Sarah Mello Interview
Item
Title
Sarah Mello Interview
Interviewee, Interviewer
Mello, Sarah
Mello, Daniel
Relation
Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute
Date
7/29/2019
Identifier
SCUAD_pbbi_00026
extracted text
1
00:00:01,500 --> 00:00:18,450
Speaker 1: Okay, this is Daniel Mello. The date today is July 29 2019. It
is 4:15 here in Fresno, California. I'm sitting with Sarah Mello. Sarah,
could you spell your name please?
2
00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:22,200
Speaker 2: S-A-R-A-H M-E-L-L-O.
3
00:00:24,230 --> 00:01:19,400
Speaker 1: Okay, thank you. And we're going to talk a little bit about
her her life growing up here in the Central Valley, and growing up in a
Portuguese family. And of course, remember Sarah, you
don't have to answer any questions that you don't want to answer. And at
any point, you want to stop the interview. You're definitely welcome to
and take the time you need to answer all the questions.
Do you have any questions at the moment before we start? Okay. All right.
So Sarah first question. Could you explain I guess your your grandparents
and your parents and grandparents where they're
from? Has that pertains to growing up in a Portuguese family?
4
00:01:20,600 --> 00:02:14,360
Speaker 2: Well, my grandparents on my father's side, Kurt, they move
immigrated here from Terceira. They've lived in the San Jose area, Santa
Clara pretty much ever since they moved here. And they
still live there. And my grandparents from my mother's side, their
grandparents immigrated. Her mom they immigrated here so my great
grandparents, oh, great great grandparents immigrated here from Terceira
as well. So they've been in America longer and they immigrated to the
Kerman Fresno area.
5
00:02:19,310 --> 00:02:47,930
Speaker 1: Okay, great. And growing up, did you was there a concerted
effort to partake in Portuguese festas? Okay, sorry about that pause
right there. So, could you talk a little bit about growing up
Portuguese and how much or how little that was stressed in your
household?
6
00:02:49,730 --> 00:04:00,500
Speaker 2: I think the main thing was attending all the Portuguese
celebrations in Chowchilla where I grew up we went to every single
festas, contests, and thank you dinner. And then my sisters and I
all were a little Queen, and or big queen, sized maids. We participated
in folkloric dance group for a few years. And we also participated in
other other town specials as well. So that was the main
thing. I mean, growing up with my dad's parents, they didn't speak any
English. So whenever we went there, we either tried to understand them or
had to have a translator. My grandparents on my
mother's side since their families immigrated here a few generations ago.
There wasn't too much. There was a lot less Portuguese, I guess, culture
with them. They spoke English. They didn't really
attend Portuguese celebration. So I wouldn't say it really played a role
on that part of the family.
7
00:04:02,370 --> 00:04:04,290
Speaker 1: Okay, thank you and that concludes the interview.
00:00:01,500 --> 00:00:18,450
Speaker 1: Okay, this is Daniel Mello. The date today is July 29 2019. It
is 4:15 here in Fresno, California. I'm sitting with Sarah Mello. Sarah,
could you spell your name please?
2
00:00:19,080 --> 00:00:22,200
Speaker 2: S-A-R-A-H M-E-L-L-O.
3
00:00:24,230 --> 00:01:19,400
Speaker 1: Okay, thank you. And we're going to talk a little bit about
her her life growing up here in the Central Valley, and growing up in a
Portuguese family. And of course, remember Sarah, you
don't have to answer any questions that you don't want to answer. And at
any point, you want to stop the interview. You're definitely welcome to
and take the time you need to answer all the questions.
Do you have any questions at the moment before we start? Okay. All right.
So Sarah first question. Could you explain I guess your your grandparents
and your parents and grandparents where they're
from? Has that pertains to growing up in a Portuguese family?
4
00:01:20,600 --> 00:02:14,360
Speaker 2: Well, my grandparents on my father's side, Kurt, they move
immigrated here from Terceira. They've lived in the San Jose area, Santa
Clara pretty much ever since they moved here. And they
still live there. And my grandparents from my mother's side, their
grandparents immigrated. Her mom they immigrated here so my great
grandparents, oh, great great grandparents immigrated here from Terceira
as well. So they've been in America longer and they immigrated to the
Kerman Fresno area.
5
00:02:19,310 --> 00:02:47,930
Speaker 1: Okay, great. And growing up, did you was there a concerted
effort to partake in Portuguese festas? Okay, sorry about that pause
right there. So, could you talk a little bit about growing up
Portuguese and how much or how little that was stressed in your
household?
6
00:02:49,730 --> 00:04:00,500
Speaker 2: I think the main thing was attending all the Portuguese
celebrations in Chowchilla where I grew up we went to every single
festas, contests, and thank you dinner. And then my sisters and I
all were a little Queen, and or big queen, sized maids. We participated
in folkloric dance group for a few years. And we also participated in
other other town specials as well. So that was the main
thing. I mean, growing up with my dad's parents, they didn't speak any
English. So whenever we went there, we either tried to understand them or
had to have a translator. My grandparents on my
mother's side since their families immigrated here a few generations ago.
There wasn't too much. There was a lot less Portuguese, I guess, culture
with them. They spoke English. They didn't really
attend Portuguese celebration. So I wouldn't say it really played a role
on that part of the family.
7
00:04:02,370 --> 00:04:04,290
Speaker 1: Okay, thank you and that concludes the interview.