Maria Fernanda Godinho Interview
Item
Title
Maria Fernanda Godinho Interview
Interviewee, Interviewer
Godinho, Maria Fernanda
Borges, Dennis
Relation
Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute
Date
2/3/2020
Identifier
SCUAD_pbbi_00017
extracted text
1
00:00:02,429 --> 00:00:04,769
Speaker 1: What is your full birth name?
2
00:00:05,399 --> 00:00:07,289
Speaker 2: Kristen Nicole Godinho.
3
00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:14,399
Speaker 1: And, Kristen, do you know if you were named after anyone? Or
is there a story behind your name?
4
00:00:14,879 --> 00:00:48,569
Speaker 2: There is a story behind my name. So whenever my mom first
found out that she was pregnant, she did not know if she was having a boy
or girl. But she had picked the name Brittany, if it was
a girl, whenever she told my dad and my grandma, that name that she
wanted, neither my dad nor grandma could say Brittany because they could
not speak English. So she had a problem. She went to the
hospital and at the hospital, she still did not have a name for me. My
dad somehow came up with Crisco, so I was named after shortening. My mom
came up with Kristin from the name, Crisco.
5
00:00:51,060 --> 00:00:53,100
Speaker 1: And were you born?
6
00:00:53,250 --> 00:00:56,340
Speaker 2: I was born October 14 of 1991.
7
00:00:56,910 --> 00:00:58,350
Speaker 1: And where were you born?
8
00:00:58,530 --> 00:00:59,550
Speaker 2: I was born in Visalia.
9
00:01:00,290 --> 00:01:08,990
Speaker 1: What are the early memories that you have being a child in a
Portuguese American hall here in Tulare?
10
00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:46,550
Speaker 2: Um, well I my first language was Portuguese I spoke Portuguese
all the way until probably the age of three is whenever my mom started to
introduce the English so whenever I went to school,
I would know how to speak English. But my dad and grandma did not speak
English. So I needed to know the Portuguese to be able to communicate
with them. So I was I knew how to speak Portuguese.
Whenever I was, I believe a year and a half. We went to say that so I was
very involved with Portuguese events from a young age festas and just
different things from you.
11
00:01:46,580 --> 00:01:50,780
Speaker 1: Did your mom or dad ever talked about when they came over to
you?
12
00:01:51,320 --> 00:02:17,540
Speaker 2: Yes, my mom. She had said that she was six years old whenever
she came over. My grandma came over for a better life as a widow in the
Azores, it was just really hard to make a living have
find work. So they had moved to Massachusetts to begin with. But my
grandma with her health just was always getting sick over there. So
that's whenever then they ended up moving over to California for
better life.
13
00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:23,420
And your dad. Did he talk to little bit of any memories that he shared
with you from his life before he came over?
14
00:02:23,870 --> 00:02:43,370
He would milk cows there whenever he was young. He was like 10-11 you
know, going to milk cows help make a living by hunting. The he said he
used to go hunting a lot for the Americans that were there
in Tusada they would buy rabbits from him. So that's how he would help
the family make some money.
15
00:02:43,750 --> 00:02:52,180
Speaker 1: So why do you think so? So your family left the Azores
basically for better economics? opportunities?
16
00:02:52,210 --> 00:02:52,780
Speaker 2: Yes.
17
00:02:54,370 --> 00:03:19,720
Speaker 1: Where do you how do you think did your mom and your
grandmother and your dad, did they ever relate to you their experiences
of coming over here and adapting to the new world, the American
society? How do you think they, how they ever talk to you about how
difficult it was or how that process went?
18
00:03:20,170 --> 00:04:12,460
Speaker 2: I do remember my grandma saying a lot as to how she was always
working just to make ends meet. She worked at Nelson's restaurant, and
then she ended up getting a job at Ruiz foods, but
still working for catering. So she goes sometimes I felt like I was
working 24 hours just to be able to have a good life for her daughter.
And then the same thing I feel like with my parents, my mom
when she finished school, then moving on, you know, to having her jobs to
support a family, my dad moving over and same thing he went to work. He
worked at lamprey lumber whenever they were open here,
but then once I came into the picture, there was no health insurance with
lamprey lumber. So he went to a dairy where they did offer that to,
because now he had a family so he had more to think about
than just himself and my mom. So just working hard to be able to support
that family.
19
00:04:14,500 --> 00:04:27,940
Speaker 1: As a member of the of the first generation born here,
Portuguese American family, how important was it to you that your parents
raised you Portuguese with a strong Portuguese identity?
20
00:04:28,140 --> 00:04:40,440
Speaker 2: I feel like it was very important. I love my Portuguese
culture. And I feel like I love to be involved in Portuguese things. So
I'm grateful that they were able to instill that the language
of the culture.
21
00:04:40,650 --> 00:04:44,880
Speaker 1: Tell me about some of the things that you were involved if you
remember through growing up in the Portuguese community?
22
00:04:44,000 --> 00:05:06,740
Speaker 2: I have been involved from young age in Tusada, festa or not
festas but from songs songs. here in California I was involved in
Portuguese band I was involved in the Holy Ghost celebrations
Portuguese club, carnival. So, a lot of everything Portuguese, I've
always tried to be involved in.
23
00:04:48,390 --> 00:05:09,060
Speaker 1: what was your favorite out of all of them? Do you have a
favorite?
24
00:05:10,050 --> 00:05:46,350
Speaker 2: I'd have to say Carnival was my favorite. And why is that? I
love being up on stage. So the few years I was able to perform were
great. Not only was I able to use my Portuguese language,
but I was able to bring a tradition that came from the Azores, and helped
maintain that tradition here and show other people who maybe have not had
the opportunity to go back to their homeland, but
still bring that little piece of their homeland to them. So it's kind of
nice to be able to bring that tradition to some of those people that may
not be able to go visit or be able to see what they've
left behind.
25
00:05:47,080 --> 00:06:05,680
Speaker 1: How would you How was the identity of being Portuguese as in
going to the events that you participated outside the home, but in your
home? With your mom and dad? How do you feel the idea of
being Portuguese was expressed was the language was through foods was
anything that was done?
26
00:06:05,810 --> 00:06:26,210
Speaker 2: It was through language and food. I feel like my mom about 95%
of her cooking even today is still Portuguese there is days that I will
get on the phone be like, Mom I wanna eat village
..... and I'll be calling her for either the recipe or to make me some So
between the language and cooking just everything, it's all just been 100%
Portuguese.
27
00:06:26,570 --> 00:06:32,660
Speaker 1: And what what cultural traditions have you now maintained
yourself?
28
00:06:33,050 --> 00:07:00,980
Speaker 2: I can cook some Portuguese stuff, obviously not as good as my
mom. There's still a lot of learning that needs to be done. But even now,
I still like being part of the Portuguese culture
going to the Festas. Going to Tusada I just went this last July and I
took my husband who is not Portuguese, who absolutely loved it. So it's
now passing that culture and tradition onto my husband. So
then one day I can pass that on to my kids.
29
00:07:01,010 --> 00:07:11,270
Speaker 1: how do you think that is a challenging to pass a tradition
onto someone who's not a fortress background, being married to someone
who's not that ancestry?
30
00:07:12,020 --> 00:07:51,230
Speaker 2: For me, it's not because he has the will and the want to learn
the culture and learn the language. It's funny because he'll pick up on
things before he would be able to say phrases in
Portuguese and he had no idea. Now I have to be careful what I say
because he's starting to pick up on some of those Portuguese sees if it's
something I don't want him to know. So I have to be careful
with those. But it's not a bad thing. to me it's a good thing. Because if
there's that one, and that will to learn, he's gonna learn. And it's
something that from just seeing him in the Azores,
interacting with my family who he had never met. And he was able to
communicate slightly with them. So it was nice to see that.
31
00:07:51,570 --> 00:07:58,830
Speaker 1: And so you've been going to the Azores first time you said you
were a year and a half. Yes. So you've been going quite often. How do you
feel when you go there?
32
00:07:59,500 --> 00:08:42,370
Speaker 2: I Absolutely love going over there. I had a big gap between
the last time I went the time before had been five years that I had not
gone. And my parents in that those five years had gone
without me. And it was the hardest thing ever. I was facetiming my mom to
be able to see, I have my grandma over there and all my aunts and uncles
and cousins on my dad's side of the family. And those
are all first cousins. So for me, it's really hard knowing that I have
family there that I get along with very well that I'm not able to see all
the time. So that's the tie that I have to going back
to the Azores and being able to see the family but it's a beautiful place
and even if I didn't have family, I think I would still want to go.
33
00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:49,690
Speaker 1: So what what kind of things you do when you go there. What is
it what is a typical three or four weeks vacation for you?
34
00:08:50,320 --> 00:09:13,930
Speaker 2: A lot of family time is really what we do. I'm not gonna say
we don't go shopping a day here or there but majority of the time is
family time on the weekend. We tried to plan a trip.
Somewhere on the island. Sometimes it's going around the island just to
see different places. Or sometimes it's just going to the slip and just
hanging out there all day playing cards playing
dominoes. Just that family time.
35
00:09:14,140 --> 00:09:34,600
Speaker 1: How important do you feel? Have having gone there quite often,
ever since you were a year and a half? Has that contributed to how you
feel being Portuguese in America? If you feel if you
had not gone there that many times or even at all, you would have
different feelings?
36
00:09:35,070 --> 00:09:51,210
Speaker 2: I don't think so. I'm just because of being raised that 100%
involvement with Portuguese leads and speaking the language. I feel like
because it was just I was brought up that way that for
me, whether I went or not, it would be the same thing.
37
00:09:51,930 --> 00:10:05,940
Speaker 1: And what, what, to what extent has being in the Portuguese
American community has shaped you, in your profession professionally and
even personally?
38
00:10:07,070 --> 00:11:07,430
Speaker 2: Um, I feel like whenever you apply for a job, having a knowing
a second language is always a good thing. And that's helped me help other
people. Whenever I was working at the Tulare Public
Library, we were doing American U.S. passports. And I had had people come
in and a lot of Portuguese people whenever they came in, it was nice for
them. Some of them did not speak English well enough
to be able to figure out the application or have questions and it was
nice for them to see a face that they may either knew or that then could
come out and speak Portuguese with to be able to figure
out whatever their question may be. Sometimes it was something simple,
sometimes a little more complicated. And that's also helped me because I
now with knowing the Portuguese, I understand the
Spanish so whenever I have now I work for Tulare City School District and
I have parents that will call I may not know exactly how to respond to
them, but I know the question that they're asking me so
I can get an answer for their question and then try my either my best to
explain or get somebody to explain.
39
00:11:07,830 --> 00:11:11,370
Speaker 1: And what does it mean to be Portuguese American to you?
40
00:11:12,950 --> 00:11:41,600
Speaker 2: It means having the best of both worlds. So not only do I have
like the Portuguese culture and get to be involved in all of the
Portuguese things, but I also get to have my American culture
and be involved in American things and have that blend certain things. I
feel like from the traditions from like the Azores or so what we have
here, it's a blended Portuguese American tradition. It's
not exactly how it was in the Azores, but it's not Americanized, either.
It's that blend of half Portuguese half American.
41
00:11:42,320 --> 00:12:05,720
Speaker 1: And so since you've been involved in the community, I think
it's a fair question to ask how do you see the Portuguese American
community today, especially going forward with folks of your
generation, people who are now just getting married and raising families
And were born here. How do you see the Portuguese American community
today? And how do you see it going forward? And your
thoughts?
42
00:12:05,810 --> 00:12:51,530
Speaker 2: Um, I feel like we as people my age, we have a strong group of
people that will keep the Portuguese traditions alive. There is look at
the Portuguese man, you see a lot of people roughly my
age a little younger, a little older, but all still involved. That same
generation of kids involved in the carnival, and some of those people
having kids and taking them to their, you know,
performances or taking them to the Holy Ghost celebration. So I see that
not only are we maintaining that tradition, but the small kids that are
being brought into the world now those they're starting
to show up and be at those events as well.
43
00:12:52,490 --> 00:12:53,810
Speaker 1: Anything else you'd like to share?
44
00:12:54,860 --> 00:12:55,310
Speaker 2: Nope.
45
00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:56,600
Speaker 1: Thank you.
00:00:02,429 --> 00:00:04,769
Speaker 1: What is your full birth name?
2
00:00:05,399 --> 00:00:07,289
Speaker 2: Kristen Nicole Godinho.
3
00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:14,399
Speaker 1: And, Kristen, do you know if you were named after anyone? Or
is there a story behind your name?
4
00:00:14,879 --> 00:00:48,569
Speaker 2: There is a story behind my name. So whenever my mom first
found out that she was pregnant, she did not know if she was having a boy
or girl. But she had picked the name Brittany, if it was
a girl, whenever she told my dad and my grandma, that name that she
wanted, neither my dad nor grandma could say Brittany because they could
not speak English. So she had a problem. She went to the
hospital and at the hospital, she still did not have a name for me. My
dad somehow came up with Crisco, so I was named after shortening. My mom
came up with Kristin from the name, Crisco.
5
00:00:51,060 --> 00:00:53,100
Speaker 1: And were you born?
6
00:00:53,250 --> 00:00:56,340
Speaker 2: I was born October 14 of 1991.
7
00:00:56,910 --> 00:00:58,350
Speaker 1: And where were you born?
8
00:00:58,530 --> 00:00:59,550
Speaker 2: I was born in Visalia.
9
00:01:00,290 --> 00:01:08,990
Speaker 1: What are the early memories that you have being a child in a
Portuguese American hall here in Tulare?
10
00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:46,550
Speaker 2: Um, well I my first language was Portuguese I spoke Portuguese
all the way until probably the age of three is whenever my mom started to
introduce the English so whenever I went to school,
I would know how to speak English. But my dad and grandma did not speak
English. So I needed to know the Portuguese to be able to communicate
with them. So I was I knew how to speak Portuguese.
Whenever I was, I believe a year and a half. We went to say that so I was
very involved with Portuguese events from a young age festas and just
different things from you.
11
00:01:46,580 --> 00:01:50,780
Speaker 1: Did your mom or dad ever talked about when they came over to
you?
12
00:01:51,320 --> 00:02:17,540
Speaker 2: Yes, my mom. She had said that she was six years old whenever
she came over. My grandma came over for a better life as a widow in the
Azores, it was just really hard to make a living have
find work. So they had moved to Massachusetts to begin with. But my
grandma with her health just was always getting sick over there. So
that's whenever then they ended up moving over to California for
better life.
13
00:02:17,600 --> 00:02:23,420
And your dad. Did he talk to little bit of any memories that he shared
with you from his life before he came over?
14
00:02:23,870 --> 00:02:43,370
He would milk cows there whenever he was young. He was like 10-11 you
know, going to milk cows help make a living by hunting. The he said he
used to go hunting a lot for the Americans that were there
in Tusada they would buy rabbits from him. So that's how he would help
the family make some money.
15
00:02:43,750 --> 00:02:52,180
Speaker 1: So why do you think so? So your family left the Azores
basically for better economics? opportunities?
16
00:02:52,210 --> 00:02:52,780
Speaker 2: Yes.
17
00:02:54,370 --> 00:03:19,720
Speaker 1: Where do you how do you think did your mom and your
grandmother and your dad, did they ever relate to you their experiences
of coming over here and adapting to the new world, the American
society? How do you think they, how they ever talk to you about how
difficult it was or how that process went?
18
00:03:20,170 --> 00:04:12,460
Speaker 2: I do remember my grandma saying a lot as to how she was always
working just to make ends meet. She worked at Nelson's restaurant, and
then she ended up getting a job at Ruiz foods, but
still working for catering. So she goes sometimes I felt like I was
working 24 hours just to be able to have a good life for her daughter.
And then the same thing I feel like with my parents, my mom
when she finished school, then moving on, you know, to having her jobs to
support a family, my dad moving over and same thing he went to work. He
worked at lamprey lumber whenever they were open here,
but then once I came into the picture, there was no health insurance with
lamprey lumber. So he went to a dairy where they did offer that to,
because now he had a family so he had more to think about
than just himself and my mom. So just working hard to be able to support
that family.
19
00:04:14,500 --> 00:04:27,940
Speaker 1: As a member of the of the first generation born here,
Portuguese American family, how important was it to you that your parents
raised you Portuguese with a strong Portuguese identity?
20
00:04:28,140 --> 00:04:40,440
Speaker 2: I feel like it was very important. I love my Portuguese
culture. And I feel like I love to be involved in Portuguese things. So
I'm grateful that they were able to instill that the language
of the culture.
21
00:04:40,650 --> 00:04:44,880
Speaker 1: Tell me about some of the things that you were involved if you
remember through growing up in the Portuguese community?
22
00:04:44,000 --> 00:05:06,740
Speaker 2: I have been involved from young age in Tusada, festa or not
festas but from songs songs. here in California I was involved in
Portuguese band I was involved in the Holy Ghost celebrations
Portuguese club, carnival. So, a lot of everything Portuguese, I've
always tried to be involved in.
23
00:04:48,390 --> 00:05:09,060
Speaker 1: what was your favorite out of all of them? Do you have a
favorite?
24
00:05:10,050 --> 00:05:46,350
Speaker 2: I'd have to say Carnival was my favorite. And why is that? I
love being up on stage. So the few years I was able to perform were
great. Not only was I able to use my Portuguese language,
but I was able to bring a tradition that came from the Azores, and helped
maintain that tradition here and show other people who maybe have not had
the opportunity to go back to their homeland, but
still bring that little piece of their homeland to them. So it's kind of
nice to be able to bring that tradition to some of those people that may
not be able to go visit or be able to see what they've
left behind.
25
00:05:47,080 --> 00:06:05,680
Speaker 1: How would you How was the identity of being Portuguese as in
going to the events that you participated outside the home, but in your
home? With your mom and dad? How do you feel the idea of
being Portuguese was expressed was the language was through foods was
anything that was done?
26
00:06:05,810 --> 00:06:26,210
Speaker 2: It was through language and food. I feel like my mom about 95%
of her cooking even today is still Portuguese there is days that I will
get on the phone be like, Mom I wanna eat village
..... and I'll be calling her for either the recipe or to make me some So
between the language and cooking just everything, it's all just been 100%
Portuguese.
27
00:06:26,570 --> 00:06:32,660
Speaker 1: And what what cultural traditions have you now maintained
yourself?
28
00:06:33,050 --> 00:07:00,980
Speaker 2: I can cook some Portuguese stuff, obviously not as good as my
mom. There's still a lot of learning that needs to be done. But even now,
I still like being part of the Portuguese culture
going to the Festas. Going to Tusada I just went this last July and I
took my husband who is not Portuguese, who absolutely loved it. So it's
now passing that culture and tradition onto my husband. So
then one day I can pass that on to my kids.
29
00:07:01,010 --> 00:07:11,270
Speaker 1: how do you think that is a challenging to pass a tradition
onto someone who's not a fortress background, being married to someone
who's not that ancestry?
30
00:07:12,020 --> 00:07:51,230
Speaker 2: For me, it's not because he has the will and the want to learn
the culture and learn the language. It's funny because he'll pick up on
things before he would be able to say phrases in
Portuguese and he had no idea. Now I have to be careful what I say
because he's starting to pick up on some of those Portuguese sees if it's
something I don't want him to know. So I have to be careful
with those. But it's not a bad thing. to me it's a good thing. Because if
there's that one, and that will to learn, he's gonna learn. And it's
something that from just seeing him in the Azores,
interacting with my family who he had never met. And he was able to
communicate slightly with them. So it was nice to see that.
31
00:07:51,570 --> 00:07:58,830
Speaker 1: And so you've been going to the Azores first time you said you
were a year and a half. Yes. So you've been going quite often. How do you
feel when you go there?
32
00:07:59,500 --> 00:08:42,370
Speaker 2: I Absolutely love going over there. I had a big gap between
the last time I went the time before had been five years that I had not
gone. And my parents in that those five years had gone
without me. And it was the hardest thing ever. I was facetiming my mom to
be able to see, I have my grandma over there and all my aunts and uncles
and cousins on my dad's side of the family. And those
are all first cousins. So for me, it's really hard knowing that I have
family there that I get along with very well that I'm not able to see all
the time. So that's the tie that I have to going back
to the Azores and being able to see the family but it's a beautiful place
and even if I didn't have family, I think I would still want to go.
33
00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:49,690
Speaker 1: So what what kind of things you do when you go there. What is
it what is a typical three or four weeks vacation for you?
34
00:08:50,320 --> 00:09:13,930
Speaker 2: A lot of family time is really what we do. I'm not gonna say
we don't go shopping a day here or there but majority of the time is
family time on the weekend. We tried to plan a trip.
Somewhere on the island. Sometimes it's going around the island just to
see different places. Or sometimes it's just going to the slip and just
hanging out there all day playing cards playing
dominoes. Just that family time.
35
00:09:14,140 --> 00:09:34,600
Speaker 1: How important do you feel? Have having gone there quite often,
ever since you were a year and a half? Has that contributed to how you
feel being Portuguese in America? If you feel if you
had not gone there that many times or even at all, you would have
different feelings?
36
00:09:35,070 --> 00:09:51,210
Speaker 2: I don't think so. I'm just because of being raised that 100%
involvement with Portuguese leads and speaking the language. I feel like
because it was just I was brought up that way that for
me, whether I went or not, it would be the same thing.
37
00:09:51,930 --> 00:10:05,940
Speaker 1: And what, what, to what extent has being in the Portuguese
American community has shaped you, in your profession professionally and
even personally?
38
00:10:07,070 --> 00:11:07,430
Speaker 2: Um, I feel like whenever you apply for a job, having a knowing
a second language is always a good thing. And that's helped me help other
people. Whenever I was working at the Tulare Public
Library, we were doing American U.S. passports. And I had had people come
in and a lot of Portuguese people whenever they came in, it was nice for
them. Some of them did not speak English well enough
to be able to figure out the application or have questions and it was
nice for them to see a face that they may either knew or that then could
come out and speak Portuguese with to be able to figure
out whatever their question may be. Sometimes it was something simple,
sometimes a little more complicated. And that's also helped me because I
now with knowing the Portuguese, I understand the
Spanish so whenever I have now I work for Tulare City School District and
I have parents that will call I may not know exactly how to respond to
them, but I know the question that they're asking me so
I can get an answer for their question and then try my either my best to
explain or get somebody to explain.
39
00:11:07,830 --> 00:11:11,370
Speaker 1: And what does it mean to be Portuguese American to you?
40
00:11:12,950 --> 00:11:41,600
Speaker 2: It means having the best of both worlds. So not only do I have
like the Portuguese culture and get to be involved in all of the
Portuguese things, but I also get to have my American culture
and be involved in American things and have that blend certain things. I
feel like from the traditions from like the Azores or so what we have
here, it's a blended Portuguese American tradition. It's
not exactly how it was in the Azores, but it's not Americanized, either.
It's that blend of half Portuguese half American.
41
00:11:42,320 --> 00:12:05,720
Speaker 1: And so since you've been involved in the community, I think
it's a fair question to ask how do you see the Portuguese American
community today, especially going forward with folks of your
generation, people who are now just getting married and raising families
And were born here. How do you see the Portuguese American community
today? And how do you see it going forward? And your
thoughts?
42
00:12:05,810 --> 00:12:51,530
Speaker 2: Um, I feel like we as people my age, we have a strong group of
people that will keep the Portuguese traditions alive. There is look at
the Portuguese man, you see a lot of people roughly my
age a little younger, a little older, but all still involved. That same
generation of kids involved in the carnival, and some of those people
having kids and taking them to their, you know,
performances or taking them to the Holy Ghost celebration. So I see that
not only are we maintaining that tradition, but the small kids that are
being brought into the world now those they're starting
to show up and be at those events as well.
43
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Speaker 1: Anything else you'd like to share?
44
00:12:54,860 --> 00:12:55,310
Speaker 2: Nope.
45
00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:56,600
Speaker 1: Thank you.