Luz Burrows-Henrice, Cristina Castro, and Maria Castro Calzada

00:03 Hi, my name is Luis burrows-henrice. IM 57 today is November 29th 2009. We are in Houston, Texas and I am here with me like lovely daughters Maria and Christina.

00:24 Hi, my name is Cristina Castro. I'm 24 years old today is November 29th 2009 and were in Houston, Texas and I'm here with my sister and we're interviewing my mother loose Pros.

00:35 Hi, my name is Maria Castro calzada and 34 years old and its November 29th 2009. Where in Houston Texas and I'm here with my mother loose and my Sister Christina.

00:50 All right, I'll go ahead and start I guess Mom the best place for 4 to start I think is that you describing what it was like growing up and Sheila grew up with my grandparents Miley my mom and my dad were separated. They didn't have divorce in those years when I was very young. So we stayed with my grandparents on my mother's side and there were very loving the same time very strict and we were very close knit family.

01:32 What were your parents names? My father's name Edward borrows. My mom's name is blues handrich.

01:41 In your grandparents Rosa and my grandfather working and Rich my father side at work article Barro's on my grandmother's Bertha Barros. I believe her maiden name was Dunston. I don't really recall which email I grew up with your mom's grandparents, right? They are the ones that I'm basically I learn how to behave from them. My grandfather work ethic. I got that from him the same thing as kind of a moral compass. It was send that necessarily a religious thing with him. It was you know doing the right thing voiding doing wrong things to people on to yourself.

02:42 What's up, my grandmother? I've learned the simple things. Do you know enjoying a sunny day at the winds are blowing the flowers, you know, they're happy part was with her.

02:57 Where at where your mom and dad? What do you remember about them growing up my mom. I remember being in the house all of the time. She was a bit of the disciplinarian. She also was the one that she didn't go outside to work. She took care in those years women specially separated women didn't go out to work that you stay with a family. I don't have a whole lot of recollection about my father. He was in and out of our Lives as we were growing up. So it was not a whole lot and then I remember about you. How about your siblings are have a sister Evelyn and I my brother is Lardo that my sister is 2 years younger my brother's checks, and I remember

03:57 Send a box of fun. I mean we didn't go out and play with other kids outside. That's the way my grandparents baby leave did you know is staying inside with an employee outside of the street or anything like that? So it was just the three of us with it play a lot. We took care of my sister was the fan one and is she was kind of like not very healthy and so my brother and I were the ones that run the show, basically

04:31 So how did you get from being a little girl in Chile to eventually you can growing up and deciding that you wanted to to see the world? Actually, I wasn't planning on seeing the world per se after high school during the time. We had a communist government it was again. He was elected but he was a communist president thinks it started to change. We didn't have supplies. I mean food become is it where you have to be in line to buy rise? It was like rationed you couldn't get whatever you wanted made. You could buy one of them on for somebody young trying to find a job listing possible. So that is when I made the decision to come to the United.

05:31 States how old are you for when around when it started and then we'll when I came to the United States when I was 20, but how old were you whenever that I ended kind of came around 9:19 and she wasn't in power of a very long before things started don't know when downhill and you know, I I came over here. How did your mom and your grandparents react when you brought that up? They were not a copy of my grandparents were not happy with the idea. But at the same time they were supportive of me doing what I thought was right. They felt it had raised me the right way for being there for me to go to my mom. I heard there were some of the crying and a lot of being a trying to think about it and that they did support me they did help me.

06:31 To do the things I need to do to get here it was there any words of advice that maybe your grandfather grandmother gave you before you came to United States other than you know be very careful. It was just a tutu to yourself to who you are and to you know, what ideas pretty much is stay like you are don't do don't change. What was it? What do you think? It was their biggest fear about you going to have anything to do with you or they were afraid of what could happen to me? It was a totally different country. I was coming from a small compared to the United States and compared to New York. It was a smol CD of very, well. You knew a lot of the people on coming to a country mile.

07:31 Father was here, but I didn't grow up with him. So I didn't really know him very much. He was here with his wife and that's where I came to when I came to the United States. I came to stay at their apartment. How hard was it to to leave a communist country? I mean how difficult was it to leave? Chili as far as red tape bureaucracy was concerned it was difficult because the the the laws were different even though and my grandfather had raised me and my mother was there and my father was absent from my life for so many years. The the government did not recognize. And since he was gone. I had to go through a juvenile judge or the juvenile courts to get authorization to be able to to get out of the country to get a passport. So my grandfather went to

08:31 Every appointment every, you know, a step of the way we have to go sometimes I can get something done get a signature on those expires by the time that we went to another one the first one account expire in like we had to start the process of getting wasn't leg feet tedious bureaucratic process to get paperwork done. And then when I finally all of that was done because my father was an American citizen. The time that was one thing that you did for me was to get the paperwork so I could come to the United States but leaving the country all the Jeweler allowed to take out the time it like all the doors that you were about allowed to buy or $50. You couldn't buy any more dollars. So I came to the United States with us $50 and two suitcases, you know, where

09:31 The clothes that I thought that I would be able to add that I would need over here a lot of hopes. And that's what I brought. What was your how did you envision New York to be? What did you work? What were you expecting when you arrive to New York or well during those years I used to do. You know, I was young go to the movies on what I saw at what they show must have the time or at least the movie is not my mom or my grandparents. Allow me to see were the movies were people son. I guess it was California's sunny places nice people, you know Beach and all that went out and we landed I remember the storage is so, you know, they've been saying besides the temperature was 22 degrees and I was thinking Salsas, so I thought it was going to be now.

10:31 Well, it was 22 firing hide. So it was really really cold. My father went to pick me up after we went through after I went through the immigration process my God my papers and all of that. Like you said we were going home because the tradition back and she said it would be if you went to pick up somebody at the airport. You would take a taxi going home. I was expecting that but my father's are know where we're going and the Subway have never been on the subway. You didn't know what to expect or how they look and dinnerware these noisy and dirty by train that made you know, a lot of Racket and there when we got home and it went up the stairs from the subway and we went to these little dark cramped apartment. So

11:31 It was very disappointing and very scary to you know, getting to New York. What was it like going into a Subway or underground? You came from a country that experienced earthquakes in that was very scary. It took me a long time because the apartment were relieved I stay with my father for about two-and-a-half 3 months. It was really close to the subway station and show every time you know, the trains would go by and I could feel the the Tremor in the building. I had my instinct was to say, you know, what the remote over and try to run out. So that was something I had to contend with and it was scary.

12:22 So is he said you lived with him for about 2 or 3 months? What what happened? What changed? What did you do? Well, I found a job. My intention is coming to the United States war to make a living for myself and I buy I didn't know English. I knew how to say. Hello. How are you? And the little English that I have learned I learned, you know easy to do but eaten, which was more of a British English. So the little bit that I knew I had that accident. So I remember one time asking somebody for water and ice take water. You know, that was the way I was taught to say. I'm in New York. They were lies you want what the hell is water, but that was

13:22 Kind of, you know, some of the some of the things that I had to two content when I came and what was your first job actually the first thing that I did I babysat before these Lighting on it for a short time and then I got a job in a bank was in the international Department.

13:52 There was like letters of credit. So I think you said if that's that's the name of the Department. Of course, I didn't do any of that. I had to deal with some kind of machine that you entered numbers, you know something that I do not know how to even explain now is your punch numbers and you put the lever down. It was like converting American Express. I couldn't even if you know explained it was just working in the bank and he was very something very mechanical that I did at the time because my English was limited but acts Ramones I knew enough to pass your test and

14:37 Atlanta job. So I was very proud of my so pretty amazing. And then and so you got your own apartment. Yes. I did. It was a tiny apartment body was my apartment and whatever I got paid I you know, I paid I got paid weekly. I think I was making like $87 a week something like that, but it was a big money for me. You know. I've never worked a day in my life in Chile. My grandfather took care of all of us, so I didn't know.

15:13 What it was to work, I just knew what he had told me about. You know, you come to do the best that you can do, whatever you're somebody's paying you you do the best that you can hunt. That's at work and I used to save my money and I counted you know, how much money I needed to have for rent and you know for different things and then with whatever money I have left after I separated for money for lunch money for groceries everything else. If I had any money left then I went on I treated myself to a pair of pantyhose or or you know something if I'd like that

15:52 So so you came over kind of probably you skipped over this carpet and you actually got married and Sheila not long before you came over actually. Yes. I did. It did your father issues. I was 15 and we got married in August of that year but seems the situation was so bad. We couldn't get any job. We were being supported by finally, which is not unusual. But that's not what we want it. We were married by the church only I couldn't get married by civil because then I wouldn't be able to be eligible to come. Do, you know through Willmar father also got married in August and I came to the states and on November.

16:44 So how long did it take Dad to catch up to you o over a year? How did he get here? She worked his way. She didn't have a father over here. So he only could get a visiting Visa but he was work. He works through coming to us through Central America and South America Central America Costa Rica still working part of the time and then traveling until

17:16 I don't know if people I don't remember whether he flew or if he came by boat or whatever. She got to Mexico and then over here to the United States. I think he mostly drove. Well. Yeah, I know he mostly drove but there is parts that you can drive so

17:34 That's what that that that is a part that I don't remember how he got here. So, when did he finally catch up to you in New York like at the end of 73 and then and then you guys got an apartment together?

17:50 Well, oh, yeah, we came to leave in my apartment. What was my apartment and we stayed there and then I was working all the time in the bank and he was working. He had found a job Factory, but he was working during the night. So we didn't see each other very much as if he was coming in and was leaving and so forth. She'll finally seeing I knew English and she didn't I went to work in the factory to do, you know to be with him. We work there for a while for about it, but stay close to a year or so and

18:37 Maybe a little bit last and then they Factory close down when we went to cash our checks. They told us they didn't have any funds. So they check your paycheck bounced that was very scary because we didn't know where we're going to do how we're going to leave with whatever little money we have. You know, I'm trying to find a job, especially for him because he didn't speak the language. Thank you didn't have papers, you know, if he only had to have Visa somebody told us that because of the way that it could happen. At least I was entitled he didn't have a Social Security but I did I was entitled to collect unemployment. So I found out how that work, but I was miserable because to me I was I was a standing in line.

19:36 Waiting to get out to sign papers to get that and I felt so humiliated because I was getting something for nothing. I was so surprised. If my grandfather found out that I was in this line to get money for work that I hadn't done he would be supportive of me. That's not what I you know, that wasn't the reason I came to the United States. I didn't come over here to get something for free. I came to work and but we have no alternative. So what die did is half of the money that I got from the unemployment relieved off had a lot of tomato soup with eggs. That was the cheapest thing and then there was a place where you could buy old bread or day old bread that was cheap. And so we had those for breakfast and you know actually stay I can't drink a whole lot.

20:37 Tomato soup because I got so much that and the other part of the money I used to go to school. I decided to take a nurse's aide a nurse's aide class. I wanted to do something in medicine., kind of hard being, you know my dream when I was young and that was as close as I could get to it all the time. So that's what I did and while I was in the school I found out I was pregnant. I was very very excited.

21:13 I was scared again because I didn't know what I was going to do. But at the same time I was exciting was going to be you know, I was going to come my baby my baby went to school and threw up every so often but I I kept it up and I cried Reddit I finished and then after you were born you were 28 days old when I started work and I so didn't get a very long time but I needed to work and that's what I had come to do. I stay with you last night when you were little just stay with your grandmother your father's mother and father had come to the United States Steel. And so your grandmother took care of you while I was at work.

22:10 How is life living with extended family?

22:14 Difficult, it was difficult. I mean it was something.

22:21 I wanted my own place. I Never Had It growing up. Not that I wasn't grateful for what my grandparents got done for me. The country they were wonderful. They you know, it took my mom and the three of us in about an hour always wanted to have my own place. I wanted my husband my children or my child by myself on you know, I'm having them around and because of the economic situation asked leaving together for a while there. That was that was not the

23:02 It was like my expectations weren't being met, you know, but other than that, they were great because I didn't have to worry, you know living with some stranger. So in that sense I was

23:18 So, what did you do you were you working at a nursing home? So what happened? I work for a while in a nursing home through all this time. I was the year of I read a lot. I read a lot and I read in English. I couldn't find books that in Spanish and that really

23:42 Interested me that much to redo. You know what I'm not saying that they're wearing is I judge. What was that wasn't close to me, you know, I didn't have them accessible to me at the time. So I write a lot and a Droid in English. I made it a point that I was going to learn English just as much as I knew Spanish. So because of that I moved beaner it working in a nursing home. I moved around I Was Made were secretary I was so I was moving up and what I was doing because of, you know may trying to work then I found that there was a position doing something different working for a city marshal that I do not know where the equivalent will be here in Texas. But over there they did a landlord and tenant things they

24:42 The people that was some of the things that they did and I work for one Pearl secretary. I did that for a while things are getting bad in the Bronx. We couldn't afford to live anywhere else. But the Bronx with what's your dad and I made so it was hard.

25:09 Because I could have take you Maria any like parts or you know, the places that we could afford wearing very safe. Sometimes we would go in there and there will be these people selling drugs and things like that the whenever we went to wash clothes in the washateria.

25:30 Couple of times we had that incident people with a knife One X or Nona was with you. She got mugged and thrown in the floor, you know, somebody pulling her purse. So I talked to your dad about, you know, maybe we need to go back to South America. I didn't want to raise my child and there and we couldn't really afford to leave it anywhere else that was better a friend of his of the time. I had to come to Texas and he brought newspapers. And you said what you know, Texas is wonderful you can make money you can live better. And so we decided to check it out and when I had it when week vacation from my job at the same city Marshal's we came with your father would drove over here with you Maria.

26:26 Will liked it. I liked it. And so we decided to move.

26:30 To Texas we packed everything that we could on us that then and we got here about October of 1979 will get to Houston. It was very very different. First of all, they had ice tea and and the other thing what's grits never had grits never had iced tea iced coffee is back in Chile, but ice tea, you know, we drink at work all of our tea hot and then the other seeing that was an oval to hear was that, you know food, you know, I love food. So I paid particular attention to that was tortillas, you know, the Mexican troops he is not that was also something totally need to me.

27:29 Who who came over was it just you Dad and Maria or that was the plan. It was just it was supposed to be the three of us, but that your Nonna decided to come you're no no you're on our mother decided to come to and that's why she came with us and we rented an apartment and I thought that they had made a mistake because for the money that they were charging us, which was about the same as when we were paid in New York for

28:07 I woke up apartment and somebody that was like in the second-floor somebody else, you know, somebody's house for the same amount of money here. We got the equivalent of a townhome, you know, he had two stories. He had three bedrooms. He had two and a half bath. He had a kitchen with the dishwasher and something I had never seen ever there in New York. He had central air conditioning and hit know there was no radiator to deal with you no head and then that the dishwasher and out. That was a very exciting thing the first time I use it at Put liquid dishwasher so you can imagine I watch those floors with a water.

29:05 So obviously we've been in Houston ever since guess. How about the right now? There's more more of us here in Houston. Your brother came and dad's brother and the rest did they come because of it. We were the Pioneers, you know, we were the was the first ones I came in your your father. I mean, that was the first one then your father then came my brother and then his brother while his parents came before them. And whenever we moved to Texas that was the same thing. We were the ones that came then came his brother my brother to over here.

29:54 And whenever you guys come over, how old was Marie about 544? Okay. So what what happened after that? What kind of job what was your first job here with you and my first job. I didn't know how to drive because I never needed to drive in Chile wouldn't have a car on a New York. I went in the Subway or bus has anywhere I needed to go so I got a job really close to the house. I was working making hamburgers in New York. I work for a city marshal. I was the secretary and here was just flipping hamburgers, but that was the closest I could find making $2.90 an hour.

30:34 That was also short-lived. It was just you know, trying to get maybe a ring then. I found a job at an office your father used to run because there was no buses still. I mean I was a hundred times better, but in 79 bus over here worried joke, so he drove me to the office then I started working in a hospital. I started as a ward secretary something similar. I had done a New York.

31:11 Try really hard day like men they like me. They liked my job. They put me in and what is cold Central Supply and buying supplies and distributing them the hospital they kept moving me up and give him a racist. So it was neat and I kept on going to school night, you know or taking going to seminars going to different things so I can learn about my job. I'll always read and study and two classes and you know did things like that and my emphases I wanted, you know, you were born Ten Years After your sister.

31:54 And she was the one that picked her name. She make you hoarse, you know from the very beginning and whenever that the two of you and you know or hear my infancy is was I wanted the two of you to go to college that there is one thing I regretted. My life was not going to college not being able to do that. My emphases was all the time for you to study. I don't know if you remember but my rules weren't you didn't have anything to do with your job was to study and to get a courier eventually, you know, go to college and I think my greatest accomplishment is the two of you.

32:48 Because of what do you have met me you make me everyday very proud. I see what I came to do here yet realize in the two of you.

33:12 Well, thanks Mom. And I guess we could go get them to.

33:22 He was born in 85. I know you did some I feed newspaper clippings with your picture in it. Oh, well, like I said when I was working in the hospital, I wanted to succeed and I work hard and they noticed that and so they gave me this, you know, they offer me this position to work in public relations. I didn't know anything about it again start reading trying to you know, try to figure it out. They threw me into it at the time. There was some kind of controversy going on about restitution centers and the hospital work for what's a boson God. Got to be on TV and the radio the newspapers talking to people going to Austin mating Senators. I got to meet Senator with Meijer in Evergreen had pictures with Kathy Whitmire. She was the mayor of the city the chief of police chief Brown.

34:22 And Sheriff Stephen Hagan all of those people was a very exciting time of my life for somebody that was very shy that came here with 50 bucks and two suitcases and rubbing elbows with these people and having them listen talking in front of the House of Representatives in Austin doing things like God putting together health fairs or law enforcement failures or Community projects. Thanks, like of that sort with hardly any training, you know, it was exciting.

35:12 It was fun.

35:14 I have a quick question for Maria. What what do you remember Mom like during this time? How would you describe his mom or I mean her I think Mom's always been an incredible role model for me as just like the working mom and I think I grew up. I never really understood people whose mom stayed home. I didn't get that and you know, I mean, I think that's fine and now has a mom. I I have a different perspective. I can understand that I can respect that decision better, but growing up. I really thought my mom super like my mom does everything she she goes to work and she

35:58 She really has it together and because I would often get to go with her, you know these things cuz again Dad was a truck driver at the time so he was gone a lot. So I mean just really in control of things and always, you know at the head of whatever committee or whatever activities are going on and just really just on top of everything and oh your loses daughter. Oh, you're Castro's daughter. Oh, you know, so it was kind of its it was neat to know Mom and to see Mom in that.

36:40 In that a

36:42 Kind of a situation as opposed to I think most people only get to see their moms playing the mom role. So it was definitely a good example for me as a professional. How about you?

36:56 Mom, I remember I think whenever I was growing up you were.

37:03 Probably coming down a little bit, you know, you were kind of hitting that point where you were looking more for maybe relaxation or enjoyment. I think you realize how much maybe you worked whenever Maria was my age. And so I feel like I had a little more I had a little more time with you because I guess you realize maybe you didn't get as much time with Maria's you've had hoped. So I think I saw probably more of you know, you still were to me you were always the working mom. I remember going to you know things were there be mother-daughter stuff and all these mother all knew each other because all they did was hang out at home and you know, my mom's like in her, you know power suit coming in, you know, not really sure what the gossips about that. What does my daughter need to know kind of thing? So that's why I remember and then I think I'm growing up. I got to see a little bit more the independent side of you and you and Dad got divorced when I was nine. So I kind of saw the the separation where I think you finally

38:04 I was eight this received eight fingers. I think I got to see more of the independent mom who finally got to have her own place. And that's the one that which I think is another treatment. You know, it may have not been what you decided was going to happen. When you were younger that you would end up with a divorce. But the fact that you do have your own home now, it's a beautiful condo, you know, you designed your bathrooms and your dining rooms and you know, I can tell you're very excited about having your life. You know this that was your goal. You said one day you wanted to have your own place and do your own thing and you own your own house, you know, you've got your own plate actually only two houses, but you know, you live in the city and you get to enjoy life and you have us around you too. Well one thing's I do once I think that that I want to say to both of you be true to yourselves.

39:04 You're a smart. I brought up to a Smart girl's independent. You can do anything that you want with your lives on your own your own person. If one thing you have from me is that you have the power to do whatever it is that you want. Do yourself you're all-powerful and you can do anything that you want to do. I really appreciate you coming here with me today asking me questions and for us to get together like that and talk about ourselves and you know, hopefully share these with the, you know, where the world anybody that cares to listen. Thank you. Thank you Mom that you love you. Love you. Love you, too.