JD Valadão Interview
Item
Title
JD Valadão Interview
Creator
Valadão, JD
Contributor
Phillips, Abigail
Language
ENG
Relation
Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute
Date
4/22/2022
Identifier
SCUAD_pbbi_00049
extracted text
Abigail Phillips: Yeah. All right. Hi, JD. So of course, you go by JD.
But what is your full birth name?
JD Valadao: So, my full name is John Dylan Valadao. I was technically
named after my dad, um spelled different. He has an H in his name if
you wanna, I guess in American ways but for Portuguese it's J-O-A-O
for Joao. So yeah, John Dylan Valadao.
Abigail Phillips: They say Joao?
JD Valadao: Yeah, a lot of people call a lot of people call me that
just because they know I'm Portuguese. So, they just wanna make it a,
I guess a joke, but I don't mind being called it. So, yeah,
Abigail Phillips: I like the, the sound of it. All right. So where
were you born? Or when were you born?
JD Valadao: So, I was born, born, uh what year or where?
Abigail Phillips: Well, when were you born? And then where were you
born?
JD Valadao: So, I was born on October 9th, 2002, in Tulare, California
to my parents, John and Darlene Valadao.
Abigail Phillips: All right. And what early memories do you have as a
child in Portuguese American community or in Portugal?
JD Valadao: Um, so the earliest, I guess memories of growing up in the
Portuguese community, I guess I could say that just going to all the
festas and, um done such Carnaval that they would put on. My parents
have been super involved in the community ever since I was a little
kid. So, it's always been a blessing to go to all these events and um
truly witness what the culture is about. And not just my parents, but
as time went on, I slowly got involved in it too. I've played for the
Tulare Portuguese band. I've done the Carnaval I did dance in the
folklore group for Tulare. Pretty much anything you can think of in
the community, I've done it and I hope in the upcoming years I can get
even more involved in the community. And yeah, that's pretty much all
the early memories I have just seeing my parents do what they do and
hoping one day I can be just like them and do that.
Abigail Phillips: Nice. And then have you been to Portugal?
JD Valadao: Uh yeah. So, I haven't been to the mainland yet. I haven't
been to the actual country in Europe, but I have been to the Azores.
I've been to the island of Terceira, where my family members
originated from. My dad was actually born there in the, uh on the
island of Terceira in the Vila São Brás so uh he was born there and
then my mom was born here in America, but her parents were born there.
Um, the most recent I was there was the summer of 2017. Uh, we were
there for about three weeks, and we pretty much just did all the stuff
typical tourists do, um, you know, do sightseeing and, um, just do a
lot of the events that a lot of that they have going on in the summers
such as festas and bull fights and all that. Um, but seeing the seeing
family members as well is probably the best part of doing that,
probably took up a good couple of our days because we have so many
there. And yeah, so that was the last time I was there.
Abigail Phillips: So, you kind of mentioned it in the last question.
But when did your family immigrate to the United States?
JD Valadao: Yeah. So, um my dad and his family, they moved here when
he was around 11 years old. Um I believe that was, man, 1975 I think
is when they moved here to Tulare. Um My parent, my, my mom was born
here. Um but her parents, I believe moved here around the 19, 19, late
1950s, early 1960s, because I remember maybe even earlier than that
because I think my, my grandmother, my mom's uh mother went to Tulare
Union. So, she, she came here at a, at a young age like my dad did.
Um, yeah, I think that’s, yeah, I think that's the that's the way I
can answer that question.
Abigail Phillips: And then why would you say, do you know why your
parents or family left the Azores?
JD Valadao: So pretty much the uh I think it goes for; it goes for
both sides. We had a lot of family members that moved here before then
and they had just been told that making a living here in America is
much easier than it is in Azores. When you live there, pretty much,
all you have to do is you go to school at a young age and then you
pretty much work for a living and there's not a lot of job
opportunities that are there unless you have a; if you get a degree in
school you can get, you can be like a dentist or you can be a doctor
or any type of that stuff. But, um, the education, in my opinion, in
the old country right now is not the best as it used to be. And a lot
of kids are starting to take the route of working for their life. Um,
and it's pretty much just dairy work and farming, all that type of
stuff. Um, yeah, I mean, I personally have a cousin that's living
there right now. He's my age and he's already getting married and
having a kid and he's working for his living. So, it’s, it's the, the
lifestyle in the, in the old country is def; it's different. You can't
really compare it to how it is here in the States. So, yeah, I think
the best reasoning for them was to make it easier on them and they
wanted, uh, my grandparents wanted their kids to get an education and
try to, uh, make the best lives for their future kids.
Abigail Phillips: Nice. All right. So, did a majority of your family
settle in Tulare?
JD Valadao: Uh, so my dad and his family, they originally settled in
Tulare. They've been here ever since they've um, ever since they came
here. Uh, my parents, no, my mom and her family, they were, or they
originally moved to Newark, which is around the San Jose area. They
were there for um; I don't know how long they were there for actually.
My mom did go to high school in Tulare, so it had to be around 14, 15
years old that they decided to move down to Tulare. Um, yeah. So,
yeah, it’s; I have family from all over San Jose and Newark and then
also here in Tulare.
Abigail Phillips: Do you know why your mom's parents chose New York?
JD Valadao: Um yeah Newark. In California. Yeah, Newark, California.
It's in San Jose area.
Abigail Phillips: Oh, I thought you said New York.
JD Valadao: No, no. New uh Newark, Newark in San Jose, like around the
San Jose area and the Bay area. Yeah. Um I think the main reason why
they decided to move there first was because a lot of my grandfather's
family was there. Um, we, um, I think; I personally, I think it was
because of that, but also my mom's mom's family started moving down to
Tulare. Um, so I think it's over the years. Um, people did start up
there in the Bay Area, but they slowly started moving down south to
Tulare. Um, and I think it was just simply because they wanted to be
closer to family. They um, I would always get told stories by my mom
that she during summertime would come down to Tulare and stay for
around two weeks with her cousins here just because they were so
distanced. And I think there was actually one point in her childhood
where we had family in Tulare, we had family in the San Jose area and
then we actually had family down in Artesia by LA. So, they would all
meet up in Tulare for the holidays kind of like in the middle. Um, so
I think it just got too hard on them and they decided just, hey, we
all need to move to one place to make it easier on ourselves. So.
Abigail Phillips: Okay, so, um another
grandparents ever tell you what it was
country? What stories were passed down
experiences, this changes to the first
immigrated.
question, did your parents,
like to adjust to life in a new
to you regarding their early
person if they're, that person
JD Valadao: Yeah. So, um, a lot of my;, my grandparents have always
told me stories how, when they first arrived here, they thought
everything was just so big compared to the Azores. They, they felt
like, uh, I guess the amount of people that can fit in one building is
like nothing compared to the Azores. I remember my dad saying when he,
when he first, when he, for the, when he went to church for the first
time in Tulare, at the Saint Aloysius, he uh, walked in the first
thing he thought was like, holy crap. Like this is this the church I
go to in my hometown São Brás can fit in this inside of this church.
Like it's the size difference is the main thing. Um, and they also
just compared life to days when uh they compared the, um, I guess you
can say the lifestyle. A lot of people in the Azores were um getting
married at a very um old age where here in America they were getting
married at a very young age. So that was kind of a hard thing to
adjust to. Um I remember my grandparents were, um was always asked
questions by random people. Um I if it was in a store or um, or
anywhere they're going to, they got asked, how do they have kids at
such an old age? When really, they were still pretty young because
when you're in the Azores; you can definitely tell if you ever go to
the Azores or to Portugal or wherever the, uh, people look older than
what they are. Um, I don't know if it's something in the air or what.
But, um, but they always get, they were always told, like you guys
have kids at such an old age when really, they were already in their
mid-thirties. Um, and, yeah, and they're in the, they, were in their,
in their mid-thirties when they started having kids and, um, or even
late twenties when here in America people are having kids at 22 or 23.
Um, so that was another thing they were always, um, amazed by was the,
um, I guess not the maturity level, but you know what I'm trying to
say, like the, yeah…
Abigail Phillips: Starting family and life. Yeah.
JD Valadao: Yeah. And I think the biggest thing, my, my dad’s, my
grandfather told me this, he, uh, my dad's dad, he passed away about
seven years ago. He said when he first moved here, a lot of the
traditions that they had in the Azores weren't really as big as they
were, um, there than here. Um, so it was kind of the generation that
moved here from the Azores back in, you know, the forties and fifties
and that time and they were really the ones who had to bring up those
traditions back, you know, going again and we look at it today and
there's a lot, you know, they're alive and well, and they’re, they're
going strong. Um, and they've always said, you know, make sure you're
the, your generation doesn't let it die. And that's one thing that
always sticks to my head because if, with, if that, if all those
traditions die while I'm still alive, it'd be a really sad thing,
because those are what makes me the person I am today. And that's why
I'm involved in so much and in so many things in the community,
because if we let those die, it's gonna be um I mean, the Portuguese
culture will never.
Abigail Phillips: It is in your history.
JD Valadao: It's in your; yeah, it'll never, our tradition will never
revive itself with the next generation after that. So, if we keep it
alive, then hopefully the next generation after us will look at us as
examples and then keep it going.
Abigail Phillips: That's awesome. So, you are a member of the, I'm not
too sure. 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation of your family to be born in the
United States. How important was to your parents that you were raised
with a strong Portuguese identity?
JD Valadao: Yeah. Uh very important. I'm technically first generation
from my dad's side, or for my dad's kids. Uh Well, dad's kids um, for
my dad, he uh he was born there. So, I know I'm first generation for
them, but for my mom, I'm second generation, born in the States. They
found it very important. Um, when I was old enough to start getting
involved in things, they made it sure that I should get involved. Um,
such as the Portuguese band. I started out fourth, I think I was in
the third grade. 3rd, 2nd grade. I started, um, [inaudible] Carnaval
I, um, my dad had did that his whole life and, uh, me and a bunch of,
uh, my cousins that I have living in Tulare. We um we all did like a
kids; So, we started really young at that, and I currently still do
that. I don't think we'll be doing it also this year. Uh because I
don’t, I don't because of COVID, but we don't need to bring that up.
Folklore, I started doing that when I was in high school. Um, I also
started doing Luso American when I was in high school as well. Um, I
know Professor Borges is very involved in Luso. Um so, yeah, they made
it very clear that the more involved you get in the, in the
traditions, the better chance it has of staying alive. And I've been
seeing it recently with a lot of the young kids in our generation
right now, they are starting to get more involved in it. So, it gives
me hope that we'll still be able to celebrate these things later on in
our lives. Um, yeah, they, they, they made it quite an important
thing. Obviously, school. That's another thing too. But they always
told me, like, never let a person judge you for, for who you were born
to be. So that's why I'm doing all these things today.
Abigail Phillips: You pretty much answered this question, but I don't
know if there's any aspect you could think to go more on. But um, how
is this identity expressed through language, food traditions and
festivals? So, like, did you grow up eating a lot of Portuguese food?
Do you, how is your Portuguese?
JD Valadao: Yeah. Um, so yeah, I definitely ate a lot of Portuguese
food growing up, of course, going to all the festas. The [inaudible],
they had the, the, sopas there that they had to serve traditionally.
Um, and then simply just having what my Va and my Vo um cooked around
the house when we visited um such as, you know, requeijão and
[inaudible] um and a bunch of other cool stuff that we ate. Um That
definitely helps me learn a lot more Portuguese when it came to
speaking it. Um, and just having them simply speaking it to me when
I'm over there visiting. Um I'm the type of person that can understand
it better than speak it. Um, that's why obviously I'm taking this
class because I wanna learn how to speak it better. But uh yeah,
that's pretty much the basics of it, just the food and um eating a lot
of that and having my grandparents and my parents speak a lot of
Portuguese to me. Um, that's what allowed me to grow better in the
culture.
Abigail Phillips: Um, so that's the next question. I feel like you've
nailed it pretty good with answering the other questions so we can
skip over it, but I'll still say it. Um, what are cultural traditions
that you have maintained? Why have, why has it been important for you
to maintain them? Which you said important, keeping alive and all
that. So, we'll skip that one. But so, 13, have you ever been to the
Azores? How was that experience? What was that experience like for
you? Which you kind of touched on? But I…
JD Valadao: I can, I can like describe a little bit more. Um,
basically when I went, we took a five-hour flight from LA to Boston,
had a layover there for about nine hours and then we flew from Boston
to Terceira. And the first feeling I had when I stepped off that plane
was pretty much it, it like extraordinary. Like I, I felt like I was
on top of the world because it sounds kind of weird like the air there
is definitely better than it is here in California. So, it felt more
fresh, I guess. But um, I remember just looking out because when we
landed on that runway, it was pretty weird like here in the States
when you're at a uh, at an airport, when you land, you're going
through a little tunnel that's connected to the building. You don't
step foot on the, on the runway, we stepped foot on the runway. It was
completely different. And, uh, I just remember looking around and I
see all the big, uh all the hills and um, all the dairy life that
surrounded the airport, which I thought was like really weird because
obviously it was my first time there. Actually, it wasn't my first
time there. The first time I was there, I was nine months old, so I
don't remember anything. Um, but I just found it really extraordinary
in how unique it was. And, uh, we drove from the airport to the house
that we were staying at. I just remember that the, the streets being
really different and, uh, a lot of, uh, not a lot of cobblestone like
it used to be back in the old days. It was more modern with the
freeways and highways now on the streets. But, um, I just remember
looking around and there's, um, all these little houses, you know, and
there, they're not, nowhere as near as big as they are here in the
States. Um, and I think the coolest moment I had when I was there was,
um, personally I'm a huge fan of bull fights. I, I can sit down and do
homework and put bull fights on the TV and watch it. I, that's just,
that's just me as a person. Um, but we drove through all the
mountains, and they call in Portuguese, it's called the, the Mots.
And, um, it's basically where all the ranchers are that raise bulls
for bullfights there and, uh, in the Azores. So just driving up and
down these hills, these swirly roads, it was just, um, rows and rows
of bulls, like on each side of the road. So, you're pretty much when
you first started driving, you're scared, you're scared so much that
you think one of them's gonna hop over and like start attacking you.
But, um, you start driving, you see all these bulls and all these, uh,
different ranches and, um, with all these animals, I mean, that's
beautiful. And then you have all the, the flowers. I, oh, the
hydrangeas. Um, I don't know. I, I just forgot what they call it in
Portuguese. I think it's uh, sins or something like that. I don't
know. I'll get it right at one point. But seeing all the, uh, all
those flowers all over the, the island was quite beautiful as well.
The beaches as well as nothing compared to the States. I mean, the
water is so clear…
Abigail Phillips: The water is probably actually clear.
JD Valadao: No, the water is actually, yeah, you can actually see
what's going on when you walk in the ocean and, compared to this
place, but the sands as well is completely different. There's no trash
anywhere. They actually respect their beaches there. Um, and then
simply, just when you're there during the summer, there's something
going on all day, every day. Um, I think the coolest thing was we
walked into a, uh, we walked into a bar, and they had this paper,
piece of paper on the wall and it had the days of the month of June
and July every single day where bull fights were and what rancher was
gonna be taking their bulls there. And so, I thought I took a picture
that I was like, ok, if we're bored, we're gonna go do this. So, yeah,
that's the cool thing about it. And the funny, I think the funniest
thing I had was every single time we were walking down some street or,
or driving down some road, my dad, every single place rolled down his
window, he knew someone there and that and seeing the look in his eyes
like, oh my gosh, like I'm finally back here after all these years.
It's really cool to see all my friends again. And so, yeah, that, that
was pretty memorable, and I can, I, I'll admit it because I don't, I'm
not ashamed of it. But the day we were leaving, I was bawling my eyes
out like I could not stop crying on the whole flight back. I and I
haven't been back since. I hope to be back. I think we're planning on
2023 right now and that's when we're planning on going back. But yeah,
it's definitely my happy place. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
My, my goal in life if I do become a physical therapist, what I'm
trying to switch my major into if I can make enough money and buy a
summer house there, I will be in the summer. Be in the Azores the
entire summer. Like I would not want to leave there and when time to
come back to work, I'll come back. But yeah.
Abigail Phillips: All right. So, the next question, trace if you will
some of your experiences growing up in a Portuguese American community
in the valley, in the valley throughout your life.
JD Valadao: So just some experiences I've had?
Abigail Phillips: Yeah, I feel like you've kind of touched a lot on
that.
JD Valadao: Yeah.
Abigail Phillips: We can kind of skip that one. But…
JD Valadao: Yeah, I mean, pretty much, I mean, I’ve just done a lot of
stuff in California, like festas up and down the state. I’ve also gone
to a lot of Luso conventions up and down the state as well. Um, yeah,
I mean, I, yeah, I pretty much explained it, but I think the best
thing that came out of that was meeting all these people, because I
have friends from all over the state that I have a special connection
with. And um, if there's anyone that's um, Portuguese and wants to get
involved, I’d, I highly recommend it because you make a bunch of new
friendships and uh, who knows? I mean, friendships in the future can
lead to other stuff, like, I don't know, a job offer or any type of
stuff like that. So, that's the positive that comes out of that.
Abigail Phillips: Where are some of the different places you've been,
um, with festas?
JD Valadao: Oof. Um, I've been to Artesia, I've been to Chino, uh,
Newark, San Jose, Hilmar, Turlock. Uh, where else? Where else? Um,
Abigail Phillips: but do they have one in Pismo?
JD Valadao: or they do? Yeah, I've been, yeah. Pismo has one. Yeah, I
always forget about that one for some reason. Uh Pismo. Uh where else?
Where else? I've been? I've been to San Diego actually for a, that was
pretty unique. Uh Mantica. Uh I've pretty much been everywhere. You
can think of that in California that has port Cheese community. Um Not
for, I haven't when I go there, I'm not there for the longest time.
I'm probably there for a couple hours and I'm on a bus back to Larry.
Uh Other times I'm there for a weekend. Um So, yeah, I mean, I've
pretty much been anywhere you can think of in the state.
Abigail Phillips: So, next question of all that you have accomplished.
What are you most proud of? What proud moments do you remember in the
Portuguese American community?
JD Valadao: Yeah. Um That's a really good question. I think the
proudest moment um that I can think of right now is um there's
actually two. So I'll go, I'll answer them pretty sure. But one of
them was, uh for my group, I'm involved in, for carnival. Um, a couple
of years ago we had our 25th anniversary. So, we did a big, um with
the scripts being um, a, a combination of a lot of the other scripts
that we have done in the past years. Um So that was a pretty big
success. Obviously, I wasn't there for the first salsa that they did.
But I had been around the group for many years because my dad was
involved in it. My uh my cousins and their dad were involved. I pretty
much the, the whole group is cousins from both sides of my family,
which is pretty unique. Um So that was a pretty uh pretty cool moment
to witness. And uh I think another, the other one is my parents
recently um this past summer were vice presidents for the Larry Holy
Spirit. Um So I wasn't there for all the events they had each day for
the week. I was there for about four of the days, but seeing all the
events turn out successful and seeing all the people that showed up,
especially um after skipping a year due to COVID, that was a pretty
big success. And I was really proud of my parents for that. And now
they're taking the big step and they've uh stepped up to be presidents
of next year next year. Yeah. So I, I'm excited to see what they, um,
they can do with that because I know the amount of work that goes into
it such that, you know, with all the meetings they have each month
and, um, you know, all the preparation, money, food, um, getting
people, sometimes we're getting people from the a to come down to
perform. Sometimes they get people from, um, somewhere else in the
state to come down to perform. So, there is a lot of work that goes
into that and just to um see my parents put in all that hard work for
a great um a very successful one. I think that was a really proud
moment and I'm excited to see what they can do in the next year.
Abigail Phillips: Right? So, we just have about two more questions to
what extent do you believe Portuguese American has shape the way you
have moved through life, both professionally and personally?
JD Valadao: Oh, yeah, that's a really good one actually. Um How has it
help me professionally, you said? Yeah. OK. Um I
Abigail Phillips: think you kind of touched on that how you wanna
switch to physical therapy so that you can.
JD Valadao: Yeah. Yeah. I um that's definitely one of them. Um I've
been in so with professionalism with that. Um I part so for Luso
American; I was actually president at one point for my youth council
specifically. Um And then me and Justin Do Canto, we were um about, I
guess two years, 23 years ago, maybe two years ago. Uh, we were part
of the California State Youth Board for Luso American. Uh I was master
of ceremonies and Justin was outside guard or inside guard. It was one
of those two. so that really taught me a lot about professionalism
because we were, uh going to each of these conventions we were looked
at as role models. We were some of the older youth at the convention
and a lot of the younger ones look up to us because, you know, without
the board, there's not gonna be one to continue. So, we need these
kids that are younger than us to continue on keeping that generation
alive and, you know, going on with it. Um And actually right now for
the um I have aged out of the youth but for twenties thirties, uh for
the twenties thirties board, at least from Tulare and Tipton. Um I am
the assistant vice president and I think that's a pretty big
accomplishment for me being at such a young age. Um So yeah, that the
Portuguese culture definitely taught me a lot about professionalism
and um I kind of see myself now at it can be as fast as it can be just
at any, at any small event. Um I see myself talking to more of the
older generation uh because I wanna learn from them, what it took for
them to, you know, keep these alive, these generate these uh
traditions alive and, um, I wanna know the sense of hard work that
they had to put in. Um, I mean, it's always good hearing the
compliments from older people too as well. Um, from the stuff I've
been doing in my life and, yeah, I mean, that's pretty much the basics
of it. Uh, it's really taught me how to be the role model for these,
for these next kids coming up and, um, just to keep things alive in
the States because if we let it die, it's gonna be a, it's gonna be a
dark day in the culture, that's for
Abigail Phillips: sure. So, what does being Portuguese American mean
to you?
JD Valadao: Yeah, that, that means everything to me. Um I mean, I have
a Portuguese flag right here as we're talking. But um but yeah, it
means everything to me. Um I don't see myself being a part of any
other culture in my life. Um I think being Portuguese has also made me
the person I am today when it comes to uh how I mean, we're friends. I
mean, I mean, you, you know how social I can be with other people and
um I think that's just a good, I think that's a good quality to have
being Portuguese. Yeah, because we're known to talk a lot and put our
two cents in everything. But that can be in a good way and that can
be, yeah, and that can be in a bad way. But um I think that's a
positive that came out of it and the connections I have made
throughout my life with being involved in so many things that has
definitely, um made my, my child, not my childhood, but uh my teen
years, I guess even better and I know when I get into my twenties and
in my thirties and my forties and so on, I'm gonna have connections
throughout my whole life and I can call lifelong friends. And um yeah,
that's pretty much it. So, so
Abigail Phillips: this will be your last question. Do you see the
Portuguese American community today?
JD Valadao: How do I see it today? Yeah. Um I see um I see the
Portuguese culture today as a bunch of young kids, but also a bunch of
um of the younger generation that first moved here. Um Working hard to
um I guess working hard to keep traditions alive. I know, I, I feel
like a broken record when I say that, but that's really one of like
our big concern right now in the in the community is keeping those
alive. Um But I also see like a spark in these, in this, these younger
kids um at all these festas, I see that I go to, I see kids that are
around 89 years old, 10 years old uh already, you know, playing the
bands, already dancing in folklore already. Um trying to get involved
in and um even young kids is going simply, just going on the dance
floor and port dancing with, you know, with other people. That’s,
that's what I like to see the most. Um And I just think that we're a
culture that a lot of people are. Um not starting to figure out who we
are, but I think um a lot of people I it, it can be in Larry, it can
be in Hilmar Turlock, wherever in the state, wherever in the United
States. Really. Um People are starting to realize like this is a
culture that people aren't gonna let die. And it's also cool seeing um
other people um of other cultures. I've seen people from Peru that
have come to fetch because they love it so much. I've seen people uh
that are Dutch come to Fesler like that's the cool thing about it. And
I think we're starting to get our name out there more that we're not
just uh I guess we're not just a click, you know, that um to separate
ourselves from other places. Um We want to open it up to the entire
state. We want to open up to the entire community to come over and um
you know, celebrate the holy spirits, um celebrate whatever traditions
we may have. So, um I see it so pretty much on all. I it's a, it's a
culture and it's a community that is still alive and well now and I
see a bright future coming up.
Abigail Phillips: Awesome. That was very good. You gave me everything
I needed. Thank you, JD. Thank you, appreciate it. Uh
JD Valadao: I'm really passionate about that. So that's why I went on
and on about all these questions. So.
But what is your full birth name?
JD Valadao: So, my full name is John Dylan Valadao. I was technically
named after my dad, um spelled different. He has an H in his name if
you wanna, I guess in American ways but for Portuguese it's J-O-A-O
for Joao. So yeah, John Dylan Valadao.
Abigail Phillips: They say Joao?
JD Valadao: Yeah, a lot of people call a lot of people call me that
just because they know I'm Portuguese. So, they just wanna make it a,
I guess a joke, but I don't mind being called it. So, yeah,
Abigail Phillips: I like the, the sound of it. All right. So where
were you born? Or when were you born?
JD Valadao: So, I was born, born, uh what year or where?
Abigail Phillips: Well, when were you born? And then where were you
born?
JD Valadao: So, I was born on October 9th, 2002, in Tulare, California
to my parents, John and Darlene Valadao.
Abigail Phillips: All right. And what early memories do you have as a
child in Portuguese American community or in Portugal?
JD Valadao: Um, so the earliest, I guess memories of growing up in the
Portuguese community, I guess I could say that just going to all the
festas and, um done such Carnaval that they would put on. My parents
have been super involved in the community ever since I was a little
kid. So, it's always been a blessing to go to all these events and um
truly witness what the culture is about. And not just my parents, but
as time went on, I slowly got involved in it too. I've played for the
Tulare Portuguese band. I've done the Carnaval I did dance in the
folklore group for Tulare. Pretty much anything you can think of in
the community, I've done it and I hope in the upcoming years I can get
even more involved in the community. And yeah, that's pretty much all
the early memories I have just seeing my parents do what they do and
hoping one day I can be just like them and do that.
Abigail Phillips: Nice. And then have you been to Portugal?
JD Valadao: Uh yeah. So, I haven't been to the mainland yet. I haven't
been to the actual country in Europe, but I have been to the Azores.
I've been to the island of Terceira, where my family members
originated from. My dad was actually born there in the, uh on the
island of Terceira in the Vila São Brás so uh he was born there and
then my mom was born here in America, but her parents were born there.
Um, the most recent I was there was the summer of 2017. Uh, we were
there for about three weeks, and we pretty much just did all the stuff
typical tourists do, um, you know, do sightseeing and, um, just do a
lot of the events that a lot of that they have going on in the summers
such as festas and bull fights and all that. Um, but seeing the seeing
family members as well is probably the best part of doing that,
probably took up a good couple of our days because we have so many
there. And yeah, so that was the last time I was there.
Abigail Phillips: So, you kind of mentioned it in the last question.
But when did your family immigrate to the United States?
JD Valadao: Yeah. So, um my dad and his family, they moved here when
he was around 11 years old. Um I believe that was, man, 1975 I think
is when they moved here to Tulare. Um My parent, my, my mom was born
here. Um but her parents, I believe moved here around the 19, 19, late
1950s, early 1960s, because I remember maybe even earlier than that
because I think my, my grandmother, my mom's uh mother went to Tulare
Union. So, she, she came here at a, at a young age like my dad did.
Um, yeah, I think that’s, yeah, I think that's the that's the way I
can answer that question.
Abigail Phillips: And then why would you say, do you know why your
parents or family left the Azores?
JD Valadao: So pretty much the uh I think it goes for; it goes for
both sides. We had a lot of family members that moved here before then
and they had just been told that making a living here in America is
much easier than it is in Azores. When you live there, pretty much,
all you have to do is you go to school at a young age and then you
pretty much work for a living and there's not a lot of job
opportunities that are there unless you have a; if you get a degree in
school you can get, you can be like a dentist or you can be a doctor
or any type of that stuff. But, um, the education, in my opinion, in
the old country right now is not the best as it used to be. And a lot
of kids are starting to take the route of working for their life. Um,
and it's pretty much just dairy work and farming, all that type of
stuff. Um, yeah, I mean, I personally have a cousin that's living
there right now. He's my age and he's already getting married and
having a kid and he's working for his living. So, it’s, it's the, the
lifestyle in the, in the old country is def; it's different. You can't
really compare it to how it is here in the States. So, yeah, I think
the best reasoning for them was to make it easier on them and they
wanted, uh, my grandparents wanted their kids to get an education and
try to, uh, make the best lives for their future kids.
Abigail Phillips: Nice. All right. So, did a majority of your family
settle in Tulare?
JD Valadao: Uh, so my dad and his family, they originally settled in
Tulare. They've been here ever since they've um, ever since they came
here. Uh, my parents, no, my mom and her family, they were, or they
originally moved to Newark, which is around the San Jose area. They
were there for um; I don't know how long they were there for actually.
My mom did go to high school in Tulare, so it had to be around 14, 15
years old that they decided to move down to Tulare. Um, yeah. So,
yeah, it’s; I have family from all over San Jose and Newark and then
also here in Tulare.
Abigail Phillips: Do you know why your mom's parents chose New York?
JD Valadao: Um yeah Newark. In California. Yeah, Newark, California.
It's in San Jose area.
Abigail Phillips: Oh, I thought you said New York.
JD Valadao: No, no. New uh Newark, Newark in San Jose, like around the
San Jose area and the Bay area. Yeah. Um I think the main reason why
they decided to move there first was because a lot of my grandfather's
family was there. Um, we, um, I think; I personally, I think it was
because of that, but also my mom's mom's family started moving down to
Tulare. Um, so I think it's over the years. Um, people did start up
there in the Bay Area, but they slowly started moving down south to
Tulare. Um, and I think it was just simply because they wanted to be
closer to family. They um, I would always get told stories by my mom
that she during summertime would come down to Tulare and stay for
around two weeks with her cousins here just because they were so
distanced. And I think there was actually one point in her childhood
where we had family in Tulare, we had family in the San Jose area and
then we actually had family down in Artesia by LA. So, they would all
meet up in Tulare for the holidays kind of like in the middle. Um, so
I think it just got too hard on them and they decided just, hey, we
all need to move to one place to make it easier on ourselves. So.
Abigail Phillips: Okay, so, um another
grandparents ever tell you what it was
country? What stories were passed down
experiences, this changes to the first
immigrated.
question, did your parents,
like to adjust to life in a new
to you regarding their early
person if they're, that person
JD Valadao: Yeah. So, um, a lot of my;, my grandparents have always
told me stories how, when they first arrived here, they thought
everything was just so big compared to the Azores. They, they felt
like, uh, I guess the amount of people that can fit in one building is
like nothing compared to the Azores. I remember my dad saying when he,
when he first, when he, for the, when he went to church for the first
time in Tulare, at the Saint Aloysius, he uh, walked in the first
thing he thought was like, holy crap. Like this is this the church I
go to in my hometown São Brás can fit in this inside of this church.
Like it's the size difference is the main thing. Um, and they also
just compared life to days when uh they compared the, um, I guess you
can say the lifestyle. A lot of people in the Azores were um getting
married at a very um old age where here in America they were getting
married at a very young age. So that was kind of a hard thing to
adjust to. Um I remember my grandparents were, um was always asked
questions by random people. Um I if it was in a store or um, or
anywhere they're going to, they got asked, how do they have kids at
such an old age? When really, they were still pretty young because
when you're in the Azores; you can definitely tell if you ever go to
the Azores or to Portugal or wherever the, uh, people look older than
what they are. Um, I don't know if it's something in the air or what.
But, um, but they always get, they were always told, like you guys
have kids at such an old age when really, they were already in their
mid-thirties. Um, and, yeah, and they're in the, they, were in their,
in their mid-thirties when they started having kids and, um, or even
late twenties when here in America people are having kids at 22 or 23.
Um, so that was another thing they were always, um, amazed by was the,
um, I guess not the maturity level, but you know what I'm trying to
say, like the, yeah…
Abigail Phillips: Starting family and life. Yeah.
JD Valadao: Yeah. And I think the biggest thing, my, my dad’s, my
grandfather told me this, he, uh, my dad's dad, he passed away about
seven years ago. He said when he first moved here, a lot of the
traditions that they had in the Azores weren't really as big as they
were, um, there than here. Um, so it was kind of the generation that
moved here from the Azores back in, you know, the forties and fifties
and that time and they were really the ones who had to bring up those
traditions back, you know, going again and we look at it today and
there's a lot, you know, they're alive and well, and they’re, they're
going strong. Um, and they've always said, you know, make sure you're
the, your generation doesn't let it die. And that's one thing that
always sticks to my head because if, with, if that, if all those
traditions die while I'm still alive, it'd be a really sad thing,
because those are what makes me the person I am today. And that's why
I'm involved in so much and in so many things in the community,
because if we let those die, it's gonna be um I mean, the Portuguese
culture will never.
Abigail Phillips: It is in your history.
JD Valadao: It's in your; yeah, it'll never, our tradition will never
revive itself with the next generation after that. So, if we keep it
alive, then hopefully the next generation after us will look at us as
examples and then keep it going.
Abigail Phillips: That's awesome. So, you are a member of the, I'm not
too sure. 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation of your family to be born in the
United States. How important was to your parents that you were raised
with a strong Portuguese identity?
JD Valadao: Yeah. Uh very important. I'm technically first generation
from my dad's side, or for my dad's kids. Uh Well, dad's kids um, for
my dad, he uh he was born there. So, I know I'm first generation for
them, but for my mom, I'm second generation, born in the States. They
found it very important. Um, when I was old enough to start getting
involved in things, they made it sure that I should get involved. Um,
such as the Portuguese band. I started out fourth, I think I was in
the third grade. 3rd, 2nd grade. I started, um, [inaudible] Carnaval
I, um, my dad had did that his whole life and, uh, me and a bunch of,
uh, my cousins that I have living in Tulare. We um we all did like a
kids; So, we started really young at that, and I currently still do
that. I don't think we'll be doing it also this year. Uh because I
don’t, I don't because of COVID, but we don't need to bring that up.
Folklore, I started doing that when I was in high school. Um, I also
started doing Luso American when I was in high school as well. Um, I
know Professor Borges is very involved in Luso. Um so, yeah, they made
it very clear that the more involved you get in the, in the
traditions, the better chance it has of staying alive. And I've been
seeing it recently with a lot of the young kids in our generation
right now, they are starting to get more involved in it. So, it gives
me hope that we'll still be able to celebrate these things later on in
our lives. Um, yeah, they, they, they made it quite an important
thing. Obviously, school. That's another thing too. But they always
told me, like, never let a person judge you for, for who you were born
to be. So that's why I'm doing all these things today.
Abigail Phillips: You pretty much answered this question, but I don't
know if there's any aspect you could think to go more on. But um, how
is this identity expressed through language, food traditions and
festivals? So, like, did you grow up eating a lot of Portuguese food?
Do you, how is your Portuguese?
JD Valadao: Yeah. Um, so yeah, I definitely ate a lot of Portuguese
food growing up, of course, going to all the festas. The [inaudible],
they had the, the, sopas there that they had to serve traditionally.
Um, and then simply just having what my Va and my Vo um cooked around
the house when we visited um such as, you know, requeijão and
[inaudible] um and a bunch of other cool stuff that we ate. Um That
definitely helps me learn a lot more Portuguese when it came to
speaking it. Um, and just having them simply speaking it to me when
I'm over there visiting. Um I'm the type of person that can understand
it better than speak it. Um, that's why obviously I'm taking this
class because I wanna learn how to speak it better. But uh yeah,
that's pretty much the basics of it, just the food and um eating a lot
of that and having my grandparents and my parents speak a lot of
Portuguese to me. Um, that's what allowed me to grow better in the
culture.
Abigail Phillips: Um, so that's the next question. I feel like you've
nailed it pretty good with answering the other questions so we can
skip over it, but I'll still say it. Um, what are cultural traditions
that you have maintained? Why have, why has it been important for you
to maintain them? Which you said important, keeping alive and all
that. So, we'll skip that one. But so, 13, have you ever been to the
Azores? How was that experience? What was that experience like for
you? Which you kind of touched on? But I…
JD Valadao: I can, I can like describe a little bit more. Um,
basically when I went, we took a five-hour flight from LA to Boston,
had a layover there for about nine hours and then we flew from Boston
to Terceira. And the first feeling I had when I stepped off that plane
was pretty much it, it like extraordinary. Like I, I felt like I was
on top of the world because it sounds kind of weird like the air there
is definitely better than it is here in California. So, it felt more
fresh, I guess. But um, I remember just looking out because when we
landed on that runway, it was pretty weird like here in the States
when you're at a uh, at an airport, when you land, you're going
through a little tunnel that's connected to the building. You don't
step foot on the, on the runway, we stepped foot on the runway. It was
completely different. And, uh, I just remember looking around and I
see all the big, uh all the hills and um, all the dairy life that
surrounded the airport, which I thought was like really weird because
obviously it was my first time there. Actually, it wasn't my first
time there. The first time I was there, I was nine months old, so I
don't remember anything. Um, but I just found it really extraordinary
in how unique it was. And, uh, we drove from the airport to the house
that we were staying at. I just remember that the, the streets being
really different and, uh, a lot of, uh, not a lot of cobblestone like
it used to be back in the old days. It was more modern with the
freeways and highways now on the streets. But, um, I just remember
looking around and there's, um, all these little houses, you know, and
there, they're not, nowhere as near as big as they are here in the
States. Um, and I think the coolest moment I had when I was there was,
um, personally I'm a huge fan of bull fights. I, I can sit down and do
homework and put bull fights on the TV and watch it. I, that's just,
that's just me as a person. Um, but we drove through all the
mountains, and they call in Portuguese, it's called the, the Mots.
And, um, it's basically where all the ranchers are that raise bulls
for bullfights there and, uh, in the Azores. So just driving up and
down these hills, these swirly roads, it was just, um, rows and rows
of bulls, like on each side of the road. So, you're pretty much when
you first started driving, you're scared, you're scared so much that
you think one of them's gonna hop over and like start attacking you.
But, um, you start driving, you see all these bulls and all these, uh,
different ranches and, um, with all these animals, I mean, that's
beautiful. And then you have all the, the flowers. I, oh, the
hydrangeas. Um, I don't know. I, I just forgot what they call it in
Portuguese. I think it's uh, sins or something like that. I don't
know. I'll get it right at one point. But seeing all the, uh, all
those flowers all over the, the island was quite beautiful as well.
The beaches as well as nothing compared to the States. I mean, the
water is so clear…
Abigail Phillips: The water is probably actually clear.
JD Valadao: No, the water is actually, yeah, you can actually see
what's going on when you walk in the ocean and, compared to this
place, but the sands as well is completely different. There's no trash
anywhere. They actually respect their beaches there. Um, and then
simply, just when you're there during the summer, there's something
going on all day, every day. Um, I think the coolest thing was we
walked into a, uh, we walked into a bar, and they had this paper,
piece of paper on the wall and it had the days of the month of June
and July every single day where bull fights were and what rancher was
gonna be taking their bulls there. And so, I thought I took a picture
that I was like, ok, if we're bored, we're gonna go do this. So, yeah,
that's the cool thing about it. And the funny, I think the funniest
thing I had was every single time we were walking down some street or,
or driving down some road, my dad, every single place rolled down his
window, he knew someone there and that and seeing the look in his eyes
like, oh my gosh, like I'm finally back here after all these years.
It's really cool to see all my friends again. And so, yeah, that, that
was pretty memorable, and I can, I, I'll admit it because I don't, I'm
not ashamed of it. But the day we were leaving, I was bawling my eyes
out like I could not stop crying on the whole flight back. I and I
haven't been back since. I hope to be back. I think we're planning on
2023 right now and that's when we're planning on going back. But yeah,
it's definitely my happy place. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
My, my goal in life if I do become a physical therapist, what I'm
trying to switch my major into if I can make enough money and buy a
summer house there, I will be in the summer. Be in the Azores the
entire summer. Like I would not want to leave there and when time to
come back to work, I'll come back. But yeah.
Abigail Phillips: All right. So, the next question, trace if you will
some of your experiences growing up in a Portuguese American community
in the valley, in the valley throughout your life.
JD Valadao: So just some experiences I've had?
Abigail Phillips: Yeah, I feel like you've kind of touched a lot on
that.
JD Valadao: Yeah.
Abigail Phillips: We can kind of skip that one. But…
JD Valadao: Yeah, I mean, pretty much, I mean, I’ve just done a lot of
stuff in California, like festas up and down the state. I’ve also gone
to a lot of Luso conventions up and down the state as well. Um, yeah,
I mean, I, yeah, I pretty much explained it, but I think the best
thing that came out of that was meeting all these people, because I
have friends from all over the state that I have a special connection
with. And um, if there's anyone that's um, Portuguese and wants to get
involved, I’d, I highly recommend it because you make a bunch of new
friendships and uh, who knows? I mean, friendships in the future can
lead to other stuff, like, I don't know, a job offer or any type of
stuff like that. So, that's the positive that comes out of that.
Abigail Phillips: Where are some of the different places you've been,
um, with festas?
JD Valadao: Oof. Um, I've been to Artesia, I've been to Chino, uh,
Newark, San Jose, Hilmar, Turlock. Uh, where else? Where else? Um,
Abigail Phillips: but do they have one in Pismo?
JD Valadao: or they do? Yeah, I've been, yeah. Pismo has one. Yeah, I
always forget about that one for some reason. Uh Pismo. Uh where else?
Where else? I've been? I've been to San Diego actually for a, that was
pretty unique. Uh Mantica. Uh I've pretty much been everywhere. You
can think of that in California that has port Cheese community. Um Not
for, I haven't when I go there, I'm not there for the longest time.
I'm probably there for a couple hours and I'm on a bus back to Larry.
Uh Other times I'm there for a weekend. Um So, yeah, I mean, I've
pretty much been anywhere you can think of in the state.
Abigail Phillips: So, next question of all that you have accomplished.
What are you most proud of? What proud moments do you remember in the
Portuguese American community?
JD Valadao: Yeah. Um That's a really good question. I think the
proudest moment um that I can think of right now is um there's
actually two. So I'll go, I'll answer them pretty sure. But one of
them was, uh for my group, I'm involved in, for carnival. Um, a couple
of years ago we had our 25th anniversary. So, we did a big, um with
the scripts being um, a, a combination of a lot of the other scripts
that we have done in the past years. Um So that was a pretty big
success. Obviously, I wasn't there for the first salsa that they did.
But I had been around the group for many years because my dad was
involved in it. My uh my cousins and their dad were involved. I pretty
much the, the whole group is cousins from both sides of my family,
which is pretty unique. Um So that was a pretty uh pretty cool moment
to witness. And uh I think another, the other one is my parents
recently um this past summer were vice presidents for the Larry Holy
Spirit. Um So I wasn't there for all the events they had each day for
the week. I was there for about four of the days, but seeing all the
events turn out successful and seeing all the people that showed up,
especially um after skipping a year due to COVID, that was a pretty
big success. And I was really proud of my parents for that. And now
they're taking the big step and they've uh stepped up to be presidents
of next year next year. Yeah. So I, I'm excited to see what they, um,
they can do with that because I know the amount of work that goes into
it such that, you know, with all the meetings they have each month
and, um, you know, all the preparation, money, food, um, getting
people, sometimes we're getting people from the a to come down to
perform. Sometimes they get people from, um, somewhere else in the
state to come down to perform. So, there is a lot of work that goes
into that and just to um see my parents put in all that hard work for
a great um a very successful one. I think that was a really proud
moment and I'm excited to see what they can do in the next year.
Abigail Phillips: Right? So, we just have about two more questions to
what extent do you believe Portuguese American has shape the way you
have moved through life, both professionally and personally?
JD Valadao: Oh, yeah, that's a really good one actually. Um How has it
help me professionally, you said? Yeah. OK. Um I
Abigail Phillips: think you kind of touched on that how you wanna
switch to physical therapy so that you can.
JD Valadao: Yeah. Yeah. I um that's definitely one of them. Um I've
been in so with professionalism with that. Um I part so for Luso
American; I was actually president at one point for my youth council
specifically. Um And then me and Justin Do Canto, we were um about, I
guess two years, 23 years ago, maybe two years ago. Uh, we were part
of the California State Youth Board for Luso American. Uh I was master
of ceremonies and Justin was outside guard or inside guard. It was one
of those two. so that really taught me a lot about professionalism
because we were, uh going to each of these conventions we were looked
at as role models. We were some of the older youth at the convention
and a lot of the younger ones look up to us because, you know, without
the board, there's not gonna be one to continue. So, we need these
kids that are younger than us to continue on keeping that generation
alive and, you know, going on with it. Um And actually right now for
the um I have aged out of the youth but for twenties thirties, uh for
the twenties thirties board, at least from Tulare and Tipton. Um I am
the assistant vice president and I think that's a pretty big
accomplishment for me being at such a young age. Um So yeah, that the
Portuguese culture definitely taught me a lot about professionalism
and um I kind of see myself now at it can be as fast as it can be just
at any, at any small event. Um I see myself talking to more of the
older generation uh because I wanna learn from them, what it took for
them to, you know, keep these alive, these generate these uh
traditions alive and, um, I wanna know the sense of hard work that
they had to put in. Um, I mean, it's always good hearing the
compliments from older people too as well. Um, from the stuff I've
been doing in my life and, yeah, I mean, that's pretty much the basics
of it. Uh, it's really taught me how to be the role model for these,
for these next kids coming up and, um, just to keep things alive in
the States because if we let it die, it's gonna be a, it's gonna be a
dark day in the culture, that's for
Abigail Phillips: sure. So, what does being Portuguese American mean
to you?
JD Valadao: Yeah, that, that means everything to me. Um I mean, I have
a Portuguese flag right here as we're talking. But um but yeah, it
means everything to me. Um I don't see myself being a part of any
other culture in my life. Um I think being Portuguese has also made me
the person I am today when it comes to uh how I mean, we're friends. I
mean, I mean, you, you know how social I can be with other people and
um I think that's just a good, I think that's a good quality to have
being Portuguese. Yeah, because we're known to talk a lot and put our
two cents in everything. But that can be in a good way and that can
be, yeah, and that can be in a bad way. But um I think that's a
positive that came out of it and the connections I have made
throughout my life with being involved in so many things that has
definitely, um made my, my child, not my childhood, but uh my teen
years, I guess even better and I know when I get into my twenties and
in my thirties and my forties and so on, I'm gonna have connections
throughout my whole life and I can call lifelong friends. And um yeah,
that's pretty much it. So, so
Abigail Phillips: this will be your last question. Do you see the
Portuguese American community today?
JD Valadao: How do I see it today? Yeah. Um I see um I see the
Portuguese culture today as a bunch of young kids, but also a bunch of
um of the younger generation that first moved here. Um Working hard to
um I guess working hard to keep traditions alive. I know, I, I feel
like a broken record when I say that, but that's really one of like
our big concern right now in the in the community is keeping those
alive. Um But I also see like a spark in these, in this, these younger
kids um at all these festas, I see that I go to, I see kids that are
around 89 years old, 10 years old uh already, you know, playing the
bands, already dancing in folklore already. Um trying to get involved
in and um even young kids is going simply, just going on the dance
floor and port dancing with, you know, with other people. That’s,
that's what I like to see the most. Um And I just think that we're a
culture that a lot of people are. Um not starting to figure out who we
are, but I think um a lot of people I it, it can be in Larry, it can
be in Hilmar Turlock, wherever in the state, wherever in the United
States. Really. Um People are starting to realize like this is a
culture that people aren't gonna let die. And it's also cool seeing um
other people um of other cultures. I've seen people from Peru that
have come to fetch because they love it so much. I've seen people uh
that are Dutch come to Fesler like that's the cool thing about it. And
I think we're starting to get our name out there more that we're not
just uh I guess we're not just a click, you know, that um to separate
ourselves from other places. Um We want to open it up to the entire
state. We want to open up to the entire community to come over and um
you know, celebrate the holy spirits, um celebrate whatever traditions
we may have. So, um I see it so pretty much on all. I it's a, it's a
culture and it's a community that is still alive and well now and I
see a bright future coming up.
Abigail Phillips: Awesome. That was very good. You gave me everything
I needed. Thank you, JD. Thank you, appreciate it. Uh
JD Valadao: I'm really passionate about that. So that's why I went on
and on about all these questions. So.