Giores oral history recording

Other Media

https://exhibits.lib.pacificu.edu/files/original/18f8f8726aa0ec51bf163b71f45153dd.mp3

Title

Giores oral history recording

Description

?Giores” (name changed at narrator’s request) was born in Colima, Mexico and spent most of his adult life in Mexico City before relocating to the United States. Giores found life in Mexico City fast paced, uncertain, and stressful. After working at a number of different occupations there he moved to Oregon—a place that he had some knowledge of through a relative. Starting with fieldwork, he transitioned to landscaping, and now works as a painter. Giores obtained his GED after relocating and lives in Cornelius. He and his wife are enrolled in the microbusiness program at Adelante Mujeres; they hope to begin a tax preparation business and create more financial stability for their family.
Giores talks about the reasons why he left Mexico and the pull of the “American dream” that prompted him to relocate. He speaks about the difficulty of the border crossing. The experience inspired him to write a short piece about the border crossing of an individual named Juan. An excerpt from that piece is included at the end of this transcript, shared with the permission of the narrator. Giores elaborates on the process of adjusting to life in Washington County. He explains his relationship with Mexican culture, the country of Mexico, and the ways that he remains in contact with family members there. He also offers his opinions on English-speaking U.S. culture and society. Though work in the United States has not been easy, Giores has overall felt well treated in Washington County and recalls the support of volunteer English teachers and the appreciation that bosses and clients have demonstrated for his work accomplishments. Interview is in Spanish. There is a transcript of this interview.

Contributor

Sprunger, Luke

Creator

Giores

Date

2013

Is Part Of

Latino Oral History collection

Format

WAVE

Language

Spanish

Identifier

WCM_OH_398

Subject

Washington County (Or.) -- History

Hispanic Americans -- History

Rights

In Copyright

http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Extent

1 sound file (21 min.)

Spatial Coverage

Washington County (Or.)

Mexico

Cornelius (Or.)

Type

Sound

Source

Washington County Museum