Oral history interview with Rheanne Cruz, interviewed by Daniel Gonzalez
Title
Oral history interview with Rheanne Cruz, interviewed by Daniel Gonzalez
Description
Oral history interview with Rheanne Cruz, interviewed by Daniel Gonzalez
Date
10-Jun-19
Rights
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
Audio Recording and Transcript
Identifier
ucdw_wa014_s001_0015
Interviewer
Daniel Gonzalez
Interviewee
Rheanne Cruz
View/Download File(s)
Transcription
[Session 1, June 10, 2019]
[Begin Audio File]
Daniel: So today is June 10, 2019 and it is 11:10 AM. This is Daniel Valentin Gonzalez
and I am interviewing for the Filipinx Oral History Project for ASA 150: The Filipinx
Experience in the US. Today I am interviewing:
Rheanne: Rheanne Cruz.
Daniel: Alright so let's get started. So first we are going to start by talking a little but
about your childhood and your young adult life. When and where were you born?
Rheanne: I was born in Manila, Philippines and I was born on March 19th, 2000.
Daniel: Okay, and where were your parents born?
Rheanne: My mom was born in Mindanao, Philippines but I’m not sure where my dad was
born.
Daniel: And what did your parents do?
Rheanne: My mom is currently a nurse, but in her time in the Philippines she was just a
student.
Daniel: Oh okay. And do you know what your grandparents did for work?
Rheanne: Yes. My grandma moved over 20 years before my mom and I did, and she was a
personal caretaker.
Daniel: Oh okay, and that’s here in the US?
Rheanne: Yes.
[3]
Daniel: Okay. And how many siblings did you have?
Rheanne: I am the only child.
Daniel: Oh okay, so you said that your grandma moved here before you and your mom
did?
Rheanne: Yes.
Daniel: And was she the only family member that moved here before you did?
Rheanne: Yes my only immediate family member, but I had extended family here. I had like
aunts and uncles.
Daniel: Okay. But your grandma was your primary contact?
Rheanne: Yeah.
Daniel: Okay, and did you have any schooling or academic experience in the Philippines?
Rheanne: No I didn’t.
Daniel: So when did, at what age did you come here?
Rheanne: I came when I was four.
Daniel: Okay. And why, well I guess you didn’t have much of a say in coming did you?
Rheanne: Yeah no, my mom moved over, well she decided to come here because the
“guarantee of a better life”
Daniel: Okay, so right now where do you live?
Rheanne: I live in Los Angeles, California.
Daniel: Okay, did you live anywhere else prior to living there?
Rheanne: I lived in Roseville, California in Sacramento.
[4]
Daniel: Okay then, and what made you go back to, or go to LA?
Rheanne: Oh it was my parents divorce.
Daniel: Okay I see. Did you have like, do you remember any feelings you had about the
United States before you moved here?
Rheanne: I was really young, but I guess all I really remember thinking about Americans or
America was that they had a lot more than the Philippines did.
Daniel: And what about your mom, did she like express anything about the US?
Rheanne: No not really, I don’t remember talking to her much about it.
Daniel: Oh okay, and did your grandma have any influence in you, what your family did?
Rheanne: We video chatted with her and not really, if it was something she had a lot more
than anybody in the Philippines did, but she was definitely sending it over to us.
Daniel: Okay, do you remember any differences about the way you lived in the
Philippines compared to the way you lived here?
Rheanne: In the Philippines I guess I saw a lot more people, I lived with a lot more people,
and here I lived with my grandparents and my mom and I didn't really see anybody like that
around, it didn't feel like, there was a bigger sense of community in the Philippines.
Daniel: Oh okay, so you haven’t been able to find something similar here?
[5:02]
Rheanne: Yeah it's like in the Philippines there's like being able to walk over to a neighbors
place and feeling very welcomed, and here it’s like not super normal.
Daniel: So umm, did you, where did you first, oh sorry.
Rheanne: It’s okay, don’t worry.
Daniel: Where did you first live when you came to the United States?
[5]
Rheanne: I first lived in Roseville, California.
Daniel: Oh okay so you started there.
Rheanne: Yeah.
Daniel: So did you, so you went to school here in the US right?
Rheanne: Yes.
Daniel: And did you go to school with like any other first generation immigrants or other
Filipino immigrants?
Rheanne: I went to, I lived in Roseville, so that was predominantly white I remember only 3
students of color in my classes and I didn’t know if they were immigrants or not, but when I
moved over to Los Angeles there was actually a lot more first generation immigrant kids.
Daniel: Oh okay then, did you, so how was that comparing those two different
environments?
Rheanne: When I was younger I guess I felt like an outsider in order to socialize with kids
and feel relatable, but when I moved over to Los Angeles where its much more diverse I felt a lot
more welcomed.
Daniel: Okay, and what about, did you notice, so when you lived in LA was there
diversity between just like other ethnicities besides Filipinos?
Rheanne: Yes.
Daniel: So did you notice anything different between those immigrants and the Filipino
immigrants, or did you feel like they shared similar experiences?
Rheanne: I think they were pretty similar, if there was family around people were very close
to family, and family was, and like, our home countries, people definitely were still in contact
with them, but I don't know. I guess in the school that I went to there weren't as many Filipinos
and Filipinos that I met had a lot more family over so it was kinda different. Yeah sorry if that
was a little bit vague.
[6]
Daniel: No yeah, no you’re good. Yeah a lot of times we don’t really like think about
these things when you're going through it. Okay well that's all the questions that I have unless
you have any closing remarks or any other comments that you’d like to make as well.
Rheanne: Oh no I think that’s it.
Daniel: Okay then well thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.
Rheanne: Okay no problem.
[Begin Audio File]
Daniel: So today is June 10, 2019 and it is 11:10 AM. This is Daniel Valentin Gonzalez
and I am interviewing for the Filipinx Oral History Project for ASA 150: The Filipinx
Experience in the US. Today I am interviewing:
Rheanne: Rheanne Cruz.
Daniel: Alright so let's get started. So first we are going to start by talking a little but
about your childhood and your young adult life. When and where were you born?
Rheanne: I was born in Manila, Philippines and I was born on March 19th, 2000.
Daniel: Okay, and where were your parents born?
Rheanne: My mom was born in Mindanao, Philippines but I’m not sure where my dad was
born.
Daniel: And what did your parents do?
Rheanne: My mom is currently a nurse, but in her time in the Philippines she was just a
student.
Daniel: Oh okay. And do you know what your grandparents did for work?
Rheanne: Yes. My grandma moved over 20 years before my mom and I did, and she was a
personal caretaker.
Daniel: Oh okay, and that’s here in the US?
Rheanne: Yes.
[3]
Daniel: Okay. And how many siblings did you have?
Rheanne: I am the only child.
Daniel: Oh okay, so you said that your grandma moved here before you and your mom
did?
Rheanne: Yes.
Daniel: And was she the only family member that moved here before you did?
Rheanne: Yes my only immediate family member, but I had extended family here. I had like
aunts and uncles.
Daniel: Okay. But your grandma was your primary contact?
Rheanne: Yeah.
Daniel: Okay, and did you have any schooling or academic experience in the Philippines?
Rheanne: No I didn’t.
Daniel: So when did, at what age did you come here?
Rheanne: I came when I was four.
Daniel: Okay. And why, well I guess you didn’t have much of a say in coming did you?
Rheanne: Yeah no, my mom moved over, well she decided to come here because the
“guarantee of a better life”
Daniel: Okay, so right now where do you live?
Rheanne: I live in Los Angeles, California.
Daniel: Okay, did you live anywhere else prior to living there?
Rheanne: I lived in Roseville, California in Sacramento.
[4]
Daniel: Okay then, and what made you go back to, or go to LA?
Rheanne: Oh it was my parents divorce.
Daniel: Okay I see. Did you have like, do you remember any feelings you had about the
United States before you moved here?
Rheanne: I was really young, but I guess all I really remember thinking about Americans or
America was that they had a lot more than the Philippines did.
Daniel: And what about your mom, did she like express anything about the US?
Rheanne: No not really, I don’t remember talking to her much about it.
Daniel: Oh okay, and did your grandma have any influence in you, what your family did?
Rheanne: We video chatted with her and not really, if it was something she had a lot more
than anybody in the Philippines did, but she was definitely sending it over to us.
Daniel: Okay, do you remember any differences about the way you lived in the
Philippines compared to the way you lived here?
Rheanne: In the Philippines I guess I saw a lot more people, I lived with a lot more people,
and here I lived with my grandparents and my mom and I didn't really see anybody like that
around, it didn't feel like, there was a bigger sense of community in the Philippines.
Daniel: Oh okay, so you haven’t been able to find something similar here?
[5:02]
Rheanne: Yeah it's like in the Philippines there's like being able to walk over to a neighbors
place and feeling very welcomed, and here it’s like not super normal.
Daniel: So umm, did you, where did you first, oh sorry.
Rheanne: It’s okay, don’t worry.
Daniel: Where did you first live when you came to the United States?
[5]
Rheanne: I first lived in Roseville, California.
Daniel: Oh okay so you started there.
Rheanne: Yeah.
Daniel: So did you, so you went to school here in the US right?
Rheanne: Yes.
Daniel: And did you go to school with like any other first generation immigrants or other
Filipino immigrants?
Rheanne: I went to, I lived in Roseville, so that was predominantly white I remember only 3
students of color in my classes and I didn’t know if they were immigrants or not, but when I
moved over to Los Angeles there was actually a lot more first generation immigrant kids.
Daniel: Oh okay then, did you, so how was that comparing those two different
environments?
Rheanne: When I was younger I guess I felt like an outsider in order to socialize with kids
and feel relatable, but when I moved over to Los Angeles where its much more diverse I felt a lot
more welcomed.
Daniel: Okay, and what about, did you notice, so when you lived in LA was there
diversity between just like other ethnicities besides Filipinos?
Rheanne: Yes.
Daniel: So did you notice anything different between those immigrants and the Filipino
immigrants, or did you feel like they shared similar experiences?
Rheanne: I think they were pretty similar, if there was family around people were very close
to family, and family was, and like, our home countries, people definitely were still in contact
with them, but I don't know. I guess in the school that I went to there weren't as many Filipinos
and Filipinos that I met had a lot more family over so it was kinda different. Yeah sorry if that
was a little bit vague.
[6]
Daniel: No yeah, no you’re good. Yeah a lot of times we don’t really like think about
these things when you're going through it. Okay well that's all the questions that I have unless
you have any closing remarks or any other comments that you’d like to make as well.
Rheanne: Oh no I think that’s it.
Daniel: Okay then well thank you for your time, I really appreciate it.
Rheanne: Okay no problem.
- Date Added
- February 9, 2021
- Collection
- Filipino Immigrant Oral History Project
- Item Type
- Oral History
- Tags
- California, divorce, first generation, immigrant, Immigrant families--United States, LA, Los Angeles, Manila, Mindanao, nurse, Philippines, Roseville, sacramento
- Citation
- “Oral history interview with Rheanne Cruz, interviewed by Daniel Gonzalez,” Welga Archive - Bulosan Center for Filipino Studies, accessed April 25, 2024, https://welgadigitalarchive.omeka.net/items/show/704.