Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute Collection

António Moules Interview

Moules, António

Moules, Jonathan

ENG

Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute

11/16/2021

SCUAD_pbbi_00030

Jonathan Moules: Okay, can you hear me? Okay, so the questions I
have the 19 questions.
Antonio Moules: How many?
Jonathan Moules: 19, but some of them are really simple. Like some
of them are very simple and some of them I need like some stories
out of you or anything you would like to say about it. Just respond
to the question. I can repeat the question if you want, I’ll do
whatever you need to do to get, to get an uh answer. Okay.
Antonio Moules: You say this is part of your, this is for what
purpose?
Jonathan Moules: My Portuguese class.
Antonio Moules: Oh.
Jonathan Moules: Yeah. Okay, so even though I know it, what's your
full birth name?
Antonio Moules: Antonio Lee Boulzada Moules
Jonathan Moules: Okay, um were you named after anyone?
Antonio Moules: [inaudible] Boulzada [inaudible].
Jonathan Moules: So, you so like my bisavô, in other words?
Antonio Moules: [inaudible]
Jonathan Moules: Okay. Yeah, I called in and it's and it's uh it's
recording.
Antonio Moules: Okay.
Jonathan Moules: Um, when were you born?
Antonio Moules: January 1st, January, January 17, 1961.
Jonathan Moules: Okay, where were you born?
Antonio Moules: Uh, uh the village of San Mateo in the island of
Terceira [inaudible], Azores.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. So, uh next question. Um what early memories
do you have as child of being in like uh in, uh in Portugal or in
the Azores? So, what early or what early memories do you have as a
child in Portugal, or the Azores?
Antonio Moules: Uh working in the farms and uh working on the ranch.
Jonathan Moules: Anything else?
Antonio Moules: Sure, uh I have memories of my, my uh, my uh
grandparents that passed away when I was uh three years old. I have
memories of all I can name uh all the animals that my father had. I
can name all the horses. I can name the places of all the land that

he worked. I can name those memories when I was a child. Many people
that work for my with my father. I have memories of uh many, many,
many, many older people that worked in the farms, in the farm, farms
with us. And uh many memories of uh of trails that we worked, that
we walked in, many memories of uh hunting experience and walk into
the mountains. Memories of rivers. I could uh I could name them all.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. Uh when, uh next question, when did when did
you immigrate to the United States?
Antonio Moules: I immigrated to the United States January 17th.
Excuse me, January 10th of uh 1973.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. Uh, why did your family leave the Azores?
Antonio Moules: My family left the Azores uh, uh because of uh one,
it was at the time there was uh, it was at the end of uh, of uh, of
the overseas war. And uh my dad and mom wanted a better future for
uh, for their kids. But uh I myself left before the family, two
years prior to the family and I left with uh a cousin that I had met
for six weeks. And then he adopted me to come to the United States
because it was the only way for me and my family to get out of the
Azores was to have me adopted and then call for my family later on.
Jonathan Moules: Um, okay. Uh, where did your family settle? Like
settle in the United States?
Antonio Moules: My family settled uh, in uh Watsonville, California.
Jonathan Moules: Is there a reason why Watsonville, specifically?
Antonio Moules: The reason why they settled in Watsonville,
California is because that's where I was when I came to United
States, I settled uh in Watsonville California, first in Santa Cruz,
but basically Watsonville and Santa Cruz together. But uh the
residence was uh in Watsonville.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. How like for you personally, how was it to
adjust to the new country? What did you go through? And uh is there
any different stories that you remember that happened when you
first, when you first arrived?
Antonio Moules: It was very uh very hard for me when I went to
school. Uh because I didn't know no English didn't say a one word
in English.
It was very hard to communicate with every, all the other kids, I
didn't understand what the bathroom was and didn't know how to ask
where the bathroom was and, and it was very hard to adapt, adapt to
the American food. It was very hard to adapt to uh to America itself
in 1973. Uh, because there was a lot of uh it was right after the
Vietnam War and where I was, there was a lot of people coming back
from the Vietnam war. And uh it was a lot of them were out in the

streets with long hair and playing their guitars. And it was very
hard for me to get used to that when I walked to school, I was
afraid of ‘em and I was afraid of being uh being basically walking
the streets, which I was very comfortable doing in the old country.
But in this country, it really affected me, I didn't like that too
much, I was somewhat scared of doing that. But then as time went on,
I got used to it.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. What stories do you remember from the Azores
that you try to pass along to your family that was born here, I mean
in the United States?
Antonio Moules: Repeat the question?
Jonathan Moules: What stories. So, like what stories do you remember
from the Azores that you try to pass to your family that was born in
the United States?
Antonio Moules: Here?
Jonathan Moules: So yeah, soAntonio Moules: I got it.
Jonathan Moules: Yeah. Yeah.
Antonio Moules: Yeah. Well, the stories I try to pass on to my
children is basically about uh the way I was raised, uh what I did
when I was a kid, as far as play and work, I try to pass on many,
many, many, many memories of how we lived, uh how we live with our
family, how close we were with our families and uh stories on about
their grandfathers and grandmothers and great grandmothers. Uh I've
tried to pass on all those stories of what they did, how they lived,
how many kids they had and how they um when they were married when
they died and many stories of uh how they lived their lives with
extremely, extremely uh hardship.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. As an immigrant to the United States. How
important was it to continue the traditions, the language, and the
culture with your family here?
Antonio Moules: Uh It was uh to me, to me then and now and hopefully
tomorrow the next day it's been 100% important to pass on to my
children my language and my past.
Jonathan Moules: Uh, so uh what so a follow up question to that,
what steps did you take to make sure like the traditions and the
language and the culture was passed uh in the United States?
Antonio Moules: Uh, uh by uh, by speaking uh continuously speaking
Portuguese in a, in a, in a house and with my, my children and teach
them about our uh culture. Uh, and what was the rest of the
question?

Jonathan Moules: Yeah, so what steps did you take to make sure that
the language and the culture and traditions were passed on?
Antonio Moules: So, I taught my kids the uh took him, to uh, uh took
my children uh many, many, many times to uh Portuguese mass for our
Catholic faith, uh got my children involved in Portuguese plays, uh
Carnaval. And uh some of them even picked up music, I also passed
into my children, the uh the farming that some of the farming that I
learned when I was a kid. So, I raised all my children on farmland
and raised them with animals just like I was raised and passed on to
them the um the uh tradition way, traditional ways of how to do
things just like my great grandfathers did. And my father and me and
pass that on to my children and still passing it on today.
Jonathan Moules: Hold on. Alright dad, give me a minute please.
Antonio Moules: I'll give you two.
Jonathan Moules: Um okay. What, so this is maybe kind of a repeat
but maybe, maybe not uh what cultural traditions have you uh
maintained and why was it important for you to maintain them?
Antonio Moules: I've maintained, I've tried to maintain my uh.
Portuguese uh language. Uh, uh my wife and I have tried, we have
continue keeping our uh food uh in many ways the same way we were
raised with, uh keeping a religion the same way as my great
grandparents folks have, and my parents. Uh I have tried to uh to go
to uh, uh be involved in certain Portuguese cultures uh called
matanzas to keep the tradition alive, some Portuguese folklores that
my kids have been involved in, trying to keep those alive, and um
basically uh maintain uh many of the ways that we uh we grew up
with.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. Uh why, why were those, why has it been
important to you to maintain them? Why’s it importantAntonio Moules: I think I think it's important for uh for me to
maintain them because uh there's really not many or very few uh.
Portuguese immigrating anymore and therefore what I feel that if I
don't pass those traditions that uh, I know of and grew up with, if
I don't pass it along to my children and since there's not many
Portuguese immigrating anymore to let people know what they lived
with and how they lived, if I don't do it, then obviously there's
nobody coming in any much anymore to pass that on or gonna tell
people about it. So, I feel it's my duty to uh that you pass it on
to my children because I feel it's very important for them to know
what the old country was like.
Jonathan Moules: Uh ok. Have you been to the Azores? Obviously,
you've been to the, well you've been back since you've immigrated to
the to the United States. So, what was that experience for you when

you went back to the Azores for that little bit of time? Like
thinking about like you in the United States and you going back to
the Azores for a little bit, what was that like?
Antonio Moules: Well, uh I have, I have um I have gone back uh,
probably 3, 3-4 times in the last 50 years or so. And uh the first
couple of times around it was somewhat still about the same as it
was when I left, but as time has gone on, it has extremely changed.
I uh, and so, uh the experience for the little bit of time I was
there, it was very enjoyable because there are still many ways that
tradition uh as time has gone on, it has really changed and even
that experience, um it affects me in different ways than it did the
first time, the first couple of times around.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. Um, so uh the question says or asks trace
some of the experiences growing up in the Portuguese American
community in the Valley throughout your life. So, if you can like
meaning like meaning trace uh like a, a short timeline of maybe some
experiences you can remember being in the valley around Portuguese.
Antonio Moules: You're gonna have to repeat that again.
Jonathan Moules: Yeah. Okay. So, if you can give like a small
timeline, like during events in your past, that you can remember
about growing up uh or being in the valley with the Portuguese
American community? Antionio Moules: So-, go ahead.
Jonathan Moules: So, if you can
uh when I was younger, and then
events happened of being in the
valley, in the midst event that
something like that.

give a timeline like this happened
a few later, like this other major
valley with, with Portuguese in the
was really big, uh that I remember

Antonio Moules: Hmm. Okay, so I gotta ask you a question. Uh so the
question is what events do I remember in a Portuguese culture that
did what to me?
Jonathan Moules: Uh, uh, uh it’s all experiences just trace like some
of it tracing means like give a timeline um.
Antonio Moules: Something that happened, something that happened at
a certain time?
Jonathan Moules: Yeah, like oh, I remember, you know, like, you
know, like 20 years ago, I, I asked some Portuguese festa in the
valley, this happened or 10 years ago, this happened in the valley
with the Portuguese that I know, something like that.
Antonio Moules:

I know something, something that stuck with me.

Jonathan Moules: Yes.
Antonio Moules: Uh I remember uh some of the things that stuck with
me is that, uh there's uh many, many traditions, many Portuguese

traditions that uh, uh many uh immigrants brought over as far as
their fiestas, uh that's still carried on uh something else has still
sticks, sticks with me is a lot of their, their animals that they
worked with when they were uh in the old country, they've adapted,
adapted them back to the United States to show the younger generation
what was like on our farms. Uh some of our uh Carnaval dances that uh
put on up and down the valley, uh down as far as San Diego, uh that's
also put on. So, our younger generation can see what it was like. And
they do a tremendous, good job, people, children, there was wanted in
the United States to do what their parents did, and the great grand
folks did, and they do a very good job putting that on, that's a very
good impression uh that stays with me. How our young generation has
tried uh and has done it of keeping many, many traditions and uh the
Portuguese schooling also that goes on is very, very important, has
been affected for me. The fiestas, the bands, uh matanzas, uh pig
killings and uh pig feed, feedings that they do for the, for their,
for their culture, so.
Jonathan Moules: Of all, so this is the next question. So, of all that
you have accomplished, what are you most proud of? What proud moments
do you remember in the Portuguese American community? I'll ask it
again. So, of all you have accomplished, what are you most proud of?
What proud moments do you remember uh in being in the Portuguese
American community?
Antonio Moules: What proud moments can I remember of something I
have accomplished in the Portuguese community, right?
Jonathan Moules: Yeah. So yeah, it's like the question is like
either like you personally why, whyAntonio Moules: Accomplished something?
Jonathan Moules: -you like what you feel most proud of or is there
something in the Portuguese American community that you think is
really special that they did since you've been here.
Antonio Moules: Yeah, but see that question is, is asking what am I
proud of that I have done, personally.
Jonathan Moules: Yeah.
Antonio Moules: Is that is that something I've done in the
Portuguese community or something I've done for myself?
Jonathan Moules:
Antonio Moules:

Um, uh, uh let’s do it uh both.
Well, I think that-

Jonathan Moules: You can give an answer for each if you want to make
it easy.

Antonio Moules: But I think that um one thing that I, I um, I uh, I
won't use the word pride, but I will use um satisfactory uh that uh
I'm satisfied that um I have helped in the uh, in the uh Portuguese
fiestas uh in more ways than one to keep that alive for our young
generation. And I'm also um feel happy that I have um, that I have
been very successful in the United States of America, more than I
would ever been if I woulda stayed in the Azores.
Jonathan Moules: To what extent do you believe being a Portuguese, a
Portuguese American has shaped you to be the person you are in your
life?
Antonio Moules: What, to what, to what extent do I what?
Jonathan Moules: To what extent do you believe being Portuguese
American has shaped you?
Antonio Moules: What?
Jonathan Moules: Has shaped you?
Antonio Moules: Has shaped me? Okay.
Jonathan Moules: Wait, this question is weirded weird, worded weird.
Oh okay. Okay. Here's like how has been a Portuguese American
influenced the way you have like moved, lived your life and moved,
moved throughout your life? You know, have lived your life? How has
being a Portuguese American influenced the way you have lived your
life um, like whether it's you personally or like your job or in your
family?
Antonio Moules: Uh I think being a Portuguese American, being an
immigrant or transplant, as I usually call it. Uh just being in
America is a gift beyond words. Uh I think that being a Portuguese in
America and be allowed to come to the United States uh to be given an
opportunity uh to come to this country and use it to your own benefit
by hard work and determination and drive, that has really affected me
and has done well for me, with my sweat.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. What does being a Portuguese American mean to
you?
Antonio Moules: What does Portuguese American mean to me?
Jonathan Moules: Yeah. What is it like, being a Portuguese American,
what does that mean to you?
Antonio Moules: Uh it's basically like the last question being a
Portuguese American. It's just um I think both questions go hand to
hand again, I repeat myself, but I think it's just the uh the
opportunity to come from such a poor country to such a gifted country
as is the United States of America. Uh to me, it just means that the
whole world to me and that I had the opportunity to uh have my family

in the United States and become somebody and be able to uh own more
land in this country than any of my ancestors all put together. I
would never dream that uh one of their uh offsprings would uh have
such accomplishments, but they do come on hard work. And that's what
can only be done in the United States.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. How do you see the Portuguese American
community today? So how do you see the Portuguese, the American
community today?
Antonio Moules: I think that there's still, I think that there's
still,
I think there's still a pretty good, strong, pretty uh strong drive
of uh Portuguese community trying to hold it together. Although there's
uh there's uh it will lose its uh it'll lose its appeal. There's more
and more of the older generation that was, that did immigrate, is that
passed away and the new generation, uh marries outside of their race.
And um for many different reasons, there's less, less and less people
immigrating to the United States. But overall, I think that up and
down in California, there's still many, many Portuguese that try to
hold on to their tradition to uh pass it on to the young generation.
Jonathan Moules: Okay, last question, is there anything so we didn't
cover that you would like to share about your, either your time in
the Azores whether it's your time immigrating or your early life in
the United States or now is there anything you would like to share?
Antonio Moules: Well, I can tell you that um it uh, uh, uh at the
time I immigrated, in my family, I immigrated first, my family
immigrated later on, later on 2, 3.5 years, 4 years later. Um, the
only thing I would share, it was extremely hard to leave our, our uh
our neighbors, our grandparents and uncles and aunts, our cousins
and it was very, very hard to come to the United States and start a
new life. Uh it was uh I, I still today uh feel really extremely bad
from our mom and dad. Uh I think they should have never ever left
their country uh, but they did to better their kids because I uh my
dad was much better off in his country, well, he knew his ways. In
the United States he didn’t, so I feel that it was extremely the
wrong move for him, but he did it for his children and it was uh
many times you took uh 2, 3 years to get all your paperwork in line
to come to the United States and sometimes even longer than that, uh
to be able to come legally into the United States of America.
Jonathan Moules: Okay. [inaudible]