LUANN JOHNSON: Okay this is LuAnn Johnson and I'm interviewing um, Irma Zarate?
On June 3rd, 1999. In their home, in their kitchen. And Denise Zarate is going to help translate in Spanish for me. Um...will you start telling me um, a little bit about where you grew up?DENISE ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
IRMA ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: Do you understand?
JOHNSON: Um, I don't, but can you...give me a...
D. ZARATE: Yeah, she said she grew up in (indeterminable) until she was five.
Then they moved to another city until she was ten. And she has...eight brothers and sisters. And...that's about it.JOHNSON: Did she describe the...location? Or...
D. ZARATE: Well, she said that her parents had like a store. And she helped them
until she was ten. And then her parents taught her good manners and...JOHNSON: Okay. Alright.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
JOHNSON: What did she--what'd she just say?
D. ZARATE: Uh, she said that she's saying a lot of um, important things.
JOHNSON: Yeah.
D. ZARATE: And...(indeterminable)
JOHNSON: Okay. So you will?
D. ZARATE: Yeah.
JOHNSON: Okay. Good. Um...so when did you first move to um, the United States?
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I came to the U.S..." I'm translating as she goes.
JOHNSON: Okay.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "For the first time in 1972."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: I was around 17-years-old.
JOHNSON: Okay, um--Go ahead.
(00:05:01)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: She wanted to go to Chicago because she had two brothers. Lived in
Chicago, two brothers.I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: I mean a brother and sister.
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. Y...más?
JOHNSON: If you continue, or...so did you come up--you came to stay with your
brother and sister? And for....I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: I came to work like every Mexican and every Latin people.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I started working to help, in order to help my parents and my other
brothers and sisters."JOHNSON: Okay. And the situation, was it difficult to find work in Mexico?
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "What happens in Mexico is that you don't get paid as much as...like
the salary's not...high...."JOHNSON: Okay. So you would um, just--did you go back to Mexico and visit or
live for awhile? Or did you stay up in Chicago? For how long?I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: She stayed a year and eight months...in Chicago.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I came back. Went back to Mexico."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: But she was gonna live in Mexico with all, with all her family.
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. And um...I don't--we have another?
JOHNSON: How did you end up in Bowling Green? When did you move here and how,
for what reasons did you come to Bowling Green?I. ZARATE: Okay...(laughs). Um...(speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I came to Bowling Green because my husband."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Came to work at Eagle Industry."
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "We lived in California and we moved here. Because of, because my husband..."
JOHNSON: Okay. Where, where did you meet your husband?
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: En México.
D. ZARATE: In Mexico.
JOHNSON: Okay. When did you, when was that?
D. ZARATE: Cuándo?
I. ZARATE: Um...(speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: About 11 years ago.
JOHNSON: Okay. So um, when did you first start your family? With Denise and your son...Richard?
I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: When did, where were they born and when were they born and...?
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I'm married."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: She married the first time in Chicago.
I. ZARATE: Y Richard nació en Chicago.
D. ZARATE: "And Richard, my...son, was born in Chicago."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: I got divorced and I went back to Mexico.
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
(00:10:00)
D. ZARATE: "Then I met my husband. We lived for awhile. But didn't get married,
then Denise was born."I. ZARATE: Ella nació en México.
D. ZARATE: "She was born in Mexico."
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. Y...(speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: And five years, five years later, they got married. And came to the
U.S. To Bowling Green.JOHNSON: K. So you've been here for five years?
I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: Okay. What was your first impression of Bowling Green, Kentucky?
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "It was a small city."
I. ZARATE: Y era, era bueno para los hijos.
D. ZARATE: "And it was a good place for our...children to...live. To grow up in."
I. ZARATE: (indeterminable)
JOHNSON: What um, what types of things did you like about it, that you think
makes it a good home for raising your family?D. ZARATE: What? (laughs)
JOHNSON: What types, what makes it a good city to raise a family?
D. ZARATE: Oh. (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "It's quiet."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "It doesn't have, like, as much as um, violence."
JOHNSON: Okay.
D. ZARATE: "As the other cities."
JOHNSON: Okay. I know speaking with you um...the last time I visited, you spoke
about the Latin way. You said it was the Latin way to move up um, to the States for work and--but do you usually go back down to Mexico for lots of visits, or? Or for vacations, or? To see family?D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: No. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "When I moved to Bowling Green it was 19--(speaking in Spanish)?
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: And she went, she went back to Mexico in 1998. (indeterminable)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: Almost five years.
JOHNSON: Okay.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I've got brothers and sisters, but...in Mexico."
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "But my parents passed away, and I didn't have reason to..."
JOHNSON: Okay. Do you have family here in the area?
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: No.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I've got a brother in Chicago, I've got a sister in Arizona. And
I've got a brother here in Bowling Green."I. ZARATE: Oh yeah. (laughs)
JOHNSON: (laughs)
D. ZARATE: "I forgot about him."
JOHNSON: (laughs)
I. ZARATE: (laughs)
D. ZARATE: And he lives like down the road.
JOHNSON: (laughs)
I. ZARATE: (laughs) (speaking in Spanish)
JOHNSON: Um, when you first moved to Bowling Green um, was there a large Latin
population? Or was there...any community of, of other Latinas?D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: No. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "No, I think that there's more...that there wasn't..." When she came
here there wasn't a lot of people. When she came...JOHNSON: Yeah. So, what were some of the first um...what are some of the things
that you miss the most--or do you miss your, do you miss Mexico?(00:15:08)
I. ZARATE: SÃ.
D. ZARATE: "Yeah."
I. ZARATE: Yeah.
JOHNSON: Are there some things you found difficult moving to Bowling Green
that...that...you had to somehow...I guess, accommodate? As far as food or celebrations or...church or other community events?I. ZARATE: No.
D. ZARATE: "No."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "No, I miss Mexico because that's my country. But I like the U.S."
JOHNSON: Mhmm.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I like the U.S. because there's work. There's jobs."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "But yes, I do miss Mexico. Not only for the food but..."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I can't explain what I miss the most."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "But I do miss it."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I think that someday, I don't know when but someday..."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "But I'll go back to Mexico. I'll go back."
I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: So, while you're, while you're living here, when you moved here
um...what did you find the most different? From day-to-day life? As far as cooking? Did you...You had mentioned um, at first, when you first moved here it was difficult to find certain types of foods.I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: What types of things were you looking for?
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: Um, she spent most of, most of her life in Mexico City.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "And in, in the big city, you live different from the small cities..."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "When I came to the U.S. I didn't miss the things because, because it
was usually the same."I. ZARATE: Mhmm. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: What did you say?
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "For example, I know how to cook without tortillas....Like make
different, different types of food."JOHNSON: Yeah.
I. ZARATE: Mhmm. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "However I think that most of the other people that come from...small
cities do miss, do miss them because...they um, cook different types of food. And use...things that they're not found in here. They don't--that the stores don't have them."JOHNSON: Mhmm....So when you first moved here um, you--did you already have
people help you settle in? Or...or what were some of the first people you met when you moved to Bowling Green?D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
(00:20:05)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "My husband, my son and husband were already living here. So I came here."
JOHNSON: So have you found, is there a community of, is there a, another--are
there Mexican families that you interact with for certain holidays? Or any kind of community events? Um, and how has like, St. Joe's played a role in...making this home?D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "St. Joe's has helped a lot because..."
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh.
D. ZARATE: "Catholic community."
I. ZARATE: El Padre Stan....
D. ZARATE: "The Father Stan..."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Has helped..."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Has helped us in order to get the community together...and get to
know God better."I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "And because 80% of Mexicans are Catholic and believe in the...Virgen
de Guadalupe (indeterminable)."JOHNSON: So um....were there differences when you first came um, even going to
St. Joseph's before Father Stan was here? Were there other, were there already um...Hispanic masses at the church? Or was that something new?I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "There were Spanish masses."
JOHNSON: There were?
D. ZARATE: "But, not every Sunday."
JOHNSON: Okay. Was that difficult or, or was it?
I. ZARATE: El Padre no hablaba mucho Español.
D. ZARATE: "The Father didn't speak Spanish."
JOHNSON: Okay.
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: And he didn't help us as much as Father Stan.
JOHNSON: When you first um, moved to Bowling Green where did you live? Did you
live in this house...right away? Or...I. ZARATE: No. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "No, the first house we lived in..."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "It was on 12th Street." (indeterminable)
JOHNSON: You rented?
I. ZARATE: SÃ.
JOHNSON: What was it like? Was it, was it--what did it look like or what was it
like? And...D. ZARATE: The house?
JOHNSON: Yeah.
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "The house was old."
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh, sÃ.
D. ZARATE: "It was an old house."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "We had roaches."
JOHNSON: (laughs)
I. ZARATE: (laughs)
D. ZARATE: A lot of roaches.
JOHNSON: Was it um, particularly different from other places you've lived? Other
types of houses or places you've lived? Either here or in Mexico? Like either in the United States or in Mexico? Was it...different somehow?I. ZARATE: Um...(speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: The houses are made differently.
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
(00:25:03)
D. ZARATE: "But there's, but in Mexico there's also pretty and ugly houses."
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "The way of living it, I guess it depends on the....um...." Like, I
don't know how to say it. Like if you're poor you live in a...um....I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: Ugly house. And if you're medium...
JOHNSON: Mhmm.
D. ZARATE: You live in a regular house. And if you're rich you live in a big house.
JOHNSON: Big house.
I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "But in the difference, the difference is that in the U.S. the
government helps...people. To find houses."JOHNSON: Okay.
I. ZARATE: Not to find house, to live.
D. ZARATE: Oh, to live in a house. (laughs)
I. ZARATE: To live. To live. It's not to live in a house, it's to live. You know?
JOHNSON: Mhmm.
I. ZARATE: In order, the whole life, you know. And, para, in Mexico we don't
have...nobody help you, you know.JOHNSON: Yeah. No social services.
I. ZARATE: Right. Mhmm.
JOHNSON: I'm think, I'm thinking more questions. Um, so you, you speak a little
English? You speak some English?I. ZARATE: Mmm, yeah that's right.
JOHNSON: Has it been difficult um, is it difficult in the community...are
there--do you find many people who speak Spanish in the community?I. ZARATE: Mmm...No hay mucha gente que habla Español.
D. ZARATE: "No there's not a lot of people that can speak Spanish."
I. ZARATE: Pero no es difÃcil para vivir.
D. ZARATE: "But it's not difficult to live."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I think that a language is not a frontier."
I. ZARATE: A what?
D. ZARATE: Frontier. I don't know how to say it different.
JOHNSON: A boundary?
D. ZARATE: Yeah, yeah.
JOHNSON: Okay. Well that's good. Um...hmm...are there traditions or are there
things that um...in Mexico, as you were growing up or um, important traditions that you don't find up here that you, that you try to maintain or, or continue? Um, certain holidays or family traditions that...remind you of home that you try to continue doing here?I. ZARATE: Mmm, (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "It's a little difficult...to um..." I'm gonna finish, I'm gonna let
her finish.I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: Oh, because the Mexican holidays they usually work. So it's kind of
hard to celebrate...the holidays, the Mexican holidays here.JOHNSON: Mhmm. What are some of them?
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Um, September 16th, Independence Day."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "November 28th, um Revolution."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "December 12th, um La Virgen de Guadalupe."
IZ" (speaking in Spanish)
(00:30:09)
D. ZARATE: "We have more but they're not as important as..."
JOHNSON: As?
D. ZARATE: The ones I just said...
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: I don't know if that's you say it.
I. ZARATE: Labor Day.
D. ZARATE: Yeah, Labor Day.
JOHNSON: (laughs)
D. ZARATE: I forget.
I. ZARATE: El...Cinco de Mayo.
D. ZARATE: Cinco de Mayo.
JOHNSON: Yeah.
I. ZARATE: Mhmm. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: Um...
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: Can I skip that because I don't know, I don't how to say most of the words.
JOHNSON: Well what, give me kind of the idea.
D. ZARATE: It was when the uh, when Jesus was born. And the kings--I don't know.
JOHNSON: Which, which holiday is this?
D. ZARATE: It's the 6th of...
I. ZARATE: January.
D. ZARATE: Yeah, January. I don't know how you say it...
JOHNSON: Okay. Well, for some of the holidays like, December 12th, the Virgin of Guadalupe.
I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: Um, how would you have, how would that have been a celebratory day when
you were growing up in Mexico? How would you celebrate that? And, and how do you observe it here?I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Many people walk from their cities to Mexico City. Because that's
where the main church is, church is."I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "They sing."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Pray."
I. ZARATE: Um...(speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Dance."
IZ (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "It's like a party to the Virgin."
I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: Do you have anything similar here then, in Bowling Green?
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "The past year was the only year that, the first that there was a celebration."
I. ZARATE: Oh no, it's the second year.
D. ZARATE: Oh, second year.
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh, yeah.
JOHNSON: Now was this with the church?
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh.
JOHNSON: The church...organized it?
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Father Stan prepared like a...." I don't know how to say it.
I. ZARATE: He prepared with flowers or....candles.
D. ZARATE: Yeah. They, he like decorated a table with flowers and candles
and...pictures of la Virgen de Guadalupe.JOHNSON: Okay. What was, what's the basic story of--I'm not that familiar with
the Virgin of Guadalupe. How is--D. ZARATE: She was the...mother of Jesus. Of Jesus.
I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: Okay.
D. ZARATE: There's a picture.
JOHNSON: Okay. So, how does the story go that she's significant in, in Mexico?
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish) How is the history of...
JOHNSON: Yeah, the Virgin of Guadalupe. Was there a miracle?
I. ZARATE: En México? Uh-huh.
JOHNSON: Yeah.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
(00:35:00)
D. ZARATE: "Mexico has a beautiful story."
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
(tape cuts out)
JOHNSON: Okay, please continue. Um, talking about Mexico.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Do you know about the um, Mexican, Mexican history?"
JOHNSON: A little bit.
D. ZARATE: Aztec Indians.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Um, Aztec calendar?"
I. ZARATE: Yeah, uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish). They have a, they have a god.
JOHNSON: Mhmm.
I. ZARATE: To rain. To...we'll wait for Denise.
JOHNSON: Okay, we'll pause.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I like talking about Mexican history because it's beautiful."
I. ZARATE: Yeah, (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "It's very big and I'm, I'm proud of...Mexico."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Um, Spain...people..."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: Um, they brought the Catholic religion.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "But the Indians had their own gods, goddesses. Gods."
I. ZARATE: TenÃan dios de la lluvia.
D. ZARATE: "The rain god."
I. ZARATE: Y, tenÃan el dios del sol.
D. ZARATE: "The sun."
I. ZARATE: Dios de la luna.
D. ZARATE: "The moon."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "The Indians didn't have a religion."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "When the um, Spaniards invaded Mexico they made their own rules
and...they had their own rules and...religion."I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "But the Indians didn't accept the...those people. They were um..." I
don't know how to say the word. (speaking in Spanish)I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "And the Virgin of Guadalupe um, appeared...um, to the Indians and
she said that she was the mother of Mexico."I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "And that's part of the story...of the Virgin of Guadalupe."
JOHNSON: Okay. Thank you. Um, do you have--when you were a little girl or when
you were growing up, did you have a favorite um, holiday or a favorite celebration? That your family um...celebrated?(00:40:04)
I. ZARATE: Um, (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: Favorito.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish) Um....
JOHNSON: What stands out as your favorite?
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: Holiday...de México.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Um, September 16th. Revolution."
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh, el dÃa de La Independence Day.
D. ZARATE: "Independence Day."
I. ZARATE: Independence Day, mhmm.
JOHNSON: Okay. How did you celebrate it when you were growing up? What was the
day like? Um, what types of activities were there?I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: They have a parade. And dances and...like school. (indeterminable)
JOHNSON: Do you have a memory of...any one particular celebration?
I. ZARATE: Mmm....no, no. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "No."
JOHNSON: Were there special um, preparations? Did you get a new um--were there
special foods or special clothing that you would get?I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Each year..."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Um, each year we prepared the costumes depending on the dance."
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: She said that the mothers go and buy the fabric and they um, make the
dresses and practice the dances.I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: Yeah. Okay. Now, here in Bowling Green, um you're working. Um, where do
you work?I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: She's working in a...um...
I. ZARATE: We make huile, oil.
D. ZARATE: In a....I don't (laughs). I'm sorry....
I. ZARATE: The company's name is (indeterminable)
D. ZARATE: (indeterminable)
JOHNSON: Alright. And um, how many days a week or, or what are your shifts? What
shift do you work?I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: First...shift.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: First, she's working the first shift.
JOHNSON: And is it like Monday through Friday? Or Saturday? Or...I know we
talked a little bit about it before but I just wanted to...D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: Monday to Saturday.
JOHNSON: Okay.
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh, yeah. And sometime Sunday.
JOHNSON: Wow.
I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: Yeah. So um, what do you do then when you're not working? Do you have
any hobbies that you do here in Bowling Green? Or...what other activities do you participate in?I. ZARATE: Umm...(speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: She's the kind of person that likes to stay home.
I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: I can relate. (laughs)
I. ZARATE: (laughs)
JOHNSON: Okay. Um....well...If you um, I'm going to ask you like, kind of a
dream question so. If you...(dog barking) If you have any um, dreams or, if you could do any job you wanted to what would it be? (dog barking) And where would it be?I. ZARATE: Mmm...(dog barking) (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: She likes staying with her family. Being with her family.
(00:45:03)
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh.
JOHNSON: Yeah. Do you have special hopes um, for your children? (dog barking)
What do you, what do you want of Denise to be when she grows up?I. ZARATE: Um...(speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I want for both of my children..."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "To live um, their lives, like, dependent of their ages." (indeterminable)
I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: I don't know what is it.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "It's very important thing, don't use drugs."
JOHNSON: Yeah.
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Because we Mexicans aren't used to living our life with drugs."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "And I want the to live their lives with problems, without trouble."
JOHNSON: Without...troubles?
I. ZARATE: Mhmm.
JOHNSON: Um...we'll start to close the interview, but I was--what are--um,
living in an area where um, I guess your heritage, there's not as many people with your same background, is it--are there certain things that you want to be sure to maintain and, and pass along to your children? Um, as far as traditions or values? What is important to...have your children know about their ancestry or their heritage?I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish) What?
JOHNSON: Um, what, what things are important to you that um...
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
JOHNSON: That your children continue to...
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
JOHNSON: To celebrate or keep as traditions?
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I want them to live with the Mexican traditions and if they, if they
live in the U.S. to stick with the U.S. traditions."I. ZARATE: Uh-huh. (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "That they know both countries."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Because they're Mexican."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "But they're living in the U.S."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "And they have to respect the country they're living in."
JOHNSON: Has it, do you feel like it's been difficult to maintain that sense? Or
is it--how have you as a family kept that connection? How do you think, Denise, have you kept that connection with, with Mexico? When you've lived most of your life in the States?D. ZARATE: What did you say? (laughs)
JOHNSON: Well do you feel like, do you have a different connection...
D. ZARATE: I'm sorry.
JOHNSON: With um, with Mexico than your mom does because you've lived...
D. ZARATE: Oh.
JOHNSON: Because you've lived in the States most...
D. ZARATE: No. It's, it's been the same I think.
JOHNSON: Yeah. Okay. Well, with the idea that this tape um, is going to be in
the archives and possibly your grandchildren or their children will listen to this, are there any, any things you want to say to them? Or are there any stories or, or um messages that you want to say? For future generations to hear?(00:50:00)
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "I think that the best way of living is the peace. Having peace."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
I. ZARATE: (laughs) (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "Have respect towards people. All the people. And try to help each other."
I. ZARATE: (speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: "And accept each other how they are."
JOHNSON: Okay. Did you have anything to add that um, I haven't tried to ask
about? Or is there anything that you would like to add before we end?I. ZARATE: Um...(speaking in Spanish)
D. ZARATE: If you'd like to know more about Mexican history, the way people live
and think, she, she's willing to willing to help you, to tell you more about the history and the way people live.JOHNSON: Okay. Thank you very much.
(00:52:35)
