Dylan Moina

March 18,2024

Oral History 

Heritage is what brings family history, traditions, values, and artifacts through generations. It creates a unique identity where you can’t find it anywhere else. Heritage affects the present and the future in many positive and negative ways. The person I decided to interview was my mom. I wanted to know more about my mom’s heritage and her way of assimilating into United States culture. After interviewing my mom I learned a lot about her heritage. It has stayed the same and has been lost along the way. My mom, who speaks Spanish, wanted her kids to speak English. My mom didn’t care about Spanish at all if I learned it or not. It made sense for me to want to learn English first because, in the United States, that is what you need to learn to survive. My mom is losing faith in Spanish because her heritage has become worthless to pass on. My mom had lost many traditions that she used to do. My mom didn’t even tell me about them. My mom probably thought there was no point in learning them because people in the United States don’t even know them, which turned into my mom changing her heritage to celebrating Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July. It was easy to celebrate these traditions because everyone knew how to. She lost her heritage to gain more American culture. I also would like to keep these traditions because I grew up with them. My mom’s family norms are where the parents pick the marriage. This was a harmful norm because it created a lot of conflicts in my family. My mom broke this family norm; she hated the idea of not having freedom. She has no plans to choose who I marry. I won’t have to keep that norm. My mom’s family custom was that her parents were very strict with her. It greatly negatively affects her. My mom didn’t want that to happen to me because she knew it would affect us in the long term. My mom changed that norm by being more open with us.  In my opinion, my mom did the right thing by losing some parts of her heritage. It would benefit me and many generations if she hadn’t. However, I won’t lose the language of my heritage; it’s just too special for me to keep. 

My mom’s heritage still kept parts of values and traditions. My mom’s cooking never changes because she enjoys her cooking. Her cooking is the most important part of her heritage.   It still lives on and I even learned my mom’s recipes. I will also keep cooking the way my mom cooks.  Religion is a big part of my family heritage. We are all Catholics and prayed together before we went to bed. She always took me to church and I finished my catholic school. My mom made me and my sister finish catholic school. It was very important for her to see us finish it. I never disliked it.  My mom’s music never changed, it was the same she always listened to Ecuadorian music. She enjoys her heritage music. When she cleans she puts her music on. Even when most people who know Ecuadorian music she still listens to it. Despite the time and various influences, my mom has remained thinking about her heritage. She never lost her cultural roots. Being in a different environment, she still had generations of her heritage intact. 

My mom’s experience of assimilating into American culture while holding her Ecuadorian heritage is a valuable lesson for me. It shows that I can find new cultures and traditions while still holding on to My roots

Transcript

 Do I have permission to record this interview?

Yes

1 What’s your first name and last name?

My name is Pilar Garces

1 Where were you born? 

I was born in ecuador  1981

1 What’s your age?

42 years old

1 How many  family members do you have?

I have 2 brothers and 3 sisters. 

1 Did you get along with your parents?

Yes, I love my mom and my dad. 

1 What year did you arrive in the United States?

I arrived in 1998

1 Why did you decide to live in New York ?

Most of my family lived in New York so it was the best option for me. 

1 Did you live near your sisters in new york?

Yes, all my sisters live near me and I often visit them.

1 What was your household like?

It was fun being around my family. Everyone was happy. 

1 Did you finish highschool?

No i couldn’t finish highschool because I was too poor

1 What year did you stop going in highschool?

Third year I stopped going because it cost money to enter and my mom didn’t have any money.

Did you tell your kids about these traditions?

No, there was no point because nobody celebrated them any more.

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1 Did you celebrate new traditions In the United States?

Yes I celebrate thanksgiving and 4th of july which i never did. It was something new I learned.

1 Did your cooking change from your parents coming to the United States?

 No, it didn’t change.

1 Do you have any kids?

Yes i have a boy and a girl

1 Do you have any pets?

Yes i have a dog

1 What language did you want your kids to learn first?

English because everyone speaks English in the United States.

1 Did your religion of being a catholic change?

No, it stayed the same. I didn’t want to change it.

1 Did you want your kids to be catholic?

yes

1 Did you dress differently?

No, I never change my style. I love dressing how I like.

1 What were the relationship norms in your family?

The parents pick the partners for marriage you just had to accept

1 What family customs did you lose?

My mom was very strict but I was more open to my kids.