TRANSCRIPTION
What do you remember as a child in Mexico?
Workin
Doing what?
Well…we had a ranch. Then you got to plant if you want to eat. Vegetables, corn, beans, there was no going to the store around the corner.
Is that all you did was work on a farm?
No when we moved to , we was living in Altamira there when my dad had that little ranch, ranch and farm. Then in Tampico went to Veracruz cross the river and started working. Going to school at 8yrs old and working the same time. I always..all my life I worked 7 days a week you know that. I can't sit around and watch the football game or. I played football when I was playing it. I went through that myself already.
Did you attend school in Mexico?
Yep. Fransisco Castellano, Went to the second grade over there.
When did you come to the United States?
I Thought it was 46 or 47. It was 46 or 47. You know in Mexico you go the whole year to the same grade you don't 6 months or go…cuz in 6th grade you're ready to go to high school. 6th grade is Primeria.
Can you describe coming to the United States?
Yeah, get in a bus, get to Laredo, get in a Greyhound an keep traveling.
Did you all have any problems coming?
Nah…no problems at all.
And when you came to the U.S. was it just you or?
No it was five of us. My daddy and four kids my sister and two brothers.
And your mom?
She was still in Mexico getting her green card. She made it later, took her probably a year or year and a half, Maybe two to fix her paperwork.
When you came to the U.S. where did you live?
First stop Amarillo, TX.
Did you have family there?
Aunt, cousins, uncle, my aunt was my daddy's sister…Lucille
Did you attend school in Amarillo?
Nah. The only place we went to school was in Grand Falls when we were working for my uncle.
Between the two schools the one in Mexico and the one in the U.S. were they different?
Nah, about the same.
Did they teach the same thing?
My biggest deal was learning English the pronunciation of the word. A lot of people don't believe me but I started singing western song's. I didn't know what I was saying, but I learned the song's and I got a dictionary, and then I what I wanted to was learn the pronunciation and the sound of the words. Hank Williams he was going strong back then. I used to sing his songs, and like some words I didn't know what the meant. I just wanted to learn the pronunciation.
When you had immigrated did you understand what that meant?
Nah, I didn't pay to much attention to it. I knew it was like a permit to come across, but I was ten years old somewhere along those lines.
Did you only live in Texas?
Not after I Got rolling, I lived in California, New Mexico; I always wound up back in S.A so I quit, quit going away.
Why did you come back to San Antonio?
I don't know mama, I had my first kid here so. You know Bozo is 54 already 57 yrs old. I was 52 when you was born.
Why did you stop going to school?
Well here in San Antonio is where they got on my butt about that Mexican 7. They called me a wetback and I didn't go for that. I went home and I told my mother and daddy "I'm going to work." Back then was…it's Shamrock now, now its Valero, but back then it was Sigmor belong to an old man for a long time. He wanted me to be one of his partners to run the business, but I wanted my own business.
Do you remember how much you would make?
For six days I used to get around 20 dollars. Back then you didn't make much, but it didn't take much. I was probably making more then my daddy. He was making 18 dollars a week. He didn't use his car to o to work because the gasoline was 12 cents a gal. you could get on the bus for 10 cents to go to work an d10 cents to come back home. And license plates was 5.50 for the whole year. You didn't need no insurance, no safety sticker. It was beautiful I wish it stayed like that.
Was it difficult to find work in the U.S?
Nah…I never had to look for a job in my life. There was always somebody coming. Come on David I need your help.
What kind of jobs did you have growing up?
hmmm…I always done a little mechanic work, service station, work in paint shops, I can't remember the name of the old man that ran the service station.
Was there any tension between your dad's family and your mother?
Nah…I don't think so.
Did you ever go back to Mexico?
A lot of times
Did you know any of your mother's family over there?
never found them? Like my mother and daddy they never went to school. My daddy could write Spanish speak it English German…smart old man. I use to do pretty good with German, but forgot it all.
If you could change anything about your life would you?
Nothing to change.
Do you have any regrets?
No mam
Do you have anything you want to add that we haven't covered?
I always had a house to live in, something to eat. You didn't need much more then that. Had a place to sleep and groceries on the table. A lot of people saying they want to get rich, there are a lot of people like that. I don't know why they fall in love with money. They don't give a damn about nothing else.
