Mary Azevedo Interview
Item
Title
Mary Azevedo Interview
Creator
Azevedo, Mary
Contributor
Maderos, Kim
Language
ENG
Relation
Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute
Date
9/12/2022
Identifier
SCUAD_pbbi_00065
extracted text
Kim Maderos: Okay, my name is Kim Maderos and I'm interviewing my
grandma for my oral Portuguese project. What is your full birth name?
Mary Azevedo: Mary Natalie Azevedo.
Kim Maderos: Were you named after anyone?
Mary Azevedo: No, my mother liked the name Natalie, and her name was
Maria, but she went by Mary. So that's why I picked where I got the
name Mary from. So, kind of named after her.
Kim Maderos: Where were, when were you born?
Mary Azevedo: February 29, 1952.
Kim Maderos: So technically you're only 17 and a half.
Mary Azevedo: Hehehe. Yeah.
Kim Maderos: Okay. When, no where were you born?
Mary Azevedo: In Porterville, California.
Kim Maderos: Okay. What early memories do you have of a child in the
Portuguese American community?
Mary Azevedo: Um, just festas and uh being little queen and involved
in the festas and us going to all the festas in the area and matanzas
when the families, our families would get together and they would do
every year at each person's house. We would do, they would do matanzas
and us kids running around playing and eating all the food that they
prepared.
Kim Maderos: How do you spell matanzas?
Mary Azevedo: M. A. N. T.
Kim Maderos: M. A. N. T.
Mary Azevedo: -anza. E. C. I. A. maybe. You can find out.
Kim Maderos: Maybe, I’ll talk to [inaudible]
Mary Azevedo: It's not quite right, butKim Maderos: Mhm. Mhm. Okay. When did your family emigrate to the US?
Mary Azevedo: My father's parents came in 1917. And my mother's mom,
I'm not sure too much about her father, but he was here. My mother's
mom was sent here when she was 16 to live with an aunt.
Kim Maderos: So, were both your parents born here or over there?
Mary Azevedo: Yes.
Kim Maderos: Why did your family leave the Azores?
Mary Azevedo: For a better life. More opportunities and to raise their
families.
Kim Maderos: Where did your family settle and why do you think they
chose there?
Mary Azevedo: Here in Tulare and they had other family that was here
already. And so, they came to this area. My mother's parents, uh after
my grandmother was married and with my grandfather, they were partners
with another relative in dairy.
Kim Maderos: Yeah. Okay. Did your parents or grandparents ever tell
you what it was like to adjust to life in a new country? What stories
were passed down to you regarding their early experiences?
Mary Azevedo: My mom's mother, I remember her telling me it was very
hard and that she even though raising children, she was helping her
husband and um with the dairy and cooking for the hired men. Um just a
hard life even though they worked hard but they were proud for what
they accomplished.
Kim Maderos: You are a member of the third generationMary Azevedo: I’m a second generation to be born in the US.
Kim Maderos: How important was it to your parents that you be raised
with a strong Portuguese identity?
Mary Azevedo: Second, um second born from, from both sides. And um
they, they taught us, taught me their culture, they were I don’t
[inaudible]. It's important to them to follow with a lot of the
traditions.
Kim Maderos: How was this identity expressed? Language, foods,
traditions, festivals?
Mary Azevedo: Well, we, we all, we spoke Portuguese and of course
going to school English, but at home because my grandmother lived with
us, we spoke Portuguese, um foods were Portuguese food, based, based
food and um we attended a lot of festas and just learn.
Kim Maderos: Okay. What cultural traditions have you maintained and
why has it been important to you to maintain them?
Mary Azevedo: Oh, mainly the festas and um attending the rosaries that
with the festas, we used to do that growing up and mainly the festas.
Kim Maderos: And why has it been important to you to maintain them?
Mary Azevedo: Um.
Kim Maderos: Don't worry [inaudible].
Kim Maderos: Have you been to the Azores?
Mary Azevedo: No, I have not. My father never after he came back at
18. He never did return, and my mother returned once to visit. But no,
I never have been there.
Kim Maderos: Would you want to go there?
Mary Azevedo: Have always liked the thought of going back there. We
don't have much family. There wouldn't be any family that I know.
Kim Maderos: Trace if you will some of your experiences growing up in
the Portuguese American community in the Valley throughout your life.
I think that's just the festas and the matanzas. That's like a repeat
question.
Mary Azevedo: Yeah, it is, it’s mainly.
Kim Maderos: Repeat! Repeat. Scratch that. Of all you have
accomplished, what are you most proud of? What proud moments do you
remember in the Portuguese American community?
Mary Azevedo: I think that that would be more what my grandparents
accomplished coming, proud of, what they accomplished that they came,
they worked hard. Um there was no free handouts for them. They worked
hard to have what they had and instill that in my parents both and I
think that instilled in, in my family to work hard and be proud of
being Portuguese.
Kim Maderos: To what extent do you believe being Portuguese American
has shaped the way you have moved through life, both professionally
and personally?
Mary Azevedo: Um, just what my parents instilled in my upbringing in
uhKim Maderos: There's still a couple more questions. What does being
Portuguese American mean to you?
Mary Azevedo: Um, just being proud of my nationality.
Kim Maderos: How do you see the Portuguese American community today?
Mary Azevedo: Probably not um the younger generation probably not, so,
following the culture as much. Um it not being, um it's just too
modernized.
Kim Maderos: Is there anything we didn’t cover that you'd like to
share?
Mary Azevedo: Um, no.
Kim Maderos: Okay.
grandma for my oral Portuguese project. What is your full birth name?
Mary Azevedo: Mary Natalie Azevedo.
Kim Maderos: Were you named after anyone?
Mary Azevedo: No, my mother liked the name Natalie, and her name was
Maria, but she went by Mary. So that's why I picked where I got the
name Mary from. So, kind of named after her.
Kim Maderos: Where were, when were you born?
Mary Azevedo: February 29, 1952.
Kim Maderos: So technically you're only 17 and a half.
Mary Azevedo: Hehehe. Yeah.
Kim Maderos: Okay. When, no where were you born?
Mary Azevedo: In Porterville, California.
Kim Maderos: Okay. What early memories do you have of a child in the
Portuguese American community?
Mary Azevedo: Um, just festas and uh being little queen and involved
in the festas and us going to all the festas in the area and matanzas
when the families, our families would get together and they would do
every year at each person's house. We would do, they would do matanzas
and us kids running around playing and eating all the food that they
prepared.
Kim Maderos: How do you spell matanzas?
Mary Azevedo: M. A. N. T.
Kim Maderos: M. A. N. T.
Mary Azevedo: -anza. E. C. I. A. maybe. You can find out.
Kim Maderos: Maybe, I’ll talk to [inaudible]
Mary Azevedo: It's not quite right, butKim Maderos: Mhm. Mhm. Okay. When did your family emigrate to the US?
Mary Azevedo: My father's parents came in 1917. And my mother's mom,
I'm not sure too much about her father, but he was here. My mother's
mom was sent here when she was 16 to live with an aunt.
Kim Maderos: So, were both your parents born here or over there?
Mary Azevedo: Yes.
Kim Maderos: Why did your family leave the Azores?
Mary Azevedo: For a better life. More opportunities and to raise their
families.
Kim Maderos: Where did your family settle and why do you think they
chose there?
Mary Azevedo: Here in Tulare and they had other family that was here
already. And so, they came to this area. My mother's parents, uh after
my grandmother was married and with my grandfather, they were partners
with another relative in dairy.
Kim Maderos: Yeah. Okay. Did your parents or grandparents ever tell
you what it was like to adjust to life in a new country? What stories
were passed down to you regarding their early experiences?
Mary Azevedo: My mom's mother, I remember her telling me it was very
hard and that she even though raising children, she was helping her
husband and um with the dairy and cooking for the hired men. Um just a
hard life even though they worked hard but they were proud for what
they accomplished.
Kim Maderos: You are a member of the third generationMary Azevedo: I’m a second generation to be born in the US.
Kim Maderos: How important was it to your parents that you be raised
with a strong Portuguese identity?
Mary Azevedo: Second, um second born from, from both sides. And um
they, they taught us, taught me their culture, they were I don’t
[inaudible]. It's important to them to follow with a lot of the
traditions.
Kim Maderos: How was this identity expressed? Language, foods,
traditions, festivals?
Mary Azevedo: Well, we, we all, we spoke Portuguese and of course
going to school English, but at home because my grandmother lived with
us, we spoke Portuguese, um foods were Portuguese food, based, based
food and um we attended a lot of festas and just learn.
Kim Maderos: Okay. What cultural traditions have you maintained and
why has it been important to you to maintain them?
Mary Azevedo: Oh, mainly the festas and um attending the rosaries that
with the festas, we used to do that growing up and mainly the festas.
Kim Maderos: And why has it been important to you to maintain them?
Mary Azevedo: Um.
Kim Maderos: Don't worry [inaudible].
Kim Maderos: Have you been to the Azores?
Mary Azevedo: No, I have not. My father never after he came back at
18. He never did return, and my mother returned once to visit. But no,
I never have been there.
Kim Maderos: Would you want to go there?
Mary Azevedo: Have always liked the thought of going back there. We
don't have much family. There wouldn't be any family that I know.
Kim Maderos: Trace if you will some of your experiences growing up in
the Portuguese American community in the Valley throughout your life.
I think that's just the festas and the matanzas. That's like a repeat
question.
Mary Azevedo: Yeah, it is, it’s mainly.
Kim Maderos: Repeat! Repeat. Scratch that. Of all you have
accomplished, what are you most proud of? What proud moments do you
remember in the Portuguese American community?
Mary Azevedo: I think that that would be more what my grandparents
accomplished coming, proud of, what they accomplished that they came,
they worked hard. Um there was no free handouts for them. They worked
hard to have what they had and instill that in my parents both and I
think that instilled in, in my family to work hard and be proud of
being Portuguese.
Kim Maderos: To what extent do you believe being Portuguese American
has shaped the way you have moved through life, both professionally
and personally?
Mary Azevedo: Um, just what my parents instilled in my upbringing in
uhKim Maderos: There's still a couple more questions. What does being
Portuguese American mean to you?
Mary Azevedo: Um, just being proud of my nationality.
Kim Maderos: How do you see the Portuguese American community today?
Mary Azevedo: Probably not um the younger generation probably not, so,
following the culture as much. Um it not being, um it's just too
modernized.
Kim Maderos: Is there anything we didn’t cover that you'd like to
share?
Mary Azevedo: Um, no.
Kim Maderos: Okay.