Melody Reyes

Oral History of Melida Urena

I am interviewing Melida Urena my grandmother, mother of 9 and practicing catholic. She is perfect for my interview on "What it means to be American".

When I look at America today and America then what comes to mind is that, well, it comes to mind that it used to be that everything was less, everything cost less money and it was ore peaceful and more nicer. There was less crime. When I look at American cuisine I think that there's a lot of differences between the Spanish foods I eat. We Spanish make it one way and, like sancocho, we make it the way we make it. It's like there's a lot of differences than around here and a lot of things are different. Let me see well spaghetti. We cook it like with season and with onions, green peppers, garlic, and oregano. We cook it like its not so wet. The way American way is that you boil the spaghetti and put sauce, spaghetti sauce that's different. My ethinicty is Spanish I am very proud of it, we have our way of doing things. It's more sentimental, you know, more like when we-I don't know; when we say something in Spanish a lot of things have more feeling. When you speak Spanish you use more love. The way we do things is a lot more closer. We treat each other more better with more love more unity.

I was never born in America. I was born in Santiago the second biggest city in Dominican Republic. I came here when I was 15 years old. In my country it used to be more innocent, more united, more,you know, when people are more like the less money they have the more love they have for each other. I am very proud of my neighborhood because, you, I was innocent and when your country is poor you have a lot of love. When I was little and in Dominican Republic I didn't know what America was. I just came here because my father brought me. Everybody liked to come here but I was happy with my mother and all my brothers and sisters. I came in 1957 because he wanted us to come, because he liked to stay here. We came here because my father was here and we wanted to see my father.

When I came to America I found that it was a beautiful country and there's a lot of work for everybody. You can work and make a lot of money and this country is wonderful. You help people. When I came to this country I thought it was very nice it was different. When I came to this country, I didn't know the snow was slippery. I was walking and the snow had turned to ice, you know. I never knew what it was so I was just walking and I fell really hard. They told me I was never gonna leave this country and I guess it's true I stayed here (giggles) it was beautiful anyway. When I left my country we left my grandparents behind because they couldn't come with us. My grandfather came later for a little while, I love my grandfather he was one of the best men I ever knew in my life and my grandmother was real nice too. In my spare time in my country we went to the zoo in the city and in the country you could go to the river and play around and it's innocent. People and you play with anything and you're happy cause I was innocent as a child. So here in America I used to go to the movies and things like that.

I worked in sowing since I was 16 years old; I worked in a factory cutting the little thread, you know, the material you sew with. I was doing that when they told me I was too young and to come back when I was 18. So from over there I went to the other factory and started to sew and I made a lot of money.

I miss my home very much, where I used to live before I came to this country. I used to have about 5 or 6 different kinds of mango trees around my house. Beautiful delicious mangos little mangos, big mangos, with little dots, oh I love them. Also matte avocado trees were around my house and my father had a lot of fruit that I never saw before like sweet lemons and guanabana and cacao trees. That's what I miss most about where I used to live. It was very beautiful with fruit all around. My life here compared to my life in Dominican Republic. It's different because when I was a child anything can real nice there. Here's nice too; but, you grow up and you have a lot of problems. It's different, it's more, but I love this country anyway.

If I could change America I would make it so there would be less crime and the people would be more united and love each other very much. They would trust each other so that you could help anybody without problems. Also people would be able to come here and leave like it used to be and you love everybody even if they didn't have papers. That people can stay here if they are good people and you know this country is nice and beautiful. I would really have changed the way people trust each other so that you don't have to be afraid to walk in the street. Also there wouldn't be anybody that did bad things like steal, beat up people, and kill people. That's horrible. When I say that I feel more American, to me I guess I am because I live most of my life here (giggles). I came here when I was 15 years old now I am 60-something. I have all my family here all my brothers and sisters-except one that is in my country-and all my nieces and nephews too. All my family is here, so, I love this country very much. I even have one of my children in the Air Force-my youngest one. I love this country very much (giggles).

If I had a choice on whether I would like to stay in America or go back to Dominican Republic, I wouldn't go back. I can't go back to my country because I have all my family here. I would feel very lonely. There's all my brothers and sisters here except one sister that is in my country. My mother's here and my father is-even if he's dead-and I have all my life here already. I love my country but I would stay here. What it means to me to be American, well, I mean just because I am an American citizen I belong...