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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.
Jaynah Palma
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Trisha Garlit
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
[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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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 Trisha Garlit, interviewed by Jaynah Palma
Subject
The topic of the resource
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
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Trisha Garlit, interviewed by Jaynah Palma
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
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
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
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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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.
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
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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
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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.
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
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 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
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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Transcript
Identifier
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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.
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
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_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
-
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e0c55f2f3791d593994dfa3e7d2909b5
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.
Geryko Menta
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Joy Callejo
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project “Filipino MENTA-lity”
Oral History Interview With
Geryko Menta
30 May 2019
Davis, California
By Joy Callejo
UC Davis Asian American Studies Department
[30 March 2019]
[Begin Audio File]
CALLEJO: This is Joy Callejo a student at University of California, Davis interviewing Geryko Menta, an NPB major at University of California, Davis. This is for Asian American Studies 150 in regards to the Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies. I will be asking questions for him in regards to how he was prior to living in the United States and his current situation in the United States. So Gerkyo, where and when were you born?
MENTA: Hi, so my name is Geryko and I’m an immigrant from the Philippines. I was born in January 4, 1998 in the city of Olongapo in [the] province of Zambales.
CALLEJO: Where were your parents born?
MENTA: My mom was born in the city of Palawig also in Zambales and my dad was born in the city of, also in Olongapo city.
CALLEJO: What jobs did your parents do?
MENTA: Well my mom started as a cashier at a hardware store and she eventually worked her way up as a math teacher and my dad was originally an architect. That was the career he pursued back in the day.
CALLEJO: Do you know any information about your grandparents like what jobs they did or where they were born?
MENTA: Yeah, so for my mom’s side, my grandpa, he was a farmer. They mainly just worked on the-- their fields. They were taking care of their crops. And my grandma was just at home taking care of the family because there was a lot of them so she had to take care of everyone. For my dad’s side, I’m honestly not sure. I never asked my dad’s side what their jobs were but from what I can remember they were a little bit more well-off so they had a more financially stable life so I never really bothered to ask them.
CALLEJO: Was it also in the same places that your parents were born or were they, at like, different cities?
MENTA: My grandparents were originally from the city of Bataan, which is a little bit far off from Olongapo but, yeah, they weren’t born in Olongapo, my dad was and they eventually moved to Olongapo together and lived there.
CALLEJO: Okay, so we’re gonna talk about your siblings. You can also talk about how, like, your family lineage, if you know anyone older than your
grandparents, if you’ve talked to them but we’re gonna start with your siblings. How many did you have, or how many do you have? Do you come from a big family? Yeah.
MENTA: I’m an only child. At an early age, my mom [laughs], she asked me if I wanted a sibling and I said, “Well, I like my life right now,” because I was somewhat spoiled as an only child so I enjoyed that. Well for my lineage, my family lineage, my mom’s side, she was a part of eight siblings. She was the middle child so they had a bi-, really big family and for my dad’s side, there’s only two of ‘em.
CALLEJO: Cool, okay. Did any of your family members move to America before you?
MENTA: Yes. Only my mom, well for my, like, closest family, only my mom was the first person that I know of that went to America. But for my dad’s side, I have a lot of uncles that were already in America from, like, the 80s and the 90s. They served in the military and they eventually moved to South [Southern], California. They were living in San Diego and LA [Los Angeles] and they were able to have a good life.
CALLEJO: So something I learned from ASA 150 [Filipinx Experience in the United States class from the Asian American Studies department at UC Davis] is that a lot of Filipinos dreamed of being in the military, was that the
same case for your family relatives in America or was it because they were forced to join the military.
[4:52]
MENTA: Yes, I believe that they actually had a passion to be in the military because back in the day, America and the Philippines, we had a very close bond because I would say because of World War II. We had a more positive view on what America was and so it feels I’m pretty sure from serving America in the military, in a way, you’re also serving your own nation. So-- and they also wanted a better life. They believed in the American Dream that if they’re able to serve in the military they were able to be accepted as a part of America. So that’s why my relatives chose to serve in the military. They weren’t forced to do it. And a lot of ‘em, they ended up having high rankings and were very successful, and they, most of ‘em are retired already.
CALLEJO: So you talked about having acceptance in America, was that true for your family relatives? Did that end up becoming-- did their dreams end up becoming what they hoped for when they wanted to be in the military?
MENTA: Yes, I believe so. I think in the beginning it was probably tough for them since, first off, they have to adjust to the culture in America or just being around Americans, in general. I’m pretty sure the way they act is
different from Americans. And also some of them were women that served in the military as, yeah-- they were also women that served in the military. My grandma worked in the navy and, but, at the end of the day they were able to successfully achieve what they wanted because right now they’re just relaxing, I guess, after all of their endeavors and their children and their nephews and nieces are pretty successful right now, from their hard work they’re able to, given that extra edge to be successful.
CALLEJO: Okay, we’re gonna deviate from family relatives and we’re gonna start talking about your personal experiences now. So you mentioned before or to me that you moved here when you were nine so I assume that you had some sort of academic experience in the Philippines. So what was that like?
MENTA: Well, I went to this private K-12 school in the Philippines. It was called Olongapo Wesley High School or just school, I guess, because it was K-12. It was-- it was very strict, I would say because the teachers there weren’t as lenient as they were in America. You wouldn’t really hear like them, like, calling you “honey” or like “sweetie”, you know, stuff like that. They were very blunt.
CALLEJO: Yeah.
MENTA: And some of them even have bamboo sticks. That scared me but their way of teaching was more straightforward and blunt. It was-- for me it
was very academically tough. We’ve had, well we had a lot of subjects. We also covered English so I had experience with speaking in English too. What else was there? [laughs]
CALLEJO: So how was that different from here in the U.S? You talk about it being less strict [education in the U.S.] but how about the environment? Like talking to your classmates? How is that different in America as opposed to the Philippines?
MENTA: It’s about the same when you’re talking with your classmates. You still get to hang out with them and meet new people. But I felt like the hours in the Philippines, for me, was very long. I’d say, for America, you would wake up, go to school around seven [in the morning], and then leave home, like, around right after noon, like right after twelve. For me, I went to school at like 6:30 [in the morning], ended at noon, and went back, go to class from one through five [in the afternoon] everyday. It was very different and for the most part, the experience was about the same. You still get to meet new classmates, still get to hang out with them. And yeah.
CALLEJO: Cool. Okay, so we’re gonna deviate from academic experiences. So, why did you and your family decide to move out of the Philippines? For me personally, I moved out of the Philippines because of, obviously, my parents wanted me to get a better education. Was that the same case for you all or was it just other reasons?
[10:15]
MENTA: Well, as for my mom, she was a math teacher that was offered a sponsorship, from what I can remember, to become a math teacher in America. So seeing that opportunity, she wanted to create a better future, that’s what she saw, she was following that American Dream, that these Filipinos were striving for. So when she was offered that sponsorship she immediately went to it. And she went to America with a couple of math teachers. After about a year, she wanted to bring the rest of the family and that’s how-- that’s the whole reason for me being here. And also my dad was-- he worked in Dubai. And he ended up just coming back home. It was tough for him so financially, we were a little bit unstable, I guess. And since he saw America as an option, he was also interested and told my mom that he could maybe find a job once he gets to America.
CALLEJO: So your current city now, besides Davis, obviously, did you move anywhere else before settling in that specific city or was it always just that one.
MENTA: No, as soon as we went to America, we immediately went straight to Stockton. And I’ve lived most of my childhood in America there-- or all of it actually, I’ve always lived in Stockton.
CALLEJO: Okay, do you have any thoughts about moving out of Stockton? Or do you think you’ll be settled there for a pretty long time?
MENTA: I, honestly-- I, honestly do want to move out of Stockton. I-- I prefer other places. I have a couple of places in mind like Washington. Sea-- I would love to live in Seattle or settle down somewhere in South [Southern] California. Maybe like Redondo Beach. [laughs]
CALLEJO: Ayeee. [laughs]
MENTA: But, well Stockton is an alright place but I’ve had more better places in mind, I guess, that I prefer.
CALLEJO: I see you fitting in SoCal [Southern California]. Just the way you dress too. [laughs]
MENTA: Wearing my Hawaiian shirt. [laughs]
CALLEJO: Okay, so did you have any thoughts about America before you moved here. Any-- let’s say [long pause], yeah, did you just have any thoughts?
MENTA: Oh, yeah.
CALLEJO: Norms-- like norms you thought and were actually true.
MENTA: Well, I think the most untrue, or one of the beliefs that I had when I came to America, because, okay-- since Filipinos wanted to come to America so much they glorified America, as like, as soon as you get to America, you’re gonna be set for life and well we find out, the hard way, that was not the case, there’s still poverty in America. And that was one of the things that I was misled to, believing that America was going to be a salvation for all of the problems that we had in the Philippines. No, we still had to struggle through a lot of things and we’re-- we still are. The only other thoughts I’ve had regarding America, I guess, we’re like the cultural part, like I watched a lot of American movies growing up-- Rush Hour [laughs], that was actually one of the ways that I learned English. I watched a lot of movies and I’m not sure actually. [laughs] Yeah, I don’t know.
CALLEJO: Yeah, I learned-- I learned English watching a lot of movies too. I remember Rush Hour. [laughs] So I’m assuming they didn’t change after you’ve arrived in the U.S. but I guess, talk about how you feel about it. If there is something you could change, what would it be?
MENTA: Change in?
CALLEJO: Like change, like I guess how Filipinos always thought that America would be our salvation. Like how--talk about like what could you change. What do you think should change?
MENTA: I think Filipinos should be more exposed to what America really is because we only see the good side of America. They never really show us the bad side of America. Yeah.
CALLEJO: Cool. So when you first came here to the U.S., did you stay with extended family? Because for, in my case, I had to stay with extended family because obviously it was kind of hard for us to completely settle down first. Or were you just with your immediate family?
MENTA: I was just with my mom and dad. When we first moved to America, we didn’t know about our relatives until about a year later or so. We didn’t really keep in touch with any of them until my dad was able to contact most of his relatives, or our relatives.
CALLEJO: Okay so this is going to be talking about your attendance here at UC Davis. Did you have any, I guess, career goals in mind as you began to settle down here in America? And if so, what were they?
[16:33]
MENTA: Well, when I first moved to America, I was very inspired by my mom’s hard work and determination as a math teacher so growing up I’ve always wanted to become a math teacher. Because she would also teach me mathematics during after school. So I got used to numbers, in general, so seeing her work
hard, it made me really want to just be like my mom because she’s the reason why we are able to survive nowadays. And so I wanted to continue that but as soon as I got into high school, I’ve had my doubts seeing how tough it is to deal with high school students so I thought that as soon as I get to college, when I get to college, I’ll figure out a different career path. And my parents, they persuaded me to go towards the medical field. I wanted to become a computer engineering major, in the beginning, but they wanted to-- me to go towards the medical field because that’s what most-- that’s what most parents want their kids to be. They wanted their kids to be doctors or a nurse. Which is very cliché for a Filipino family but it’s true in most families. But yeah I was essentially forced to be in the medical field but I managed to find some interest and nowadays I’ve been wanting to become a physical therapist.
CALLEJO: [laughs due to a long pause] Okay so, I guess, not completely talking about how [we] haven’t been direct-- or haven’t been talking too much about like differences between first generation immigrants-- I’m a first generation myself so I kind of have just this tunnel vision of what a
first-gen immigrant is as opposed to someone who’s in the Filipino-American community here at UC Davis. In my previous city-- previous cities, there’s been a high level amount of [Filipino Americans]. So I kind of know what the Filipino-American person or immigrant was prior to living here because I was always consistently living with other Filipinos especially like Carson, Long Beach, Redondo Beach [cities in Los Angeles County]. Do you notice anything
different between first-generation immigrants to the ones here in like our community here at UC Davis. Or do you talk to a lot of first-gen immigrants, in general?
MENTA: So the difference between like first and second-gen?
[19:56]
CALLEJO: Or just differences between like first-gen and other Filipinos within our community. Like you know who’s specifically first-generation and who’s not?
MENTA: As opposed to the ones who are just born in America.
CALLEJO: Yeah.
MENTA: So for first-gen immigrants, they know what the Philippines is like so they’re more closely tied to the culture from the motherland. So they still act more, like, [air quotes] “Filipino”. And they still talk in Tagalog for the most part, they are fluent in Tagalog. What I’ve noticed for Filipinos born in America, they don’t really appreciate Tagalog as much, I guess. Tagalog is a dying language and it’s not really spoken by Filipinos in America. And also since they didn’t really have to go through just the process of dealing with immigration or the stress of acquiring a green card
and the possibilities of being sent back to the Philippines, they weren’t really exposed to that issue. So in a way, I guess, they probably take it for granted.
CALLEJO: Do you-- do you think it’s because they don’t appreciate it, because they’ve been Americanized by their parents or just the American school systems or do you think that it’s just because their parents are not educating them enough-- or do you think there’s a cause as to why they’re not appreciating Tagalog or Filipino culture as much?
MENTA: I feel like it’s a mix of that-- everything you just said. But I’m pretty sure most Filipino parents that are first-gen, that are immigrants, even though their kids are born in America, they probably still talk to their kid in Tagalog. But, I guess, for the kids they don’t really, like, have a reason to learn Tagalog because English is the main language in America. So there’s not really a reason to. And also even in the Philippines, English is a pretty popular language.
CALLEJO: Taglish.
MENTA: Yeah, we call it Taglish. We just mix Tagalog and English together. But I also feel like it’s not-- it’s not really their fault because they weren’t born there, they weren’t exposed to it so we can’t really blame that but it’s just-- that’s just the truth.
CALLEJO: So I’m curious, have you been to the Philippines recently and is it weird going back?
MENTA: Yes, I actually came back to the Philippines this past winter break. I was there for two weeks. I was able to visit my cousins and get to hang out with them after about-- after about, I left there when I was nine, now I’m 21 now-- so about twelve years ish I’d say. It’s been quite a while. My cousins are still the same, they still treat me the same. They’re a bit shy because I’m-- I’m not American but I’m from America so they think that I’m a completely different person now and they treat me with more care, I guess, since I came from here but they have some slang there that have evolved that I don’t know about anymore. Like, let’s say I’m talking to them in English, they would try to respond to me back in English but if they can’t, they’re like, “Nosebleed,” so it’s like they say that they’re trying to think of English words in their head that their nose-- it’s too tough for them to think about it so their nose is bleeding. Yeah, that’s one of the things that I’ve noticed. Yeah, about it.
CALLEJO: So why do you think they’re treating you differently. I mean you say that it’s because they’re probably haven’t seen you in a while or so. But is it because they’re intimidated? Do you think they’re scared there might be a language barrier?
MENTA: Yeah, I definitely think that the language barrier issue, they probably thought about that but I actually try to alleviate that issue because I started to talk to them in Tagalog since they’re having such a tough time talking to me in English. I was the one that adjusted to them. So they never really had to deal with that for too long and I just spoke to them in Tagalog the whole time.
CALLEJO: So this is probably going to be my last question for you, and this is definitely a question that you may not even be-- may have not even thought about or has even crossed your mind but so I guess in saying that since you’re [a] first-generation immigrant, what do you think will happen to your future children? Do you think you’ll still be talking to them in Tagalog? Do you think you’ll be keeping up with Filipino culture, in general?
MENTA: I do believe that for my child, I want them to be exposed to Tagalog. I want them to cherish-- just them being Filipino. They’re part Filipino, that’s a fact-- they’re my kid [laughs] but I want them to understand and [laughs] to understand that they are Filipino and not just American and I don’t want them to forget where they came from-- me and I came from the Philippines.
CALLEJO: Okay thank you, Gerkyo Menta for those comments. Yeah, this will conclude this interview.
[26:24]
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 Geryko Menta
Subject
The topic of the resource
Zambales, Palawig, Olongapo City, Farmworker, Farm, Bataan, United States [US] Military, US Navy, US Military Civilian Employees, Private School [Philippines], American Dream, Stockton,
English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers, Asian American Parenting, Filipino Parenting, First Generation Immigrant Family, Nosebleed [Slang], Language barrier,
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Geryko Menta, Interviewed by Joy Callejo
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
May 30, 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.
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0004
American Dream
Asian American Parenting
Bataan
English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers
Farm
Farmworker
Filipino Parenting
First Generation Immigrant Family
Language barrier
Nosebleed [Slang]
Olongapo City
Palawig
Private School [Philippines]
Stockton
United States [US] Military
US Military Civilian Employees
US Navy
Zambales
-
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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.
Kaila Cabebe
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed.
Ferdinand Vidad Cabebe
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound.
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Oral History Interview
With
[Ferdinand Vidad Cabebe]
[June 8, 2019]
[Folsom, CA]
By [Kaila Skye Cabebe]
Welga! Filipino American Labor Archives
UC Davis Asian American Studies Department
[June 8, 2019]
[Begin Audio File]
CABEBE: Alright, it is June 8th, 2019 and it is 11:40. This is Kaila Skye Cabebe interviewing for the Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project. And today I’m interviewing
VIDAD: Ferdinand Vidad Cabebe
CABEBE: Alright so let us begin, we’re gonna start talking about your childhood in the Philippines so where and when were you born?
VIDAD: I was born in December 1st, 1965 in a small town called Makilala in the province of North Cotabato, Mindanao in the Southern Philippines.
CABEBE: Okay, and when are where were you parents born?
VIDAD: My father, Fernando Deguzman Cabebe, was born in Narvacan in the Province of Ilocos Sur in the island of Luzon, northern Philippines. And my mother Juanita Vidad Cabebe, was born in Pid Dig, Ilocos Norte, island of Luzon in Northern Philippines.
CABEBE: And so when were they born? Like, what year?
VIDAD: My… Both of my parents were born in 1927. My mom was born in December 17th, 1927 and my father was born in August 8, 1927.
CABEBE: Okay so what jobs did your parents do?
VIDAD: My parents were both school teachers, primary school teachers
CABEBE: So what kind of subjects did they teach?
VIDAD: Uh, all subjects in the primary school.
CABEBE: Oh okay, so how about your grandparents?
VIDAD: My grandparents were both, uh, paternal, er, they were farmers in northern Philippines. And my maternal grandparents were both also farmers in northern Philippines where they were from.
CABEBE: Okay, so how many siblings did you have in your family? Did you come from a big family?
VIDAD: Yes, I do come from a big family. I have 4 immediate brothers and 2 sisters. I am second to the youngest, so that makes me the fifth child. My mother bore a stillborn girl next to me, would be the sixth, before my, uh, youngest brother. So, there were actually seven children in my immediate family.
CABEBE: Okay, um so, did any of your family members move to America before you?
VIDAD: Yes, my father’s 2 older brothers joined the American military in the early 1960s. One in the U.S. Army which was the oldest brother that served in Korea. And the younger brother served in the U.S. Navy in, during the Vietnam War.
And the reason why we are here, or I am here now, my family got to America because of immigrant petition through my uncles who served in the American military. That after they served 20 years in the military, they were given the opportunity to, uh, live in America and become a U.S. citizen. That’s how we got here in the United States. That is the reason why I am here in the United States.
CABEBE: Okay, that’s interesting. So, what was your academic experience in the Philippines like?
VIDAD: I went to school in the Philippines from 1st to 6th grade. I graduated 6th grade prior coming to the United States. I went to a public school in the Philippines. English is a second subject, I mean second language so they taught Filipino and American as well. So I learned a little bit of English in the Philippines.
[5:00]
CABEBE: Alright, so did you have any professional experience?
VIDAD: I do not because I was only 13 years old when I came to the United States.
CABEBE: Okay so no jobs?
VIDAD: No jobs whatsoever except house chores.
CABEBE: Okay. So, um, why did you decide to move out of the Philippines?
VIDAD: Well, according to my parents, it’s for a greener pasture and for better opportunity for the future generations of our family. You know, given the opportunity from family members who served in the military, you know, that’s why we are here.
CABEBE: Okay, so when did you move to the United States?
VIDAD: We moved in the United States in 1979 when I was 19 years old.
CABEBE: You were 19 years old?
VIDAD: Oh, 13 years old. Sorry.
CABEBE: Alright, um, did you move anywhere else before settling in the United States?
VIDAD: No we moved directly to San Jose, California when we got to the United States.
CABEBE: So not any other countries.
VIDAD: No other country, no other state.
CABEBE: Okay, so what were your initial thoughts about America before you moved here?
VIDAD: Well, through television and movies, American is big, beautiful, a lot of cars, a lot of different races, ethnic races. And I thought, wow, it’s gonna be a culture shock compared to the small village where I grew up.
CABEBE: Okay, so after you arrived did those thoughts change at all?
VIDAD: Yes. Yeah, it was confirmed that America was big, beautiful and of course there’s a lot of cars, different ethnic races and it was really a culture shock. But I got over it pretty quickly.
CABEBE: How quickly would you say?
VIDAD: Eh, probably 6 months to about a year.
CABEBE: Really, that short?
VIDAD: Yeah, cause since I’ve come- since I’ve met friends, you know, it was that quick.
CABEBE: Oh okay, so what would you say was different about living in America as opposed to living in the Philippines?
VIDAD: America… There are more opportunities here. You know, you can dream and achieve your dreams. And, you know, you have more individual rights compared to the Philippines. I mean, enforcement of laws is more stringent here in the United States compared to the Philippines. In the Philippines, if you happen to have any legal problems, money talks, you know. Here in the United States if your poor and you can’t defend yourself, they can, you know, provide a public defender to defend you.
CABEBE: Right, is that not the case in the Philippines then?
VIDAD: Uh, no. [laughs] You have to have connections. You have to know people. You have to have money.
CABEBE: Oh, okay so how was, like, owning your own property? Was that different also?
VIDAD: Yes, here in the United States if you work hard enough and you save money, you can buy a property. You can buy a house. You can buy a car, easily, compared to the Philippines. Because here in the United States, like, 20% of your salary only would go to groceries or food. In the Philippines it’s different because the currency is lower than what the U.S. dollar is, so in the Philippines a majority of the people there spend their money on food, 50% of their money on food.
CABEBE: Okay, so where did you first live in the United States?
[10:00]
VIDAD: We moved to San Jose, California in 1979 and we’ve lived there ‘til I moved out of in San Jose and moved to Sacramento.
CABEBE: Oh okay, so were you staying in this one house this whole time?
VIDAD: Yes, from 1979 to around 1999.
CABEBE: Okay.
VIDAD: 20 years.
CABEBE: So, did you stay with just your immediate family or did you have other family members with you?
VIDAD: I stayed with my immediate family until I was 19, but I moved out after 19 and lived with my sister until I got married and moved out of San Jose and came to Sacramento.
CABEBE: Okay. Okay, great so what jobs did you perform when you were in America?
VIDAD: First job was during high school, but during the summer I would go to my grandparents- not immediate grandparents, but cousins- in Fresno, CA to pick grapes in the vineyard. Grapes for wine and for table grapes all summer long in my sophomore and junior year. And also senior year I worked with my dad at HP, at Hewlett-Packard, during the summer assembling cabinets for mainframe computers.
CABEBE: Okay, so anything- how about after high school? Did you have any jobs after high school?
VIDAD: Yes, as soon as I graduated high school I worked in Silicon Valley in the high tech industry. I had a job with Dysand. It’s a company that manufactured rigid disk for computer drives. I did machine operating for a year and eventually I was promoted to a manufacturing technician job, assisting machine operators and calibrating and maintaining the machine in the coating and polishing department.
CABEBE: Okay, cool so did you have any professional or academic experiences that helped you get this job?
VIDAD: Just academic because there’s no professional experience that I gained in the Philippines because I was only 13 years old. And yeah, during this time when I was, you know, after graduating high school, it was a good time to be working, you know, the economy was really good during the Reagan administration in the 1980s. And Silicon Valley, especially, was a booming area.
CABEBE: So was it easy to get a job?
VIDAD: It was so easy to find a job then. You can have two, three jobs. In some cases they would interview you that same day and you would start the next day.
CABEBE: Wow.
VIDAD: It was that quick and easy to find a job, until in the 1990s and 2000s where a lot of the industry in Silicon Valley moved out of the United States and moved to Asia and other countries, developing countries.
CABEBE: So did you ever have two jobs at once? Or was it just one?
VIDAD: Talking about jobs?
CABEBE: Yeah.
VIDAD: I had, at one point, I had two jobs. Yes, not for a long time though, just for like 6 months maybe just so I can save for a car, to buy a car.
CABEBE: So did you- So when you came here you were 13 right. So you obviously went back to- Did you go back to school here?
VIDAD: Yes, I went to high school here until I graduated in 1985. High school as an immigrant,
CABEBE: Yeah, how was your experience with that?
[15:00]
VIDAD: It was scary and exciting. It was a blast. Learned how to be an American. To assimilate and to fit in.
CABEBE: Right so when you say assimilate. Did you feel like you had to assimilate?
VIDAD: Of course. You know, you had to be Americanized or act like an American, otherwise people would just make fun of you. You know you have to change your American accent from, you know, your Filipino accent. So you have to learn to speak proper English and, you know.
CABEBE: Like when you say make fun, like how would they make fun of you?
VIDAD: Just the way you look, the way you talk because, you know, you have the accent. Back in the day when I got here, you know, this was during the end of Vietnam War and a lot of Vietnamese refugees were coming and they were called by Americans as “F.O.B.s” or “fresh off the boat.” And we just happened to be, you know, we just happened to come here during that time so we were also called “fresh off the boat.”
CABEBE: Okay, so what was like the demographic of your high school? Do you remember it?
VIDAD: High school was a pretty good mix. From my observation, probably about 40% Caucasian, 20% balck and another 20, 15% Hispanic and another 15% Asian of all races of Asian descent.
CABEBE: Right like South East Asian.
VIDAD: Correct.
CABEBE: So, like, when you made friends were they mostly Filipino or were they other ethnicities?
VIDAD: Mostly, Filipinos who are also new here or “fresh off the boat.” [laughs] But eventually, you know, you start having American friends and you eventually, I eventually became an American. You know, spoke pretty well English.
CABEBE: Like did you change your accent at all?
VIDAD: Yeah eventually as you’ve been here long, you start to lose your old, you know, your accent. You’re better, you know, you can speak better English I guess. Lose your accent.
CABEBE: Yeah, so like when you learned to assimilate did you ever feel like you were kind of losing your Filipino side, trying to be more American?
VIDAD: No because I feel like I’ve lived in both worlds. I experienced half of my life in the Philippines and the United States. I can go back and forth if I want to, to be a Filipino or an American. I can do that very well because I lived in both worlds.
CABEBE: Right and so at home you spoke? What languages did you speak?
VIDAD: I spoke Tagalog in the house but I was able to learn 2 other different dialects. I spoke Visaya and Ilocano because both of my parents were Ilocanos and the fact that I was born and raised in Mindanao where the majority of the people there spoke Visaya so I was able to speak Visaya as well. So I can speak 3 different dialects in the Filipino dialect.
CABEBE: Wow, and in addition to English.
VIDAD: Correct.
CABEBE: That’s really cool actually.
VIDAD: Yep. Yeah.
CABEBE: Okay, so now, kind of like an overall, general question. Like how different, do you think are 1st generation immigrants like yourself and maybe the 2nd generation like your kids?
[19:30]
VIDAD: Well, for my generation, who are the 1st immigrant generations, we still hold onto our traditional values, Filipino values. Compared to our children, who were born here in the United States, they still have, pretty much all the same values and, you know, but they become more Americanized.
CABEBE: Yeah, how would you describe that?
VIDAD: In the Philippines, children would after they, you know, finish college and have a job they would still stay in the family’s house and eventually take care of their old parents until they pass away. Here in the United States, the children, after they graduated college and start their own family, they would move out. And usually the parents would end up in a retirement home, where nobody- you know, they wouldn’t be able to take care of them, I guess. Well, that’s just the American way. So those are the differences that I noticed that when the children move out, start their own family, you know, that’s that. Not like in the Philippines where the children would, you know, stay with their parents and take care of them until they pass away. That’s it.
CABEBE: Yeah that makes sense. So, last question, I guess, to wrap it up. I feel like- I kind of wanna ask. What is one thing that you kind of miss about the Philippines, coming here.
VIDAD: Philippines? Wow. The beaches, the tropical weather. In the Philippines there are only two seasons. There is the rainy season and the dry, hot season. Here in the United States there are 4 seasons. There’s fall, winter, spring, and summer which are very different, you know. And another thing that I miss in the Philippines is the food. You know how the family closeness? And all the family festivals, they call it fiestas, they have throughout the year there are different fiestas and different part of the Philippines. And yeah, I miss all those, especially the food and the beach.
CABEBE: Right, I imagine so. Probably a lot different here, even if they have Filipino food it’s kind of Americanized.
VIDAD: Correct. I mean, if you want authentic Filipino food you’d be, you know, you’d get it in the Philippines. You get it here too but not as much, you know.
CABEBE: Yeah I get that. So I think that wraps up everything. It is now 12:04. Thank you for your time. I really appreciate it.
VIDAD: You’re welcome.
CABEBE: Thank you for this interview.
VIDAD: Okay, thank you so much.
[End 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
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Oral History Interview with Ferdinand Vidad Cabebe
Subject
The topic of the resource
North Cotabato, Mindinao, Luzon, American Dream, San Jose,
Internet industry -- California, Immigrants--Cultural assimilation, Visayan, Ilocano, Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Ferdinand Vidad Cabebe, Interviewed by Kaila Cabebe
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
June 8, 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.
Format
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Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
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ucdw_wa014_s001_0002
American Dream
Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
Ilocano
Immigrants--Cultural assimilation
Internet industry -- California
Luzon
Mindinao
North Cotabato
San Jose
Visayan