Dublin Core
Title
Suzette
Subject
Oral history from Mexico to Kansas.
Description
Suzette was born in the United States but her parents are from Nicaragua. In this interview, she talks about visiting Nicaragua, being a first-generation college graduate and connecting with her family. Her advice for the younger generation is to learn Spanish or their heritage language and embrace where they come from. Suzette also highlights the importance of giving back to one’s community.
Source
Coverage
Kansas
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Transcription
Suzette (S)
Aaron (A)
S: Okay. My name’s Suzette Mendez. I came to Kansas when I was 12 years old–actually I was 10 years old–originally we lived in California and then I lived there…I came to the United States when I was a year and a half–so we lived in California and then moved to Kansas when I was 10 years old. And we’ve been here since then.
S: I guess a story that comes to mind in regards with this project [Coming to the Heartland] is–my very first time when we went back home when we traveled to Nicaragua as a family.
S: I had never been there. Like I said, I came to the States when I was a year and a half so I was never fully emerged [sic] in what the Nicaraguan culture was.
S: I grew up here in the United States so this was all I had ever known. So when I went back it was really eye-opening; It was an experience that I would never forget. I remember how my life is very different from the life over there.
S: I think that [deep exhale] when we went I was still–we went back when I was 12. So I got to experience the difference in culture. I got to learn more about where I came–where I’m coming from–my roots, so that was a really wonderful experience.
[car honking]
A: So is there something that happened on the trip that–correct me if I’m wrong, but you said that happened when you were 12, right?--
S: –Yes
A: So is there something that happened on that trip that made you feel was important to you and that you were able to see some of the differences and that sort of thing…so what were some of the differences that you were able to see or what were some of the cultural aspects that you were able to learn?
S: The food for sure. It’s very different. It’s something that–like my mom does Nicaraguan cooking but [pause] it’s–it’s different when you’re there, I guess, that’s what I want to say.
S: The living aspect too, that’s the poverty–it’s one of things that struck me the most while I was down there. I noticed, you know–I could only imagine what would be my life if we had stayed in Nicaragua and never moved to the States.
A: And could you maybe also explain a little bit about how your–I mean how do you see yourself today in terms of you being an immigrant–
A: I mean with you immigrating so young coming to this country at such a young age did you see yourself as an immigrant growing up and going through school and things like that? Or did you see yourself in any other different light?
S: Umm, no, like I never–Like I knew that my parents and I were from Nicaragua but I never really identified myself as like an immigrant.
S: Like growing up, when I was smaller in elementary school, like I never thought about it that way I guess.
S: When I started to get older, that’s when I could say, I know where I came from and I know that I’m an immigrant and that my parents were immigrants and that I was the very first generation to go to college and so it–that’s when I started to in high school–or elementary–in middle and high school when everything came into play.
S: When we first got our legal status, I guess, then my parents kinda had a talk with me about what it was and that’s when we got to go back home [to Nicaragua].
S: Then they explained that they had been here for several years, I think that it was maybe 10 years that they had not been able to see their family so they explained that they were going to take a trip and we were going to be able to meet our cousins, our aunts, uncles, grandparents.
A: Is that something you were excited for? Or was it something you were fearful of? Or just kinda unsure about? What were kinda some of the things that they prepared you for going back for the first time?
S: To me, it was fun–it was exciting. I never grew up with any grandparents so that was something very difficult and different because I would know and because my friends would have their grandparents here and so I didn’t get to experience that until I was 12 years old and even at that time you would go for two weeks, three weeks at most, so I never really got that connection with my grandparents.
S: With cousins, I never really grew up with cousins. The ones that I had in California were like two-three cousins and we would see them every so often for holidays so, like I said, I never emerged [sic] myself into the whole family environment with parents with my grandparents or my extended family because they weren’t living here, they were living back home.
A: One of the–some of the things that others have talked about in their interviews is what they hope to share with maybe older generations or younger generations–So is there something about yourself that you feel like older generations or younger generations.
A: So is there something about yourself, something that you learned about yourself that you feel like older generations don’t know about you in terms of how you see yourself? Or, is there something that you want to share with younger generations about who you are that you feel is important?
S: I think what I would say to the younger generations would be to know where you come from. From a very early early years, learn your Spanish–I mean whatever language you speak: that’s something I always try to teach my child, now that I have a son, is you–you need to know where you’re coming from and it’s hard.
S: Especially nowadays I know that I speak to him a lot in English and so his dad tries to speak to him in Spanish. And it gets hard for him [Suzette’s son] too and so sometimes [Suzette’s son] is like “I don’t want to speak in Spanish.” And I try to teach him why it’s important to do so. Where is his–where he is coming from, where his parents are coming from.
S: So that’s something that I would try and advise the younger generation.
A: And have you had a chance to take your son to Nicaragua? And has it been an opportunity to share a little bit of where you come from? And what was the experience for him?
S: We have. I’ve taken him maybe about three times now.
S: I think that the first time that I took him he was a year and a half–and one of the things that I try to explain to him is how fortunate we are in this country and we go back so he can see the difference between these two countries and what we have and cherish what we have here.
S: We–I wanted him to know, you know, about poverty and how we can help people and so one of the trips we took down there, we made like 150 sandwiches and we bought drinks–water, pop, all that kinds of stuff–and then–and so we went to the streets and we took a car and we drove through the streets.
S: At the stop lights there’s always homeless people or people working and try to get a little bit of money and so we would stop there and we would see all kinds of people–people in wheelchairs, little kids selling gum or drinks and stuff like that.
S: And so we would stop and he would hand them [the sandwiches and drinks] out. People would just come towards the car and Isaac, that’s my son’s name, and Isaac would just roll down the windows and we would just hand sandwiches and drinks out. And so that is something that has always stuck in his mind and to this day he tells me “When are we going to do that again?”
S: So I know that that made an impact on his seven years of life that he has, so yeah.
A: That’s really great. I’m glad that he was able to have that experience that was so inspirational for him and exciting for him to go back and–that’s fantastic.
A: Okay, wonderful. Thanks so much, Suzette, for participating in this project.
Aaron (A)
S: Okay. My name’s Suzette Mendez. I came to Kansas when I was 12 years old–actually I was 10 years old–originally we lived in California and then I lived there…I came to the United States when I was a year and a half–so we lived in California and then moved to Kansas when I was 10 years old. And we’ve been here since then.
S: I guess a story that comes to mind in regards with this project [Coming to the Heartland] is–my very first time when we went back home when we traveled to Nicaragua as a family.
S: I had never been there. Like I said, I came to the States when I was a year and a half so I was never fully emerged [sic] in what the Nicaraguan culture was.
S: I grew up here in the United States so this was all I had ever known. So when I went back it was really eye-opening; It was an experience that I would never forget. I remember how my life is very different from the life over there.
S: I think that [deep exhale] when we went I was still–we went back when I was 12. So I got to experience the difference in culture. I got to learn more about where I came–where I’m coming from–my roots, so that was a really wonderful experience.
[car honking]
A: So is there something that happened on the trip that–correct me if I’m wrong, but you said that happened when you were 12, right?--
S: –Yes
A: So is there something that happened on that trip that made you feel was important to you and that you were able to see some of the differences and that sort of thing…so what were some of the differences that you were able to see or what were some of the cultural aspects that you were able to learn?
S: The food for sure. It’s very different. It’s something that–like my mom does Nicaraguan cooking but [pause] it’s–it’s different when you’re there, I guess, that’s what I want to say.
S: The living aspect too, that’s the poverty–it’s one of things that struck me the most while I was down there. I noticed, you know–I could only imagine what would be my life if we had stayed in Nicaragua and never moved to the States.
A: And could you maybe also explain a little bit about how your–I mean how do you see yourself today in terms of you being an immigrant–
A: I mean with you immigrating so young coming to this country at such a young age did you see yourself as an immigrant growing up and going through school and things like that? Or did you see yourself in any other different light?
S: Umm, no, like I never–Like I knew that my parents and I were from Nicaragua but I never really identified myself as like an immigrant.
S: Like growing up, when I was smaller in elementary school, like I never thought about it that way I guess.
S: When I started to get older, that’s when I could say, I know where I came from and I know that I’m an immigrant and that my parents were immigrants and that I was the very first generation to go to college and so it–that’s when I started to in high school–or elementary–in middle and high school when everything came into play.
S: When we first got our legal status, I guess, then my parents kinda had a talk with me about what it was and that’s when we got to go back home [to Nicaragua].
S: Then they explained that they had been here for several years, I think that it was maybe 10 years that they had not been able to see their family so they explained that they were going to take a trip and we were going to be able to meet our cousins, our aunts, uncles, grandparents.
A: Is that something you were excited for? Or was it something you were fearful of? Or just kinda unsure about? What were kinda some of the things that they prepared you for going back for the first time?
S: To me, it was fun–it was exciting. I never grew up with any grandparents so that was something very difficult and different because I would know and because my friends would have their grandparents here and so I didn’t get to experience that until I was 12 years old and even at that time you would go for two weeks, three weeks at most, so I never really got that connection with my grandparents.
S: With cousins, I never really grew up with cousins. The ones that I had in California were like two-three cousins and we would see them every so often for holidays so, like I said, I never emerged [sic] myself into the whole family environment with parents with my grandparents or my extended family because they weren’t living here, they were living back home.
A: One of the–some of the things that others have talked about in their interviews is what they hope to share with maybe older generations or younger generations–So is there something about yourself that you feel like older generations or younger generations.
A: So is there something about yourself, something that you learned about yourself that you feel like older generations don’t know about you in terms of how you see yourself? Or, is there something that you want to share with younger generations about who you are that you feel is important?
S: I think what I would say to the younger generations would be to know where you come from. From a very early early years, learn your Spanish–I mean whatever language you speak: that’s something I always try to teach my child, now that I have a son, is you–you need to know where you’re coming from and it’s hard.
S: Especially nowadays I know that I speak to him a lot in English and so his dad tries to speak to him in Spanish. And it gets hard for him [Suzette’s son] too and so sometimes [Suzette’s son] is like “I don’t want to speak in Spanish.” And I try to teach him why it’s important to do so. Where is his–where he is coming from, where his parents are coming from.
S: So that’s something that I would try and advise the younger generation.
A: And have you had a chance to take your son to Nicaragua? And has it been an opportunity to share a little bit of where you come from? And what was the experience for him?
S: We have. I’ve taken him maybe about three times now.
S: I think that the first time that I took him he was a year and a half–and one of the things that I try to explain to him is how fortunate we are in this country and we go back so he can see the difference between these two countries and what we have and cherish what we have here.
S: We–I wanted him to know, you know, about poverty and how we can help people and so one of the trips we took down there, we made like 150 sandwiches and we bought drinks–water, pop, all that kinds of stuff–and then–and so we went to the streets and we took a car and we drove through the streets.
S: At the stop lights there’s always homeless people or people working and try to get a little bit of money and so we would stop there and we would see all kinds of people–people in wheelchairs, little kids selling gum or drinks and stuff like that.
S: And so we would stop and he would hand them [the sandwiches and drinks] out. People would just come towards the car and Isaac, that’s my son’s name, and Isaac would just roll down the windows and we would just hand sandwiches and drinks out. And so that is something that has always stuck in his mind and to this day he tells me “When are we going to do that again?”
S: So I know that that made an impact on his seven years of life that he has, so yeah.
A: That’s really great. I’m glad that he was able to have that experience that was so inspirational for him and exciting for him to go back and–that’s fantastic.
A: Okay, wonderful. Thanks so much, Suzette, for participating in this project.
Interviewer
Aron Muci
Interviewee
Suzette
Language of Interview
English
Format
Video
City (Region, State) and Country of Origin
Nicaragua
Intermediate point in journey (1)
California