Other Faces, Other Lives

00:04 have access to this kind of information if there’s a group of coaches from the Philippines who will be coming over to visit goodwill to…

00:14 No, I know a lot of Chinese and Japanese not either

00:21 There was really nice group that was hosted

00:24 with capacity to

00:28 be over there. It’s got it. So nobody’s there. Pretty close.

00:36 This way, we can get the flavor of what’s the various Filipinos and their spouses in the area of Boise and Idaho. Doing gives a profile occupation mechanic.

00:53 Okay, shall we start with ?

00:59 My name is Ruben (…). And by profession, I am a civil engineer working with the Idaho transportation department. Formerly the highway department.

01:12 don’t talk to the camera talk to…

01:19 Go, this way or you’re straight with?

01:22 Talk more about what you do?

01:24 In my profession?

01:26 In your community?

01:29 With the Idaho transportation department, I worked with the, the planning and programming sections that deals with programming most of the infrastructures activity in the state of Idaho. They deal with the, how to budget and prioritize the projects that’s going to be presented to the community.

01:52 How long ago did you come to Boise?

01:55 Oh, I think that’s around 1972 or something like that. I have two children. one boy and one girl. My boy sitting on my right side, his name is Troy and this premises with him.

02:18 I’m Ludi (…). I’m an occupational therapist. I work at the Idaho Elks rehab hospital in the pediatric department. As a clinician I deal with kids with disabilities from ages zero to 21 years old. I come in contact with a lot of parents and other professionals. I do consultation with other schools and other government agencies dealing with kids and you know with the problems

02:46 Why did you come to Boise?

02:48 I came to Boise because my husband was born and raised in Caldwell. So he is an Idaho boy.

03:01 And that’s Marie of course over there. My name is Ted Vermont’s. I’m Ludi’s husband. And I grew up here in Caldwell. So this is coming home to me. I met my wife when I was studying at UP in the Philippines. And we spent our first five years of married life there. Our son was born in the Philippines. I came back here, got a job with Morrison Knutson, which is a construction engineering firm. I work in their personnel department and affirmative action employee relations, career planning for the corporation. We have one of the… Yes.

03:52 What did your parents think of both sets of parents think of the marriage the intercultural marriage?

03:59 I think the strongest feeling I got from my parents was, it’s about time. I was, I was 27 or something at that point. But they, they felt that I was ready for that. And, of course, it’s difficult to think of yourself married when you’re single, but in retrospect, I think I was too. Ludi’s parents were, I’m sure a bit apprehensive, more for her sake, I think than mine. They were concerned that she wouldn’t finish school,that she had been a valedictorian and all of these things in school and they had great aspirations for her. She had great aspirations and they thought when she married somebody, somebody from where she gonna go, I think it’s worked out all right. Do you agree with that?

05:05 I think it’s also, you know, parents never tell you really what, you know how they feel. I mean, it’s part of the culture they infer right? I mean, it’s all in for. And I think my mom has inferred to me that when she grows old, you know, I won’t be there as a girl, you know, usually the woman takes care of your aging parents and, and he was quite, she was quite apprehensive about that, but I won’t be around. Of course, because then I you know, I follow my husband and so what she was worried about.

05:32 So how is it now?

05:35 She comes every two years sometimes with my mom or with just a mom I mean with my dad and she comes into visit and I tell her you know when she needs me, I’ll be ready. And she likes being around my kids do some of his work…?

05:58 Go ahead. This is my son Jake. He’s 12

06:04 Can you tell us a little about about yourself a little bit? Your school your school activities and what you …? I go to East junior high and.

06:14 I play tennis, they’re competitive.

06:19 Are you a good tennis player?
I’m, okay.

06:25 Do you, do you notice anything different about your family? Because it’s an intercultural marriage?

06:33 Not really.. Do your friends notice?

06:40 Not that I know of, right now.

06:44 Thank you. Few months

06:52 Have you ever had friends who, or playmates who said anything about you because you are different because you were darker had black hair, whatever?

07:08 No, no, no so far.
How do you think of yourself?
What do you mean?
Good response. When people ask you? Are you American? Filipino?
Usually people don’t ask me that.
Good question; good response.. What do you want to be when you grow up? I haven’t figured that part out yet.
Yeah. It’s good.

07:41 I’m Raulio Vega. I came to the States as a graduate student in 1960. Currently, I’m an administrator with the Department of Agriculture in my work I deal with the legislature, or with the farming community, the Commission’s in the states, they mentioned when commission alfalfa growers. I’m involved in certifying Idaho products to be exported to different countries.

08:22 You talk to your sister…

08:26 I, as an activity I play a lot of tennis, volleyball, tennis. I coach I’ve been coaching little league baseball for the last five years. Currently coaching soccer team. There’s a lot of our wish I could do more gardening, cans or vegetables and fruits with my wife. That allowed fishing and hunting hiking… and spend as much the last as much time as we could with the kids. We got four sons.

09:08 I haven’t had the opportunity to mix with most of the Filipinos out here because summer is occupied by sports. Winter I usually play and boy (unintelligible) rather the club so I don’t get as good a chance to make
So do you feel a sense of community with Filipinos in Boise, Idaho?
Oh, I’m always a Filipino. I have to admit I haven’t had any social interaction with any for the last five years anyway.

09:45 When did you come to Idaho?

09:47 In 1960

09:49 When did you and your wife get married?

09:58 I got we were married. In 1964, in Moscow, Idaho and as I work in Idaho for oh, what good 14 years now.

10:16 And which one is your wife?

10:17 My wife Sharon is in the back. I guess.
She’s sitting… keep an eye on

10:33 I’m looking at a monitor

10:43 (unintelligible) three steps

10:53 this is my son, Brian. Come on.
Well, I go to school at Capitol, play sports.
Loves hunting,

11:12 Hunting, camping, fishing, and I said sports.

11:18 Brian, you notice anything different or unusual about your family? As opposed to noninterracial family?

11:28 No one ever says anything all that seriously about it? I mean, I get teased at school, but just by my good friends. No one else says anything.

11:37 It’s just kind of a friendly type of teasing.
Yeah.
You’re comfortable with it doesn’t matter to me.
How about you Matthew?

11:54 That changed by that tell them your name first.

12:01 I’m Matthew Vega. I go to school at Hillside Junior High seventh grade. Pretty much the same as Brian. I like sports hunting, camping, fishing.

12:15 What are some of the things that you think are very important to you?
How do you mean? I could be more specific? What do you value? The question is, let me ask you, how do you feel about your mom sitting behind your dad? See, that’s the proper place for your mom?

12:50 Well, that shows the driver in the family.

12:55 So who in your family? How does? Let me ask because Sharon, how many of you raise your children? What…

13:10 There is… A good way of asking. Would you raise your children? In terms of your because you have

13:16 like
Do we have any problems? Because we came from different backgrounds?
Yeah. What kind of guidance? Do you follow in terms of how it should be?

13:27 Have you… trying to reconcile the two cultures in your upbringing?

13:32 Well, originally, we thought we would try to make them more aware that they were Filipino heritage also and, and he thought that they could learn the language. But that didn’t happen. And as far as… they grew up in their first several years overseas, not in the Philippines or in the United States. And I think they didn’t feel particularly that they were either one. You know, when we came to the States, they said, Oh, we’re going to be all different. You know? Yeah, yes, she did. And they thought that they would feel strange, but it didn’t last very long. And as far as at home I don’t think there are any that much difference between the two cultures. I mean, between our two ideas of how kids should be raised anyway. A lot of people tell us that they act mature for their age compared to other two American kids.

14:29 And do you know what they mean by that?

14:32 Yeah, I guess I do now and I know when we came back to, my older kids said American kids are very babyish. Just, just immature compared to their age. I can think of it well just like taking responsibility for doing their own homework or, or for making sure that they’re, that they’re going to have something to wear in the morning you know, or like telling me If, hey I need I need this sweatshirt washed, you know, instead of waiting till the last minute and then having an emergency,. Things like that are doing what they’re asked to at home without complaining. We’ve never had any problem with that. And from what I see in the cartoons and hear and seeing the advice columns in the paper, I guess a lot of people do. I have no idea whether that’s because of culture or just because we got neat kids.

15:33 Was it was a problem between both sets of parents when you decided to get married

15:41 because of this intercultural relationship?

15:45 Do you want to answer that?

15:46 My parents, of course, in a way was very glad, because if I got married in the Philippines, or my family being the boy would be spending for the wedding. No joking aside, that was the first comment when I told my mother, so at least I don’t have to pay for you. Nothing more than, my mother would have been worried if I married somebody else, just you know, be sure you know what you’re doing. Be sure it works. No specific

16:20 They were afraid of divorce. Because they had the idea that everybody in America gets divorced.

16:24 At the time, the time we were going to get married. Another one from Los monos. My hometown, he was in the process of getting divorced with his American wife, who happens to be a good family friend. So that was something that my mother, as well. Are you aware of this? Are you aware of that? I? Of course, said yes. But like any ideal is it’s ever happened to me.

16:53 Well, we were noticing as we were interviewing people that Filipinos seem to be involved in more intercultural marriages than some of the Asian groups in, in Idaho. Would you have any ideas as to why that is?

17:11 I cannot address that since, myself when I came, I came as a graduate student, did not… Had no idea I was gonna get married here. I’m in never planned the, you know, I came as a graduate student. At that time, I thought, through my my graduate studies, I’ll be back to my job, I resigned my job, and I came but I say I really could not relate to Well, I’m not denying that priority. Some, yes, I’ll come to America and get married and stay. But that was not in my mind when I came. So I cannot address that one.
It just happened? I guess that’s

17:55 Maybe because we are more open, I think, to other culture, I mean, since we’ve been colonized for many years, and we’re used to, you know, other cultures than our own. And therefore, we’ve got that awareness, and

18:07 Speak English to which meet somebody and get on close terms with them than say, somebody from China. Most Chinese who don’t speak English. Well, even if they can read their fluent and reading well,

18:21 Even, even black women, you know, I mean, your your black women here, they’re not as open to marrying a white male. I mean, what a black male are more prone to marrying white women. And I think it’s also I don’t know, I don’t know. I mean, I just look at that they speak English. So and also, I don’t know, I think there’s, that’s a difficult different cultural phenomena, maybe, but I think it’s that awareness of the acceptance to that there, you know, the presence of another culture than your own, whether that’s positive or negative, I don’t know. But it’s, you know, it’s there

18:56 Is either family or any of the families here planning on passing on the Philippine culture to this to their children in some formal way?

19:08 Very often speak to them about the Philippine traditions, how family relationships are not with the idea that Hey, you gotta follow this, essentially, you know, this is how I was brought up. This is how things would have been in the Philippines or at least in my specific community. Again, as I said, not specifically Hey, you gotta follow this because this is the Filipino way more more sharing my experience with them. Be up to them to make use of that the lesson or phase of life, as it would be adapted to their, to their society now or the place where they leave

20:00 David is very interested in older kids is, is quite interested in being aware of, I guess you’d say the Asian part of his heritage. He’s also the one that looks most filled. Well, maybe not Filipino, but he doesn’t. He’s less He’s the least white or at least American looking into the others I think could be mistaken for just being Caucasian. He feels different and he feels treated different.

00:12 Nothing’s worse than the recent event the mighty laser was during the time of war the patient in the Philippines in terms of what was happening in the Philippines, and we have some people that call in our house that was sometimes when they say hello to a judge right away, you say something not in English. But and. And then my children sometimes get scared. There’s somebody down here is calling you and I can’t understand what they’re talking about. It sounds like it’s under a gallon. And since those events had happened, and then everything that was shown on the TV was being observed by them. They there is some kind of an interest because in the school there, the teacheris even started asking questions about, isn’t it your dad is from the Philippines. And then all of those things have happened. And actually, that was the major reason why we planned the trip this year because of that curiosity from them. And one of the questions that they asked from me is, how many relatives do we had down there in the Philippines? I told them it stands up probably around 300. Is that right? Are you kidding me? And when they wind up in the Philippines, actually, when I started introducing them to my relatives, I usually say this is your uncle, or this is your lolo or your lola. It reached the point by the time we have been in I think place they will be the one and B segment it looks a little bit older, another Lola, another Lola, another uncle, another aunt. But that curiosity, I think what had started in what happened in 1986.

01:56 It brought things into focus.

01:59 That’s right. And people who normally doesn’t normally say anything about where his headed heritage or my daughter’s heritage, now begin to be very interested about it. And I think there is a positive side to it. Because the children also reacted the

02:24 Through the process they were educated

02:26 they were educated and at the same time they learn something about their own heritage. Many of you?

02:45 Well, not under the present conditions, of course. But yeah, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t. I would like to go back, I feel that there’s a lot of things that I can do in the Philippines, one of my pet dreams is to probably not. There’s a lot of things that my children had or were exposed to or benefited from programs here in America, that I feel would be very useful to the Philippines children. Like we all work in the Philippines, you know, mothers who are working in the Philippines. Where we live our children, we live them with our maids, our maid or not, they don’t have the proper emotional or mental capacities to encourage or foster many of the educational things that you know the kids can can have access to, or I know I’m not doing a very good job of explaining it. But like here, when you bring your four year old or your three year old to a childcare center, because the educational material starts at a very young age. And so, it’s just that there’s a lot of opportunities here that I have seen that can benefit the children of the Philippines and if they are stimulated a certain (unintelligible) at a at an earlier age, rather than six or seventh grade, which is when they start school. I felt that they can amass a lot more that they can do a lot more they will be stimulated they can do they can excel in school. One of my pet project is to go home and build a daycare center and get all of the children of the professors that up the rate to the daycare center rather than leaving them at home with their maids.

04:43 Jake when he was young, they have a home health. The home health department, they have an early childhood laboratory and the program started to come two and a half

04:53 …word was Rihanna is from the neighborhood Brian from , UP. There was never a facility there were I could bring my children

05:03 in demand. Well, yeah. So that’s yeah, sophisticated. Yeah. Yeah, Jake started.

05:14 I was so amazed at the things that they have here, or available for two years old when I started bringing my, my son, at three years old to the preschool, but they’re called preschool in Pittsburgh, I was just amazed. I mean, just, I don’t think those kinds of services are available in the Philippines. And I,

05:37 One of those things that they sent to the Philippines, in one elementary school down there, and what I did is go and visit the school and look at the books that they sent on that elementary school. And some of the comments I have heard, especially to the teachers down there is Island, they had some of this regular visitation by the superintendent, they were amazed at the number of books that they had down there. Because one of these educational resources that’s really buried deep down there is some of these references, books that the children can use to improve the kind of information that they’re trying to discuss. And it so happened that they sent I think, two sets of encyclopedia down there, including some of those other technical books. And the reaction I have heard on that one is just a, it’s some kind of a disability because of books, I think, in the Philippines is not as well available, like down here in this country.

06:41 as a guide, and I know Pablo doesn’t want to talk about it. And that’s what he’s talking about. Pablo has sponsored the library in the community where he grew up so he’s been sending books is… We’ve been collecting books from the area, and then periodically he would bring this drive them to San Francisco, and his family would help pack it and send them Balikbayan. And then those books go to the school and that’s what he’s talking about. And I could see that too. Because when I was in school, I mean in fifth grade, fourth grade, I remember I had problem understanding the world is round, because the oddities of that we were using were flat maps, you know, and I just couldn’t believe it. How could the wrong, How could the ad be round when all this stuff that I had on the wall was flat? You know, because we had no globe? I mean, there was just no globe I didn’t see a globe until I went to school in Manila when I was in grade. I mean in grade six so I mean there’s a lot of things that we Filipinos here can do it for the people in the Philippines and we just don’t know it but we just a lot of things that we can do. Janette, I noticed you wanted to go home? Do you consider this is home or the Phillipines your home?
Iam American but I want to go home… I want to go to the Philippines because I want I feel like I will be very useful. I because of this made things you know, I just felt like I’m educated, educated in knowing all these things available that I could possibly… If not me, because I am not trained professionally and I do not have the educational background. At least I could get somebody interested enough to get there. But then maybe I’ve been away from the Philippines so long that maybe these things that I have in mind are already in existence I don’t know.

08:35 about the things that you call it or binnorie down here it’s some kind of treated in a different kind of things like the McDonald’s down here is it’s everybody’s fast foods McDonald down there is treated like as if it’s the pizza… I think it’s because it’s represent the different tools you’re in at the same time it winds up being…

09:16 I kind of like the question, question of how does it feel to be a Filipino Boise Idaho or a (unintelligible)?

09:30 I have to answer this I think I don’t know. I’m the only and the only Filipinos in in in my profession that I know. And when I go to staffing, I know people if they you know initially they have they would… I don’t think it’s making fun but they would call attention to like to some how I would pronounce some words. And then, you know, I think, I don’t know, I, I’ve never experienced that before. I was an exchange student before. And, and it wasn’t that, you know, not much attention was was given at that time. But here, it seems to me that maybe people are not used to other culture as much or, you know, like we were saying before there’s that veneer of discrimination maybe to other than, you know, to a culture other than your own.

10:27 Is it not being used to other users, and that used to seeing somebody from another culture occupying a rather important position?

10:36 Could be could be, I don’t know. It’s just that I know, you know, now they accept me for you know, I mean, they, you know, they won’t do it as much as once in a while, yes. But initially it was, you know, they would say, What did you say, you know, when they know very well, the context of what I’m saying, but they have to call attention to let you know.

10:56 I think it’s probably the rural nature of Idaho. Because I think Idaho is more or less probably 90% (unintelligible) that you can call Idahoans… syndrome or culture that they won’t they understand what you were saying and I knew what he was referring to but they it’s just like you talk to somebody you had a problem on hearing and then it was just, especially with the pronunciation they and the reaction is different when they are intimidated, intimidated with the person rather than if they don’t have any second way of thinking about you. You can easily differentiate it there is a difference if you move in a culture where it’s dominated 90% by another culture. Sometimes they make joke about some of those people down there in Pocatello.

12:14 Do you notice anything special about your relationship because he is Fillipino? No, I think is true just as any other person because we’ve been friends for two and a half years now and no difference, really.

12:36 You like him because he’s Troy.

12:38 Yeah. Because different or anything.

12:44 They played baseball together

12:49 They work together, play ball together and (unintelligible).

12:58 Let me ask a futuristic question: Do you foresee within the within Idaho that someday somebody of a Filipino background whether half Filipino and half American, white American would ever see rise to prominence say politically or from probably primarily politically foresee that that’s possible?

13:25 Historically, Idaho is a very liberal state, because they have the firstJewish government. Very well.

13:41 benefit of

13:48 This establishment in Boise from what I have heard this either Basque or Jewish background and I think was after they get familiar with them, they pretty soon blended within the society of medicine. Even if you’re talking to a guy whose last name is so bizarre, Yetta Morinaga day they kind of blend within the society. In fact the Secretary of the State is a ….?

14:23 Is there political interest among the Filipinos is their national (unintelligible)?

14:28 (unintelligible) Filipino American congressman, Congresswoman from Chicago. Her father, was this time he came here the father came here in 1928.

14:42 (unintelligible)

14:54 Chamber of Commerce is a Filipino fathers and mothers

15:01 So the vertical movement socially is very well possible, politically, very feasible. You may have Matthew or Brian or Marie…

15:22 Marie has got the personality.

15:25 I’m sure your mother meant that as a compliment.

15:32 (unintelligible) and that is a real class

15:37 … explained that handed to them, like

15:41 They, they are assured of themselves, they have good stuff, self esteem. And I’m sure that that has a lot to do also with the support that the family provides them. Because I think that the Filipino family is a very supportive, very more supportive than, generally speaking, most American families.

16:04 I think that are something to that. We, I mean, we the Filipinos that came the last 20 years came 30, almost 30 years ago. But the the earlier, the earlier Filipinos that came I think, is the equivalent of what the Mexicans are now. They were the laborers. That was the first wave of migration. And so they did not have as much substance then. But I’d say the last 50 years is, as I said, since I’ve been here, 30 years, has been the more I guess you’d say educated I’ve been, you know. And therefore on a different level of status as the first wave of migration. I had that first the, Enlightenment myself, I came in 60, I visited an aunt in Stockton, California, and went around the park and all those things and met all the Filipinos. And they were the ones that I thought I left in the Philippines, you know. And it was their first generation Filipinos that they had that did not integrate, did not mix very well with it, because they came from well, I guess you’d say the different social status. And they were mainly in… That’s right. That’s right. But now, you know, a lot of waves of nurses, doctors, professionals, you know, so they are exposed to different one. I think that’s quite significant, because I don’t think it’s just the Asians, you know, the first Irish and the first German that came are the same, the same boat. Evolution of Oh, I think so. All the ethnic ones came first as the, the dishwashers and all those things. And then came, they tried to deny their heritage.

18:10 Later on. They tried to affirm it. Do you think that although irregardless of the socio economic status of the Filipino families, you know, granted that the first wave came as a dishwasher or farmworkers, they, they were supportive, They also didn’t come as families, mostly men, men. Yeah, but those men labored and send their money home. Right, but their families never came over. But you know, but the monies were sent on top of children, to better the education of the children. So I feel strongly that if there is anything in a Filipino family, it’s that that’s the feeling for I want my children to do better than I did.

19:04 With this thing. It is more or less inbred within the culture to think that way. More or less caring for the children, I think in a different way. Sometimes some people look at it as being over protective. But I notice, I think it’s just inbred within the Filipino culture by child because some of it, I do it without even consciously thinking about it. And it so happened that I have a son who always say, why. And I have to come up with a very good answer that basically satisfied the way how he is exposed right now.

19:46 When you help family members, financially, morally, otherwise,

19:52 We are being questioned by the end. So I had a lot of gut children. On the Bad Place in Medina, my children notice that I’m giving something to them. One, one night, this boy, talk to me closely and they say, Dad, can we still go back home? And I asked him why? Well, I noticed that every time somebody came, that looks like it came very far from this place, you always give them something. And I explained to him that, well, that’s one of the Filipino culture that we don’t do in the United States, more or less, probably because you have grown in a place where it’s very well off. And people tend to think like, more or less, those kinds of things are secondary, but in the Filipino culture, those kind of things is more or less. I think, inbred. I never didn’t even pay attention to that field of mind. And that not the kind of question I was asked is it’s not even related to what I was doing. And I was surprised and I had really had to come up with a very good answer to that.

00:07 I wish that they were, but they were not. And so one of the things which led me to the Philippines and in and to be my interest in Asia, I’m sure was that richness of of adding that on to myself, I mean, I cannot look Asian. But there’s no reason that I can’t share Asian culture, appreciate Asian family values and things like that. And I use that in a generic sense, not necessarily a particular one. But as you had mentioned, Ludi, the family thing, the value of the family was something that was very much enriched in my mind.

00:59 Growing up with, with my parents, it was a fairly typical American family where there wasn’t a lot of real closeness. And when you got to be 18, you left home and you wrote every so often and went back on major holidays, but there was not a real closeness. And going to the Philippines, it was, it was really an experience, being able to share that real tight cohesiveness that extends clear into people that you barely even know. And that was very, very powerful to me, I don’t want my children to lose it.

01:32 And do you know, having having seen the, seeing the, or appreciate the closeness of Filipino family? Do you feel an obligation or sense that you would like to have that fostered in your own family?

01:51 Exactly. I do feel that way. I know that from some of my friends in the Philippines, that family can be very stifling, too. And I had friends in graduate school and beyond living at home with their parents and really wishing that they could break out and establish more of an independent identity. So it has its pluses and minuses. But I think growing up in this culture, you get enough of the pluses of independence that you need some of the pluses of the other side to counterbalance
Rounded out? Or how how would you address this issue? Closeness and independence? How do you feel about that?

02:40 Oh, I think I agree with that that essentially, you enrich the children by exporting to them to both ideas. And you, as parents could always point out that there’s that said, there is that by the fact of this very strong family being very, you know, it could be very demanding. But there’s a lot to be said about this closeness to. And I think what I have discussed this with my son’s it’s not it’s not really to inculcate in their mind that this is it, it is just saying, hey, there is you know, there’s another way there’s another system. It was not perfect, like this system, but you know, you can make both use of this system. And I think they have appreciated that they they know that I I don’t have to use that bad side of it. I could get that one and give that away. Take this one away. So it’s a good parting, I think.

03:56 Sounds like you’re giving the best of best of both worlds.

03:59 Yeah, but never to the point that say, this is the Filipino way I want to do it this way. No. Yes. Presenting the presenting with the alternatives.

04:12 One thing that I’ve found difficult here in Idaho is finding materials, reading materials and things that you can really share them a good view of, at least what I remember the Philippines was like. The story books, books for children and things like that which have images of of Asians and whites and blacks and things interacting. You don’t find those materials very much, certainly not as much as you would in metropolitan areas like Seattle.

04:49 Oh, once you once you introduce them, like my second son David. Like last Christmas, he brought me a lot of books. Uh, from University of Chicago about the Philippines, he himself has been reading it. You know, I’ve talked to him, anthropology finds in Bagyu and all those things. And he took it upon himself and he brought me six volumes of very, very early Spanish. That was the first time I knew that (unintelligible) by Chinese, you know, that was their results by Chinese from this book. So he is very interested just mainly because of what they’ve heard from me. The whole thing, then, sensibly that I wish I knew more about this, anthropological studies in the Philippines, as I like, I know, my I know, read a little bit about Southwest and quality and those things. So you lay the groundwork, I guess that’s essentially why they would be I mean, then

06:00 We’ve reread all of my old Carlos (unintelligible) books and things like that. My son loves to read, though, but that reading how other people have dealt with that experience of being a minority in a majority culture, and that and that’s what I enjoyed about being in the Philippines is being put in that situation where you’re the odd person out now.

06:29 The minority and majority issue is that something that you are concerned about as far as your children and in the course of their growing up?

06:37 I don’t know whether you’ve noticed with the responses of the kids made, they’re not they don’t perceive themselves, any different from the other kids. And I think that’s a very healthy, healthy attitude, you know, and I think, I think they can weather anything, you know, that will come their way having that kind of an attitude that, you know, I’m not, I’m a person like you, basically. Now, I’m not saying they’re color blind, but you know, they know their heritage, but they’re also asserting that I’m a person first, before I’m a Filipino American. You know, and I think that’s, you know, and I’m glad I’m hearing that from all these kids. (unintelligible) for the fact that he was on display that sophistication of understanding, perhaps, maybe,

07:22 we also realized that the society that we live in, seems to have just a very thin veneer, sometimes of that openness and tolerance. And that even as much as you try to do in the home, to expose them and yet protect them, they’re still going to get into situations sometimes where they’re going to have to deal with things.
How do you prepare them for that? How do you how do you prepare anyone for that? Yeah, because sometimes they have to go through the healthy

07:57 self esteem. The fact that they accept themselves for what they are, I think that would be their best weapon later on, to deal with issues like this.

08:15 different skin colors.

08:23 I was saying something about that.

08:24 Yes. Something maybe about the fact that your children, Steven was?

08:32 No, it’s three of them. Three of them, I think could pass for Caucasian. If they want to. If you take off last names, yeah. Without if they didn’t have the name of Vega, the third, the fourth one? Could not. And he, I suppose, has experienced I don’t know if it’s because he’s experienced the most discrimination or if he’s just most interested in it, and most sensitive to it. But anyway, he does. He reports more. He and he feels it more

08:59 reports more incidents? So yeah,

09:01 he mentions it more now. And I don’t know if it’s just because it’s obvious from his face that he’s not Caucasian-American. Oh, and he’s the one that insisted the most that he wasn’t an American and didn’t feel like an American. And first, he wanted to go back to the Pacific to live. And now he wants to stay here and cure the ills of American society. But anyway, he’s he’s very interested in discrimination. And in fact, he’s working on a research project right now in Chicago is something about Lincoln, you know, the

09:33 slavery. I think it’s mainly basically the type of David that’s a guy, his personality. He’s very, very conscious about social effects. Compared to the first one, Stephen. That’s about the farthest in his mind. I mean, he’s all science. How David is in the social science and that really intrigues him. As Cheryl was saying, the summer the last two summers his job has been to work with this professor that dealt with the Abe Lincoln and the slavery. That to him is just
Different attitudes
Very, very, very intriguing topic any he would spend hours and hours researching those things.

10:26 But he also gets upset at the way people are treated like he had a roommate in college is the father is white and the mother is black. And you know, things happen they just do discrimination. And this is in Chicago too. So but but like I said over here, it’s it’s in Boise to discrimination it has. It has a veneer over it, but it’s there, even you go to a kid’s soccer game, and you’ll hear the kids say, hey, get that Chinese kid.

10:55 I just heard Steven, no Bryan say something in here as far as the discrimination. Do you see? Manifestations of this discriminate discrimination?

11:10 Manifestations of evidence?

11:13 I don’t know. It’s just that like your last name. I mean, there’s some kids in our school that are ours dives. I mean, there’s kids in our school that are as dark as me, I don’t know if it’s because they sit out in the sun or what but their last name is Jones or Richardson or something like that. And they don’t get called a Mexican, or, you know, something like that. It’s just because you’re labeled Vega, or that’s your last name. So it’s your Mexican. I mean, you know, because most Vegas, they know are Mexicans, and so they get that thing like you’re Mexican, even though you’re not.

11:52 That is quite, quite apart. Because of that. I guess the name Vega is, I guess, in any Spanish community. And this again, as I said, and Ted says, Southwest Southwestern Idaho is just a lot of Hispanic people

12:12 people in Boise don’t know one from another. If you’re not white, they’ll they just assumed to call your (*****) as a Mexican, I mean, or Chinese or whatever. I mean, they were just just a label. They don’t they don’t know I think I think most of them don’t even know that nigger means black, they’ll just call me nigger because they know that an epithet or a put down and they see that you’re not white. And so and

12:34 that works both way. Like as I said, I’m part of agriculture and I, you know, go to these farms and with the migrant labor, once the hurdle is vague. They will talk behind you is that that’s a guy he’s Mexican isn’t he? It’s in Spanish, but you could understand it that saying, Well, what is this Mexican doing in the Department of Agriculture is not

13:07 going to experience some kind of a discrimination because their?

13:14 My, my eldest son was the one who was more vocal of the two kids I have. And I think that there were instances when he would come home with some stories, but it is more of like, just like his experience being Mexican, and he was always quick to tell them I am not Mexican, I’m a Filipino because the (unintelligible) so it’s also Mexican name. So I think they made it clear from the beginning. It’s good. They made the effort to establish themselves as Filipinos and not Mexican. And I don’t think there was ever any

13:49 Jeanette, I have noticed you are very, you seem very happy when you are very active in Civic Type pursuits.
Not really.
I’d like to ask as Filipinos Filipino American families, how do you see yourself in the the I mean, Boise in terms of community and effect integration, and the rest of Boiseans?

14:18 When I was growing up, I was a recipient of people’s kindness many times, and I just felt good that now I am in a position where I can do some good things for people. And when I do some, well I like to say when I do thing isn’t necessarily because I wanted it. I guess my my attitude is if I have somebody, this person might not necessarily help me but he will help another person. And that’s how I feel about it.

14:53 Absolutely, we’re saying earlier is planting a seed…

14:58 Because I feel good I When I was growing up, there were a lot of people who went out of their way to do to do a lot of things for me. And without those kinds of things that other people did for me, I don’t think I would be what I am now.

15:15 So you’re passing it on carrying it on by doing,

15:19 And I am a strong supporter of education, I just strongly believe in education.

15:26 That education is often identified as one of the higher one of the values that’s associated with with Asians. Is that something that… How do you feel about education and…?

15:43 You know, like, loosely, most Asians, I think I value education very highly. And I think you could trace that back in our culture, you know, in the Philippines, when you as you go back in history. The only way somebody gets out of your of your present economic situation is to get more education. And because the more education you get, the more you can improve your lives. And I think that’s, you know, we still have that sense of attitude towards education is that you know, you to better yourself, you need to get more education. And we pass that on to our kids to consciously inculcate. Oh, yes. And, you know, we make an effort to do that at home. I mean, it’s, we tell them studying is their first job right now. That’s their main job. Later on, they’ll have their own job, which is probably not studying. But right now, their main job is education.

16:40 When our kids were growing up, they have chores. But the deal has always been if you have homework, nevermind, we’ll do your chores, right?

16:56 What do you children think about that fact that your parents value education so much and remind you every day so every

17:04 night they have homework? So that they don’t have to watch this?

17:10 I tried to ask this DuBois.

17:18 So do you share your parents Valley value of education?

17:24 Well, I don’t know about that. But I I always try to get my homework done fast. So I can do something else. Very good.

17:37 Yes, no problem.

17:39 Yet anyway.

17:45 Hey, what’s an honor rolls in junior high. They’re both doing pretty well. Fortunately, our gauge has been.

17:58 We don’t ever have to tell him that. We don’t have any deals. But

18:04 somewhere along the line, somebody would have set an example for them. I don’t know. I

18:10 know, you’ve all talked about doing all these kinds of things consciously. I don’t know. I guess we’re just lucky, Ralph. He’s been planning real well, that’s it. It just all seems so natural. And you know,

18:23 I have not consciously laid the ground that that seven to eight you got to be studying.

18:33 How you go to school?

18:38 Asked them when things done. Yeah, talk about it. But at least I didn’t think that with a stick and said, Hey, you get going.

19:02 One thing that one difference that I’ve noticed about a number of the minority communities here in Boise as opposed to poor minorities here in Boise, as opposed to in Seattle, where I was going to school before. Here I find many of the minorities wanting to just blend in not drawing attention to their Filipino nests or their whatever it is. I remember here in Boise it part of my responsibilities at work we work with the federal government when they come in to audit our affirmative action programs. And the last time they came in, they wanted to speak with several of our engineers, whatever who happened to be minorities and I can remember very distinctly one of the Hispanic engineers saying after I’d call him up to tell him we wanted to get together with him you were five you singled me out. Why me? What? What is it? He didn’t want? You know, it was because you were Hispanic. Well, what does that have to do with it? I’m here as an engineer. I’ve never drawn a tan and never asked for anything. And, and I don’t know necessarily I’d be curious to see how how others feel about that. But I’ve noticed that

00:04 Probably proportion.

00:07 I guess what I’m saying that generally, I mean, you know, if there’s more, I’m sure that there are American families who support the children, but as each and every family, Filipina family who is in Boise, if they will kick out their son when he turns 18. And that’s none of them. I mean, to me, that’s significant. I don’t think after that.

00:38 Just on the spur of the moment, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t agree, but I don’t think I have any basis on which to say one or the other.

00:50 I have seen families who have American families who have resources. And yet, they, and I’m sure that maybe it’s, you know, it’s it builds the character for the son to work as dishwasher, and to support himself to college. But I have seen how hard it is for college kids to struggle, and maintain a job and pay an apartment and, and maintain a good grade. And yet, it would, it would have been just not not even a diss. Well, you know, when the family have the money to support

01:27 that’s more of the product of an industrial society.
Stages of development. And I think,

01:39 Well, I think all culture will go through that stage, as they get, you know, industrialized, developed. I’m not saying it’s the best, but

01:52 I think a student here who wants to go to college, is highly motivated, would have a better chance of going to college and finishing college than the one who’s in the Philippines, who wants to go to college and doesn’t have the resources to go to college, even though he’s highly motivated. I mean, the chances are, he won’t go and finish college, you know, just the fact of the financial situation.

02:19 It’s a little bit

02:27 people have been coming under pressure. In Texas, for example, you know, the fishermen down there. And the government is thinking about putting restrictions on immigration, as

02:43 well.
My personal opinion on that one is, I think, usually will be one who is first usually try to close the door after he is in. I think it’s very true with any of those grow from Europe. I have heard some people who just came from the eastern part of Europe say that right now, those who came from Czechoslovakia, Hungary. And they seems to be agreeing on top that it’s more or less like

03:22 As soon as I get here, there’s enough,

03:24 more or less than something like that. I remember the criticism that some of them has been saying when Senator Kennedy was creating the bill favoring those English speaking, speaking groups. And I think one of the groups who were really bothered by that is the Asian community because of the fact that the Asian community when they when there is a relative who came here, there is a high probability that some of the relatives will be petitioned to come here, because of the close family family ties that I never did realize before till I wind up down here. Some of it is in in your mind, you get you might not know it, you might you might not think about it, but once you’re out, some of it will come out.

04:14 Anybody else who was wondering, you know, I, they are refugees from Nicaragua and South America. shop closed door?

04:30 I have an opinion about that. I’m not really sure if the country will do that. Because as long as the country realizes that we need immigrants to help us in our industries, our labor supply, I don’t think it will happen. But when that happens, though, then we probably have some people in Washington who don’t realize the significance of keeping our industry smoothly or keeping our society far develop or far more I developed in other countries like Japan, or Europe.

05:09 They were saying something about how bearish the Asian in terms of supporting the children getting an education, I remember hearing a lot of things about the negative impact of that, that sometimes the Asian are being closed out in terms of being able to enter in some school. And sometimes grade doesn’t matter anymore. And it looks like they are assigning a quarter and sometimes the positive impact that they were saying about Asian students that being well motivated in terms of having an education, I think, to a certain degree has a backless. I remember in Berkeley and a lot of universities in California that there is a four point average Asian student is was being closer because of that. Well, they see the mother gotta but it’s an imaginary things that that seems to be forbidding them to be able to pursue whatever they want in terms of education.

06:07 The Asian children who are getting the high rates are keeping out the average white Americans. So the educational opportunities, because monopod, monopolizing the high grades,

06:21 Every every Asian kids dream is to go to Stanford, or Yale, or wherever. And so if they will accept every 4.0, then Asia, then they will never completely Asian population, which is not good for them to

06:41 learn about that, that they did that to the Jews before. It seems like it’s a reputation of a certain cycle, that probably they had never learned that in terms of history that probably those kinds of policies don’t really benefit from that. So

07:03 I’m not an immigrant. But I think the issue of of immigration is a very key one. And I think there may be some merit to putting some type of a limit on the number of immigrants that this country allows, I realized that a great part of our strength is our diversity. And yet, I think there are certain limits to the numbers of people, the space, everything else that we have. And at some point, we have to face that. If not now, not in the year 2000, some time

07:51 Do you have any specific ideas how that quota or restriction should be?

07:58 No, I’m not studied enough in that area to do want to put something forward. And I know that any of the ideas that I’ve heard, certainly have had strong negative sides. But it seems strange. I just can’t imagine us accepting unlimited numbers of people indefinitely, and still being able to provide the same standard, standard, not just living. But life that we grow

08:43 accustomed. You know, one thing about the population is statistics in the United States, he said that, such that the geriatric stage is already bigger percent of the total population. And when you reach a certain what they call reproductive age, there is a need for replenishment, especially with the population in this country. They call it set of growth right now. And then the that’s one of the scales that they had in terms of this social security. Money that they will be getting later on that they say that pretty soon in the next 10 or 15 years, there will be less, who will be paying to the Social Security and a lot more guests again. And one way I think that they can only do that to have the cycle of replenishment seems that in terms of birth rate, and a lot of things, I think they are looking at it in a different ways only through migration. And migration, I think has a very positive impact, especially in this year of enormous competitions. One thing I have learned, at least from most of the immigrants that I had talked to, whether they came from Eastern Europe or Southeast Asia or in the Middle East, they had one driving force. And then because they don’t know a lot of people don’t have what they want is to be able to stand up by themselves. And that one quality, I think you can get that. To most of those people who haven’t experienced what they have experience. So there’s a positive side to it. To me (unintelligible), that if the statistics that they were saying were true, that reality is right there right now, we had more old person and less in terms of birth rate that we have to think about that cycle of replacing the kind of services they’re providing, whether it’s professional or just the service oriented needs.

10:48 Let me ask one last question, and we’ll end on a positive note.

11:01 Right, oh, and what can I do for you?

11:17 I think what my side, what I can say is, the barrier area where I can make a contribution isn’t the place where I’m working right now, since I’m working with the state, I’ll try to do the best on my part down there to look at the positive product that I can contribute. Probably that’s the best place you can start with, in addition to the community.

11:41 Yeah, that’s one area. And then another area, too, is providing, you know, just being very present, I think in the community provides a lot of good role model for your other Filipino American kids, you know, to them that they know, you know, look at him or look at her, you know, she’s one of my kind, and she can do it, or she can do it. And I think that’s a very, that would be one contribution that one can do.

12:06 And in what ways can I help me so that it’s in this case, the Filipinos are being encouraged or stimulated last month, or?

12:25 I don’t know I, you know, I

12:27 say an education as far as application of opportunities, right.

12:33 I think a lot. I think a lot, just the fact that you’re a minority right now. And you’re you’re and you’re very highly motivated. I think there’s a lot of reinforcements out there to do what you want to do.

12:45 We feel that the state of Idaho was really opening up. I think so to

12:55 say thank you. Thank you. This is your life.