’m twenty-two [laughs]<br /><br />HEWITT: Alright well some year. Okay did you move anywhere else before settling in the US, other than England?<br /><br />BOTOR: No, it was just - we left the Philippines, well actually at first my parents left to England ahead of me and it was just my grandparents taking care of me for about two years. And then when they felt I was old enough, then they brought me over to England. But then after that we moved to California.<br /><br />HEWITT: Okay what were your thoughts about America before you arrived?<br /><br />BOTOR: I don’t know, I feel like since I was really young, I didn't really have any really big expectations. But I feel like the usual stuff I was thinking about was there. Like “oh I can eat really good burgers” [laughs]<br /><br />HEWITT: Really good American food? [laughs]<br /><br />[4:59]<br /><br />BOTOR: But I didn't really have any expectations on school would be like or making friends would be like. So, nothing really big then.<br /><br />HEWITT: Did your thoughts change after you arrived?<br /><br />BOTOR: Yeah, a little bit. I noticed that, for example, a lot of kids would be interested in - especially the first month that I was in America because I still had an accent from England, so a lot of kids were intrigued by me. So, I kind of felt like an attraction to some people. There like “Oh my god look at this Asian girl, she has an English accent. Blah blah blah that’s so cool!” And they would ask me questions like “Oh why do you eat that and why do you do this and that?” I remember being asked those things.<br /><br />HEWITT: When you say, “eat that,” what do you mean by “that”? Like traditional Filipino food?<br /><br />BOTOR: Yeah. Like my mom would pack me lunches and I've heard other people’s stories before where they were ashamed to bring it. But I haven't experienced a bad one, people were just wondering what I was eating, and it was never a bad thing to me so I wouldn't stop eating it. I would continue to bring food from home that my mom or my dad made.<br /><br />HEWITT: That's good. What was different about living in America as opposed to living in the Philippines?<br /><br />BOTOR: I feel like - I don't know, when I was in the Philippines, I felt more free just because I could go out anywhere with my friends even at such a young age and it would be fine. But when I first moved here, I lived in - I didn't live here in Brentwood. I first lived in Millbrae and it was kind of more like a city. So, I didn't really get to go out and play as much because we lived in an apartment and it was in a city area. So, there wasn't really - I couldn't really go out into the street to play with my friends really because it would be a highway or something.<br /><br />HEWITT: Yeah like a busy intersection.<br /><br />BOTOR: Mhmm.<br /><br />HEWITT: What was different about education in America as opposed to the Philippines? If you can remember?<br /><br />BOTOR: [clicks tongue] I guess there was less punishments in America. In the Philippines, they would be really strict. I remember that before going into the classroom, they would check how clean out hands were, and we would get in trouble if they were dirty because they were really look for hygiene and stuff. I remember even transitioning from England to America, it was kind of different because I remember my teach asked me how to spell the word color. And in England they have the u in it, but they don’t here. And so, when I was trying to spell it out with the u, the other kids were like “no that's not how you spell it” and my teach had to be like “oh no that how they spell it in England.” So, there was stuff like that [laughs]<br /><br />HEWITT: Where did you first live in the US? You said you lived in Millbrae?<br /><br />BOTOR: Yeah, I first moved to Millbrae. And then I think in the fourth grade that's when I moved to Brentwood.<br /><br />HEWITT: Did you notice anything different between first generation immigrants and the Filipino American community?<br /><br />BOTOR: I feel like for Filipinos there’s - I feel like there's a lot of insecurities because of all the colonial baggage that we face. I feel like a lot of Filipinos have a lot of trouble identifying themselves because it’s like we’re part of that Asian American model minority. But there are some of us who aren't like that and are into different things. So I just find a lot of Filipinos having trouble identifying with themselves and who they really are. Because there's a lot of outside influences that pressure them to be a certain way.<br /><br />HEWITT: Do you feel that’s true for the FilAm community at UC Davis?<br /><br />BOTOR: Yeah definitely [laughs]<br /><br />HEWITT: Alright well I think that’s about it.<br /><br />BOTOR: [whispers] Is it long enough?<br /><br />HEWITT: [laughs] Do you have any more remarks?<br /><br />[9:59]<br /><br />BOTOR: I don't know. I hope - obviously with each community, especially one that's like Filipino Americans and things like that, they'll always have their flaws, but I hope that they continue to grow in the rights ways in rather than the wrongs ones. That’s all I have to say about that.<br /><br />[10:25]
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Oral history interview with Noemi Botor, interviewed by Samuel Hewitt
Subject
The topic of the resource
Brentwood, CA, California, Baguio City, Philippines, floral shop, florist, nurse, Navy, England, UK, United Kingdom, California, Millbrae, first generation, immigrants, immigrant families--United States, model minority, UC Davis
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Noemi Botor, interviewed by Samuel Hewitt
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
24-May-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0018
Baguio City
Brentwood
CA
California
England
first generation
floral shop
florist
Immigrant families--United States
immigrants
Millbrae
model minority
Navy
nurse
Philippines
UC Davis
UK
United Kingdom
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Wendy Hernandez
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Paolo Banaag
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
Hernandez: “Alright, it is June 3, 2019 and it is 9:43. This is Wendy Hernandez, interviewing for the Filipino immigrant Oral History Project. Today I am interviewing:<br /><br />Banaag: Paolo Banaag<br /><br />Hernandez: Alright, let us begin. So we are going to start by talking a little bit about your childhood and early adult life. <br /><br />Banaag: Alright.<br /><br />Hernandez: When and where were you born?<br /><br />Banaag: I was born in the Philippines, Manila<br /><br />Hernandez: And where were your parents born?<br /><br />Banaag: My parents were also born in the Philippines.<br /><br />Hernandez: Do you know what jobs parents did in the Philippines?<br /><br />Banaag: My mom was a hotel and restaurant manager and my dad is an engineer. <br /><br />Hernandez: How many siblings do you have? If you have any?<br /><br />Banaag: I have two little sisters.. Well, they’re not that little anymore [laughs]<br /><br />Hernandez: Do you come from a big family?<br /><br />Banaag: Well, my immediate family is only 5. But my dad has 9 nine brothers and sisters and my mom has four brothers and sisters. So, I would say its a medium size family. <br /><br />Hernandez: And did any of your family members move to America before you?<br /><br />Banaag: Yes. My uncle did. <br /><br />Hernandez: When.. When did you immigrate to the U.S? If you by any chance remember?<br /><br />Banaag: Yeah, I came here November 2000.<br /><br />Hernandez: Do you remember traveling by yourself or with other members of your family?<br /><br />Banaag: No, we all came together.<br /><br />Hernandez: How would you describe your experience immigrating to the US?<br /><br />Banaag: It was kind of tough, because I had to leave all my friends behind but it wasn’t as tough because before coming to the U.S my family migrated to another country. When I was seven, my family moved to Brunei, which is a small country in South-east Asia. Then from there, we came to the U.S. So in terms of transitioning, it wasn't as physical.<br /><br />Hernandez: Do you know the process? [Such as] did you have a visa; was it easy? <br /><br />Banaag: No, definitely not. We actually came to the U.S with a tourist visa. We were only supposed to be [in the U.S] for a couple of months and then we decided to stay. So for a while we were actually undocumented and it was quite a process to get our green card, our social and then all of that documents.<br /><br />Hernandez: Since you did immigrate to the U.S at a young age, did you know, at the time, that you were considered an immigrant?<br /><br />[Pause]<br /><br />Banaag: I actually had a cousin who married this white guy and he, for some reason, would tell us that we were immigrants. So that’s how I was like ‘okay, yeah, okay .We are immigrants, I get it.’<br /><br />Hernandez: Did your status affect you in a specific manner? Like in education, work, etc.<br /><br />Banaag: Definitely, I came here when I was fourteen. So I went to a high school. I attended community college for two years. I actually did nursing for two years and then, when it was time for me to apply for a nursing program, they wouldn’t even give me an application because I didn’t have a social security number. Also, I didn’t have.. I couldn’t work and I didn’t have financial aid which was before California Dream Act, DACA. So I had to do a lot of under the table jobs to put myself through college. I had to refigure out my career goals and educational goals because I was undocumented. I took the bus everywhere because I couldn’t really drive; we [couldn’t] get our license.<br /><br />Hernandez: How was your academic experience like being undocumented?<br /><br />Banaag: Well, since I was still the first person in my family to go to college here, in the U.S, it was quite like nobody could really help me figure it out. I had to rely a lot on friends, counselors, professors to really figure out the way to a higher education. Again, being undocumented [meant] you don’t really know what is available to you. You don’t know kind of like where the system is just going to tell you can’t move anymore forward. So there was a lot of unknown and it was really tough to motivate myself to pursue or to continue with a higher education. But I guess I just had the right people around me, who just kept pushing me forward. I was eventually able to transfer to UCLA and majored in English. But even at that time, I was commuting from Glendale to UCLA; which is like a two hour bus ride back and forth-that how it affected my education. <br /><br />Hernandez: What jobs did you have? Like you said you did like under the table jobs.<br /><br />Banaag: I was a—. Well I worked for—. I was a receptionist at one point. And then I actually worked as a nursing assistant when I was like seventeen or eighteen. So I was like on life-input, feeding elderly people.. I was working at a convalescent hospital. And sometimes I would work from like 11pm at night till 7am in the morning. Then I would go straight to school afterwards. I kind of had to do whatever job was [available]—. I had to go anywhere where they would let me work pretty much and do whatever they would ask me to do. <br /><br />Hernandez: Did you state that you didn’t have a social security number? Did you use a fake social?<br /><br />Banaag: At the time I had a PIN number and I think they were able to use that. But they knew that I didn’t have papers. And actually, their reason that I got let go was because they were going to do an audit or something like that. So that’s why.<br /><br />Hernandez: As a first generation immigrant do you feel like there’s any difference with like within the Filipino-American community?<br /><br />Banaag: In terms of..?<br /><br />Hernandez: In terms of education experience and job experience.<br /><br />Banaag: I feel like being undocumented kind of separated me aside from the Filipinos who grew up here and have their papers. But there are a lot of Filipinos and actually not just Filipinos but a lot of Asian Americans who are undocumented. I feel like there’s a stigma where people hear like ‘Oh, undocumented people [are] only referring to the Latinx population.’ But there’s actually a big population of Asian Americans who don’t have their papers. But I do feel like the subculture that I belong to there’s not a lot of Asian Americans or a lot of Filipinos who belong in because I did have my documentation. <br /><br />Hernandez: Yeah, did you have any specific thoughts about America before you moved here?<br /><br />Banaag: [laughs] Yeah, you know, like America is supposedly the land of opportunities; the land of the great or whatever. I just feel like it still gave me a lot of, obviously, opportunities but I feel like it is a lot harder than what people, especially in LA, it’s a lot harder to get to that position than what people typically say. I feel like I still have relatives in the Philippines who think that money just grows on trees here and it’s not really like a struggle or process to find work and to be competitive or to be marketable. So I feel like there’s a misconception that people have outside of the U.S that think about the U.S. <br /><br />Hernandez: What was different about living in America as opposed to the Philippines?<br /><br />Banaag: I feel like there’s just so much options here. Maybe, even a little too much. In the Philippines it’s—. The level of education there is also pretty high but definitely in the U.S it opens a lot more doors for you. In the Philippines too, its like mobility is very hard. You can't just drive anywhere. I think, actual physical mobility and then also social and upward mobility, the states definitely provide you with a lot more. <br /><br />Hernandez: You mentioned that you now in LA. Did you first live in LA when you first moved to the U.S?<br /><br />Banaag: Yeah. So my uncle lives in Glendale, which is a part of LA county. We actually lived in his attic, for like a good year. There were five of us living in his attic before we got our own apartment. But ever since then we´ve stayed local.<br /><br />Hernandez: Are you still under DACA?<br /><br />Banaag: No, my dad—. Ironically enough, my dad got petitioned right after I graduated from UCLA. All through my education I didn't have financial aid and when I graduated my dad got petitioned by his job. And that's how we were able to get our paperwork. I believe this was six years ago that I got my citizenship. Five or six years ago. <br /><br />Hernandez: How would you describe your education as a DACA recipient?<br /><br />Banaag: Again, I wasn’t DACA. I feel like—. DACA didn't start until 2012. I was undocumented from the year 2000 to like 2009. I never really got to apply for that. Just being undocumented, again, there were so many opportunities that I wasn´t able to get. Even like scholarships, there were some scholarships you can ́t apply for because you don't have your social. On top of having to work to pay for college. I feel like it did kind of pushed me a little bit more. You know, they have that word ´ganas,´when you´re undocumented. You kind of are a little more resilient than your documented peers only because, to me, I was paying for those classes out of pocket so if I failed them I would have to pay for them again. So I kind of had that motivation of like, ´okay, you can't mess around because you're just wasting your money.´ So in a sense, being undocumented kind of humbled me in a sense’ to pursue and persist in my education. (Sp?)<br /><br />Hernandez: Do you remember your academic experience in the Philippines?<br /><br />Banaag: No, I left the Philippines when I was like in fourth grade. I wasn ́t experienced, I can tell you that. It was definitely a learning experience for me. <br /><br />Hernandez: Have you traveled back to the Philippines since then?<br /><br />Banaag: Yeah, I went back in 2011 and came back, actually recently, this past Christmas. I was there for a couple of weeks. <br /><br />Hernandez: How would you relate your experience now going back to the Philippines-do you miss it?<br /><br />Banaag: I miss my grandma because she still lives there and so does some of my family members. But, I feel like my life is here now. But I do still treasure having to come from the Philippines and the experiences I ́ve had then. It has definitely shaped me into the person I am today like being able to speak another language, being able to have another culture aside from just American. I'm a professor and a college counselor, it helps me be a little more relatable and adaptable to my students. <br /><br />Hernandez: Do you see any difference, like your family in the Philippines, in the way they treat you?<br /><br />Banaag: Not necessarily, my mom's side of the family is a little bit ´Americanized.´ So they don't even live in the Philippines. They don't really treat me any differently. But my dad's side of the family is a little bit more on the lower socio economic side. So they do feel like being in American, again, you're automatically rich. Money falls from trees over here, so I feel like they have that expectation of like ´oh, he’s going to be snobby or he’s going to be better than other people.´ But I try to not be like that. I don't show off when I'm in the Philippines, I just try to like hang out with my family. <br /><br />Hernandez: Well, that is it for my questions. Would you like to enclose anything else from your experience?<br /><br />Banaag: No, I mean, again, I think being an immigrant it teaches you how to be flexible and adaptable to a lot of things. You also gain a lot of grip and a lot of resilience by being an immigrant because, again, you have an experience from another country and uprooting everything and risking everything to just come to another country. It takes a lot of courage and determination. It does teach you a lot of things in life that other people who might not have left or traveledñ they don't understand that process. It has really shaped me today. <br /><br />Hernandez: Thank you for your time!<br /><br />Banaag: No problem Wendy. [Laughs]
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Oral history interview with Paolo Banaag, interviewed by Wendy Hernandez
Subject
The topic of the resource
Manila, Philippines, hotel manager, restaurant manager, engineer, Brunei, Southeast Asia, visa, undocumented, green card, immigrant, immigrant families--United States, California Dream Act, DACA, nursing, first generation, first-gen, UCLA, University of California Los Angeles, Glendale, convalescent hospital, physical mobility, social mobility, upward mobility, petition, petition visa, professor, college counselor
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Paolo Banaag, interviewed by Wendy Hernandez
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
3-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0017
Brunei
California Dream Act
college counselor
convalescent hospital
DACA
Engineer
first generation
first-gen
Glendale
green card
hotel manager
immigrant
Immigrant families--United States
Manila
nursing
petition
petition visa
Philippines
physical mobility
professor
restaurant manager
social mobility
Southeast Asia
UCLA
undocumented
University of California Los Angeles
upward mobility
visa
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Kyrene Giezel Gutierrez
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Dante Gutierrez
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Session 1, June 9, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />GUTIERREZ, K: Alright, it is June 9, 2019 and it is 3:19pm. This is Ky interviewing for the Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project for ASA 150. Today, I am interviewing:<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: My name is Dante Gutierrez.<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Alright, so let’s start with a little of your childhood and your early adult life. So, where and when were you born?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I was born in Manila in 1953.<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What did your parents do? What jobs?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: My parents is doing a civil service servant. She [my mother] was assigned in the water works company in Manila, and she has been a cashier there until she retired. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: How many siblings did you have? Did you come from a big family?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: On my father’s side, there were 5 siblings and on my mother’s side, there were 8 siblings. I don’t think that was a big family. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: How about you? Did you have siblings?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Yea, I had siblings too. We were 5 in the family. I am the second to the eldest and the rest are three daughters. Yea, three sisters. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Did any of your family members move to America before you?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: No, I did not have any family members that went to America. It’s only us [immediate family members: wife and kids].<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: How did you immigrate to America?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: We visited America in the year 2000 in November. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What was your academic experience in the Philippines?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: In the Philippines, I’ve been doing the – the profession that I have acquired during college, I’ve been a Certified Public Accountant in the Philippines and worked with the Bureau of Internal Revenue, like IRS here in America. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Why did you decide to move out of the Philippines?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I decided to stay in America, because I want to experience American life and I think it is peaceful staying here as compared to our country. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Why do you think it’s more peaceful?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Like for example, there are now many more movements threatening the government to stabilize the situation. <br /><br />[4:51]<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: And the political parties, they were not coordinating with each other. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What did you think about America before you moved here?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I was thinking that there are more opportunities in America. There are more job opportunities in America, which is better for our children for their better lives and education if we stayed here.<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Did any of that change after you arrived? Any of your thoughts? <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Yea. I’m not thinking for anybody else that harm us, because it’s very peaceful here and the situation here is so secured. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What jobs did you perform when you moved to America?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I was assigned doing the accounting job like in the Philippines. I’ve been connected with the construction company. I handle the accounting system and the budgeting department. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What else were your jobs here in America?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: After that, I lost my job and I was unable to find a job, because one of my daughters gave birth. I was taking care of them and help raise her child, too. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What experiences helped you get the job, like did any of your past professional and academic experience from the Philippines help you get the job in America? How did you get your job?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Before, in the Philippines, I was also assigned in the manufacturing company, being the accountant over there. Then, after that, I was doing product management in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia before going to America.<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Why were you in Saudi Arabia?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: In Jeddah. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Why were you there though, dad?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: What?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Why were you there?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Why?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: At Saudi? How did you get there?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: There was a job offering and consequently, the company that I was working before that is going to be closing. And Saudi Arabia hired me for contract basis. <br /><br />[9:53]<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: How long did you work at Saudi?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I’ve been working in Saudi Arabia as a product management. It was two years. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What are some of the memories you had in Saudi?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: The memory… what memory are you talking about?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Did you have any memories in Saudi?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: One thing is the climate. The climate is too hot in there as compared to other countries. The people there, only a few of them understands English. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: How long have you been living in America approximately?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Right now, I’ve been living here for almost 20 years, I think. I’ve been here since 2000 and right now, it’s 2019. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Do you notice anything different between you and Filipino Americans? People who were born in the Philippines versus people who were born here in America, like Filipinos. Do you notice anything different?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I think the only difference is the culture. Number one is the culture. What they eat here compared to the Philippines, I think they don’t want to eat the Filipino food here. For example, the fish. Most Filipinos who were born here did not want to eat fish. One thing is the Filipino attitude, like saying po in a respectful way, they are doing the same thing. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Where did you first live when you were in the U.S.?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I stayed in Daly City when we arrived here as a room tenant. After two years, I’ve been renting out an apartment, for a one-bedroom apartment. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What are some of the things you remember as a child living in the Philippines? <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: As a child, when I grew up... I think the most memorable thing that I have to…<br /><br />[14:57]<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I have to get some money in order to have your [daughter’s] education. Without money, I think you cannot get sent to school. Even though there are some public schools over there, but still you have to pay. One more thing is we came from a poor family. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What was the highest education you’ve had in the Philippines?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Highest?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Like how high did you in your education?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I finished my college in the Philippines and took my board exam, also in the Philippines. I graduated in college as BSC in Accounting, Bachelor’s of Science in Commerce Accounting Major. After I finished my college, after a year, I found a job. While in the job, I was planning to take the board exam to be a Certified Public Accountant over there. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Did you ever get your Master’s?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Yea, one more thing is that I got my Master’s when I already finished my Certified Public Accountant career. I got it October 1999. I got my Master’s Degree in Business Management. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Do you use your degree?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I never use my degree, my Master’s in Business Administration. I think, only few, when I used it in here, during my budgeting function here in America. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What were some of your experiences while here in America?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: What experiences?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Like did you face any discrimination, racism? <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I think there’s no discrimination regarding the job opportunities. The only thing that I noticed is that you must be flexible in your job when you’re already hired as being a worker. You must do whatever you can do just to help other staff inside the company. That’s the only thing I noticed that I experienced. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: I remember you talking to me one time about how you lived during the Marcos regime. How was that?<br /><br />[19:54]<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: During the Marcos regime, I think most of the people were disciplined, especially during the martial law time declared by President Marcos. Nobody was inspired to give a negative opinion on the government and how it ran. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What was your opinion?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Opinion for what?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: For the government.<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: The only question I have in my mind is that why are there many political candidates who wants to occupy some position in the government. They were investing more money, billions of money, just to run for a position in the government. That’s the only thing I would have in my mind. Maybe, one of the reasons is that they want to protect their business interests. I think that’s the only thing I have in mind. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Do you still participate in voting back home in the Philippines?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Right now, I’m not participating anymore since I’ve been living here in America even though I still have rights to vote. With the situation now, it’s so very different. Whatever the people choose, they [the government] are still doing the same thing. They’re still doing their personal interests or business interests. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: How often do you go home to the Philippines?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I prepare to go home now yearly as possible. If I have time or if I have some money to pay for my ticket, I have to go home yearly just to visit any difference or any progress made to be seen with my eyes. Like, the one before when I never went to the Philippines for 10 years, it’s very different now that there are so many… what do you call this one? The areas have too many people now. Place are now overcrowded, more traffic. Even though the road is widened and I don’t know what’s the reason on how they solve the traffic. There are many peddlers on the street. You could imagine traveling for 10 miles away. You can spend 2 hours. That’s how worse is the traffic in the Philippines. <br /><br />[24:51]<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Do you have any regrets leaving the Philippines?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I don’t have any regrets living in the Philippines, because I was born there. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: No, leaving, leaving the Philippines. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: No, no, no. I never regret. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Tell me more about Ilocos Sur. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Ilocos Sur now is good. There are more roads that were built. Many business establishments were there already. The one department store is already there. Going to Ilocos Sur is more comfortable, because there are more roads built coming from Manila, from the other provinces, like Baguio and Zambales. There are many alternative routes. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: How is it different from when you were growing up?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: The only difference is that there was only one road they were using when going there. There’s the national road, the Manila road, but the McArthur highway. They call it the McArthur highway. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: McArthur, as in General McArthur?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Yea, I think that road was named after General McArthur. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What did you learn about in school, in terms of the Philippines?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Academic or what? <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: nods<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I think there’s no difference in learning school here and there in the Philippines, because the adoption is also the same as an American textbook. So, what you learn here is almost the same in the Philippines. The only thing is the way the teacher teaches his class in the Philippines, the way he teaches, the way he wants his class to learn. <br /><br />[29:58]<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: So, it’s about the same material?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Yea, the same material. They are the same books. The teaching method is also in English, but the only difference here is purely English. Unlike there, sometimes they are using the Filipino dialect and English if the class do not understand [the dialect]. That’s the only difference I think. But also, Filipino subject in the Philippines. They also have World History subject and Filipino History, of course. They’re also teaching how to do Home Economics. They also teaching the [inaudible] work, like how to make the tables, how to repair the vehicles. The home jobs. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: What do you like about America?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Number one reason that I like to stay here in America is that it’s very peaceful although there are some crimes. But the police enforcer can resolve it right away. The judicial right and judicial cases are solved right away unlike in the Philippines. Some of the crime cases were not solved until now even though it’s been 10 years above or below. Number two reason is the climate. The climate here. You are experiencing 4 seasons: the autumn, summer, spring, and fall [winter]. On the negative side, the house rental or apartment rental is too expensive as compared to the Philippines. You could imagine if you are the only one working on minimum wage, you can’t live here in America. All your earnings, being the basic earner, only goes to the owner of the house or owner of the apartment. The members of your family or maybe even around 4 people in the family or household would be working in order to live. <br /><br />[34:53]<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Were you a part of any labor organizing work?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: No, I never did that. Even in the labor union, I never became a member. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Why not?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: Because my previous job, they won’t be covered. Under the administration, you are not allowed to be a member of any union clubs. <br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Do you know anything about Filipino labor organizers from back in the day?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I know the Trade Union of the Philippines, TUP, and the FFW, Federation of Free Workers, that I know in the Philippines.<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: But you weren’t a part of any of those?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: No, I haven’t been part of those, because the policy in the Philippines is that if you are under administration, you won’t be able to become a member for any of the labor unions.<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: Is there anything else you would want to share or add about your experiences as a Filipino immigrant coming to America or anything like that?<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I think the only experience I’d want to add is that I have heard, many instances that Filipinos with other Filipinos are not helping each other. Filipinos want to promote himself as being a worker, but Filipinos should help other Filipinos. So, right now, if there are some Filipinos who want to come into America, they should plan that they have the right home to stay in America, they have the right job to pay for their obligations. <br /><br />[39:48]<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, D: I think they have more relatives living here in America. Just in case, if they need help, some of their relatives can help him. I think that’s the only thing I’ve never experienced here. Because we don’t have any relatives living here in America. It’s only us, who started and wanted to acquire those American Dreams.<br /><br />GUTIERREZ, K: That’s it. That’s all. Thank you for letting me interview you and if there’s anything else, just let me know.<br /><br />[End Audio File]
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral history interview with Dante Gutierrez, interviewed by Kyrene Giezel Gutierrez
Subject
The topic of the resource
Manila, Philippines, civil service servant, water works company, Certified Public Accountant, accounting, Bureau of Internal Revenue, immigration, immigrant families--United States, immigrant, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Filipino Americans, Daly City, BSC Accounting, Bachelor's of Science in Commerce Accounting Major, Certified Public Accountant, Master's Degree, M.S., MS, Business Management, discrimination, racism, Marcos, Ferdinand Marcos, President Marcos, Martial Law, Illocos Sur, Ilocano,Ilokano, Baguio, Zambales, McArthur Highway, union, Trade Union of the Philippines, TUP, FFW, Federation of Free Workers
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Dante Gutierrez, interviewed by Kyrene Giezel Gutierrez
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
9-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0016
accounting
Bachelor's of Science in Commerce Accounting Major
Baguio
BSC Accounting
Bureau of Internal Revenue
Business Management
Certified Public Accountant
civil service servant
Daly City
discrimination
Federation of Free Workers
Ferdinand Marcos
FFW
Filipino Americans
Illocos Sur
Ilocano
Ilokano
immigrant
Immigrant families--United States
immigration
Jeddah
M.S.
Manila
Marcos
Martial Law
Master's Degree
McArthur Highway
MS
Philippines
President Marcos
racism
Saudi Arabia
Trade Union of the Philippines
TUP
union
water works company
Zambales
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Daniel Gonzalez
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Rheanne Cruz
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Session 1, June 10, 2019]<br />[Begin Audio File]<br />Daniel: So today is June 10, 2019 and it is 11:10 AM. This is Daniel Valentin Gonzalez<br />and I am interviewing for the Filipinx Oral History Project for ASA 150: The Filipinx<br />Experience in the US. Today I am interviewing:<br />Rheanne: Rheanne Cruz.<br />Daniel: Alright so let's get started. So first we are going to start by talking a little but<br />about your childhood and your young adult life. When and where were you born?<br />Rheanne: I was born in Manila, Philippines and I was born on March 19th, 2000.<br />Daniel: Okay, and where were your parents born?<br />Rheanne: My mom was born in Mindanao, Philippines but I’m not sure where my dad was<br />born.<br />Daniel: And what did your parents do?<br />Rheanne: My mom is currently a nurse, but in her time in the Philippines she was just a<br />student.<br />Daniel: Oh okay. And do you know what your grandparents did for work?<br />Rheanne: Yes. My grandma moved over 20 years before my mom and I did, and she was a<br />personal caretaker.<br />Daniel: Oh okay, and that’s here in the US?<br />Rheanne: Yes.<br />[3]<br />Daniel: Okay. And how many siblings did you have?<br />Rheanne: I am the only child.<br />Daniel: Oh okay, so you said that your grandma moved here before you and your mom<br />did?<br />Rheanne: Yes.<br />Daniel: And was she the only family member that moved here before you did?<br />Rheanne: Yes my only immediate family member, but I had extended family here. I had like<br />aunts and uncles.<br />Daniel: Okay. But your grandma was your primary contact?<br />Rheanne: Yeah.<br />Daniel: Okay, and did you have any schooling or academic experience in the Philippines?<br />Rheanne: No I didn’t.<br />Daniel: So when did, at what age did you come here?<br />Rheanne: I came when I was four.<br />Daniel: Okay. And why, well I guess you didn’t have much of a say in coming did you?<br />Rheanne: Yeah no, my mom moved over, well she decided to come here because the<br />“guarantee of a better life”<br />Daniel: Okay, so right now where do you live?<br />Rheanne: I live in Los Angeles, California.<br />Daniel: Okay, did you live anywhere else prior to living there?<br />Rheanne: I lived in Roseville, California in Sacramento.<br />[4]<br />Daniel: Okay then, and what made you go back to, or go to LA?<br />Rheanne: Oh it was my parents divorce.<br />Daniel: Okay I see. Did you have like, do you remember any feelings you had about the<br />United States before you moved here?<br />Rheanne: I was really young, but I guess all I really remember thinking about Americans or<br />America was that they had a lot more than the Philippines did.<br />Daniel: And what about your mom, did she like express anything about the US?<br />Rheanne: No not really, I don’t remember talking to her much about it.<br />Daniel: Oh okay, and did your grandma have any influence in you, what your family did?<br />Rheanne: We video chatted with her and not really, if it was something she had a lot more<br />than anybody in the Philippines did, but she was definitely sending it over to us.<br />Daniel: Okay, do you remember any differences about the way you lived in the<br />Philippines compared to the way you lived here?<br />Rheanne: In the Philippines I guess I saw a lot more people, I lived with a lot more people,<br />and here I lived with my grandparents and my mom and I didn't really see anybody like that<br />around, it didn't feel like, there was a bigger sense of community in the Philippines.<br />Daniel: Oh okay, so you haven’t been able to find something similar here?<br />[5:02]<br />Rheanne: Yeah it's like in the Philippines there's like being able to walk over to a neighbors<br />place and feeling very welcomed, and here it’s like not super normal.<br />Daniel: So umm, did you, where did you first, oh sorry.<br />Rheanne: It’s okay, don’t worry.<br />Daniel: Where did you first live when you came to the United States?<br />[5]<br />Rheanne: I first lived in Roseville, California.<br />Daniel: Oh okay so you started there.<br />Rheanne: Yeah.<br />Daniel: So did you, so you went to school here in the US right?<br />Rheanne: Yes.<br />Daniel: And did you go to school with like any other first generation immigrants or other<br />Filipino immigrants?<br />Rheanne: I went to, I lived in Roseville, so that was predominantly white I remember only 3<br />students of color in my classes and I didn’t know if they were immigrants or not, but when I<br />moved over to Los Angeles there was actually a lot more first generation immigrant kids.<br />Daniel: Oh okay then, did you, so how was that comparing those two different<br />environments?<br />Rheanne: When I was younger I guess I felt like an outsider in order to socialize with kids<br />and feel relatable, but when I moved over to Los Angeles where its much more diverse I felt a lot<br />more welcomed.<br />Daniel: Okay, and what about, did you notice, so when you lived in LA was there<br />diversity between just like other ethnicities besides Filipinos?<br />Rheanne: Yes.<br />Daniel: So did you notice anything different between those immigrants and the Filipino<br />immigrants, or did you feel like they shared similar experiences?<br />Rheanne: I think they were pretty similar, if there was family around people were very close<br />to family, and family was, and like, our home countries, people definitely were still in contact<br />with them, but I don't know. I guess in the school that I went to there weren't as many Filipinos<br />and Filipinos that I met had a lot more family over so it was kinda different. Yeah sorry if that<br />was a little bit vague.<br />[6]<br />Daniel: No yeah, no you’re good. Yeah a lot of times we don’t really like think about<br />these things when you're going through it. Okay well that's all the questions that I have unless<br />you have any closing remarks or any other comments that you’d like to make as well.<br />Rheanne: Oh no I think that’s it.<br />Daniel: Okay then well thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.<br />Rheanne: Okay no problem.
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Title
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Oral history interview with Rheanne Cruz, interviewed by Daniel Gonzalez
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Manila, Philippines, Mindanao, nurse, Los Angeles, California, LA, Roseville, Sacramento, first generation, immigrant, immigrant families--United States, divorce
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Oral history interview with Rheanne Cruz, interviewed by Daniel Gonzalez
Date
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10-Jun-19
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Audio Recording and Transcript
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0015
California
divorce
first generation
immigrant
Immigrant families--United States
LA
Los Angeles
Manila
Mindanao
nurse
Philippines
Roseville
sacramento
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Title
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Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
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Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
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<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
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Interviewer
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Ralph Gabriel Giron
Interviewee
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Gloria Dela Cruz
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[Giron] <br />Today is the second of June 2019. Today I will be doing err conducting an interview with a Filipino immigrant. My name is Ralph Giron. May I… have your full name?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yeah, my name is Gloria Dela Cruz.<br />[Giron]<br />[coughs] So… Gloria, I will be asking you a few questions talking about your life as a Filipino immigrant. Umm… most of these questions are going to be in English. If you think that your English is not good enough, you can, of course, speak in Tagalog. Umm…yes! We shall start! So, to start off, where and when were you born? <br />[Dela Cruz] <br />I was born in Malolos, Bulacan in Philippines. [Felt uncomfortable providing birthdate.] <br />[Giron] <br />Where were your parents born?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />At the same place I was born.<br />[Giron]<br />What jobs did your parents do?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />My mom is [was] a sew… umm…dress maker and my dad is [was] a soldier before.<br /><br />[Giron]<br />Soldier? Uh to go upon that, when did he fight err what war did he fight?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />What war did he fight? They just umm it is a community fight, like in the same place in the Philippines. Where in there is… the new people’s army that were fighting in [for] their freedom against the government. <br />[Giron]<br />Okay and do you remember your grandparents?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Yes.<br />[Giron] <br />Okay… with your grandparents…do you… Where were err where were your grandparents born and what did they do?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Umm… my grandparents were born in the same place where [was] I born in the Philippines, and what they job before are… they are the farm raiser, like umm [pause] How do you call that? They raised chicken and…<br />[Giron]<br />Farmers?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Yeah.<br />[Giron]<br />Okay so, another quick question: how many siblings did you have?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />I have four siblings.<br />[Giron] <br />Boys? Girls?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Two boys and three girls [Four related by blood. One half-sister] <br />[Giron]<br />Did you come from a large family?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Uhh no I have only my dad and my aunt. [Pause] So there are only two kids from my grandparents so it’s not really large.<br />[Giron] <br />I meant, as in general, with your parents and your siblings. Did you grow up with a larger family like umm, uncles? Aunts?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Uh yeah yeah, yes I did.<br />[Giron]<br />And how many can you count in total?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />At my father’s side they only two and my mom’s side is there are three siblings.<br />[Giron]<br />Did any of your family members move to America before you?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Uh they are my auntie before, on the third cousin, my parent’s third cousin, they were in Texas right now.<br />Giron: And when did they move to America?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Uh they said America is a better place for good education…<br />[Giron]<br />No.. uhh When did they move to America?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />When? Um that will be 1970…1976 like that.<br /><br />[Giron]<br />Okay, and to go off of this, since they moved before you did when did you move? What year did you move?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />My family and I move here on 2005.<br />[Giron]<br />What state did you reside in?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Here in California.<br />[Giron]<br />[changing subjects] Umm so in the Philippines, I’m assuming since you’re an immigrant, did you study in the Philippines?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Uh yes I graduated in college. Major in Bachelor of Science in Commerce. Oh! Studying Bachelor of Science in Commerce, major in Economics.<br />[Giron]<br />And what school did you go to?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />I graduated in Regina Carmeli Uni [Pause] now is um University of Regina Carmeli. <br />[Giron] <br />Regina Carmeli? <br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yes.<br />[Giron] <br />Okay. So growing up in the Philippines err having your education in the Philippines, what was it like? How were the schools there? How was your academic experience?<br /><br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Umm compared to the U.S., Philippines is way…lesser [struggling to think of the word]<br />[Giron]<br />You can speak in Tagalog.<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Yeah yeah, kung ikukumpara ko ang studies from Philippines [than] here in U.S. I can say that America is much better than the education in the Philippines. In the sense that… mas marami ang year ng pag <br />a-aral mo, dito sa America ‘kay sa Pilipinas. <br />[Giron] So you’re saying that you go to school longer in the Philippines that you do… <br />[Dela Cruz]<br />No, here [in America] is longer. Cause right now we have up to grade twelve. In the Philippines we only have fourth year. Grade six in elementary. Four years in high school, and four years in college. <br />[Giron] <br />Ahh okay that is very interesting. Sorry, I did not go to… I did not have education in the Philippines, so that is very new to me. Umm and you said you… I’m sorry what was your major again when you were in college?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />My major was in Economics.<br />[Giron] <br />Economics! Okay! So umm since you majored in Economics, what was work like err what work did you apply for? <br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Uhh I never got a chance to use my major because when I first graduated in college I went to a different country with my mom to work with her with one family there as a domestic helper and it last for one year and then when I came back umm I got this job in a publication where you will uhh make a newspaper, magazines, books, leaflets, invitations like that, something like that. And then I cannot… I didn’t pursue the… [Struggling to think of the word]<br />[Giron]<br />Your original major?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Yeah, my original major.<br />[Giron]<br />Umm and this is a little bit personal, but do you have any regrets not pursuing your major or did you enjoy doing the whole newspaper business? <br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Actually, my major’s course is not really my dream course because what I want at the time is to be a nurse, but because I don’t have money, or my parents did not have money to put me into that kind of school. So it [I] never happens to be a nurse at that time. But I enjoy being a newspaper, a layout artist in that publication.<br />[Giron] <br />Okay! So, the next couple of questions will ask about umm you coming here to America. So, to start off, when did you decide to move out of the Philippines? So, when did you start thinking, “I want to move to America.” About when did you start think about that?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Actually, that wasn’t our plan before. It wasn’t came to my mind that I would be going here to America, but there’s an opportunity for my sister to be here, to come here in America, and then after the five years of being here she petitioned my parents. After my parents, she petitioned us, siblings, so that how we get in here in America. <br /><br />[Giron] <br />Okay! Let me get this straight. So, your older sister?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />My youngest.. um no, my sister next to me. <br />[Giron] <br />So, a year? Or?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yeah a year.<br />[Giron]<br />So, your younger sister had an opportunity to come to America and when she came here, did she become a citizen? <br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yes, she married a citizen… guy.<br />[Giron] <br />So, she married someone who was a citizen, therefore she became a citizen, and she petitioned your parents to come to America and then she also petitioned you guys, the siblings.<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yeah the remaining children.<br />[Giron]<br />So, when did that occur?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Umm, for my sister, or…?<br />[Giron]<br />For you. So, once your sister petitioned you guys, when was the petition? <br />[Dela Cruz]<br />I remember my parents came here 1996, and they file a petition for their kids, for their children after that. I think I came here like 10 years after they were in America.<br />[Giron] <br />Why did you choose to move here, rather than stay in America [I meant to say the Philippines.]<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />In the Philippines?<br />[Giron]<br />Yes. <br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Yeah, umm they said umm America has a great opportunity for us Filipinos. They said.. what do you call honey… green… <br />[Giron]<br />[Laughs] uhh yeah, I don’t know the correct saying.<br /><br />[Long Pause, then resumes. We had to search up the proper saying for her reference] <br /><br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yeah, they said America is a land of milk and honey, like there is a greenest pasture here in America. The greatest opportunity for us Filipinos to be here, so we can uhh.. para pag unlad yung sarili naming.<br />[Giron]<br />Uhh did you have any children that kind of… So, the reason why you wanted to move to America, because the saying that you just did, that America is the land of milk and honey and talked about opportunity. Did you want your children to have a better opportunity?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Yeah, that’s the first thing that came to my being err to my mind that I want my children to come here, to get the knowledge or the.. to get study here, finish their college here, and I’m also dreaming that they can be a doctor here, sometimes, [Quietly laughing in unison] because being a doctor here in America is a kind of umm mataas na ni pag ina aralan. Mataas na ni pag ina aralan na kahit saan ka marating, kahit saan mag punta basta graduate ka ng America being a doctor, marami kang chance sa ibang lugar mapuntahan or ma pag trabhoan dahil mas mataas ang edukasyon ng pagiging doctor dito sa America.<br />[Giron] <br />Okay, very interesting! So, you referred to America or, you believed err used to believe that America a land flowing with milk and honey. After you moved here, did any of that idea change?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Uhh not really kasi sa Pilipinas wala ka naman masyado na pa-pasukan na trabaho. Maliit lang pag kumita ka, halimbawa na “in’ ka sa isang company, they just… they’re not giving you much salary so you can send your children to what your dream of them become. So, I’m very lucky that I have my parents, my sibling, who brought me here together with my children, so they can have this opportunity that they can study whatever they want. <br />[Giron]<br />Okay, that’s it? So, you do not regret leaving the Philippines at all?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />No. No regrets at all.<br />[Giron]<br />Okay! So, for your life, now that you’ve lived here [in America] for over a decade already, and you lived most of your life in the Philippines. Can you tell me different situations err what was different about living in America, as oppose to living in the Philippines?<br /><br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Umm… living in the Philippines is easy, like when you don’t have anything to eat you just plant and you have something to eat, but here in America if you don’t get a job, you don’t have nothing to eat. Like hindi mo ma bi-bilhin yung gusto mo bilhin pag na sa Pilipinas ka, pero compared in the Philippines to America, mas masaya and buhay mo sa Pilipinas dahil enjoy mo… they said that… there’s nothing like home.<br />[Giron] <br />There’s no place like home?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />There’s no place like home. All your friends, all your relatives are living there, so… as if you have a lot of company. Marami kang, kung baga, ka-kampi, compared dito sa America na limited lang kayo, konti lang kayo, na mag mga maganak ng nadtio, walang masyadong tutulong, especially kung wala ka naman ka maganak, walang masyadong tutolong sayo. Compared na sa Pilipinas ka ‘aan doon yung maganak mo. Umm mayroon kang ma pu-puntahan kung kailangan mo ng tulong. Hindi sinasabi sa pera, pero tulong as in companion ba. Unlike dito sa America, puro ka trabaho. Kailangan mo mg trabaho para meron kang magandag opportunity na makatira sa ganitong lugar, makabilhi ka nang gusto mong bilhin, makain mo yung gusto mong kainin. Something like that. <br />[Giron] <br />Okay, and, so, now that I have a better idea err better understanding of your thoughts about America and the Philippines, I wanted to ask about your first few years here coming to America. So, when you first moved here you said that you lived in California, you currently reside in California, and this is the place you first came. I kind of want to know about your experience of coming to America for the first time. So, do you still remember the day you left the Philippines and the day you arrived in America, in the airport? <br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yeah, in the airport I was so amazed on the place. Of course, it was different, too much different compared to the Philippines, in a sense that the roads are really [Pause] developed compared to the Philippines. I can compare that America is really established. The roads are really… ni pinagplanohan, may plano lahat. Unlike sa Pilipinas na “oh itinayo itong daan na ito ng pa ganun lang.” [Waving arm motion] Like hindi nag isip or hindi masyado na plano. Kung ico-compara mo dito and lahat na makita mo sa daan is una una lang yung dadaanan mo, makikita mo na talagang wide, Na sa plano.<br />[Giron] <br />Okay! To make this a bit clear for me, you’re comparing the differences between the Philippines and America. You said America, when you see the roads, you know that things were built with a purpose. Things were built with a plan.<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yes.<br />[Giron] Comapred sa Pilipinas where, it seems like they just built things randomly, without a plan. Is that what you’re trying to say?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Mhm! Yes, that’s it.<br />[Giron] <br />Okay! So, I would like to know… which airport did you come from, oh, not come from, but when you came to the Philippines, which airport in California did you arrive in?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />We arrive in San Francisco Airport.<br /><br />[Giron]<br />Can you tell me about your experience, about… What was going through your mind as you stepped foot out of the airplane? Were you excited? How were you feeling?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />I am [was] a little nervous because I don’t now what will I expect America will give to me. What job should I do here, compared to what I have in the Philippines. I don’t know if there’s same job that I can get here as a publisher because when I first applied, I don’t want to mention the company, but I applied in some company, like a publication company. They said, I hear that this company is having a politics, you know, politics in the sense, that they just accepting people like your relative, your friends. So, I never got the chance to get into that company the same as I’m working in the Philippine. <br />[Giron] <br />So, with that when you said that you weren’t able to go into the job that you were used to, with the publication, did that change your life? As in, since you didn’t get into that job, were you forced to…<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yeah, I forced to go a different route, yes. <br />[Giron] <br />What route was that in, since you weren’t able to…<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Actually, I, in economics there’s a little background of accounting, so… [asking me a question] Do I have to mention this company? <br />[Giron]<br />Uhh you don’t have to mention the company.<br /><br /><br />[Dela Cruz] <br />So, I get into this company as a accounts payable in accounting because I have an experience or I have a background in accounting, to what I graduated, I used that experience or I can use that experience to get into that job. For the first time, yes, it is difficult for me to adjust because you will be working with people that new for you, like American people, different culture, like what you grow in [pause] different surroundings, yeah and different… I don’t know how you will work on that place you don’t know how to be with other people. Hindi mo alam kung pa-pano sila pakisamahan dahil iba ang kanilang kinalakihan, o ang ugalit, or kanilang ni pagaralan. And then that time, even this time I can admit that I having a hard time speaking English, so I don’t know how will I talk to them, and how will I talk to the customer that I was assigned to.<br />[Giron] <br />When you first came here, your life was very tough especially the adjustments. Was it similar for your children… the adjustment for them, was it difficult for them as well? <br />[Dela Cruz] <br />I never got a chance to ask them, but I think they don’t have a very hard time being with other people because they were so little before. Growing up here, I think they were really easily adjust themselves.<br />[Giron] <br />Perfect! So, when you first arrived here in California, did you have a place to stay? Did you already have a home? Did you stay with a relative? How did you get by for the first [few] years here, so where did you live?<br /><br /><br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Umm my parents that time had a house to live in Sunnyvale. So, they owned a house, but, because living in California is too expensive, so… We lived there for like five years, and then after that because life is very tough, my parents didn’t have anymore job that time and then my siblings are living in different place like, they were just living in apartment and I was the only one living with my parents. It’s too hard for us to pay that house… the mortgage of the house, so we decided to move into an apartment with my parents and with my kids, too. <br />[Giron]<br />Okay. Uhh [Pause] So, you told me before… I think I’m done with the “Living here in America” with that section. Umm, I wanted to go into your professions when you first moved here to America. So, you told me you wanted to get into some publications, but you didn’t get in. You told me some other things as well, but you said that it did not work out. What did you eventually settle on? What type of work did you eventually settle on?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Actually, you cannot pick your job. You cannot pick any job you want as long as you’re just… as long as you have a job to do [Pause] <br />Yeah, before, like I said, I was in this company I work in accounting, but the job is too tough for me, so I started one course to be a CNA, like a certified nursing assistant, I work in this [accounting] company, like I said, seven years, but this is too tough for me because like that time they said the company will be close in a couple of years. I decided to take a course, like a CNA, so I can have another job kapag ng saran a yung [accounting] company. <br /><br /><br />[Giron] <br />So, when you said you took another course did you have to go back to school here in America just to become a CNA? Or how did that process go?<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />I never dream of being a CNA. I just took that course because I want an easy easy… easy job, like papaano ako makaalis ako dito sa company to ayo kong ma bakante, like ayo kong pag nag-sara itong company na ito ay…<br />[Giron]<br />Jobless?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Maging jobless ako kaya… Naging practical lang ako na gusto ko saana dalawang trabaho, saana para ma kumita nang mas malaki, but the thing is, I cannot make… do double job at that time. It’s too hard having two job at the same time.<br />[Giron] <br />And, so, what was funny is that in my class now we learned about Filipinos and wanting to help [out], so it was very interesting to hear that you wanted to be a CNA. You wanted to be a CNA, a nursing assistant. Can I ask, you wanted… in the Philippines you wanted to become… your dream job was to become a nurse, so why did you settle to become a nurse assistant rather than pursue being a nurse when you knew the money…<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Of course, money is a problem here, how can I pursue my study being a nurse if I don’t have a job to do, so I can pursue that nursing job or nursing course. Kailangan may trabaho muna ako bago ako ma pursue ko yun, pero, dahil may mga anak ako, I have two kids, it’s too hard to get back to school being a full-time student while I have have my two kids with me, living with me and no one will look [after] for them and especially I don’t have money to use to continue my study being a nurse. Inisip ko papaano kong gagawin yun kung yung ang mga anak ko ay kasama ko, at mag fu-full time student ako? Ano kakainin ng mga anak ko kung estudyante ako? Kahit mga uutang ako nang pag aaral ko… how ‘bout yung kakainin yung mga anak ko? Saan ko ku-kuhanin yun? <br />[Giron] <br />That’s understandable.<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />So, I’d rather work than going to school. Being a CNA is konting panahon lang para tapusin mo. So, I think I take that course for only three months. So, after I finish that I get a job. Actually, a double job, but it’s too hard, so I stay for only one job and then, but after being a CNA for like two years I decided to get another job and I was now employed in electronics and now, compared to being a CNA and compared to being an accounts payable associate going to CAN and going to electronics I can say that electronics is more better for me… for my age because right now I’m a lead… a production lead in that company, so I’m earning like more than I’m earing in accounts payable or being a CNA before. <br />[Giron] <br />So, the current job you’re in now you make way more… <br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yes.<br />[Giron]<br />Okay! So, a lead is that like a manager status?<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />No, it’s umm… compared to supervisor, your’re under the supervisor. <br /><br /><br />[Giron]<br />That’s great to know that you were able to face America with all the issues and not having a job here early and all the difficulties you had in thie first few months… was there any other issues and hardships you faced.<br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yea, a hardship I’m facing right now is the apartment that we’re living right now… because my kids are getting older and I don’t want them to live in this apartment that not comfortable for them. I want more bigger hosue because my dream is to give my children a better life, but for me doing that it’s too hard, also ‘cause like I said living here in America it’s not really easy. You have to have two jobs so you can have your [Pause] Makuha mo yung gusto mo. As in makakuha ng bahay na mas kumportable para sa mga anak mo, pero, dahil na sa hirap nang buhay [intangible] dito sa California mahirap. Acutally, California it yung center nang job. Sa ibang lugar, halimbawa, i-compare mo sa, like in Texas, Texas is more… houses are more affordable, but the thing is… the problem with that area is the job. Ang mas mura sa lugar na ganoon, pero yung trabaho wala rin masyadong makakuhang trababo doon sa ganoong lugar. So, sa California dito talaga centro ng lahat ng company. <br />[Giron] <br />Okay, so, one final question: Did you notice anything different between the first-generation immigrants and the Filipino-<br />American community? Meaning, since you are an immigrant, you’re a first-generation immigrant [Pause] you grew up in the Philippines… was your life different from the Filipinos born in America? Did you notice anything different? For example, the opportunities.<br /><br /><br />[Dela Cruz] <br />Yes, opportunities, in the sense, that mas maganda ang opportunity na mga tao naka pagaral dito [in America] kaysa sa naka pagaral ka sa ibang lugar bago ka nag punta ka dito. Syempre, ang mas priority na ma nga company ay yun naka graduate ka, naka pagaral ka dito sa America, kaysa naka pagaral ka sa ibang lugar. So, masasabi ko na, yes, mas masarap ang… laka ng pagaral ka dito sa America kahit nung bata ka pa, na ka graduate ka dito kase mas maganda ang buhay, magiging buhay mo kung nag tapos ka nang pag aaral dito at naka kuha ka ng trabaho dito. Yeah, compared sa… na sa Pilipinas ka naka graduate tapos dito ka ng trabaho wala kang opportunity na makuha mo ung gusto mo talaga na trabaho dit sa America.<br />[Giron]<br />Okay, Gloria, that will be the end of the interview. I do not have any more questions left, so thank you for taking your time to speak with me… and yeah.<br />[Dela Cruz]<br />Uh yeah you’re welcome.<br />[Giron] <br />Thank you!
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral history interview with Gloria Dela Cruz, interviewed by Ralph Gabriel Giron
Subject
The topic of the resource
Malolos, Bulacan, Philippines, dressmaker, soldier, civil war, farmers, Texas, California, immigrant, immigrant families--United States, B.S. Commerce, Economics, Bachelor of Science in Commerce, Economic studies, University of Regina Carmeli, Tagalog, domestic helper, OFW, overseas Filipino workers, publication, layout artist, petition, petition visa, petition visa in the US, San Francisco, Sunnyvale, CNA, Certified Nursing Assistant,
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Gloria Dela Cruz, interviewed by Ralph Gabriel Giron
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0014
B.S. Commerce
Bachelor of Science in Commerce
Bulacan
California
Certified Nursing Assistant
civil war
CNA
domestic helper
dressmaker
Economic studies
Economics
farmers
immigrant
Immigrant families--United States
layout artist
Malolos
OFW
overseas Filipino workers
petition
petition visa
petition visa in the US
Philippines
publication
San Francisco
soldier
Sunnyvale
Tagalog
Texas
University of Regina Carmeli
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Alexandra Fontanilla
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Katherine Isip
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[Session 1, May 30, 2019]
[Begin Audio File]
Alexandra or Alexa: It is May 30, 2019 and it is 2 PM. This is Alexa Fontanilla interviewing for ASA 150: The Filipino American Experience. Today, I am interviewing:
Katherine: Katherine Isip. I’m 27.
Alexa: [laughs] Okay. Um, where and when were you born?
Katherine: Um, May 24, 1992 in the Philippines—in Manila.
Alexa: Um, where were your parents born?
Katherine: When?
Alexa: Where?
Katherine: Where? In Manila, Philippines, too.
Alexa: Um, what jobs—uh, do—did/do your parents do?
Katherine: So my dad is a business man and my mom was an interior designer.
Alexa: Oh, she was?!
Katherine: Uh huh!
[3]
Alexa: Oh my gosh! Is that why she was friends with my mom? [in reference to our mom’s being sisters-in-law and interior designers]
Katherine: [laughs] No.
Alexa: [laughs]
Katherine: But she went to Interior Designing school and she, like, designed sets before, but she stopped working because yeah—because of the babies AKA me and Maxine [her sister].
Alexa: Okay, okay. Um, what does Lolo [our grandfather] and Lola [our grandmother] do?
Katherine: Oh, they’re both, um, business people. Businessman, businesswomen—woman? Woman.
Alexa: [laughs]
Katherine: Dami [a lot]?
Alexa: Yeah [laughs].
Katherine: [laughs]
Alexa: How many siblings do you have and do you come from a big family?
Katherine: [sigh] I don’t know if it’s big, but I have two sisters—yeah.
[4]
Alexa: Okay.
Katherine: But yeah.
Alexa: Um, did any of your family members move to America before you?
Katherine: Uh, my aunt—wait. My aunt? How do you say it? Aunt? Aunt?
Alexa: Uh, it doesn’t matter. They’re both the same.
Katherine: Okay. Yeah and I’m not sure about my grandparents, but I think my grandparents as well.
Alexa: Um
Katherine: Yeah. They are, they are.
Alexa: Kind of. They have dual citizenship.
Katherine: Yeah.
Alexa: Um.
Katherine: No—no they’re immigrants. They’re not citizens yet.
Alexa: Oh, okay. Okay. Um, what was your academic experience in the Philippines?
[5]
Katherine: Um, what was my—it was good. It was fun. Like, I think I learned a lot. Um, it was hella long though because it was 5 years for PT School. The normal like—
Alexa: Mhm.
Katherine: Like um, a bachelor’s degree there would be like 4 years, but my course was like 5 so… yeah.
Alexa: Um, and then what was your professional experience like?
Katherine: Professional? It is different than it is here because over there we don’t have—like here we have PT aids and PT assistants. In the Philippines, it’s just us.
Alexa: Oh, okay.
Katherine: And we’re under doctors.
Alexa: Ohh.
Katherine: Um, here in the States we are as well, but um, we have more power?
Alexa: Mhm.
Katherine: I guess. Like to treat patients, like to determine what the patients need because usually doctors would
[6]
just diagnose and send them to us and then we’ll be the ones to evaluate and see.
Alexa: Mhm.
Katherine: But, in the Philippines, it’s the doctors who diagnose and give the treatment plan and we just implement the treatment plan.
Alexa: Oh, okay, okay.
Katherine: Uh huh.
Alexa: Okay.
Katherine: And the pay, and the salary.
Alexa: Okay, do you get paid more here?
Katherine: Of course, yeah. For sure. I think I get paid there a day… if I convert it into dollars. Like, around $11 a day.
Alexa: Oh, wow. Okay.
Katherine: Mhm.
Alexa: Okay, um.
Katherine: So, yeah.
[7]
Alexa: Uh, why did you decide to move out of the Philippines?
Katherine: Because I was making $11 a day.
Alexa: [laughs]
Katherine: [laughs] And I like—love it better here in the States compared to the Philippines.
Alexa: Um.
Katherine: I don’t know. The way of life here.
Alexa: Oh okay, yeah. That makes sense. Uh, when did you move to the United States?
Katherine: Last year.
Alexa: 2018?
Katherine: 20—oh, shoot! 2017.
Alexa: 2017. Okay.
Katherine: So, it was like a year and a few months ago.
Alexa: Okay. Um, did you move anywhere else before settling at the US?
[8]
Katherine: Like a different country?
Alexa: Yeah.
Katherine: No, just directly from the Philippines.
Alexa: Okay, um. What were your thoughts about America before you moved here?
Katherine: Um, what were my thoughts? I guess I thought that it would be hard to live here because in the Philippines, you know, we got used to having ya-yas, or maids.
Alexa: Mhm.
Katherine: So, like, compared to here you’re more independent. You do everything.
Alexa: Yeah.
Katherine: Like laundry and cooking and everything. Not like in the Philippines, like someone else does it for you.
Alexa: Mhm.
Katherine: So I think that’s like the big, like, thing that people tell me is the difference.
Alexa: Uh huh. And like, those thoughts—have they changed like after you started living here or?
[9]
Katherine: They’re still the same.
Alexa: Yeah I was about to say.
Katherine: Yeah, it is true.
Alexa: Do—is it—do you like it more?
Katherine: I mean, it’s not that hard. Like, you have dishwashers and washing machines and stuff like that over here. Well, you have some in the Philippines, but not a lot of people have that.
Alexa: Yeah.
Katherine: So, I think it’s not as hard as I thought it would be.
Alexa: Mhm. Okay, that’s good. Um, where did you first live in the United States?
Katherine: Um, Anaheim, California.
Alexa: With who?
Katherine: With Auntie.
Alexa: [laughs]
Katherine: With my auntie and uncle and my grandparents.
[10]
Alexa: Um, what jobs did you perform when you moved to America?
Katherine: Well just a PT.
Alexa: Um, so. Did the experiences that you had in the Philippines—did it help you get the job?
Katherine: Yes, for sure.
Alexa: Okay, so I know you went back to school here. Um, what was that like compared to the Philippines?
Katherine: Um, it’s super-fast paced.
Alexa: Here?
Katherine: Like, yeah. Like it’s extra—like in the Philippines it’s fast paced, but here it’s EXTRA. And like your professors here or like instructors are like I feel like they care less. I don’t know. Like in the Philippines they’re like “What do you need? What can we do? Blah blah blah to help you pass.” Or like they really teach. Over here, yeah they teach, but not as detailed or something—like you do all the work.
Alexa: Oh.
Katherine: You know what I mean?
Alexa: Yeah. So like in the Philippines did they kind of, like, walk you through it?
[11]
Katherine: Yeah.
Alexa: Oh, okay.
Katherine: Not like when you were in like high school—like it’s going to be step by step. I mean it was a faster pace, but they—it’s like super organized and like you would like get it… unless you’re dumb. Then, you won’t.
Alexa: [laughs]
Katherine: [laughs] Unless you’re dumb, but I mean, if you’re like okay, you would get it.
Alexa: Okay, okay.
Katherine: It’s not that hard.
Alexa: It’s not that hard. Okay.
Katherine: I mean, it’s hard. I mean it’s harder in the Philippines like the exams and stuff compared to here. Like, I think Filipinos who study in the Philippines and who started studying here. Like, even though like in high school or something, like I think they excel in school here more than compared to the Philippines because it’s harder, like the topics and stuff.
Alexa: Yeah. Okay, that makes sense.
[12]
Katherine: Like it’s super advanced over there, but they like teach you step by step.
Alexa: Yeah.
Katherine: But over here it’s like okay, but we study by ourselves. You can do that. Like [the professors] explain a little bit, help you a little bit. But not like, you know what I mean?
Alexa: Yeah. Okay, that makes sense. Um, and then just for the record, where did you go to school and what did you study?
Katherine: Over here? Or in the Philippines?
Alexa: Over here.
Katherine: I studied my Doctorates of Physical Therapy in Unica College in New York.
Alexa: Um, and then, last question. Did you notice anything different between first generation immigrants and um, like me, like Filipino Americans?
Katherine: Mhm, like yeah. I think it’s a big difference. Like, I think Filipino Americans are like more, um, how do I say it? They’re like—they’re more [sigh] open? Not open, like more—they express their, um, what they think more compared to the ones in the Philippines. Like me, I can’t like say stuff, like talk back—not talk back, but like, it’s different. [frustrated sigh] How do I say it? Alexie [her nickname for me]!
[13]
Alexa: If you want to say it in, like, Tagalog that’s fine.
Katherine: Even with—like, I mean, starting. Like I’m thinking pero parang ang hirap din [but it’s like hard still]—wait. Um, parang mas-- [it’s like more--]
Alexa: It’s just like—do you not feel like you—
Katherine: Vocal yung mga people, yung mga kids here compared to the Philippines [the people and kids here are more vocal than in the Philippines] or like the people in the Philippines.
Alexa: Vocal?
Katherine: Mas like, mas conservative [the Philippines is more conservative]. There you go. I think that’s the word. Conservative.
Alexa: Oh, okay. So it’s more conservative in the Philippines?
Katherine: In the Philippines. Like, not super, but if you compare the two, Filipinos in the Philippines are more conservative than Filipino Americans.
Alexa: Oh. Do you think, um, like now that you’ve, like, lived in America for while that, like, do you think you’re still that kind of level of conservative or like, have you changed?
[14]
Katherine: Oh, for sure, I’ve changed. For sure. Yeah. Like, I’m more open to things that are not that open in the Philippines. Like, gay marriage and stuff like that. Like, those kinds of ideas. Like, yes, I accept those more than the people in the Philippines. I guess. Something like that. Like an example. Because it’s very conservative in the Philippines remember because we’re like a Catholic country and like religion is like a big thing. So, like, being gay is like a—it’s not that—I mean it’s more accepted now, but still like, it’s still hard for people there.
Alexa: Mhm, okay. Yeah, I guess. Yeah, it’s a lot more open here and I guess, um, there’s a lot more support for it here.
Katherine: Mhm, I mean in the Philippines they do too, but it’s not as like—there’s still like older generations, who are, like, against that and like thinks that’s like not right. But, like, over here there’s like a lot of people who are accepting it. I mean there’s still people who don’t but you know, most people… yeah.
Alexa: Okay, well. That concludes the interview.
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YpJ246ok2NPTIV5xenQG-VEoD5oQ9qbL/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YpJ246ok2NPTIV5xenQG-VEoD5oQ9qbL/view?usp=sharing</a>, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RxccS_zqfTqAtAfjeYe6nRSwdN5tNH1k/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RxccS_zqfTqAtAfjeYe6nRSwdN5tNH1k/view?usp=sharing</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral history interview with Katherine Isip, interviewed by Alexandra Fontanilla
Subject
The topic of the resource
Manila, Philippines, business-man, business man, interior designer, interior design, businesspeople, business-woman, PT, physical therapist, physical therapy, PT aids, physical therapist aid, PT assistants, physical therapist center, Anaheim, California, CA, Southern California, SoCal, Utica College, New York, Doctorates of Physical Therapy, first generation immigrants, first-generation, immigrant families--United States, gay marriage, gay rights
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Katherine Isip, interviewed by Alexandra Fontanilla
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
30-May-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0013
Anaheim
business man
business-man
business-woman
businesspeople
CA
California
Doctorates of Physical Therapy
first generation immigrants
first-generation
gay marriage
gay rights
Immigrant families--United States
interior design
interior designer
Manila
New York
Philippines
physical therapist
physical therapist aid
physical therapist center
physical therapy
PT
PT aids
PT assistants
SoCal
Southern California
Utica College
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Miguel Flores
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Jocelyn Galang
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
Miguel – Interviewer (I) Mrs. Galang – Narrator/Interviewee (N) I: Paki banggit na lang po yung pangalan, ilan taon na po kayo – mga basic information po. Can you please state your name, how old are you – all the basic information. N: My name is… My name is… I: Pwede po Tagalog! You can speak in Tagaolog! N: Ako si Jocelyn Galang nakatira sa [REDACTED] California at nagtatrabho ako dito sa UC Davis bilang Senior Custodian. My name is Jocelyn Galang, I currently live in [REDACTED] California and I work here in UC Davis as a Senior Custodian. I: Ilan taon na po kayo dito nagtatrabaho? How long have you been working here? N: Five years Five years. I: Five years na po dito sa… Five years here at… N: Sa Davis Here in Davis.<br />I: Kailan po kayo nag-migrate dito sa United States?<br />When did you migrate here in the United States?<br />N: Since 2004<br />Since 2004<br />I: Kayo lang po bang mag-isa?<br />Are you by yourself?<br />N: With my family<br />With my family<br />I: Ano po yun, pinetisyon po kayo, may sponsor?<br />What was that, were you petitioned, did someone sponsor you?<br />N: Yung tatay ko pinetisyon kami, kasi dati siya yung ano… veterans.<br />My father petitioned us because before he was a…veteran.<br />I: Ano po sya? Vietnam war? Philippine-American War? World War II?<br />What type is he? Vietnam war? Philippine-American War? World War II?<br />N: World War II<br />World War II<br />I: Ano pong pangalan – lolo nyo po ba yun?<br />What is the name – is he your grandfather?<br />N: Tatay ko.<br />My father.<br />I: Ah tatay nyo po. Ano pong pangalan ng tatay nyo?<br />Ah your father. What’s the name of your father?<br />N: Francisco Beltran<br />Francisco Beltran<br />I: Taga san ho yung tatay nyo sa Pilipinas?<br />Where is your father from the Philippines?<br />N: Sa Batac, Ilocos Norte<br />In Batac, Northern Ilocos<br />I: So taga Ilocos po kayo, yun po yung probinsya nyo?<br />So, you are from Ilocos, is that the province where you’re from?<br />N: Oo, Ilocos Norte.<br />Yes, Northern Ilocos.<br />I: Bakit po kayo nagdecide na pumunta dito sa US?<br />Why did you decide to go here in the US?<br />N: Kasi nandito lahat ng family namin, mga sister ko, mga kamaganak namin na iba. So – tsaka American dreams di ba?<br />All my families are here, my sisters, our relatives, and our other family relatives and of course – American Dreams.<br />I: Opo<br />Yes<br />N: Subukan din natin dun sa state kamo. Kasi yung asawa ko nagtatrabaho sa Saudi Arabia.<br />We want to try out our lives here in the states. My husband worked in Saudi Arabia.<br />I: Andito po ba sya sa US?<br />Is he here in the US?<br />N: Oo, nandito sya.<br />Yes, he is here.<br />N: Magkakasama kami pumunta dito sa Amerika<br />He was with me when we came here in America.<br />I: May mga anak po ba kayo?<br />Do you have any children?<br />N: Yung dalawang anak ko.<br />My two sons.<br />I: Ilan taon na po sila?<br />How old are they?<br />N: 26 yung lalaki – yung panganay tapos yung bunso 23.<br />My eldest is 26 and my youngest is 23.<br />I: Pareho po silang nagaaral o tapos na po magaral?<br />Are they both going to school, or did they graduate?<br />N: Yung isa kaga-graduate lang nung Sunday sa college.<br />The other one just graduated college last Sunday.<br />I: San po nag-college?<br />Which college?<br />N: Sa Sac State.<br />At Sac State.<br />I: Tapos yung bunso po, nagaaral pa?<br />How about your youngest, is he still going to school?<br />N: Yung bunso yung nakatapos. Tapos yung isa hangang second year college lang sya.<br />He was the one that graduated and my eldest only finished second year in college.<br />I: Saan po sya nageskwela?<br />Where did he go to school?<br />N: Sa Consumnes.<br />At Cosumnes.<br />I: CRC (Consumnes River College)?<br />CRC?<br />N: Oo, sa CRC.<br />Yes, at CRC.<br />I: Pangalan po ng anak nyo Arthur?<br />The name of your son is Arthur?<br />N: No, Dan.<br />No, Dan.<br />I: Tapos pangalan po ng asawa nyo?<br />What’s the name of your husband?<br />N: Danilo.<br />Danilo.<br />I: Ano po ang educational background nyo? Nakapagtapos po ba kayo ng pagaaral, nagkolehiyo po ba kayo?<br />What is your educational background? Did you graduate college?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />N: Nakapagtapos ako ng Radiology.<br />I took Radiology.<br />I: Radiology po sa Pilipinas?<br />Radiology in the Philippines?<br />N: Oo, Associate of Radiology.<br />Yes, Associate of Radiology.<br />N: Hangang ano lang, 3rd year college lang. Yung 3-year course.<br />I only finished 3rd year college. A 3-year course.<br />I: Hindi nyo po pinagpatuloy dito sa US?<br />You didn’t continue your studies here in the US?<br />N: Hindi na.<br />No, I didn’t.<br />I: Bakit po?<br />Why?<br />N: Kasi – wala na – ayaw ng asawa ko na.<br />Because my husband doesn’t want me to.<br />I: Bakit po ayaw nya?<br />Why don’t he let you?<br />N: Hayaan na mag ano…<br />It’s because of…<br />I: Mag ano po?<br />Because of what?<br />N: Tsaka ma ano din – di namin din kaya. Di namin afford.<br />I can’t continue because we can’t afford it.<br />I: Nagtatrabaho po ba yung asawa nyo?<br />Is your husband currently working?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Ano pong trabaho?<br />What’s his work?<br />N: Sa ano naman sya sa Milgard Windows<br />He works for Milgard Windows<br />I: Ano po ang trabaho nya dun?<br />What’s his position there?<br />N: Sa mga gumagawa ng windows.<br />He works with the people making windows.<br />I: Saan po ba yun, sa Sacramento?<br />Where is that, in Sacramento?<br />N: Oo. Sa may “Fruitridge/Foot bridge (?).”<br />Yes, At the “Fruitridge/Foot bridge (?).”<br />I: Meron po ba kayong sinusuportahan sa Pilipinas?<br />Are you supporting a family member in the Philippines?<br />N: Wala.<br />No one.<br />I: Wala po. Lahat po nandito?<br />Everyone is here?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Nagmigrate po kayo sa Amerika. Ano po ang experience nyo dito nung unang salta nyo dito?<br />You migrated here in America. What were your experiences like when you first came here?<br />N: Nung unang salta namin pinapasok kami kaagad agad.<br />When we came here we worked right away.<br />I: Sino po nagpapasok sa inyo?<br />Who helped you find a job?<br />N: Yung kapatid ko.<br />My sibling.<br />I: Ano pong pangalan ng kapatid nyo.<br />What is the name of your sibling?<br />N: Girlie Galang<br />Girlie Galang.<br />N: Yung pamangkin ko nagtatrabaho sa Stay – sa Hotel.<br />My niece works at the Stay – the hotel.<br />I: Ano po pangalan ng pamangkin nyo?<br />What is the name of your niece?<br />N: Shirley.<br />Shirley.<br />N: Pinapasok kami bilang ano lang Housekeeper din sa hotel.<br />We all worked as a housekeeper in a hotel.<br />I: Ano pong hotel?<br />What hotel?<br />N: Stay (of) America.<br />Stay America.<br />I: Sa Sacramento po?<br />In Sacramento?<br />N: Sa Elk Grove.<br />In Elk Grove.<br />I: Lahat po kayo nasa area na ‘to – Sacramento – Elk Grove. Nakatira, nagtatrabaho?<br />All of you are working and live around this area – Sacramento – Elk Grove?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Kamusta po ang buhay nung unang salta nyo, mahirap po ba?<br />How was life when you first settled here, was it hard?<br />N: Oo, umiyak ako. Kasi parang nahirapan ako sa trabaho –<br />Yes, I cried. I struggled with work.<br />I: Nashock po kayo?<br />Were you shocked?<br />N: Oo kasi di namin akalain na syempre Amerika maganda [laughs]. Yun pala pagdating sa trabaho ang hirap pala. Kasi sa Pilipinas hindi ako nagtatrabaho dun eh.<br />Yes, we didn’t realize how hard life is going to be here in America because we know America is beautiful [laughs]. Then when we came here we did not realize how hard the workload would be because in the Philippines I didn’t work at all.<br />I: Housewife po kayo sa Pilipinas?<br />Were you a housewife in the Philippines?<br />N: Hindi may negosyo ako.<br />No, I have a business?<br />I: Ano pong negosyo? Tindahan?<br />What is your business, a store?<br />N: Tindahan.<br />A store.<br />I: Sari-sari store po?<br />A sundry store?<br />N: Oo, tapos tumatanggap din ako ng mga term paper nung mga estudyante.<br />Yes, I also accept term paper of students.<br />I: Ano po ang ginagawa nyo sa term paper?<br />What do you do with the term paper?<br />N: Ie-encode ko.<br />I encode it.<br />I: Kasi po Radiology po kayo di ba?<br />Is it because you were trained as a radiology?<br />N: Hindi rin ano lang…[gestures typing]<br />No. [gestures typing]<br />I: Ah pagtatype po!<br />Oh, typing!<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Kasi doon wala pang gaanong kompyuter. So ako lang ang meron dun sa amin noon…<br />Back home, there weren’t a lot of people that owns a computer and I am the only one in my neighborhood that has one.<br />N: Kompyuter – nagpapatype po sila.<br />Computer – they ask you to type their papers for them.<br />I: Yung mga estudyante minsan sinasabi na paki ano yung – inuupahan nila yung ano para magsearch sila ganyan.<br />The students sometimes borrow my computer for their research.<br />I: Para po nirerentahan yung kompyuter.<br />Just like your renting out your computer.<br />N: Oo. Nirerentahan yung kompyuter.<br />Yes, I rent out my computer.<br />N: Tapos bawat isang ano – isang coupon bond ang ano ko one peso ang isa, isang coupon bond.<br />And for each one paper, I charge one peso. One peso per paper.<br />I: Mura na po yun.<br />That’s really cheap.<br />I: Oo, pero pag kayo po ang magta-type. Magkano po ang singil nyo?<br />Yes, but if you are the one that will type their paper for them how much do you charge?<br />N: Ganun din. One peso.<br />Same thing. One peso.<br />I: One peso din.<br />Also, one peso.<br />N: Basta mabilis naman.<br />It’s quick job.<br />I: Opo, di naman mahahaba yung tinatype nyo?<br />Yes, you don’t type long papers, don’t you?<br />N: Hindi.<br />No.<br />I: Gusto nyo pong bumalik sa Pilipinas?<br />Do you want to go back to the Philippines?<br />N: Pag-ano – retire.<br />To retire.<br />I: Retire po.<br />To retire.<br />N: Pabalik balik ganun. Yan ang ano – every two years umuuwi din ako eh.<br />I go back home every two years.<br />I: Talaga po?<br />Really?<br />N: Oo. Kasi may bahay kami doon.<br />Yes because we have a house there?<br />I: Sa Ilocos po?<br />In Ilocos?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Sino po ang nagbabantay nun, may kamaganak po?<br />Who looks after the house, your relatives?<br />N: May nagre-renta. Kasi yung sa amin malapit kami sa university.<br />Someone is renting it because it’s near by a university.<br />I: University?<br />University?<br />N: Mariano State University<br />Marian State University<br />I: So mga estudyante po ang mga umuupa?<br />So, students rents the house?<br />N: Hindi – ano – family.<br />No, it’s a family.<br />I: Magkano po ang renta?<br />How much is rent?<br />N: Ano, seven thousand pesos. Pero kung ano bed spacer mas mahal kaso gusto ko yung may family para wala na akong iispin pang ano – pagbayaran ng kuryente ganun.<br />It’s seven thousand pesos, but if we only rent out individual bed rooms the rent would be more expensive. Having a whole family live there ease my worries because I know they will pay the bills on time.<br />I: Pagumuuwi po kayo dun po kayo tumutuloy?<br />When you go home, is that the place where you stay in?<br />N: Hindi, yung sa family house namin.<br />No, we have a family house.<br />I: Iba pa po yung pinaparenta nyo tapos may isa pa po kayong tinutuluyan?<br />Aside from the rental house, you have another house to stay in?<br />N: Oo, yung sa tatay – yung sa parents namin nagpatayo sila ng bahay. Lahat kaming magkakapatid dun kami tumutuloy.<br />Yes, my father’s house – my parents built that house. When my siblings and I go back home that is the place where we usually stay in.<br />I: Ilan ho kayong magkakapatid?<br />How many siblings do you have?<br />N: Seven<br />Seven<br />I: Pang-ilan po kayo?<br />Are you the eldest/youngest?<br />N: Pang-seven ako.<br />I am the seventh.<br />I: So bunso po kayo.<br />So, you are the youngest.<br />N: Oo, yeah.<br />Yes.<br />I: Lahat po sila nagtatrabaho? Nandito po silang lahat sa Amerika?<br />Are all of them working? Are they all here in America?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Ang nanay nyo po, nandito po?<br />How about your mother, is she here?<br />N: Nasa Pilipinas.<br />She’s in the Philippines.<br />I: Nandoon po sa Ilocos?<br />In Ilocos?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Kailan po kayo umuuwi, pag mga pasko ganun?<br />When do you go back home, during Christmas?<br />N: Hindi, depende kasi kagaya itong uwi ko binigyan naming ng mother ko ng 90th birthday. So mostly ang uwi namin mga January.<br />No, it depends because last year we gave our mother a 90th birthday celebration. So, we often go home around January.<br />I: So sinabi nyo po six years na kayo dito sa Davis. Ito lang – ano po yung mga past na trabaho nyo po?<br />You said earlier that you’ve worked here in Davis for six years now. Is this your only job – what were your jobs in the past?<br />N: Sa kasalukuyan nagtatrabaho pa rin ako sa Sheraton hotel.<br />I am currently working at the Sheraton hotel.<br />I: Yun po ang pinakamahabang trabaho nyo?<br />Was that the longest job you ever had?<br />N: Oo, fourteen years na ko.<br />Yes, for fourteen years.<br />I: Bakit po kayo kumuha ng pangalawang job?<br />Why did you get a second job?<br />N: Kasi yung anak ko nagaaral sa college, so tinutulungan ko sa tuition fee…<br />Because of my son was studying in college, so I help him out with his tuition fee…<br />I: Mahal po kasi!<br />It is expensive!<br />N: $900 a month ang binabayaran ko sa UC – ay sa Sac State.<br />I pay $900 a month to Sac State.<br />I: Mahal po talaga ang magpaaral dito!<br />It is really expensive to study here!<br />N: Lalo dito sa UC mas mahal na naman – doble, hindi lang doble – [laughs]<br />It is even more expensive here in UC, it’s double, not even double (the price) – [laughs]<br />I: Triple po!<br />Triple<br />N: Yeah!<br />Yeah!<br />I: So dalawa po ang trabaho nyo, okay naman po ang sweldo, nakakaraos naman?<br />So, you have two jobs, is they salary okay, is it enough?<br />N: Oo, okay naman kasi malaking tulong din yung isa sa amin – kasi panghulog ko sa sasakyan ko ganun. Tapos yung isa tuition fee ng anak ko, tapos yung natitira yun na ang savings namin.<br />Yes, it’s a big help for us because I pay for my car, my son’s tuition, and then the leftover goes to our savings.<br />I: Sabi nyo pumunta kayo para po sa American Dream – yung sinasabi nyo po. Ano po ba ang pangarap nyo?<br />You said earlier that you went here for an American Dream – what is your dream?<br />N: Kasi para sa mga anak na lang namin na – syempre pag dito mas maganda lang ang future nila. Kung sa Pilipinas kasi mahirap ang ano doon yung parang – ang hirap maghanap ng trabaho kung hindi ka magabroad wala.<br />It’s for my kids – when they are here I know they will have a bright future. If we are back in the Philippines, life will be hard because it is hard to find a job there.<br />I: Kaya nagdecide po kayo magabroad?<br />That’s why you decided to go abroad?<br />N: Oo, kaya nagdecide kami na dito na lang kami titira.<br />Yes, that’s why we decided to live here.<br />I: Nung una nyo pong salta nyo may – nakitira po ba kayo?<br />When you first came here, did you live with someone?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: San po kayo nakitira?<br />Who did you live with?<br />N: Sa ate ko.<br />My sister’s<br />I: Si Shirley po o si Girlie?<br />Is it Shirley or Girlie?<br />N: Si Girlie.<br />Girlie.<br />I: Ilan taon po kayo nanirahan dun.<br />How many years did you live there?<br />N: Wala pang isang taon. Mga pagdating naming ng July and then ng January nag-apartment na kami.<br />Not even one year. When we came in July, months later, in January we already have an apartment.<br />I: So wala pa pong isang taon?<br />So, it did not even last a year?<br />N: Oo, wala pa.<br />No, it didn’t<br />I: Dun pa rin po kayo nakatira sa apartment na yon o lumipat na kayo?<br />Do you still live there at that apartment or you moved out?<br />N: Nakabili na kami ng bahay sa Elk Grove.<br />We already have a house in Elk Grove.<br />I: Nice!<br />Nice!<br />N: [laughs]<br />[laughs]<br />I: Ano pa po ang mga pangarap nyo aside from sa mga anak nyo. Kayo po ba ano po ang pangarap nyo para sa sarili nyo?<br />What else are your dreams aside from your kids, what are your dreams for yourself?<br />N: Wala na akong ano eh…<br />I don’t have any…<br />I: Wala na po kayong mahihiling?<br />You don’t have any?<br />N: Oo, wala na.<br />Yes, I don’t have any.<br />I: So, para lang po sa mga anak nyo?<br />Everything is for your children?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Paano nyo nama-manage dalawa po ang trabaho nyo – paano po – explain nyo po paano po kayo sa isang araw – paano po ang trabaho?<br />How do you manage your two jobs? Can you please explain what a typical work day is like?<br />N: Minsan mahirap, kasi minsan ano – tatlong oras lang and tulog ko. So minsan –<br />Sometimes it’s hard because in some days I only have three hours of sleep.<br />I: So natutulog po kayo sa umaga?<br />So, you sleep during the day?<br />N: Pagka – ang time ko kasi dito ten o’ clock to six thirty and then six thirty uwi muna ako sa bahay and then matutulog pagdating ko dun seven o’ clock and then matutulog ako hangang eleven. So ilan lang ang tulog ko doon, tapos doon sa isa twelve o’ clock magi-start ako sa isang job ko.<br />My time here (UC Davis) is ten o’ clock (in the evening) to six thirty (in the morning) and then six thirty I go straight home and then at seven o’ clock I go to sleep. I only have so many hours of sleep and then I start my second job at twelve o’ clock.<br />I: Sa Sheraton po?<br />At Sheraton?<br />N: Sa Sheraton.<br />At Sheraton<br />I: Housekeeping po kayo dun di ba?<br />You work in housekeeping?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: So, 12 to 8pm, umuuwi pa po kayo nun?<br />So, 12 to 8pm, do you still go home?<br />N: Hindi diresto na ako dito.<br />No, I go straight here.<br />I: So, 12 – basically 12 ng tanghali hangang 6:30 ng umaga…<br />So, 12 – basically 12 noon until 6:30 in the morning<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Mahabang oras po yun!<br />Those are very long hours!<br />N: Bale, sixteen hours!<br />It’s sixteen hours!<br />I: Oo nga po, sixteen hours!<br />Yes, it is sixteen hours!<br />N: Oo. [laughs] Wala pa akong ano – isang day off sa isang araw – sa isang week. Everyday pumapasok talaga ako.<br />Yes. [laughs] I only have one day off in a week. Everyday I go to work.<br />I: Kailan ho ang day off nyo?<br />When is your day off?<br />N: Saturday lang ang pahinga ko, ganun, pero pinapapasok pa ako ng Sabado, wala na – everyday na talaga!<br />Saturday is my only rest day, but sometimes my boss will ask me to come into work on Saturdays, so I don’t really a get a day off.<br />I: Ano ho ang ginagawa nyo pagumuuwi, natutulog lang ho kayo?<br />What do you do when you go home, you just sleep?<br />N: Oo, matutulog…<br />Yes, I sleep.<br />I: Matutulog – kakain.<br />Sleep and then eat.<br />N: Tapos kain! [laughs]<br />And then eat [laughs]<br />I: Sino ho ang nagaano sa bahay, mga kanya kanya na lang ho?<br />Who manages the house, you all do your own chores?<br />N: Oo kanya kanya. Yung anak ko ayaw naman mag ano – bibili sila – sa paggusto nila<br />Yes. My sons would just buy food if they like.<br />I: Parte po ba kayo ng union?<br />Are you part of a union?<br />N: Oo, ACME at Local 39.<br />Yes, ACME and Local 39 (She meant: AFSCME Local 3299)<br />I: Ano po ang…<br />What do you…<br />N: Ipinaglalaban?<br />Fight for?<br />I: Opo.<br />Yes.<br />N: Yung i-increase yung ano, tapos yung contract namin i-renew.<br />To increase our salary and to renew our contract.<br />I: So, nagtatrabaho po kayo based on contract. Gaano ho kahaba yung contract nyo dito?<br />So, you work here based on contract. How long is your contract?<br />N: Hindi ko alam, every two years ata.<br />I am not sure, every two years I think.<br />I: Tapos nire-renew po?<br />Do they renew it?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Yung sweldo nyo tinataasan kada – kada ano po?<br />How often does your salary increase?<br />N: Ewan ko basta tinataasan.<br />I am not sure, all I know it increases.<br />I: Basta tumataas [laughs]<br />All you know it increases [laughs]<br />N: Kasi nung pumasok ako, dalawang beses na tinaas yata.<br />Because when I worked, they increased my salary twice I think.<br />I: Ilan ho ang tinaas?<br />How much did it go up?<br />N: Mga twenty-five cents.<br />Roughly twenty-five cents.<br />I: Ngayon po, ano po ang sweldo nyo dito sa Davis?<br />Right now, what is your hourly rate here in Davis?<br />N: 19….18 something.<br />19….18 something.<br />I: Sa Sheraton po?<br />At Sheraton?<br />N: $14.00<br />$14.00<br />I: Yung asawa nyo po ba parte din ng labor union dito?<br />Is your husband also part of a union here?<br />N: Hindi.<br />No.<br />I: Kasal po ba kayo kayo o live-in?<br />Are you married or just living with your partner?<br />N: Kasal.<br />Married.<br />I: So, six years na ho kayo nagtatrabaho dito…<br />So, you’ve been working here for six years now…<br />N: Five years<br />Five years<br />I: Five years, sorry po. May mga kaibigan po ba kayo dito o kaya sa Sheraton po?<br />I’m sorry, five years. Do you have any friends here in Davis or at Sheraton?<br />N: Dito na…(kaibigan) oo meron.<br />Yes, I do.<br />I: So, kahit papaano po may mga kaibigan kayo sa Davis.<br />So, even in your busy schedule you still manage to make friends here in Davis.<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Meron po ba kayong kaibigan outside of work po?<br />Do you have any friends outside of work?<br />N: Oo, meron din.<br />Yes, I do.<br />I: San ho nyo nakilala?<br />Where did you meet them?<br />N: Dyan sa mga ano – party party ganyan.<br />At parties.<br />I: Umaatend ho kayo ng party?<br />You attend parties?<br />N: Oo [laughs]<br />Yes [laughs]<br />I: Ano pong party, family party?<br />What kind of party, family party?<br />N: [laughs] Hindi, mga kaibigan na may ano – birthday ganyan.<br />[laughs] No, friends that have parties.<br />I: Lumalabas ho kayo?<br />Do you go out?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Plano nyo po bang humanap ng bagong trabaho?<br />Are you planning to look for a new job?<br />N: Nagapply ako.<br />I am applying.<br />I: San ho kayo nagapply?<br />Where are you applying?<br />N: Sa online.<br />Online.<br />I: Ano ho yun?<br />What (job) is that?<br />N: Sa UC Davis, nung pumasok ako dito – UC Davis jobs dot com.<br />At UC Davis, when I worked here – UC Davis jobs dot com.<br />I: Part pa rin ho ng Davis, ano pong posisyon?<br />It’s still part if Davis, what is the position?<br />N: Ano custodian ang inapplyan ko dun.<br />I applied for a custodian.<br />I: Di ko po natanong sa inyo. Kamusta naman po ang proseso nung pagmigrate dito? Mahaba po ba, mahirap?<br />I did not ask you earlier. How was the process of migrating here? Was it tedious and hard?<br />N: Okay lang.<br />It’s okay.<br />I: Okay lang.<br />It’s okay.<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Nung pinetisyon ho kayo gaano ho kahaba ang inantay nyo bago kayo maka…<br />When you were petitioned, how long did you wait before you were able to…<br />N: Ay naku matagal mga 13 years!<br />Very long, it’s 13 years!<br />I: 13 years ho?<br />13 years?<br />I: Kailan ho kayo pinetisyon ng tatay nyo?<br />When did your father petitioned you?<br />N: Kasi – nung 1982 pero ang nangyari kasi yung ate ko hindi nya naipasok sa immigration – yung papel namin –<br />In 1982, but what happened is my older sister didn’t turn in our papers to immigration.<br />I: Kaya ho natagalan?<br />Is that why it took so long?<br />N: So natagalan. Yung nag ano – nag ano yung father ko nag US citizen dun nya nalaman na wala kaming pangalan doon.<br />It took so long. When my father became a US citizen that’s when we found out that we don’t have our names in immigration.<br />I: Kasi ho hindi napasa?<br />Because it was not turned in?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Kailan ho napasa?<br />It was turned in when?<br />N: So, 1989.<br />1989<br />I: 1989, matagal! 82 ho kayo napetisyon tapos 89 lang napasok?<br />1989 is a long wait! You were petitioned in 82 and then it was turned in 89?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />N: Tapos ano – kala nga namin di na kami makapunta eh kaya nagpatayo na ako ng bahay na sarili namin kasi mahirap eh. Umaasa kami na pupunta dito pero wala din, hangang 1989 hangang 2005 – 2004, no, 2003 dumating na yung papers namin. Hangang natapos ng 2004 yata o 5. Kasi 2005 na kami naka ano dito.<br />We thought we couldn’t migrate here, so we built our own house because we can’t be keeping our hopes up. We were expecting to go here, but we waited for nothing. From 1989 until 2003 our papers finally arrived. Then, in 2004 or 5 we arrived here.<br />I: Naalala nyo po ba kung anong buwan magmigrate dito?<br />Do you remember what month you migrated here?<br />N: July<br />July<br />I: July 2005?<br />July 2005?<br />N: Oo.<br />Yes.<br />I: Yun lang po ang mga tanong ko. Meron po ba kayong sabihin…<br />That’s all my questions for you. Do you have anything to say…<br />N: Wala.<br />Nothing.<br />I: Ipahiwatig?<br />Message?<br />N: Wala.<br />Nothing.<br />I: Sa mga kababayan ho na nagtatrabho dito may mga payo po ba kayo?<br />To all our countrymen that works here, do you have any advice?<br />N: Ang payo ko lang, tyaga tyaga lang…<br />My only advice is just persevere…<br />I: Pag may tyaga may nilaga.<br />If you persevere there’s soup (Filipino Idiom): If you persevere you can get anything.<br />N: [laughs] Yeah, kasi… mahirap minsan ang trabaho dito kung hindi ka nars – hindi… kagaya sa akin sa housekeeping kami mahirap ang trabaho kaya…<br />[laughs] Yeah because sometimes its hard to work here if you are not a nurse, unlike me, I am just a housekeeper, so my job is really hard.<br />I: Sa isang araw ho ilang kwarto ang nagagawa nyo?<br />In one day, how many rooms do you get done?<br />N: Fourteen.<br />Fourteen.<br />I: So, 12 to 8:30 na po yun?<br />So, that’s 12 to 8:30 pm?<br />I: Natatabi nyo ho ba yung mga tip nyo sa housekeeping?<br />Are you able to keep your tip at your housekeeping job?<br />N: Minsan, pag ano – dati inaano ko sa piggy bank ko [laughs]!<br />I put it in my piggy bank [laughs]!<br />I: May alkansya ho kayo?<br />You have a coin bank?<br />N: Oo [laughs].<br />Yes [laughs].<br />N: Kasi, minsan ano eh, pag December maraming pagkakagastusan kaya ayun pangbili ko ng regalo ganyan.<br />Because sometimes when December comes around there are so many expenses here, so I used that money to buy gifts.<br />I: Yung lang po ang tanong ko sa inyo, pag meron pa po akong tanong tatanungin ko na lang ho kayo.<br />That’s all my question for you, if I have any question I’ll just ask you.<br />N: Sige, thank you!<br />Sure, thank you!
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Dublin Core
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Title
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Oral history interview with Jocelyn Galang, interviewed by Miguel Flores
Subject
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Custodian, First Generation immigrant, World War II veteran, Batac, Northern Ilocos, American Dream, Sari-Sari, hospitality,
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Jocelyn Galang, interviewed by Miguel Flores
Date
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2-Jun-19
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The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
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Transcript
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0012
American Dream
Batac
Custodian
First Generation Immigrant
hospitality
Northern Ilocos
Sari-Sari
World War II veteran
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Sabrina Espiritu
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Mary Joy B. Espiritu
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eLAdHkPDtONUVz0XOEKH7XE0jXtczhjB/view">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eLAdHkPDtONUVz0XOEKH7XE0jXtczhjB/view</a><br /><br />No Transcription Available
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History of Mary Joy B. Espiritu
Description
An account of the resource
Oral History Interview with Mary Joy B. Espiritu (Audio Only)
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0010
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Philip Esguerra
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Alexis Magsano
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
Oral History Transcript
Philip: Hi, today is June 4, 2019. It's 5:48pm, and the title of this project is the Filipino American Oral History report for Asian American Studies 150. I am here with my subject, Alexis Magsano...
Alexis: Oh yeah. Hello!
Philip: ... and what we're going to do is ask him questions about his experience of being a Filipino American. And without further ado, let's begin. So my first question is, "where and when were you born?"
Alexis: I was born November 10, 1998 in a little city in the Philippines, part of the Bohol region-ish [sic], called Tagbilaran city. Don't me about the hospital, I forgot the hospital.
Philip: All right. Do you know where your parents were born?
Alexis: Oh yeah! My mom was born in Bohol also. I forgot the city. My dad was born in Pangasinan and...I don't remember the place either. If I remember it, I'll say it but...yeah.
Philip: Okay. Back in the Philippines, do you know what your parents did?
Alexis: Working?
Philip: Yeah, working.
Alexis: My mom had just graduated...ok not just graduated, just graduated[sic], but I think she was just working like odd jobs here and there. My dad was here in America working for Bear, the Biotech company.
Philip: So your dad was already in America?
Alexis: Yeah. So he moved here... I want to say 3 or 4 years before I was born to just kind of like get a better job. But he had already met my mom. They were already married.
Philip: Okay. How many siblings did you have, and did you come from a big family?
Alexis: My immediate family is not too big. I only have 2 other siblings. They're both younger than me. They were both born here. I was the only one born in the Philippines.
But I mean, my extended family are all here too I guess, if you count that as a big family.
But other than that, my immediate family is just my mom, my dad, 3 siblings.
Philip: Okay.
Alexis: 4 siblings. I have a sister, half-sibling. Complicated story, but she's there.
Philip: All right. So you already said your dad moved to America.
Alexis: Yeah.
Philip: Did anyone else move here, or...[inaudible]
Alexis: Well...my dad and his siblings moved here with my grandma at the same time. So my dad was around 26... 25, something like that [sic].
Philip: Okay. So you said your dad moved to the Philippines [sic] to get a better job or [inaudible]?
Alexis: Oh yeah! Well first he wanted to be a doctor in the Philippines, but then my grandma came here a little bit earlier than he did, and she needed his help raising his siblings, so he agreed to come here, and he just kind of stayed here. He wanted to stay, I think, in the Philippines, but I think ultimately he just stayed here because it was a better opportunity for him and, I guess, me.
Philip: All right, cool! Do you know what date you moved to the United States?
Alexis: I came here 2001.
Philip: 2001?
Alexis: Yeah, tail end of 2001. Around Fall.
Philip: All right. Was there any place you settled in the United States before you came to where you currently live?
Alexis: Well, we always stayed around that general area, around the Vallejo-ish [sic] area, but I think within a year, after we moved here, we eventually resided in our family home that they are in now. I mean granted, the residents were all different. Back then, it was me, my mom, my dad, my dad's entire family. So like, his mom, his siblings, his mom's siblings, were all there.
5:14
Philip: So you don't remember too much about [inaudible]
Alexis: Decent amount about the period of time afterwards. Like, pre-school was rough. I was the only one who spoke Tagalog. I didn't speak English, of course. At all! So the teachers had a hard time with me. It was hard making friends in general. Up until graduating high school, on my report card it said "English learner", even though I was basically raised on English. But even then, I was labeled as "English learner".
Philip: Before moving to the Philippines [sic], did you know how your family perceived America? Like, did they have any initial thoughts based on...
Alexis: Well, like I said before, he didn't want to come initially. Initially, my dad saw America as this foreign place away from home that he didn't want to go to because, well, he's young, has friends in the Philippines. Most of his family is in the Philippines. The only ones that moved really were his mom and his siblings, so he didn't want to come here at first. But I think coming here, and seeing the places he saw, like he saw Tahoe for the first time, like so snow, and in general just how, much more, I want to say industrialized or modernized, I think he realized that it was a better place in general to raise a children going forward. And for my mom, I remember now, he worked as a teacher before moving. And he was an English teacher primarily for people in the Navy. So she would teach English to Navy people before they go out to the world because English is one of the more general languages, so she would teach them that. So they would come back with stories. And her dad was also in the Navy, so he'd come back with stories too about, you know, America and foreign lands and stuff. And so she'd always see it as a, I don't want to call it a fantasy land, but it was definitely like a dream for her, just this place that's, you know, modern and clean, has all this stuff, because I mean the city that she was raised in was not the most modern city. The house was like 50 square feet (laughter).
Philip: Right
Alexis: So it was definitely a dream place for her.
Philip: So they saw it America kind of like the American Dream?
Alexis: Yeah, yeah. And especially once I got into the picture, I think they realized that maybe raising a family in the Philippines wouldn't be the best for them at the time. It was probably not the best for me.
Philip: I see. When you moved to America, did you ever meet anyone who was, I guess, also first generation? Like Filipino Americans in your class?
Alexis: Not until I was a little bit older. Like 9, I think. That's when my dad's cousins came to live with us. So they were fresh off the boat [snicker]. But no, they were first generation immigrants. That's all our family. So that was my first experience with first generation immigrants as well that were related to me.
09:38 9:38
Philip: Okay. So going back, you said in pre-school, it was a little bit tough making friends because there was a language barrier.
Alexis: There was a language barrier, yeah , yeah.
Philip: Was it always like that growing up?
Alexis: I guess at the start of pre-school, there was a language barrier, with the Tagalog thing. But I think moving from there, it was more of a race thing because I was one of three Filipinos among an elementary school of like 300-400 kids, so it wasn't tough making friends because of the language, but I think it was tough making friends because everyone else, I'm not trying to say it was racist or anything, but I think it was more comfortable to be with people of their own culture and seeing how, the Latinx's are with the Latinx's, the African Americans are riends with the African Americans. And you know, I was friends with two other Filipino kids, but it was definitely more of a culture shock for me to be friends with these kids that none of us knew had any idea of different cultures and like, it was just hard. Well, it wasn't hard because we were kids, but it's definitely different probably making friends back then for me than it was for most people.
Philip: So kind of like, just that idea of crossing like cultures?
Alexis: Yeah, like I would talk about lechon or something. No one gets that. Or I think it's a big Filipino thing to respect your elders. There are just some cultures that put as much of an emphasis on respecting elders as much. So whenever I heard people talk smack about their parents, like their grandparents, I would kind of cringe a little bit because that's not what we do. So just those little things.
Philip: I see. Let's see...
Alexis: Oh yeah, there was this one girl that didn't even know where the Philippines was. So I mean, yeah I don't blame her. We're not exactly the biggest country, but it was definitely surreal listening to some girl go, "Oh you're Filipino? Where's even that?" And I was like, "Oh, like in Asia." Then she pointed out the big land mass and she's like, "I don't see you." That was wild! [chuckles]
Philip: Yeah, I could see it's very different. Yeah, so back in your hometown it's like Filipinos were kind of like the minority?
Alexis: See no. Here's the funny thing: they were only the minority in my elementary school. So coming into middle school, when they had to assimilate with the other elementary schools, for example there's one elementary school where Filipinos are the majority. Like Filipinos were 90% going with that elementary school. So when we were all mixed in, all of a sudden I'm dropped in this environment where there's a bunch of Filipinos. And so, it's not like I had assimilate back into my own culture, but it's like I had to figure out how to interact with people of my own culture, because I hadn't done that in the past six years.
Philip: I see.
Alexis: So it wasn't really like a culture shock, I'd say. But it was just more new interacting with other Filipinos, like have people to make Filipino jokes with. Just stuff like that.
13:39
Philip: Let's see, what else can I ask... I guess kind of just to cap off the interview, I guess looking forward in the future, what are your views on the Filipino American community as a whole?
Alexis: I think, as a family come up, I think before this, I guess, decade, I feel like we didn't do the best job in general, I mean I guess with my limited scope of the world, what were we 10 years ago? Middle schoolers?
Philip: Yeah.
Alexis: I guess with my limited scope of the world, I can't really say as much. But I feel like we didn't do as good of a job staying connected to our roots while being here. Because there's a lot, a lot, a lot [sic] of Filipinos that I know that either don't speak the language or just understand it. They can't speak it. And that's fine. It's not like I'm calling them "not Filipino", and it's not even their fault. But I just think that, in general, we just need to do a better job of kinda staying, I'm not saying like staying traditional, but just staying informed of our traditions and our culture. Because I know, especially Latinos, they're very in touch with their culture, in touch with their language, in touch with their home country. And I mean, every other race, I feel, is here. And I just think, I don't know if it's because we didn't do too good of a job assimilating, or because maybe a lot of our parents thought that to be successful is to be American. So it's not really any of our faults, but now we have this whole generation where there's this cultural disconnect between our generation and our motherland. And I think we should try to rekindle that. Because it sucks to hear that, you know, I can't speak Tagalog with a lot of people because, you know, they only understand, they don't speak, or they just don't understand at all. And when I see other races and other cultures having these conversations among themselves, or even if they're just communicating in English about a tradition of their culture, because I feel a lot of Filipino traditions are lost. And I mean, even back in the Philippines, our country's native script is dying. I don't remember what it was called, but it's not even being taught anymore. And I just think that there's this cultural disconnect that I think we can do a little better with.
Philip: So just kind of like having that deep cultural roots...
Alexis: Yeah.
Philip: The older generation teaching...
Alexis: Yeah. I don't want to be saying we need to be like super traditionalist, but at least be aware of what our traditions used to be. Be aware of the language, be aware of where we came from, you know.
Philip: I see. Ok, well that's all the questions I have. Thank you. So the time is now 6:06 pm, and this concludes the end of the interview. So thank you.
Alexis: Yeah, no! Thanks for having me.
Philip: Yeah no problem!
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Oral History of Alexis Magsano
Subject
The topic of the resource
Bohol, Tagbilaran City, Pangasinan, Philippines, Bear, biotech company, biotech industries, immigrant families--United States, immigrants, first generation, first-generation, Filipino families, family, half-sibling, sibling, half-sister, American Dream, better opportunity, opportunity, opportunities, 9/11, September 11, Vallejo, San Fransico Bay Area, Bay Area, SF, Norcal, Northern California, California, NorCal, City of Vallejo, "Vallejo, California", Tagalog, English learner, Tahoe, Lake Tahoe, teacher, Navy, teach, teacher, English teacher, Filipino Americans, fresh off the boat, FOB, f.o.b., language barrier, minority, assimiliating, assimilation
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Alexis Magsano, interviewed by Philip Esguerra
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
4-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0009
"Vallejo
9/11
American Dream
assimilation
assimiliating
Bay Area
Bear
better opportunity
biotech company
biotech industries
Bohol
California
California"
City of Vallejo
English learner
English teacher
f.o.b.
family
Filipino Americans
Filipino families
first generation
first-generation
FOB
fresh off the boat
half-sibling
half-sister
Immigrant families--United States
immigrants
Lake Tahoe
Language barrier
minority
Navy
Norcal
Northern California
opportunities
opportunity
Pangasinan
Philippines
San Fransico Bay Area
September 11
SF
sibling
Tagalog
Tagbilaran City
Tahoe
teach
teacher
Vallejo
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Clarimin Diaz
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Noemi Botor
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
Diaz: Okay it is June 2, 2019 and it is 3:00pm. This is Clarimin Diaz interviewing for the Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project for the Welga! Filipino American Labor Archives and the Welga! Project. Today I am interviewing:<br /><br />BOTOR: Noemi Botor<br /><br />Diaz: Okay, let us begin. So lets begin our discussion by talking a little bit about your childhood and early adult life. Where and when were you born?<br /><br />BOTOR: I was born in Baguio City, Philippines.<br /><br />DIAZ: Can you talk about your childhood experiences in the Philippines?<br /><br />BOTOR: I moved at kind of a young age from the Philippines so from what I can remember, I just remember like the area I lived in and going to school but like not too much [laugh].<br /><br />DIAZ: Okay Noemi, where were your parents born?<br /><br />BOTOR: So my parents were also born in the Philippines [Baguio City].<br /><br />DIAZ: Do you know anything about their experiences in the Philippines?<br /><br />BOTOR: Not very much, I know that they went to college there and what not. They didn’t come from or move to the states or go to college here [The United States] so we didn’t know very much about what to do with that process [going to college]. Their experience there, they were both working as nurses and we moved because they didn’t get paid very well in the Philippines so I guess they were looking for a better life elsewhere.<br /><br />DIAZ: I see, so do you know what kind of jobs your grandparents had?<br /><br />Botor: My grandparents. I know for my dad’s side, my grandmother was an office worker and my grandfather was in the Navy.<br /><br />DIAZ: So did you come from a big family?<br /><br />BOTOR: Yeah, it was a pretty big family. I remember for my first birthday there were like hundreds of people there, so it was a pretty big, yeah [laugh]<br /><br />DIAZ: Did any of your family members move to America before your you or your parents?<br /><br />BOTOR: There were a couple, but it wasn’t family that we were very close to so, I am not sure where they are now. But I know there people who had moved before us.<br /><br />DIAZ: Earlier you mentioned your experiences in school, can you give me any more specific details about your academic experiences in the Philippines, like what it was like to be in school in the Philippines at that age?<br /><br />BOTOR: Well I remember first I went to a private school and our teacher was only responsible for our class and within our class there was only about I would say 10 kids max. It was very small, private, and personal. I remember having to walk to the school every day. I feel like the basic things that I learned were things I needed when I moved here [United States], but I also learned other things like brushing our teeth [laugh] and stuff like that [laugh].<br /><br />DIAZ: Why did your parents decide to leave the Phillipines and move to America?<br /><br />BOTOR: Well first we actually moved to England before moving to America and I feel like one of the biggest factors was just basically how much they were getting paid. Like I said, they don’t pay nurses in the Phillippines very well and so they got jobs offers in England so we moved there, but I think they got better job offers in California so then we ended up moving to California.<br /><br />DIAZ: Around how old were you when you were living in England? Do you remember what it was like living in England?<br /><br />BOTOR: I left the Phillippines when I was like 4 or 5 and then I lived in England for two or three years before moving to California.<br /><br />DIAZ: Do you know what year your parents moved to the United States?<br /><br />BOTOR: I am not sure [laugh].<br /><br />DIAZ: That’s fine.<br /><br />DIAZ: So what were your thoughts about America before you moved here?<br /><br />BOTOR: I feel like it was the typically stereotypes that people think about. I was just thinking about the types of food that I would like to eat because America is known for burgers and like really big foods and things like that. So that was one of my expectations but like culturally, that wasn’t something I thought about I guess when I was younger [age 9] but I just knew that this is how this place is and so I am going to move there and it will be fine [laugh].<br /><br />[5:20]<br /><br />DIAZ: So, growing up in America, how has your view changed about living in the United States?<br /><br />BOTOR: Well there is a lot of talk about why people move to America in the first place and its because people want to chase that American dream. So when I moved here with my parents, I knew how lucky I was compared to my cousins who had to stay back in the Philippines. But I think just like the image of the American dream and like what it stands for, that has definitely changed over time because things are a lot harder than like how people say it is.<br /><br />DIAZ: So what do you think are some of the differences between living in America as opposed to living in the Philippines, like the culture and overall experience?<br /><br />BOTOR: Yeah, I would say one of the biggest differences in definitely transportation. Back in the Phillipines my family and I would mainly travel by Jeep or like taxi but coming here or like when my parents moved to the UK [England] at first, they had to like get their own drivers licenses which they didn’t need before. So, I think that transition was definitely a big thing. And then, I also think, I remember when I was younger, I would like always be outside playing [in the Philippines] and it didn’t matter where I was or what time it was. So, I feel like when we first moved to California, when I was like living in the city, because I was living in this place called Berlingame, instead of like here where I live now in Brentwood. It was a lot more city like so I didn’t have the chance to go outside to the park and play with my friends and things like that.<br /><br />DIAZ: What is your academic experience like here in America?<br /><br />BOTOR: I feel like compared to when I was back in the Phillipines, I feel like for one the classes are bigger and I guess you’re not like so personal with your teachers compared to back in the Philippines. We [the Phillipines] still teach the basic stuff, like the education and GE’s are the same but then there are some differences because I remember back in the Philippines they would like teach us like basic hygiene, cutting out nails, and check our hands if they were clean and if they weren’t they would tell our parents about it [laugh] and I didn’t experience any of those kinds of things [here in the United States] because I thought like initially coming to America like, oh I wonder if they are stricter here but it was like to opposite.<br /><br />DIAZ: I see, so from your experience do you notice anything different between first generation immigrants and the Filipino American community here in Davis?<br /><br />BOTOR: Yeah, I know first generation immigrants speak out more on like the culture since they’re the ones who know how to speak [the native language] and things like that. And so, it’s nice to see that being involved with the community that way, educating like Filipino Americans who’ve like never have been back home [the Philippines] and things like that. <br /><br />DIAZ: How do you retain your culture in America?<br /><br />BOTOR: I feel like a big part of it is my parent’s influence because obviously if they decided not to eat Filipino food anymore then I eventually forget what Filipino food is. So it’s a good thing that my parents you know kept cooking Filipino dishes, they always speak Ilocano and Tagalog in the house, so that I would not forget how to speak [Tagalong and Ilocano] and yeah I would say that my parents role in retaining the culture is a big part of it. <br /><br />[10:05]<br /><br />DIAZ: Do you visit the Philippines often, and if so what type of things do you usually do when you go back to the Philippines?<br /><br />BOTOR: I visited last last summer [2 years ago] but before that I haven’t been there in like six years. When we do visit I notice that we never go to like where people consider tourist areas of the Philippines. We always like go back home [Baguio City] and stay around that areas or we would be in Manila just because that where the airport is. <br /><br />DIAZ: Is there anything you miss about the Philippines when you come back?<br /><br />BOTOR: I definitely miss the food because for example, us living in Davis, there is not a Filipino restaurant near by so when I like come home [Brentwood] on the weekends one of the things I like to eat is Filipino food. Its just not accessible to me back in Davis. Also like how cheap the food is [laugh] and things like night markets and stuff like that are really fun and I miss those. And of course, most of my family is in the Philippines so it’s nice seeing them because back here [in the United States] its mainly just me, my mom, and my dad.<br /><br />DIAZ: Do you currently go to college right now?<br /><br />BOTOR: Yes<br /><br />DIAZ: And what are your plans for after graduation?<br /><br />BOTOR: So after graduation, I’m thinking of taking a gap year and during the gap year I want to continue to taking education classes and I also want to start preparing for the GRE and take that. I am hoping to apply to grad school in like this upcoming year. I am going to apply to Davis [UC Davis] again so hopefully I can stay in the area but I am also going to apply to other places like UC Santa Barbara for their toxicology or environmental program.<br /><br />DIAZ: What are your career goals? Is there anything you want to pursue specifically?<br /><br />BOTOR: Well one thing, there is something I keep telling myself that I am going to do but I don’t think I will end up doing it until I really have the time and certain outlet to do it for, but I’ve been really wanting to become more fluent in my language [Tagalog and Ilocano] because I would want my kids to know it too and so I can teach then obviously, but I don’t know it myself. So I think it would be cool to become more fluent in Tagalong and Ilocano.<br /><br />Diaz: Have you been involved in any activism while in college at UC Davis?<br /><br />BOTOR: No not really.<br /><br />DIAZ: How involved would you say you are in the Filipino American community on campus [UC DAVIS]?<br /><br />BOTOR: I was more involved during my first two years. I definitely went out to more events and things like that. I’ve kind of been more focused on my other club activities during my junior and senior year, so I wouldn’t say that now I am extremely involved with the Fil-Am community.<br /><br />Diaz: So, I want to as you a few questions about your academic experience here in America. Have there been any obstacles you’ve experienced while pursuing higher education?<br /><br />BOTOR: I think one of the biggest obstacles that, I don’t know much about it, but I just know from what my parents have told me but people always say that “Oh if you want to apply for this, just know that they also offer financial aid” because there was this one summer where I wanted to study abroad in Japan but I have never applied for financial aid and I know from my parents it can get frustrating because sure they both make enough to be considered okay financially but I feel like they don’t consider that they put their money into other things like for example, my parents always send money back home to the Phillipines to help out there, they don’t just use all of their expenses on me. There are so many other things that are not considered. So its kind of annoying that we are not able to get aid.<br /><br />DIAZ: Have you struggled in college or has it been a smooth sail for you?<br /><br />BOTOR: No, I would definitely say that I struggled a lot, just like trying to figure out how the [academic] system works I guess. Like I said, my parents didn’t go to college here so we didn’t really know the things that I could have taken advantage of. I later found out that people take college classes at a community college while they are in high school to help them with GE’s and stuff. I wish I would have known that because I would have done that if I did, but I didn’t. So there’s just little things like that that my family and I didn’t know just because they haven’t been to college here so I’m kind of like the guinea pig in this trial.<br /><br />[15:00]<br /><br />DIAZ: Is there any advice that you would have for any Filipino immigrants that are pursing higher education?<br /><br />BOTOR: I would definitely say if you know family that have been here for a while, definitely talk to them and ask for advice because sometimes when you go to [academic] counselors they have the same experience as you do and although some of their advice may be helpful, there is no harm in finding someone who’s like more similar culturally and how they went about things.<br /><br />DIAZ: Okay Noemi, thank you for your interview today.
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PLgpOo4hJf2sw08uD22E-Rw9D8TTPnbd/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PLgpOo4hJf2sw08uD22E-Rw9D8TTPnbd/view?usp=sharing</a>, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zMO_7fTa-xndInro7jGALQoXIjrlxOXa/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zMO_7fTa-xndInro7jGALQoXIjrlxOXa/view?usp=sharing</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History Interview with Noemi Botor
Subject
The topic of the resource
Baguio City, Philippines, nurse, nursing, office worker, Navy, England, UK, OFW, California, American Dream, Berlingame, Brentwood, Filipino school curriculum, Filipino education, Davis, Tagalog, Ilocano, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, toxology program, environmental program, graduate school, grad school, financial aid, finances, Japan, study abroad, first generation, first-generation, immigrant families--United States
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Noemi Botor, interviewed by Clarimin Diaz
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivst Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0008
American Dream
Baguio City
Berlingame
Brentwood
California
Davis
England
environmental program
Filipino education
Filipino school curriculum
finances
financial aid
first generation
first-generation
grad school
graduate school
Ilocano
Immigrant families--United States
Japan
Navy
nurse
nursing
office worker
OFW
Philippines
study abroad
Tagalog
toxology program
UC Davis
UC Santa Barbara
UK
-
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies
Description
An account of the resource
<strong><br />Note: Collection upload in process</strong>
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview.
Francesca De Las Alas
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Bayani de Las Alas
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
F. DE LAS ALAS: Hi, could you state your name??
B. DE LAS ALAS: My name is Bayani De Las Alas
F. DE LAS ALAS: Ok-
B. DE LAS ALAS: You want the middle name, no?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Sure, your full name.
B. DE LAS ALAS: Full name: Bayani Maranan De Las Alas. Maranan is my mother's name, family name.
F. DE LAS ALAS: And where-?
B. DE LAS ALAS: I was born in Butong, Taal, Batangas. Studied in Taal Elementary and then Batangas West High and the University of the Philippines for my engineering degree. Chemical engineering. After that, I started working at San Miguel Corporation until I retired. So many years. I'm married to Erlinda with- how many children?- [counting on hand] Edgar, Joel, Ethel Rina- There's five children, three boys and two girls.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: When you were growing up, what jobs did your parents do?
B. DE LAS ALAS: My parents was working at the Bureau Fisheries. Antonio De Las Alas, Sr.- because I have a brother who is Antonio also. And he worked in the Bureau Fisheries only, I mean for a long time. My father was sent the U.S. to study about fishing for so many years, I don't know. Maybe 3 or 4 years. He's actually an officer for the Bureau Fisheries.
F. DE LAS ALAS: And can you define what the Bureau Fisheries is?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Bureau Fisheries is a department in the government, in the field of fisheries. Many times, their job is to investigate people are [pause] violating fishery rules. I think my father worked with a high position in the Bureau Fisheries together with his brother, Jose, the older brother. I think he worked there for a long time until he retired. My mother is just a housewife, who stayed in Manila, in northern Manila, where we studied there. Later on, I graduated from the University of the Philippine with Chemical Engineering. And later on, worked as a professor at the Areneta University. From there, this is where I retired already. It was the only job I had, a professor at the Areneta University, teaching mathematics and some other subjects there in engineering.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: So, while you were-?
B. DE LAS ALAS: What do you call this engineering?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Chemical?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Chemical engineering and agricultural engineering, because Areneta University is an agricultural college. And I also taught mathematics at Feati University at night. Yes, while working at Areneta, in the evening, I taught at Feati University. Do you know where is Feati? Feati is in?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Manila?
[05:00]?
B. DE LAS ALAS: In Manila, near Brisal Avenue (sp?) Yeah, okay. That's it.
F. DE LAS ALAS: So, when you were working as a professor did you ever travel to the United States?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Ah, yes. As a professor, sometimes we are assigned to travel and check out some thing about- what do you call this, this subject?- [pause] related to fisheries, agriculture. What else do you want to know?
F. DE LAS ALAS: So I know you are also a naturalized citizen, so when did you move to the United States?
B. DE LAS ALAS: I don't remember the date but this was after I retired from San Miguel, in other words I retired from the company, and my wife and I applied for citizenship here in the U.S. because my- who was here when we came here?- children started to live here. My daughter, Ethel, and Rosette got married to U.S. citizens and they started to live here. The eldest, Edgar, is actually not a citizen of the U.S. but comes here once in a while. He was working in Manila. I don't remember what he was doing there. And then Joel, the fourth son, started to work in an optical company with the wife because Joel finished optometry and the wife also, Raquel, finished optometry. And the wife has a high position in this company. Joel was also working there, and this is how they continued to work until now.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Right, okay. So, I am just wondering, before you moved to the United States, what were some of the thoughts you had about America before you moved to America?
B. DE LAS ALAS: No, this is very difficult to say. I know that the Philippines used to be under America. And we know that life has been progressive here in the U.S. My children started to work here, Joel- Well Edgar was not really working- but, Ethel and Rosette married people here who are Filipino and became American citizens. Ethel- what was she working as?
F. DE LAS ALAS: A nurse?
B. DE LAS ALAS: I don't know what kind of job they have. We can ask Ninang Ethel, find out what they were working, how they starting working here with Rosette.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: So, after you moved here, did you notice some things that were different living in America versus living in the Philippines?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Yeah, I think so.?
[10:00]?
B. DE LAS ALAS: In the Philippines, I started working, teaching in the universities there. And then later on, when I got out of teaching, we came here. And I really didn't have a formal job here. Stayed with my children here and I don't really have a fixed job when I came to the U.S. I was just visiting my children, Ethel, Rosette, and Joel. And now I am staying with Joel to help in the house here with my wife. My wife and I are staying here. That's it. What else do you want to know?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Do you visit the Philippines frequently?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Yeah, frequently.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: And how many years do you usually go?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Most of the time, we are here in the U.S. We visit the Philippines once in a while. But, the reason we stay here is because our children are here now. Especially Ethel, Rosette, and Joel. We are now mostly staying with Joel. Edgar just comes here to visit, used to be working somewhere here in the U.S. Now, I don't know, he is in a freelancing state. That's it. Oh no, Edgar also works in the Philippines and comes here, but I don't know exactly what he's doing... Very particular. You can ask Edgar what his job is here. But Joel works in the optical company with the wife because Raquel has a high position in the optical. And Joel is the assistant, I don't know what his position is. But I think Raquel has a high paid job because she is in charge of finance there. She is in a good position.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Are you comfortable living in ?America and in the Philippines or is there one place you prefer living? America versus the Philippines.?
B. DE LAS ALAS: It's the same. But most of the time we are here because our children are here. We don't have any more children in the Philippines, I think. Edgar most of the time is here. Joel is here. Ethel is here, married to somebody from the Philippines but now is working in the U.S., and then also Rosette is married and they have one children each, no? Joel and Ethel and Rosette. So, most of the time, we are in the U.S. We actually stay here with Joel to help him in the house and whatever it is we can do to help.
F. DE LAS ALAS: So, did your children ask you to come to America to help them? Or did you kind of volunteer to come?
B. DE LAS ALAS: I think we just volunteered. We just came here and before you know it, we are staying with them, you know? It's not something that they requested that we do come here. No, we came here to visit and then before you know it, we are staying with them. And trying to do whatever it is we can do to help. Most of the time now is with Joel. Used to be with Ethel. We stayed once in a while with Rosette, but mostly with Ethel. And then now, almost 100% we are with Joel, to help him here in the house and whatever it is that we can do to help him because they are both working. Cook, Mama Linda also cooks, helps in the house and
[15:00]?
B. DE LAS ALAS: also clean the house here. That's all we do.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: So, when you were growing up, did your grandparents also do something similar with your family? Did they stay with your family and help cook and clean?
B. DE LAS ALAS: When I was growing up, we stayed in a house in Manila with my father. And my father stays there for one whole week and goes home in weekend because my mother stays in Butong, in Taal, Batangas. There used to be a lot of friends from Butong and relatives who stay with us there in that house. They do not pay any rent. They just stay with us and also share the food. They bring some food with them, rice and whatever it is they can bring from Butong. They bring them there. But we are also full packed in that house, small house. I don't know if you have been there. It is in the Visorya (sp?) in Esparaga (sp?), no? We just go into Butong once in a while. But most of the time, since I am also working in Manila, I stay there after I finished my college degree. Because when I was studying at UP (University of the Philippines), I used to live in that place in the Visorya (sp?), no? With my other Kababayan and my brothers and sisters. Ethel also lived there and Rosette and later on they got married.
F. DE LAS ALAS: What's kababayan??
B. DE LAS ALAS: Kababayan is country man. You know, my kabayans are the people who are from Butong and they study or work in Manila and they stayed with us there. Paying nothing, they just stayed there. They bring some food once in a while, they bring rice. Mostly, from Butong, the ones that we used to friends, some of them already have gone because now my parents sold that house. We don't have any more house in Visorya (sp?). We stay here at Joel's. What do you call this place?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Brentwood?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Brentwood.
F. DE LAS ALAS: So-
B. DE LAS ALAS: We seldom go to Ethel's place, once in a while we go there, over the weekend or for two days. We normally just visit Rosette, we don't stay overnight. At Ethel's we stay, we have a room there. You know our room there? The one in the corner [pointing off to the side]. And that is really reserved for us. So, once we want to stay there, we just go there and that room is really for us. It is actually reserved by Ethel for us.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Would you say it's typical for Filipino culture for the grandparents to come help with the family?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Is it what? Difficult to what?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Typical. Typical for Filipino culture for the-?
B DE LAS ALAS: Filipino what?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Culture-
B. DE LAS ALAS: Culture.
F. DE LAS ALAS: For the grandparents to help with raising the kids, and cleaning the house and helping the family?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Well, not really. When we stay here in Manila, it is really with my father. My father works with the fisheries also my uncle, the brother of my father, also works in the Bureau Fisheries. And we stayed there while we studied and I started to work in San Miguel Corporation as a chemical engineer. And at night, I used to teach at Feati University. I also taught mathematics and engineering at Feati University, which is near Brisal Avenue (sp?), I don't know whether you have been there. And then there are lots of?
[20:00]
B. DE LAS ALAS: friends from Butong, who stay with us, every time they come here, they bring some food, sacks of rice, but they pay nothing in the rental. It's part of the family. My uncle, the brother of my dad, also works at the fisheries and normally he goes out at night and normally was trying to get some fish from friends. Because they know him from the Bureau Fisheries. He visits all of this fishing boats, and I think they gave him fish free. So when he goes out, when he comes back, we have a lot of things to eat. My father, on the other hand, does not do that way. He just work at the fisheries. He has a very high position, my dad. I think he was an executive there. And he worked there for a long time until he retired.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: So, he was in charge of the policies of fishery?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Yes, policies, I think, in the fisheries.
F. DE LAS ALAS: The regulations?
B. DE LAS ALAS: And he, many times, was assigned to travel in the provinces to check with the fisherman. Because the fisheries are supposed to be in charge of fishing as a profession. And my uncle but mostly my father, who was assigned to go to Mindanao, Visayas, check out the fisheries there, the people who are fishing. And they know him very well because he is very popular, no? My dad. He's very well known in the fisheries, very high position. Also, my uncle, but my father is much higher in position. You have not seen my dad no? I think you have seen the picture. That's it. Of course, my mother is just a stay out home wife, stays in Butong. Once in a while, goes to Manila, but stays in Butong and takes care of the young kids who are still there. Ninang Ethel, Joel was still very young.
F. DE LAS ALAS: How many kids did you mom have? How many siblings do you have?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Well, me. And then we have Tony, the second one who died already, he's an attorney. Antonio De Las Alas, Jr. And then you have Ernesto, Ernie. And you have Ethel, Rosette, and Joel and Jason is the youngest.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Oh but those are your kids. Your siblings?
B. DE LAS ALAS: My siblings? My siblings are Tony, you have Ernie, Ernie is my sibling. Ernesto.?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Leland?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Leland, Leland is also a sibling.
F. DE LAS ALAS: Jaime?
B. DE LAS ALAS: Jaime, Jaime is also a sibling. The oldest is Tony and then Ernie, Ernesto. Ernesto is Ernie. And then Joel and Leland. And then who else? Jay. Jay is the youngest.
F. DE LAS ALAS:? No, Reuben?
B. DE LAS ALAS: No, no Jason. Reuben is older than Jason. Jason is the youngest. So that is my life. Is there is anything else?
F. DE LAS ALAS: No, that's good! Thank you.?
B. DE LAS ALAS: But, you have to clear up the way it is written, no?
F. DE LAS ALAS: Of course.?
B. DE LAS ALAS: I think you have to put it on record. Is there anything else you want?
F. DE LAS ALAS: I think we are good.?
B. DE LAS ALAS: To verify?
F. DE LAS ALAS: I think we are good. Thank you very much.
B. DE LAS ALAS: Okay, it is a pleasure sharing my life and experience.?
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<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gtl57QpMDu0Es5u1rFZezPytVmHU6zJK/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gtl57QpMDu0Es5u1rFZezPytVmHU6zJK/view?usp=sharing</a>, <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/11rbonliAgZDzOTGJkuMPDYWlNoXfvkLr/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/11rbonliAgZDzOTGJkuMPDYWlNoXfvkLr/view?usp=sharing</a>
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oral History Interview with Bayani de Las Alas
Subject
The topic of the resource
Taal, San Miguel Corporation, Philippines Bureau of Fisheries, Chemical Engineering, Engineer, First Generation Immigrant, Third Wave, Fisherman, Fishers
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Bayani de Las Alas
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
9-Jun-19
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
The Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies and the UC Davis Asian American Studies department holds intellectual control of these recordings. Usage is restricted for educational, non-commercial purposes only. For other uses, please contact archivist Jason Sarmiento at ajsarmiento@ucdavis.edu
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
ucdw_wa014_s001_0007
Chemical Engineering
Engineer
First Generation Immigrant
Fisherman
Fishers
Philippines Bureau of Fisheries
San Miguel Corporation
Taal
Third Wave