I interviewed my coworker Maribeth O. Ration. She was a nurse in the Philippines, and Her parents came here before she settle in the US. She was enjoy and like her life in the Philippines. However, she married to a Filipino America. After she got married, she came to the US with her husband. She has positive personality toward her living in the US. Now she is a preschool teacher and I did the interview in the classroom where she teach. Interview
Maribeth Ration by Sio Keong Part 1 Personal Background
An introduction about her Part 2 Life when living in Philippines
She talks about her live when she lived in the Philippines.
Part 3 Reason to leave
She talks about why she come to the US. Part 4 Settling down
She talks about the first settling in the US.
Part 5 Life in the US
she tells me about her life in US now.
Part 6 Filipino in American
She tells about being a filipino in American. Part 7 Reflection
Video segments from an April 2014 interview by Henry Ayson with his father,
Amado Zareno Ayson
My interviewee, Amado Zareno Ayson has lived in this country for 37 years. Amado had served the United States Navy and was given the opportunity to live in America as well as bring his family along.
Segments:
Family Background
Leaving the Philippines
Settling in the United States
Life in the United States
Being Filipino in the United States
Reflections
Segment 1: Family Background Amado introduces himself and tells us where he was born and raised in the Philippines. He also tells us how life was like where he was born and raised.
Segment 2: Leaving the Philippines Amado tells us how he was able to come to the United States. He also tells us how much different it is in the United States compared to the Philippines.
Segment 3: Settling in the United States Amado tells us where and why he first settled in the United States. He tells us what he remembers the most once he first came to the country.
Segment 4: Life in the United States Amado describes the different lifestyle from the one he had in the Philippines compared to the one he has in the America. He also discusses the difficulty of adjusting to the new homeland.
Segment 5: Being a Filipino in the United States
Amado discusses what he misses about the Philippines. He also discusses his plans for the future.
Laureano P. Santos interviewed by Franzine Erika R. Santos
This is an interview of my grandfather about his journey in the United States with his wife and son.
His ID when he used to work for the Embassy of the United States of America in Manila, Philippines.
Golden wedding anniversary in March 2008 in the Philippines.
Santos Family
Table of Contents:
I. Leaving the Philippines
II. Family Background
III. Settling in the United States
IV. Life in the United States
V. Being a Filipino Immigrant in the United States
Segment 1: Leaving the Philippines
-his reason for leaving the Philippines and his other children, the sacrifices he made and his expectations of the United States.
Segment 2: Family Background
-he talks about his family and his experiences from childhood until his manhood in the Philippines.
Segment 3: Settling in the United States
-his first impression of the United States.
Segment 4: Life In the United States
-how they started over in the United States. His best and worst experiences and the reason why he did not feel discriminated on his entire stay in the United States.
Segment 5: Being a Filipino immigrant in the United States.
-how he eased homesickness, his decision of staying in the United States, and why his happiness is overflowing after more than 20 years of leaving in the United States.
I interviewed Melani Tarifa, a Filipino American residing in Daly City, CA. Melani travels back in time to tell me her stories of how life in the Philippines was when she was a youngling, to her journey to America. The hardships that she faced when she starting living in San Francisco and looking back at what would've happened if she never immigrated to the United States.
Table of Contents 1. Family Background 2. Leaving the Philippines 3. Settling in the U.S. 4. Life in the U.S. 5. Being Filipino in the U.S. 6. Reflections
Melani talks about her family background and what it was like growing up in Manila.
Family Background
Coming to America, leaving behind her home, the Philippines because her mom petitioned for her when she was 18.
Leaving the Philippines
A cold room, social gatherings and living with her mom's friend.
Settling in the U.S.
Life in the U.S.
Being Filipino in the U.S.
Education is what Melani wish she had continued to have a better financial life, like retirement.
Reflections
Melani has a strong point of view that she will never return back to the Philippines, she has come to accept the United States as her home. Until things start to change back in Manila or the Philippines she might consider going back but for now she's where her heart considers home.
Rolino Castro was born in Makato, Aklan, Philippines and he is 61 years old. He came to America 9 months ago and he is now working as an engineer at the Serrano Hotel in San Francisco. He is the brother of my Dad, Nilo Castro. He came to America for the purpose of finding work. His story ,however, is unique because he came to america even though he is very old. His process of coming to america was through chain migration yet there was more obstacles that lay in the way. Rolino Castro is different immigrant and that is why I interviewed him.
Him and his wife, Fleda Lacson Castro
Segment List of him talking about the immigration process:
Intro
Section 1: Philippines
Section 2: Going to Daly City
Section 3: The Immigration Process
Section 4: Life in Daly City
Section 5: Reflection
Outro
Intro: This is Rolino Castro and his profession today
Section 1, Philippines: He Talks about his hometown in the Philippines and Class Life
Section 2, Coming to Daly City: He talks about his ambitions and needs for going to Daly City from the Philippines
Section 3, The Immigration Process: Rolino recalls his immigration process and how "Chain Migration" worked for him
Him and his youngest son, Ollen
Section 4, Life in Daly City: Rolino tells his first impressions of Daly City and the differences between Filipino American and Filipino Immigrants
Section 5, Reflections: Rolino reflects after staying for 8 months in America
Maria Purganan was born in the Philippines and came here with her family when she was just 3 years old. Her father, who was in the Navy, knew the opportunities that the U.S had to offer and as a result migrated to America. Maria has thoughts of going back to the Philippines just to visit, but does not want to live there. She grew up and had lived most of her life here in America.
Maria Purganan
Maria's Father
Maria's siblings
The following video segments explains Maria's life in America as well as her story of migrating.
Segment 1: Family Background
Segment 2: Leaving the Philippines
Segment 3: Touchdown in America
Segment 4: Life in the U.S
Segment 5: Being Filipino in the U.S
Segment 6: Reflections
Segment 1: Maria talks about her family background
Segment 2: Maria describes about her experience leaving the Philippines
Segment 3: Maria talks about her experience when she first came to America
Segment 4: Maria talks about her life in the U.S
Segment 5: Maria expresses how its like being Filipino in the U.S
Segment 6: Maria reflects about her life and talks about her What If's
Video segments from an April 2014 interview by Marielle Beltran with her cousin
Elaine Villasper Dizon
Table of Contents:
Segment 1: Introduction
Segment 2: We're moving to America?
Segment 3: We're here! America vs Philippines
Segment 4: Undocumented, gotta hide!
Segment 5: Finally documented, but why do I feel bittersweet?
Segment 1 (2:34) Introduction- Elaine introduces herself and talks about how it was like growing up with a middle-class family and how education was like in the Philippines.
Elaine posing with her younger sister, Joan, in the Philippines.
Segment 2 (4:50) We're moving to America?- In this section, Elaine talks about how she found out she was moving to America, and how it did not bother her because she was so young.
Segment 3 (4:32)- We're here! America vs Philippines- Elaine discusses how she felt when she first arrived in the Philippines, and how America turned out to be versus her expectations.
A picture of Joan Villasper (left), Elaine Villasper Dizon (middle), and Normita "Meng" Villasper's (right) excited faces when they first arrived in the United States.
Segment 4 (14:17) Undocumented, gotta hide!- This video is the most important video. In this video Elaine shares her experiences about being undocumented, how difficult it was for her to live a "normal" life due to the fact that she had to hide a part of her identity. This whole experience is what gave Elaine her perspective on Filipinos and Filipinos living in America, also it introduced her to her passion, which is helping Filipinos survive in America. If it weren't for this experience, she would not be the person she is today.
Segment 5 (2:45) Finally documented, but why does it feel bittersweet?- In this segment Elaine talks about being documented and how it made a big difference in her life. It made a good impact, however, why does she not feel as happy as she should be?
Her experience living in America does make her miss home, so her way of "returning home" to the Philippines is through helping the Filipino community and paints vivid pictures of images you may see in the Philippines. Today, Elaine works for the Filipino Community Center in San Francisco. She works in the domestic violence program as a coordinator and a women's advocate.
Anna came over here from the Philippines when she was about 10, and although she wasn't enthusiastic about the idea then; over time, she has come to like living here. Since then, she has also lived in numerous locations in the SF Bay Area. After meeting her in 2009, we have since kept in contact, and I could not have interviewed a finer person.
Video Guide
Part 1: Growing up in the Philippines, School in the Philippines
Part 2: Moving to the U.S.: When, Where, and Why
Part 3: Expectations of the U.S., Balikbayan Boxes
Part 4: Comparison between U.S. and P.I., Balikbayan Boxes #2
Part 5: Final Thoughts, On Going Back, and the American Dream
Part 1 of 5 of the Interview
Information on where she's from, her family, growing up, and schooling in the Philippines.
Part 2 of 5 of the Interview
Three W's of moving to the U.S. (When, where, and why?)
Part 3 of 5 of the Interview
Preconceptions about moving to/living in the U.S., a bit about Balikbayan Boxes
Part 4 of 5 of the Interview
A comparison of the U.S. and the Philippines, on keeping in contact with family back home, another Balikbayan box bit
Part 5 of 5 of the Interview
Reflections on moving to the U.S., reactions to going back to visit, and the American Dream
John Mier is a young Filipino who came to America when he was 18 years old. He used to live in Namo City with his mom, his dad, and his sister. His mom and sister moved to Daly city California a few years before he did. John admits to miss the Philippines truly; however, he does not regret have come to Daly City with his mother and sister because "it's nice outhere." John also struggles his conception of the American Dream was to have money and no worries, yet he learned through his experience in America that an easy life comes out with a lot of hard labor work. His reflections and wishes express his concern about how if kept on going to school after high school, instead of just work, he would have a stable economic life.
In the interview we went through a set of few questions in which he reflects the results of his choices towards coming to America with no higher education experience:
Section 1: Life in the Philippines as a teenager
Section 2: Leaving the Philippines
Section 3: Reactions to his new "home" Section 4: Adapting to the US as a Filipino immigrant
Section 5: Lessons learned through the experience
Section 1: Life in the Philippines as a teenager
Section 2: Leaving the Philippines
Section 3: Reactions to his new "home"
Section 4: Adapting to the US as a Filipino immigrant
Grace is a Filipino immigrant who moved to Colma, CA from Manila, Philippines with her entire family after her grandmother petitioned for them. She moved around the Bay Area as her parents earned more money. She forgot her native language in just 3 years but learned it again in middle school, experienced cruel behavior from classmates her first school year in America, she views Filipino Americans not knowing their culture is a shame and feels that Filipinos should past down their culture to their children, so they have something to hold on to.
Segment 1 - Basic Information
Segment 2 - Life in the Philippines
Segment 3 - Leaving the Philippines
Segment 4 - Adjusting to new home life
Segment 5 - Expectations of America
Segment 6 - First expression of the states
Segment 7 - First school year experience/ Differences in home life
Segment 8 - Forgetting native language then relearning it
Segment 9 - Remittances
Segment 10 - Going back
Segment 11 - View on Filipino Americans, Filipino Culture vs Latin Culture
Segment 12 - Life in San Francisco
Segment 13 - U.S. vs Philippines
Segment 14 - Sacrifices
Segment 15 - Goals for her children
Segment 16 - Stayed in Daly City even when she lived in SF
Segment 17 - Daly City vs Manila
Segment 18 - Life in Bay Area, close nit family
Segment 19 - Final thoughts
Segment 1 - Basic Information
Segment 2 - Life in the Philippines
Segment 3 - Leaving the Philippines
Segment 4 - Adjusting to new home life
Segment 5 - Expectations of America
Segment 6 - First expression of the states
Segment 7 - First school year experience/ Differences in home life
Segment 8 - Forgetting native language then relearning it
Segment 9 - Remittances
Segment 10 - Going back
Segment 11 - View on Filipino Americans, Filipino Culture vs Latin Culture
Segment 12 - Life in San Francisco
Segment 13 - U.S. vs Philippines
Segment 14 - Sacrifices
Segment 15 - Goals for her children
Segment 16 - Stayed in Daly City even when she lived in SF
