TRANSCRIPTION
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Sabinas Street and Perez. That's where I grew up. That's why we had to go to
Bowie elementary School
and had to go walking.
How difficult was it for you go to school?
It was very difficult because it was too far. We had to walk from Sabinas Street. I lived by Sabinas and Navidad Streets,
by the corner street. Then go walking to Ruiz Street. We got to Ruiz and walked until reach Colorado Street. Finally, from
Colorado Street to Arbor Street Pl, and there it was, the school. We had no good sweaters or shoes or anything. Also, almost
nobody had a car. So, almost everybody had to go walking. At school you were allowed to got out to eat, when you wanted.
You could leave at any time because… it was other time. There was not so much vice. When I went out to eat… my mom worked washing
others clothes. She worked by the Arbor Street Pl. she washed to some nurses, and I went with her at noon to stay a while and then
I came back to school. It was until we were six years old, to be allowed to go to school because nobody spoke English. English began
to be use for people who speak it, after World War II. I think that it was when it began to be more speaking. When we went to school
we couldn't speak English. The teachers were Americans. There were, only about one or two that ... that was the only school I went to.
The school's name was Bowie. It had other name. I think it is already close, but, the building is still there I guess. The school was
between Colorado and just before arriving to Poplar. We spent once a year. It was, was the first grade, the first, the second, and
the third. We said low second, high second, low third, high third. I think I went until... I think I got out of school at 12. My mom
took me out of school, because she couldn't afford my school. She didn't have any clothes to send me to school. No one said anything
if you weren't going to school. The teachers didn't care and come. I'm still remembering all those things I learned, like homky Donky….
I'm still remembering what we said, and also I enjoyed reading the story of "Jinge brave boy. And the little songs, sometimes I remember.
People learn better when little than when adult, because you have already your mind on other things. There was a library.
it was close around San Pedro. I do not know if this still or no. We went there, sometimes, with other girls or boys. There, they lend us
things such as things to see. There was nothing in those times.. There was no television. And, at school because it was light and everything,
but we had no light, we had lamps. I'm still remembering I go to school, and when classes finish, I came home and going out to play left me.
My mom, let me to go to play.. I was alone because all my brothers were great, they were married.
The teachers were American. How did you communicated with them?
Well, some of them understood us, like me. There was a very good American teacher that I loved very much. All the time,
I never forgot her. Her name was Miss Bailey and his boss' name was Miss Kim. But there were some Mexican Teachers too whose
last name was Cardenas. I don't know, I guess that was why we didn't learn English, because they couldn't understand us.
There were some girls who could speak English, but not me. You have to keep talking. I was there playing with the girls,
and learn more and more English. Well, I'm from here, but I don't speak English as correctly as I should.
Just like my granddaughters. Even the little ones, correct me because they know I'm saying something wrong.
At school, were you prohibited to speak Spanish?
Not because ... well, just when we talked ... because all the girls played games and everything. And how could I speak English,
if I didn't know it. I remember that I said "can I go to the be excused?" I said to the teacher. because we had to raise our hand
to the bathroom. But here at home I had learned as I said. I think someone, a cousin who knew English. They speak only English
at home. And they said, "Can I be excused", but I thought the bathroom was called "be excused". I told the teacher: "Miss Bailey
can I go to the be excused". But she didn't tell me that I shouldn't use all the words. I said it that way, because for me the
bathroom was called "be excused" and so I told her. I enter the school saying "can I go to be excused" and got out of it, the same,
I still say" can I go to the be excused ". And the girls were laughing a lot, because they did not care about Mexicans. They didn't
care if we learned or not learned. It was another time. It was when there was still segregation of ... I saw much of that. The Black
people used to sit behind. We went for Ruiz, and on the San Marcos Street, there was the school, the school, for black people because
there were where they were to school. They went to that school, and when they were out, we were out too. So, we see them and they were
rude with us, they were bad, they hit and steal to us. We bought those little things that you put in your skin to paint it. Painted,
tattoos, and put them on me, and my mom said "nice, you got nice now. You only lack the feathers to look like an Indian. I painted all
my arms. But came home and I took them off, and it was.
As a child, did you experience any kind of discrimination?
We were all Mexicans who live in my neighborhood. I never knew we were ... well we never went anywhere, because my mother had no
husband. The other ladies, who had their husband, went to the works. They went to pick up beets, and other fruits or vegetables. Time
after, when it started to be work. The only job I had was at a nut factory, peeling nuts. I'm still having the thing that was use to
peel nuts.. I quit for a week school and went to work peeling nuts, and bought shoes, which were bought by my mom. But, they lasted not
a long time, because the soles were made of cardboard. My mom sent me to school with a little boy, the neighbor's son. He, didn't like
to go with me, because the boys said I was his girlfriend. He used to let me behind and tell me, "go away, go away" because he didn't like
me. And I would say: "you'd better wait for me, because I'll tell my mom." And when I said to my mom, she said: "now you will see how I'm
going to tell Mrs. Atanasia". Then, my mom went and complained to her mother about him. "Mrs. Atanasia, watch this little boy, doesn't
take care of my daughter." He had no obligation, but the people... We were very ignorant. My Mom also hadn't gone to school. But, told to
him to better wait to me.
Any experience, you remember from your childhood?
I was like a tomboy. Almost all the boys were my buddies. When we peeled nuts in the house, they came across. They were called
the Ortiz, and were many. They only had a sister, I mean, two sisters, Eufrasia and Gloria. We grew together. But, the boys didn't
go to school, because they had to go to work. And then at night they came and we were under the light. You could bring nuts to peel
at home and take them back the next day. And all of them helped. My mom told them: "if you'll come, you'll help here." There was no
television, no nothing. Only storytelling about the llorona, and the dead, and… And then, the Ortiz, went back home. We had, I remember
so well because I dream about that house so often, it was going to be a door, but my dad made it a window. When my dad died, no vary
fixed it, so it was open. And we just jump thru it as goats leaping around. They lived next door, so they could jump thru the window
to come into my house. And they left by there. They were ... who came were the two who were my age. It was Pancho, whose nickname was
"el diablo". It was Pancho, and it was ... I don't remember about the oldest ones. But, I remember Pancho all the time. He and his
other brother, went back home and then came back quickly. They went around ten at night. They were knocking the door. "Who is it?"
"Tomy" My mom said "Open the door." "Doña Otilia," my mom's name was Otilia," Doña Otilia does you allowe Tomy take us home?" And
I was going to accompany them. They were afraid to go home by themselves. I think I wasn't afraid. I went and left them. Then, when
we grew, we never saw us each other. To Jesus, who who took care of me, yes, he had came to visit me. I and my husband were invited
to his wedding. he saw me as a sister. Varo, my husband, would said, because of he had beautiful eyes, and his nickname was the tiger.
My husband told me: "You were the tiger girlfriend, right?" And told him: "no." "Are you sure? Everyone said you were his girlfriend."
He said, "was not his girlfriend, and hopefully if had spoken to me and ask me about it, I'll be accepted him." But, we grew up together,
as brothers. He started to work in an HEB in vegetables in the Comercio Street. And I was pregnant of Raul, and then he would come and
brought me an apple or something. And the fact is that when he came to his mother's house, he asked her for my address and visited us
here, me and Varo. He knew Varo.
Do you recall any particular story, of which people had tell when they gathered to peel nuts?
Yes, the llorona, which was what had killed
all their children and who had throw them into the river, and then, later, she was looking for them. And then they
had another... when the people were there telling stories. My mom not, my mom didn't like it. She was very serious.
But, other women, and neighbors who came here, told the one about the girls that liked going to dance, and whose didn't
had any permission to go. People said that once, it had appeared to them a man with a hounds tooth. And many stories I
do not remember much, because I was still very young. Not really paid attention to things.
Do you remember any relevant experience you ever lived?
It was a very hard time. We had, when the Great Depression, if you had food you ate, if not, there was nobody
who would give you. There were churches, to which people will call the church of the Aleluyas. And they sent me
there because we sang and everything and they gave us a piece of bread. For the most important thing was that, when
started the working men. They were paid with food, and gave us, women, clothes also, because there was no money. But
all people lived in the same poor conditions. No one stole from anyone.
What did you do for fun?
We had the Pastorelas
every Christmas, if we had our parents' permission. I would said "Mom can I go?" It was a block far from my house. My
mom would tell me "Well, but don't back late." It was in the neighborhood. They had ropes, at the clotheslines, where
the hung lamps to be lightly.All the girls got together, but also I like to be with the boys. I liked to have a lot of
boyfriends. Well, at the Pastorela we got candies. Also, we used to have fun at the carpas
that came in the neighborhood sometimes. They used to install their equipment in front of my house. They had shows with dancers.
My mom allows them to take from our water to drink and everything they needed, and they let me go for free. But, many
times my mom wouldn't let me go anywhere, so I cry a lot because she didn't let me go. That's why I think I was a mischievous
girl. Then they used to go out in the afternoons, walking by the streets. There were big trucks with drummers playing, clowns
behind them and also dancers. Uh… I only could hear the music and I cry, to see if my mom let me go. We played hopscotch, that's
what we played. We had no things to play, nothing. The first television… we went in the afternoon, after dinner. I already had
my boys, so we went there, at the street of.... I can't remember the street's name. it was at downtown, where were some furniture
stores, there by Commerce Street. Those furniture stores started to have televisions for sell. So, they keep them turn on. Everyone
went in the ca, and got off there. we would sit on the sidewalk to watch the TV. But then, sometimes, the signal failed and was nothing
to do. We all just got angry, because we couldn't fix it, because it was inside the store. And those were the entertainments.
How old were you when you started to work?
I would say ... At age 13 I made the first communion. Well, I would think 13 or 12 years, because I
married at 15. I went to school and quit it for a week and worked. There's the nut factory right after crossing...
There's one called on Morales and Sabinas Street, this one called Perez Grocery Store. And I worked there. But,
when the inspector came, the lady hid me in the kitchen, because he couldn't saw me and realize I was too little
and had to go to school. We peeled the nuts and thrown them into a cup, the heart and pieces. Then, we weighed them
in pounds. The heart was weighed more, but they didn't pay us. All the people lived by that, and they didn't pay
us, and had to peeled the nut with a tool to peeled them. Each one had to bring their own. We earn, about two
dollars per week but had not yet Social Security. They paid us in an envelope. We had no social security. I got
it when I was already married.
As a woman, was it difficult to find a job, or was equal as it was for men?
There was not work. Well, my sister worked, but she had gone a little further to school. I was a kid;
I was married too young and was working in a nut factory, because my husband was sick. But I never notice anything
bad. Well, almost everyone who had a job at a store was because they had gone to school, had finished it, and knew
English. My sister worked, before she got married, at a hotel attending the telephone. She was 13 years older than me.
When you marry, things became easier or harder?
Well in a way, it was harder, because we hadn't where to live. He, my husband, took me to live with his aunt.
It was a hard time. My mom had to get out of her house because my older brothers didn't pay taxes for it. My mom was
very ignorant and didn't know had to pay taxes. Since a kid, I told her once I get married I was going to take her
to live with me. That's why I wanted to get marry. When I married, she came here to visit me. I didn't work anymore.
She was living with my brother, Ines, at his house. Once I started working again, when he began to feel a little
better, I got a work at a nut factory again. I talked to the owners and told them if they could rent me a small room
where they stored the bags full of nuts. It was a long room. I remember they painted it and took everything from
there. And, my mom came to live there with me. She lived with me until she died. We lived there, at that little room,
until we bought the house Monclova Street. There was a Jew who sold houses such as the Monclova Street house, we'd
bought. You had to have $10.00 down. And who was able to pay $10.00 down for a house? There was no money. I don't
know my husband did. I guess my sister lent him some money, but not sure. We got that little house. There were many
houses together like vicinity. But, the house only had one "be excused" as I used to call the restroom. Once everyone
finishing paying me, they fenced their houses. We never thought about the idea of they were going to fence, and we would
end up without restroom, and so, we did. We had to ask the first one who fenced for permission to used the restroom. And
we had to go there. My husband was a broom maker. My husband, made some brooms to be able to get the sure at our house.
the sure passed by Leal Street. We lived by the alley on Monclova Street. There, didn't pass either the mailman, the
trash, or pass by the sewer. We suffer a lot to pay because they had to pierce other houses to pass it trough. I raised
my family there. My children, Albert was born there. We were poor but had to eat, because my husband, once he got his
payment, the first thing we did was to go buy food walking at a Chinese store. We brought there, and they gave us a ride
back to home at theirs truck.
Did you ever experience any sort of division at home among the family members due to the time you were living?
Actually, yes, it was because of poverty. And much time before, it was used to boys to fight among them for
their father's properties. So, my brothers weren't the exception. My mom suffered a lot because they fought many times.
My mother's daughter in law, used to fight very often with my mom. She complained to my brother, and then he would go
and fight with my mom. "That was why I used to be arguing with my brother" I would say to her. He was one of my oldest
brothers, Matias, he was the only one. My sister had already moved there. But no one stole anyone. My brothers, used
to sleep outside. We had no closet. My Mom put a broomstick, and we hung our clothes there. We were not a very large
family, because my sister got married and left. She was widowed and remarried. My brother lived at home with Mary until
they were taking out along with my mom. They lost the house because; they didn't pay taxes. I was already married, and
was living Varo's house. Then, when we moved, we moved to a house by the Buena Vista Street. My mom was already living
with me and died there, at that street.
When things did begin to improve?
I guess everything got better, somewhat, when I started to work. Raul was 2 years old. I gave birth to
him at the age of 17. I guess I was 19 or 20 years when I went to work again, and it was working all my life.
When started the fridges factories, some people said they paid better there. I wanted to go work there, but you
couldn't get out of a job, and go to the other as easy. They had to give you a release. I asked for the release,
and went to the fridges factories to earn more. There, they put me to work, as welding, because I was tall and
chunky. Well, I was working there. We had uniforms, but… if you could see me I had my arms all bruised. I loose
a lot of weight. My mom didn't want me to work there, but they paid me a little more, I don't remember how much.
Then I left there and went to work to Mission Provision. There is where the ham was packaged. It was a butcher.
Because I didn't like to be close to all the meat, where the sausages and all were hung, they sent me the fridge
room department. In consequence I got all these pains now. It was like a big fridge. There, men were at a table
with knives, cutting the meat. They opened the door for us to get out from there. We had to go with pants and
boots and everything, because they hung, the ham, on our backs. There were also big machines where we had to put
the ham to be cut, and then weigh it in pounds. I work there, and went to work to a sew factory. I didn't know
how to sew, but I was the helper of the man who cut the tissue. I got over the table and he would come and put
together the materials. There was where I learn how to sew and started sewing. And then, there, I became a
seamstress. And then I came to other factory close to here, it was the Galindo Poultry. It was by Culebra Street.
I retired from there. Who knows what happen to it. I never had jobs where I was paid well, because you needed
education. I retired and never earn 5 dollars at least. Sewing, I earned 4 cents, because there was not the minimum salary yet.
