Teresa

Teresa

Oral history from Mexico to Kansas City, KS

Teresa’s grandparents migrated to the U.S. sometime in the 1920s from Michoacán, Mexico Her grandfather first worked for the Santa Fe Railroad and organized several community events such as fiestas and an orchestra. Teresa believes in giving back to your community and is a cousin to Beatrice, a fellow Heartland participant.

Teresa (T)
Marta (M)

T: My name is Teresa Pacheco. My maiden name is Teresa Valverde. My grandparents on my maternal side, on my mom's side were Agustín and Felicita Zamora. And they came in from Tangancicuaro, Michoacán, Mexico back in the 19, I think in the 1920s.

T: My grandfather went from Mexico because, you know, back then there was really no borders. I mean, you could cross over. We didn't have any of these borders until after what, 1925–

M: Right. Yeah. Yeah.

T: So he came and he was actually a sheep herder. He took a job as a sheep herder up in North Dakota, and from there someone told him that, told him that there was possibilities in the Kansas–state of Kansas, and primarily Kansas City, Kansas, because of the Santa Fe Railroad was going to be hiring a lot of people. So, my grandfather, then he came from North Dakota. He realized there probably was an opportunity.

T: And then when he came then, I guess he knew my grandmother before. But there was a ten year difference, you know, back then, you know, my grandfather was 23 and my grandmother was 13 when they got married. Could you believe?

M: Oh, oh my gosh. Wow.

T: Yes. But grandpa always said, oh, but if you see, if you see your grandmother, she sure didn't look like those 13. [laughs] So nobody ever guessed she was only 13, but she was–

M:--And where did he meet her?

T: Well, actually their families knew each other in to both her family and my grandpa's family. They knew each other living there in Tangancicuaro. So the families already knew each other. But I don't think my grandfather and my grandmother, because there was that age difference, that they really knew each other that that well. But and then in time, I guess when he went to North Dakota and it was so easy, he was going actually back and forth and back and forth. So I guess he finally did meet my grandmother and it just started there–

M: Okay. Wait, wait. Let me ask for clarification. Did he meet your grandmother in Mexico?

T: Well, he actually got to know her better in Mexico, yes.

M: Okay.

T: They were from the same little town.

M: Okay.

T: Because of the families knowing each other.

M: Okay. And then did they marry in Michoacán? And then they got married there?

T: Uh huh.

M: Okay. Okay.

T: And then and that time when they got married, that's when he ended up coming to Kansas City. Kansas, both of them.

M: So he was going back and forth from the US. To Mexico?

T: Yes. Okay. But he stayed a lot. Like I said, he went up to North Dakota like a little sheep herder, you know, a little job. Somebody told him about going up there, which he did. But of course he didn't stay because when they told him there's a better opportunity working for the Santa Fe Railroad, which he ended up doing and working there for God, I bet you was a good 60 years. I think that's what my mom said. It was a good 60 years he worked for Santa Fe.

M: Okay.

T: Because he was still working. Well, think about it. He was still working for Santa Fe when I was little. And you figure I'm 67, so go figure. Yeah. So he must have worked for Santa Fe for about 60 years.

M: Okay. And then did he when he came to work in Kansas for the Santa Fe Railroad, where in Kansas did he land?

T: Yes. Oh, where? Where in Argentine?

M: In Argentine. Okay.

T: In Argentine. Uh huh. Because at that time that's where Santa Fe had a lot of work going on.

M: Okay. Great.

T:Yeah, they're in Argentine and Kansas City, Kansas.

T: Okay. And then he had they had five children. And those five children were Ignacio, which my uncle his oldest son, Ignacio Zamora. And then it was my mom, Raquel Zamora. Then it was my uncle no, my aunt, Socorro Zamora, and then my uncle Santiago Zamora. There was actually five, but I can't remember ‘cause one of them died…

M: I think it's so impressive that you remember four.

[both laughing]

T: Well, but you know, because we were close because my uncle, to make a long story, my uncle that I just told you, Ignacio Zamora. Actually, I consider him almost like my dad because my parents got divorced when I was little. So my uncle, and we called him Nick, that was actually my uncle Nick was actually the one that raised us. So that's why I know all my–their kids so well because we were always together.

T: And I've done a lot in the community because there with El Centro. I was on the board of El Centro for over 30 years.

M: Oh, wow, That's amazing.

T: Yeah. Actually, when I became a board member of El Centro they put me on the board for the use of the community so you could here I am 67 years old, and then myself out on the board and I was the chairperson for El Centro.

T: But I've always wanted to do things for my community ’cause I saw my grandparents and my grandmother, Felicita. Just a wonderful she was your regular normal because the grandpa being so involved in so many things and working at Santa Fe and things like that, but grandma was one of those wonderful homemakers that I learned a lot from.

T: And then of course, my mother learned a lot from her. They gave me all those principles and I think that as a migr– As a granddaughter of somebody came to this country from another country, what I appreciated is to learn all about the culture, how to do our holidays. Because that's being lost. Today, you can't find any of these youth–the recipes are gone. That you wish that somebody knew how to do certain dishes. And they're not going to learn because they're not teaching them. They're barely raising themselves, let alone trying to raise children, you know?

T: I have to say that's what I value because I value that they spoke to us in both languages. We always learned to be able to speak both English and Spanish. They always say you're in this country, you're going to speak English, but your ethnic background, you’re Mexicana.

T: I say we're a hybrid because on my maternal grandparents, Augustine, they came from Spain, and they came from France, and they came, it's a mixture. Then on my dad's side, I'm Sicilian and Spanish from Puebla [Mexico] mixture of everything. And then now I married my husband, and I'll get to that too. There's just a whole mixture of a high 57, but you got to appreciate all these cultures.

T: Everyone is different.

T: The routines of life and how you see things are different. I think that's being lost in today's world. I think these kids, they could care less about their Mexican culture unless you put them and you talk to them about it. Even from the dances, to the songs, to the foods you name it. Some of them, they just don't know anything about it. If you mention it to them, food maybe a little bit because they'll eat it. But you ask anybody if they know how to make it and they're not going to tell you, they will: “Oh, no. We don't know how to do that.”

T: But as a child of immigrants, that's what I appreciated that they taught us, so then we were able to teach it like I've been teaching my two boys.

M: So your boys do know a little bit more?

T: Oh, yeah. And then I married, okay. I married my husband, Carlos Pacheco. He's originally from Mexico City. And he's a story and a half too, because I'm so proud of him. Because when he came and I met him on vacation with my cousin Bea, who you interviewed, cousin Bea Ramirez.

T: She invited me to go to Mexico with her because a friend of hers couldn't go. So you know how back in the day that you could use airline tickets from other people?

M: Yeah, I missed those days. I missed some days.

T: Bea said: “Come on Teresa, you got to go with me.” When are you going? In two weeks. I said in two weeks I'm going to have to get permission to see if I can even leave my boss. I just presented it to him and said, yeah, go ahead, you just go ahead and have a good time if you get everything done, you go ahead and you go with her. So I said, okay. And that happens to be where we stayed at, her aunt and uncle's house. Happens to be her side of the family, but then they have somebody because, see, I'm cousin to her dad and my husband is cousin to her mom.

M: Oh wow.

T: How that worked out…

M: Can I actually backtrack for just a second? Can you tell me a little bit about what it was like to grow up in Argentine? Was it all Latino? Hispanic? Were there a lot of Latinos? Hispanics there?

T: Oh, yes, there was a Latinos/Hispanics right there in Argentine. Right there. Yeah, That was more Mexicanos like when I started. They say back in the earlier time, there was more of another mixture. That many, there were some blacks. There wasn't much, many blacks. But there was always white. But there was a grand majority was from Mexico primarily, believe it or not, was from this little town, Tangancicuaro, Michocán, where my grandparents were from.

T: Since the railroad brought so many people in, well, you know how it is. Somebody says, come on, go apply for this, You might get it all ended up being almost from the same areas from me.

M: So they all knew each other?


T: Oh yeah. Back in the day, everybody knew each other. You almost have to watch who's related to who. Wow, You really didn't know. Because back in the days when I was growing up, everybody, everybody went to church there. John the Divine.

T: We've always had St. John the Evangelist. It's a Catholic church there too, There on strong. But that was where all the whites would go. When I was little, that's where all the whites would go and all the Mexicanos would go to St. John the Divine. Then when they close John the Divine, well, guess what then, all the means had to go somewhere to church. So then we start going to St. John the Evangelists. A lot of them, I don't think they were that appreciative. We're going to have to go to mass now. There too, but hey, they closed down the church, so where else are we going to go?

M: And when was that?

T: When they closed it…Oh my gosh. And you know there was an article. There was an article in the paper when the church burned and they had to end up tearing it down. Here's a big call It give you some dates. I don't know if you could look. I can't possibly find it. Yeah, It's under the St. John the Divine. And they gave all the little history of the church too, you know, like when it opened.

T: And that's when my grandfather was really involved when he was young with St. John the Divine like putting together all the sit like I say, like I said, he was the first was an orchestra. He played all kinds of music. And then we started getting other little bands. And other little bands were formed from the people that played in his band and they formed other little things.

M: Well, I found a picture.

T: Of the church?

M: Yeah. Beautiful archive picture.

T: Yeah. Well, actually my cousin Bea’s there, her house was right next to St. John the Divine. Yeah. They just tore that down. I'm thinking it was last year, was in 19 2019. I just can't remember when.

M: Yeah and it was on the National Register of Historic Places.

T: Yes, it was. And you have to read the controversy on that because everybody wanted to keep it with the most beautiful church they had the most inside, all the stuff, a lot of the chandeliers and stuff was brought in from Spain. They put it together with this beautiful tile, and now they and put it down at St. John the Evangelist. There's like a little history of what they ended up doing and all the santos they ended up selling it to, I think, other churches. And it was a shame and it was on the registry. But guess what happened?

M: What?

T: Everybody that wanted to save it, they really didn't work that hard. Because trying to save and make the church where it would be vile not to get donations to have it renovated, to fix it up, because it was falling apart when that fire hit, well, most of it came down on the back side. Oh my gosh. That, that poor building came down. So they had to end up tearing the rest of it because it really took a toll when they had that fire there.

T: They say somebody set it [the fire], but I don't know if that's what ever has come out. But Yeah, If you look at the little history, will tell you a lot and probably tell you when it started. The church close?

M: Yeah. What was it like? Were the schools segregated like that too?

T: Oh, yes, my mom told me when she lived in Argentine yes. They did not let the Mexicanos go to school. There was the elementary school there. They couldn't go to those schools or Stanley Franklin, they were all schools there within the Argentine area.

T: The Mexicanos–she had to go and you could look that history up. It's very interesting too to read the Clara's C L A R A Barton B A R T O N. Society still exists today. And that was the name of the school and that's where all the Mexicanos. I think it was left on 24th Street now where the, you know where that school was? The Walmart. There's a Walmart and Argentine and there's the new Walmart. All right in there. That's 24 Street that you come down and there's even a little soccer field there Now, all that area would have been where the grade school was for the Mehicanos to go to. Oh, it was segregated.

M: So you basically grew up with just surrounded by Mexican kids?

T: My mama did. I didn't.

M: Okay. So what happened with you in school?

T: Okay. With me, yes. We were able to go to Be then Emerson School was opened. Me and my brothers, we grew up. We went to Emerson School, and there's a lot of Mexicanos. John the Divine had a school, but my mom put us at Emerson. I don't know if it was money because then you have to pay for Catholic schools. Probably mostly they couldn't afford. My mom couldn't afford to send us.

T: We went to the public school, Emerson. And the only time we would go to St. John the Divine was on Wednesdays for catechism and to learn the religion, because we didn't have it at the public schools. Every Wednesday we go for an hour and they would teach us different things. But that's when I was growing up.

T: But when I was growing up in Argentine, then it became everybody was involved. And I have to say I got along, I said because there wasn't that many Mexicanos going to Emerson because a lot of them mostly went to St. John the Divine Catholic School. But like I say, I don't know but me and my brothers and there wasn't that many. We got along.

T: Do you know? To this day, I still have my girlfriends and I have to say there's only one Mexicana and the rest are white. We get together every quarter. We haven't because of Covid. I've had friends. We've been getting together since we were in kindergarten. Can you believe?

M: I mean, that's amazing. Yeah, that's amazing.

T: There's what, 15 of us to keep together that close. Yeah.

T: Do you know when you're little? I've always said this, don't they're not born to discriminate. They're not born to see people differently. People start talking to them and they start, but heck, we all got along.

T: I have to say I had a wonderful upbringing and, you know, it was a bet to think I still have these friends from kindergarten. What does that say? That we all truly loved each other. You know, we didn't see our differences or anything. So I have to say I had a wonderful upbringing.

T: I've always been wanted to do and my mom. She always told us you got to help your community Because when she got divorced, in my dad, of course, like I said, my uncle Nick raised us, she said “The community can give you a lot, but you got to help your community and help them get whatever they need.”

T: Like I said, I was on the board of El Centro, become chair. I was on the board of the United Way chairperson. I was the chairperson for the American Red Cross, the Children's Museum of Kansas City. Anything that I wanted to on a board, I give it 100% not some of these people that just want their name on the board and they don't do anything for it.

T: I really went after organizations, then they asked me to that, then they would ask me if I'd be interested to be on the board. But I've always been involved the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. I was with the founders of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

T: And then the National Office of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce grew from Kansas City, and then now they're in Washington DC. I was involved with all that too.

[phone rings]

T: Let me check if this is Sure. That's another scams.

M: I know they're calling me. I hate them.

T: I do too.

T: My brother Tom, like I said, he's just been just as involved too. You need to speak to him because he'll tell you all the organizations he's been involved with. I would love to speak to him. We have our younger brother, Ray, who now lives in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. He's been down there for maybe six years now.

T: But he grew up in, he grew up in Argentine and went to high school after high school. Then of course, the he's always lived in Kansas City, but just recently now living in Fort Walton. Then he was also involved with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

T: So we've all seen things that needed to be done here in Kansas City and try to get the best done for the city and our community.

T: Now though I'm retired, I'm retired and taking it easy. And people want me to join the board again, I tell them: “You need to get some of this new blood so they can learn to what it is to be a good citizen” you know? That nothing is really given to you. You got to help your community and whatever it takes. Yeah.

M: Can you tell me how old your sons are now and where are they now?

T: Let me tell you. Of course. And my husband, he just retired, Carlos Pacheco and he was a firefighter. And he ended up being captain. He just retired. April the first.

M: Wow, congratulations to him.

T: Him, you know what? So when I met him like I was telling you the story, I met him when my cousin B, and then we came just were writing and calling each other and then we ended up getting married. We just celebrated 36, but he did not know one word of English.

M: Wow. Really?

T: Oh, Marta. He could talk to him to tell you. And I told him, I says, the only way you're going to learn English is by me just speaking to you in English. I never spoke to him in Spanish. Could you believe When we were married at the beginning.

M: Wow. He had just come from Mexico City. He was himself?

T: And yes, my husband, Carlos. Yes, he sure is from Mexico City, but you want to hear a better one? His grandparents were from Tangancicuaro, Mexico.

M: Oh my gosh. That's hilarious.

M: Okay. Can you spell this little town for me? What's the town, what is the town?

T: It's T A, N, G A N C, U R O Oh, it's a beautiful little town to think. We then Carlos and I got married and we had our two boys, which I'm so proud of. My first one, he's 33, he's born in, we got married in 85, Carlos, he's Carlos Pacheco the third. He was born in 1987.

M: Wow.

T: And we're proud parents of a Dr. He's a medical Dr. and he went to KU. As a matter of fact, KU Medical School. And he's in his residency. He's going to actually I think next month. I think next month he ends his residency and he'll start at the Hartland Clinic out there in paper. In where? In ten.

M: But where is the Heartland Clinic?

T: Heartland Clinics where he's going to be the Dr. at, and they're located about 110, I think it's on Hutton Road, actually in Kansas City, Kansas. He wanted to do family medicine, so then he could help people. And he's been telling people he's bilingual. So everybody saying, oh, he's going to be an asset for the community.

T: Actually, his residency, he's at the Lakewood Hospital in Lee Summit, at least as part of the Truman Medical. That's where he's mainly at, but he's gone to Truman Homes, the main hospital, and then he's gone to Children's Mercy Rotation.

M: Uh huh. Children's Mercy’s great.

T: Oh, they're wonderful. Wonderful.

M: Do you think your son Carlos would be willing to be interviewed? Oh, I think he would. Yes. I think he would. I could get the whole family and that would be really nice.

T: Then what can I say about him? He's our youngest and he was born in 93. So what is he? 28. So, he's 28 today. As a matter of fact that we're talking today was his first day. He's now the Marketing Director for Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City. Wow. That's where both Carlos and Alejandro went to school, high school. They've been to Catholic schools all the way up until they started at St.Patrick's. Then they went to Bishop Ward. Then both of them went to Benedictine College in Atchison. Wonderful football players. I can tell you that time I had a lot of fun watching them play football.

T: Alejandro also has his own little company, He does real estate he'll be able to do to do both jobs.

T: You know what I'm so proud of them, my husband and I have always been still amended. Whatever you put in, hijos, make sure you love what you're doing.

T: And that's what actually happened to my son Carlos because he is the most wonderful writer. His teachers that high school used to say, God, you got to send him to the sports page because he had that way of writing. And then he went into communications. Writing, right? And then all of a sudden, when he graduated from Benedictine, came to really, I feel like I'm being called for the medical side.

T: Well, guess what? He had to he didn't take all the science classes that he needed in high school and college that he needed to take. So he lasted two years poor Carlos has been in school since well, you think about it. He's 33. He hasn't never stopped going to school.

M: Yeah, that actually happened to a friend of mine from college too. She majored in Latin American studies. And then like second semester of her senior year, she decided that she wanted to be a Doctor she had to go back and take all the science classes.

T: All the science classes. I know they got to do all that before they get into school.

T: And then thank goodness and oh, we were so proud of him when KU says you're in Oh, I tell you what. Oh, it just made us so proud that he went to KU medical school.

M: You know, it's wonderful to hear it in your voice. It just shows in your voice.

T: It's just because I'm so proud of. Yeah. And then got his masters at Benedictine. They've both been both just wonderful little go-getters that's always being in to help you know they're always…

T: But see children learn from you what you instill in them if you don't teach them different things and all these dishes. And I tell them about their grandparents and my husband's side of the family on his side have wondered like his grandmother there again. Well, at that time it was Michoacán, también. Well at that time she was in Mexico City. She had her own little candy. She had a candy shop and made all the different types of candy that has. He's learned. It's very interesting. I'm so proud of my family, both me and my husband's side, because there's so much that somebody God, we can listen to you guys all day long.

M: It's a wonderful story. It's really great to hear.

T: It's been just it's a wonderful life. I'm happy.

M: Can you tell me, is there anything that you would like your sons to know about your experience growing up in Argentine that maybe they don't know or that you'd like to make sure they know?

T: Do you know what they know? I have to say I always talked to them about how I grew up and my brothers, we've taught them a lot of stuff. You know, hijos, I have such an interesting background both on both sides of the family to know, you got to know all this stuff. Oh, you tell us from young we used to talk to and they know the customs and they know the food. And like for Easter, I made this dish called capitrotada. Thaa, I don't know if you've ever heard of that, but Capito, it's a Mexican bread pudding that's made with French bread. Actually, French bread, and you make this syrup.

M: Oh my God, that sounds delicious. I want it; it sounds delicious. I love bread pudding. To start with, Mexican bread pudding. I can't imagine anything better.

T: And it has almonds and raisins. Oh, it is delicious. So see those kind of dishes. But you know what, if you tell some of these younger prisons they would know about capirotada people if they don't learn how to make it, then they don't tell their own kids. It's a triple effect. They don't know about all these little things. Says everybody just knows one tamal. Well no, there's all kinds, they all have different kinds of names, different types of names. But they [Teresa’s sons] know ‘em.

T: I got to think of that there's something because I even told them about their great grandparents. My well, that would be their grandparents. Great grandparents. That would be they know about my grandfather and she heard coming down and marrying grandma at 13. “How can that happen, Mom? She was only a little girl.” I said, “Well, I know, hijos, but back in the day, the family sometimes used to set them up and..

M: It was a different time.

T: We used to always say to our kids, my husband, you do good things in life. Good things will happen. You do bad things, bad things will happen. They always had that in their heads. I said, you know, hijos, when you go out in life, you're reflections of me and dad. Just think of what you're going to be doing. That. Reflection and my little young one, Alejandro, says “But mom, we couldn't ever do anything like that to you. Because you've always treated us so good, so much. Love.” It broke my heart with someone that little is telling you things like that and just here is 28 years old.

T: Yeah. I just remember those good stories. You know?

M: This is so wonderful. This is a great story. And I love your obvious commitment to trying to pass down as much as possible to the younger generation. And that's what our project is trying to do, to just…

T: Yes! That's why I was so interested because I said that's what these kids need. Yeah. They need people to tell about all the different things and how people really went through a lot. And then they say, oh, when you hear a lot of people saying well, why don't they come in through the border like we did. And I said, listen, when did your great grandparents come in or your great grandparents come in? They didn't have any borders. Then they could cross in and come in. Now, yes, there is a law and there's laws and we have to follow that.

T: But what makes me upset when they said, well, they came in legally. I said no, they just came in because they were allowed to be laws back then.

T: Oh, and then they just and I says and if you don't believe me, look it up on the history book, You'll I tell them.

M: There were no quantitative quotas. There were no numerical quotas for coming in. That was for Mexicans anyway. For Chinese people there were.

T: Oh, yes. Back then. Yeah. But yeah, my aspect of when they were talking about Mexico. Yeah. Uh huh. And then when I say look in your history book, half of the United States was Mexico too and they just…they sold it for nothing.

T: So, you know when you say, well, I bet you I forget when I was little. I can tell you this story. I forget somebody mentioned to me: “Well, I bet you bet. That was I bet Mexico doesn't have this or something like that or how beautiful” we're talking about geographies. And I said what I said. What do you mean? Have you gone to California? Have you gone to Texas? Have you gone to Arizona? I would go go go and say I said, well guess what? That used to be Mexico. What? I said “Yes, you read it? Yes. Meico. A lot of stuff, you know?

M: That's true.

T: And a lot of just like I'm sure you feel it too even from Cuba. They say, well, do they do this or do that? They think they're sometimes the only ones that know anything or have experienced anything of beauty or culture.

T: Think about, I'm thinking of you right now, Cuba in the 1940s. Look back then when people were going to Cuba for the music and everything that was going on. Wow. And then of course the Mafia got in there with the gambling and all that.

M: But yes, also true.

T: Yeah. But people, the younger people, that's what makes me mad with our education that they stopped teaching kids certain things. Well, I know they need to keep it up because these things are coming up, you know. If they have no knowledge of what went on, yeah, They're completely naive.

M: I would love to take my kids to Cuba.

T: Oh, I bet you would.

M: I would I still can't legally take them to Cuba because you still can't really be a tourist in Cuba. And we don't have any family left there. So it couldn't be a family visit.

T: Yeah. Okay. When it was opened, when Obama opened it, was it We could visit, right, everybody?

M: That's the thing. You still can't legally visit. It's actually, it's part of the economic embargo. You can't spend money there. So de facto, you can't visit. So you could go on an educational program, or you could go on a humanitarian program, or you could go like, for a family visit if you have immediate family. But you can't just visit as a tourist still.

T: Oh wow. Yeah. Oh my.

M: So I have been a couple times but it's been as part of educational trips.

T: But like you say, you wish you had your kids be able to see all that.

M: I do. They don't even know that they're Cuban. They don't speak any Spanish. They don't consider themselves Hispanic. They don't consider themselves Cuban. And I'm 100% Cuban.

T: But hey, that's what happens. That's what happens, and that's the thing that happens and that's what we just got instilling the I bet you–Now, let me ask you, did you ever teach them about their foods?

M: I do. I have made Cuban food for them. Yes. Yeah.

T: But some don't even know that. That's a simple. I would think that to me that simple. I know, but my mom, though, told me that. My grandfather told her. He says, you're in the United States and I want you to speak English and we're going to speak Spanish in the home, but when you go out, English is going to be your first language because you're in this country.

T: I remember my mom telling me that that's how we were raised. Thank goodness we my grandparents were still living because my mom always spoke to us in English. But every time we went to Grand Grandpa's house or my tíos or whatever, we always spoke Spanish. So I was always I think that's what needed to. But sometimes unfortunately, those things don't happen because if you're not close to the elders well, that's what happens. I have to say we were awfully were lucky they spoke both languages. Yeah.

M: What happened with me is that my parents would speak to us in Spanish and then we would respond in English.So we understand everything, but our Spanish sucks.

T: Yeah. That because my son, Alejandro, he understands everything. Now when we go to Mexico, he's dealing with cousins or whatever. Somehow he'll make it through. Yeah. But my son Carlos now the doctor, he understands he's able to handle a conversation in Spanish. So that's why I say he's going to be such a good asset here for a lot of people, they said, oh, and he has such a wonderful personality. The doctors have told me his–well, they made him the chief resident, the hospital, so all the residents go to him for like he's at.

M: Wow, that's amazing. Yeah.

T: Don't you think I'm proud?

M: I can hear it in your voice. You're a glowing, proud mom.

T: And then I said I just wondered when I'm going to have me. And my husband says, well, Carlos got married, they got married in 2019 and said, well, and he's still in residency when he starts getting a little bit better, but then they were married at 19 and then I have my beautiful little Vivian. Oh, she's just a and now guess what they call them, the Irish twin. Because Jenny's having a baby in the same month.

M: Wow.

T: She was born July the third, and this new baby's going to be born July 13. Great.

M: Teresa, thank you so much for agreeing to talk to me. I appreciate it more than I can possibly say.

T: Well, I wish I would have gotten her. I know my cousin Bea said, well, she hasn't contact, says, oh, she will. So, I was just waiting. And then when you send me the second text ah, I said I never got the first one–

M: That's really weird. And a bummer? Yeah. Yeah. No, I had been and you know, I was ready to give up. I was just going through old emails, but I well, I'll try one last time. It can't hurt.

T: I'm glad you did.

M: I'm glad I did too. It's meant to happen that way. Yeah. Yeah. It was. Fate. Okay, thank you so much that Teresa, have a really great day and a great week. And I will send you this email and then you'll know where to send stuff back.

T: I'll follow up with this stuff, tell you everybody's got phone numbers and stuff.

M: Great. Thank you so much.

T: Okay, thank you. Bye bye.

M: Bye. Bye.

Marta Caminero-Santangelo

Teresa

Kansas City, Kansas

Michoacán, Mexico