Felipe Rodriguez
Where did you started to work? How did you get paid?
I started working in a farm, doing daily chores like feeding animals,plowing the field, milking the cows, and bringing the milk, to the kitchen in heavy containers.They used to pay me $1.00 peso at day, like $.10 US cents.
Was it a lot of money for a kid?
No it was too little because I had to feed my family.
Do you have a childhood memory that you want to share?
I remembered taking my little brother to the farm when I was 7 and he was 5, and because it was too early, I used to take his hand and started walking by the time I noticed he was asleep for the whole time until we got to the farm, he walked but he was asleep but it was because working in the farm was hard and he was too young.
What kind of food do you used to eat?
Whatever we find available. Eggs, corn tortillas, herbs, wild cactus. We didn't eat meat because it was too expensive, so mostly wealthy people could only afford it.
What kind of candies do you like the most?
I didn't eat candies, because the nearest store was like fifteen miles away from where I lived and to get there a person had to walk, and if it was already late you were at risk of get bitten by a snake.
How about toys? Did you have one that was your favorite?
He laughs. Oh no we didn't think about play, because all that we know was work but sometimes when I was taking care of the cattle I used to take off my huarache (sandal) and put some stones on it and play like if it was a car
How were the living conditions?
There was not electricity, not drinkable water. if we wanted to drink water we had to take it out from a well. I also remember about drinking water from the land. I mean I had to wait until the horses stepped in the sand and wait until it rain to get water from there.
How did you meet your wife?And how did you feel about her at the moment?
I meet her in a cinema. I was sitting behind her. She looked beautiful, that I just started touching her shoulder, and calling her beautiful. At the time I was really attracted by her face, because she looked so beautiful in a green dress.
Did she turned around when you started touching her?
(He laughs). Yeah, actually she turned around and got after me. She told me to leave her alone, because she was with two little girls and she didn't want to get in trouble with the father of them, trying to making me believe they were hers. But she looked too young to believe they were her daughters. So after the movie end I waited until she walked home and I followed her without her to noticed me. So once I knew where she lived. I started asking about her and her family. And that was how I knew the little girls were her cousins and that actually she lived with her aunt and uncle.
How did you get together?
Hmmmm, it took me a lot of time for her to say yes, but I liked her since I saw her the first time, so what I did was that every morning I used to wait in front of her door with a flower, and told her I was going to be there every morning until she will accept me as a boyfriend. At first she treated me bad, telling me all kind of stuff but after like three months, she accepted to go out with me, and accepted to be my girlfriend. And two years later we got married.
Did you felt in love before with another girl or she was the only one?
hmmmm, (He laughs). Actually there was one girl before her, but our love was impossible.
What do you mean impossible? Did her parents don't let her have a boyfriend or what happened?
Well, she was my teacher when I was in school. She was 26 while I was fourteen. I flunked third grade and fourth grade just to be in her classroom, I know she liked me too, but she was married.
But why do you say she liked you too?
Because she liked me, she told me. One time I had to stay late because she was going to talk about my grades and how bad I was doing in her class, because I wasn't learning anything, but if you asked me about how she looked every day I still can answer how she looked and the way she used to dress. And that day I told her everything about how I felt about her, and that I had fall in love with her. and....... I kissed her. And.......... she didn't do anything but kiss me too. And after that she just walked away to her house. I didn't know what to do so I just went home too, hoping to kiss her again. The next morning, I thought she was going to treat me different, like her sunshine, but instead she started to get after me all the time, like if I was bothering her. So after a while I just decided to drop out school. When she knew I was going to drop out school, she told me, she was very sorry but that dropping out was the best. Because, she had fall in love with me too. So I decided to move to Monterrey, and I never got to kiss her again but the last thing I heard about her was that she divorced her husband.
What make you think about coming to USA? And when did you came here?
Pursue a better life for my family, seek high standards of living, buy a car, and a house. And offered the best to my children. I got here on 1987.
How did you get your residence?
Hmmmm well, I came right before the president (I can't remember his name) helped a lot of immigrants to stay here as legal so I took the opportunity and I got my papers.
How did you cross the border?
I crossed it just as a resident. When I was working as a CDL driver, in the company I used to work where asking people about to come over to United States and stay for a while, most of the workers didn't want to leave their families, but I wanted to offered my family something better that I accepted to come over and they got me the green card. And after I was officially a resident, I looked for a better job, but now on this side of the border.
So what was your first job here in United States?
Since I was in Mexico, and started driving I knew I always wanted to drive didn't matter the time, for how long, or how far, I just wanted to drive, drive and drive, so when I buy my first car a Chevrolet 1948, I thought about being a Taxi Cab but as I was heading everywhere in my car, I saw a sign where CDL drivers were needed. So I apply for the job and I got it, in less than a week a was driving a trailer. So when I came here was the first kind of job I looked for and started working at Delta Produce.
How you like here?
I like it a lot, I mean I already got used to live here. Although all my family is over there except for my son, Felipe Jr. I like living here, the weather and the people even though I don't speak a lot of English, I understand it but is just hard to try to speak it. I speak most Span-glish you know. (He laughs)
So did you ever come back to Mexico again?
Yes I got my green card, I can go whenever I want to but, you know I already got used to live here I like my job and I have my grandsons here even though most of my family is over there, my 3 daughters and their sons but I don't know I feel stranger being there, most of my life is being spend here now.
Is there anything else you would like to add to this interview?
Yes, thank you for make me remember about my childhood, even though it wasn't the best, I learn a lot from it. And I will teach my grandsons and granddaughters that nothing is impossible. El que quiere puede.
-What did you learn from doing this oral history project?
-What were the most important points made in this interview?
-What did you learn about your interviewee that you did not know before?
-Did your view on this topic change due to this interview? In what ways?
-How did the interviewee express her/his feelings- not only in what was said,
but how it was said?
-What did these stories teach you about the topic?
-How did you attempt to verify the stories told to you?
-What are the benefits and drawbacks of learning about the past through the oral history process?
-Overall, is this an effective way about learning about the past? why/why not?
List a minimum of FIVE sources. There must be links to each of the sources within the transcription.
Here are three examples of annotated sources plus a source for photos/documents.
The Handbook of Texas Online is a multidisciplinary encyclopedia of Texas history, geography, and culture sponsored by the Texas State Historical Association and the General Libraries at UT-Austin. It was produced in partnership with the College of Liberal Arts and the General Libraries at the University of Texas at Austin. Copyright © The Texas State Historical Association.
Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection. Geographical and historical maps of continents, countries, counties, cities; maps relating to history and current news events. University of Texas Libraries.
Cost-of-Living Calculator. The calculator uses the Consumer Price Index to do the conversions between 1913 and the present. The source for the data is the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Consumer Price Index reflects the cost of items relative to a specific year. The American Institute for Economic Research. P.O. Box 1000. Great Barrington, Massachusetts. 01230.
Photographs and/or documents on this website were provided by name of interviewee and ____________________. Provide some historical background on the photos/documents. e.g. Who is in the photo/s? Who took the photo/s? Where was the photo/s taken? When were the photo/s taken? Special occassions? Everyday life? They were from her/his photo album... Located in the kitchen drawer...
