Yvette Zuniga and Brad Zuniga

Recorded February 25, 2011 Archived February 25, 2011 42:25 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id: MBY007525

Description

Brad Zuniga (32) interviews his wife Yvette Zuniga (32) about growing up in Mexico and California as the child of migrant workers.

Subject Log / Time Code

YZ remembers working in the fields picking fruit with her family. Her and her brother always wanted to go to school bc it was more fun than working.
She talks about what caused her mother to finally divorce her father. He was an alcoholic.
The couple talks about how they met, and how their lives have been better than they’d imagined because of meeting each other.

Participants

  • Yvette Zuniga
  • Brad Zuniga

Venue / Recording Kit


Transcript

StoryCorps uses Google Cloud Speech-to-Text and Natural Language API to provide machine-generated transcripts. Transcripts have not been checked for accuracy and may contain errors. Learn more about our FAQs through our Help Center or do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any questions.

00:05 My name is Brad. Zunica 32 and today's date is February 25th, 2011 and I'm in Chico, California with my wife Yvette Zuniga.

00:19 My name is Yvette Zuniga and I'm 32. Today is February 25th 2011 and we are in Chico, California and I'm here with my husband Brad.

00:32 So I'll be gone. Thanks for being here and coming with me. I set up. This interview is to have a conversation with you have it recorded and maybe something that Sophia would like to have Sophia is our daughter.

00:52 And just talk about

00:55 But our life story of us, whatever. I know you're a good Storyteller. So I'm relying on your storytelling ability to get us through this.

01:07 She really thought this through.

01:13 So let's go ahead and turn it around and switch. The one thing that I think.

01:24 Especially for Sophia is hearing your story because unfortunately, I think you don't tell it enough.

01:35 And I think telling your story.

01:38 It's something that is worth telling and I take particular first Sofia Tiara and I'm sure over her life fuel. She'll learn about it, but

01:48 I think your your humbleness.

01:53 Prevent you from really telling your story very well.

01:57 And having that information for her would be good. And if I don't tell you enough, but I think

02:06 Your your background and the life you live.

02:12 Definitely something I admire so 32nd.

02:22 So yeah.

02:28 Okay, but this wasn't what I was expecting to talk about.

02:34 But I'm being I'm getting over a cold and I sound pretty awful.

02:43 And I guess you're referring to this my life story General.

02:52 Okay, I guess.

02:55 I start at the beginning but pretty good with my parents. So I think I'll start with my mom cuz my relationship with my mom is a lot better than my relationship with my dad, but my mom's one of 13 children and her dad passed away early on from cancer. And so my grandma raised 13 children on her own in Mexico that thing you at least go and my dad is one of

03:34 9 children and also from a thank you. My dad was 27 when my mom was 14 when they decided to run away together from Mexico to the United States, which is something that was typically done their dad actually got my mom drunk and just took her my mom for a few years never came back to her mom's house because she was scared to face her. So I was born in the United States. My mom was 15 when she had me and I was born in Yuba City.

04:21 That's where my parents were living at the time and then my dad did your parents come into the country legally on my dad and did my mom did not my dad how to

04:35 Oh where I like a work visa Green Card sure what but he had permission to be in the United States and work on my mom did not end. So that would be a good good conversation to have with my mom with that first experience was like her getting here the first time because after that she used her sisters ID cuz they look a lot alike in so that's how she would get through the Border.

05:04 But that first time I don't know how they did it.

05:10 And of course this was in

05:12 77 so it was an it was a little bit easier.

05:18 Travel back and forth from Mexico in the United States

05:24 So

05:27 They had me and my mom was 15 and my dad was a migrant worker and he continued to have that migrant lifestyle even after having a family so that meant that we would travel to different cities to work and my mom worked as well.

05:46 And took care of the children and did all.

05:50 The cooking and cleaning and everything which is pretty amazing. I think to to do that when my dad put my my parents would get home from work by that would just hang out.

06:02 Have a beer watch TV. Whatever while my mom did everything else. And so that was I think about it that I don't know how she did it all that time exhausted.

06:15 So three years after I was born and my brother was born as whole and said there was two of us and we would

06:26 Travel we get to Wheatland, which is a bio of the city where I was born and we would my family would pick peaches there and then we would go up to Oregon to pick cherries and an organ we lived in a migrant camp.

06:43 Then we would come back to Corning come back down to California and pick olives in Corning which because our lives are later in the season in Corning. We would be enrolled in school for about 2 months. And then I don't remember going to preschool or kindergarten. So I believe they started rolling Us in school in first grade because I don't think I ever went to I know I definitely didn't go to preschool and I don't think I ever went to kindergarten.

07:24 So is starting in the in the first grade and so we go to school for two months in Corning and then we would leave and go back to I think of you and we live the rest of the academic school year there up until about

07:42 April

07:44 Army

07:46 So so I would go to school and part time here in the United States and then part-time in Mexico and

07:59 But I think for us it was an NSA is my brother and I have another brother

08:06 Ysidro but he 9 years younger so he wasn't really part he wasn't he would have been born yet when we were doing a lot of this migrant lifestyle and

08:22 But for us it was either work in the fields or go to school so we always wanted to go to school cuz it was much more much more fun and stable and not his heart so

08:36 I think that's why I don't want to cry if yet I think that's why I really liked School.

08:43 Post it was

08:46 A lot better than

08:49 Being out there working.

08:51 That with family and some of our family.

08:56 Like my cousin Veronica.

09:00 They they would live with us. We would live right next to each other and the trailer is similar to this and

09:11 She her parents didn't enroll her in school. So she had to work. So I definitely saw that we were.

09:21 We're pretty lucky that we got to go to school the school. When was that? Your mom mom's idea. Definitely my mom and my dad really wasn't involved with anything to do with the children.

09:36 In the family besides just being in the house my dad.

09:42 I was an alcoholic and so

09:46 With that he had other issues that he was dealing with so many decisions when it came to the children. It was all my mom.

09:56 And

09:59 Now is about 12.

10:02 13 it was also my mom's decision that moving so much wasn't good for us for the children in our education. And so she decided to stay in Corning may not go back to Mexico that year and it wasn't it wasn't planned. We didn't pack for staying in this country.

10:28 And so we left everything we had cuz we usually when we would come to the United States everything. We just fit in the car that we were traveling in and then we had our house in Mexico, which was a really nice house for us.

10:44 And it was just dumb and I had my own room which was kind of a big deal and my toys course so when we stayed

10:57 It wasn't planned and my dad was not happy about it. But he stayed too and and then that's when it was my 8th grade year when we stayed here and then that was the first time I saw a last day of school and then in high school was the first time I saw first day of school my freshman year in high school. So the other the other night.

11:25 Dad the story on that I think the senator.

11:32 And there was talking about his life and how we got such a hard life growing up and I think I did mention something that he had moved or he mentioned that he had moved like 15 or 20 times as a as a young child and that how difficult that was then and I noticed that you started thinking about how many times you moved as a kid in and what was the number I'm by the time I was ten, I mean counting each time. We moved to a different place. It was about to be moved about four times in a year. And by the time I was ten, I think we figured it was about 40 40 * 0 by the time I was ten and we stopped moving and I was 12. So what is 48 * 3 significant? It is my actual.

12:27 My college when I came to Chico for college been around, but I went to school for 5 years at Chico State and

12:39 I was the longest I've ever been in one place because even when we stayed in Corning, I was only there through high school, which is for years. So so for me, she goes always felt like my home cuz it's the longest place a tax day. And then I did continue continue to stay here.

13:00 After that, but yeah, so College was was the place I considered home.

13:08 Or for being there. So yeah, so it like down like 7005 5000-7000 people made and what was going to high school like better?

13:30 For my

13:34 From all the moving around that we did and being new places all the time. I think I developed a skill ever texting and driving a new spacer the new areas, so

13:52 Corning is predominantly a white community. And so the number of students that looked like me.

14:02 Is very minimal.

14:05 It was very minimal in so

14:11 I I think I really let go. Let go but I adjusted myself to fit in with the with the rest of the students. I was always a good student. So I really didn't struggle academically, but

14:32 I didn't speak Spanish as much.

14:36 I really didn't.

14:39 Stand for things that I would have now after after maturing and getting more skills, but I got through it and I mean just like all the other students do in high school that you're always.

14:55 Hello, is this the popularity issues and fitting in and doing well and in that but I found a friend. Her name is Brenda and she was a year older than me, but she was Latina and

15:15 It was amazing to find her.

15:21 Was prepared for the Sphinx?

15:28 Tabitha that

15:32 That was like me.

15:36 Was

15:40 It was it was pretty awesome in the she understood both her parents were Mexican, but we just had so much.

15:58 So that was really great for me. And but then she moved and that sucked.

16:11 So I can do to be friends with other students there, but there was always differences.

16:19 I can never stay the night at anyone's house.

16:22 Because your family wouldn't watch it. My family wouldn't let me in just culturally Mexican family. We don't do sleepovers and family.

16:36 So my parents were at pretty traditional in those in some ways and so I wasn't allowed to stay at people's houses. They weren't allowed to stay at my house.

16:49 We weren't even allowed to.

16:52 Borrow clothes, which was kind of the thing to do like only borrow this and I brought that like if I borrowed something in my mom would be like why you wearing somebody else's clothes and I was just for fun and we're sharing was like now you can't do that. And so I remember like changing clothes when I would get to school like I borrow someone's sweater or whatever and I wouldn't change I would put it on when I was get to school and take it or change it when I got home or before I got home.

17:23 So

17:26 Who is this differences in at the time? I really didn't think about it too much. It's not until now that I realize what was going on there or

17:37 What I was giving up of myself in order to fit in.

17:43 So when I graduated from high school, I went to Chico State and I definitely

17:52 I didn't wear talk to anyone that I went to high school. And how far is Chico State from Corning?

18:01 It's only 30 minutes from Corning. So I didn't go very far and part of the reason. I didn't apply anywhere else. It was great that it was so close cuz

18:13 I'm not sure where I would have gone. Otherwise, I want to be close to home. Like I said, my dad was an alcoholic.

18:21 And at that time when I was leaving for college things were getting really

18:29 Really bad at home. That was the last my freshman year in college was when my parents got divorced. So that was the last year. I was home with really tough and

18:43 I knew I wanted to be closed in case anyone anything happened.

18:49 And to be able to go home quickly.

18:53 So I came to college I never talk to anyone. I went to high school with after that cuz I just knew that it just wasn't.

19:04 I wasn't getting what I was looking for in in that community. And so when I came to college, it was pretty amazing because I met other people like me and the amount of the classes I could take at school or pretty amazing. I was pretty excited about taking taking a Mexican American history or Chicano studies and I was learning about myself and that was a pretty big deal for me.

19:35 And I definitely took Chicano studies together her freshman year and that was a big deal didn't know it at the time. But if you feel and it was life changing for me going to college was really

19:54 A great experience for me.

19:57 Play I enjoyed it had a good time, too.

20:02 And like I said, my parents got divorced.

20:06 That for sure in college.

20:08 My first year in college and

20:14 I was really proud of my mom for doing that.

20:18 It's something that no one has ever done in her family.

20:24 And

20:26 Her family wasn't supportive of her decision. A lot of the reactions were he doesn't beat you. Why would you get a divorce just because he drinks so I was always really proud of her for doing that and I would tell her all the time to get a divorce but

20:49 She had to do it on her own terms in her own time. I know that now it was frustrating as a teenager.

20:58 Tap my mom not listen to me, but but now I know.

21:04 I know I should did it when she did it. And so that was a really tough time for my mom because she had two boys.

21:14 My brother Esau was not.

21:17 He isn't even home for getting in trouble. So having him at home.

21:24 As a teenager and then having my youngest brother he's either or who was at the time.

21:31 About 10

21:34 How about 10 at home? And with no financial assistance from my dad? No emotional support from family.

21:48 And she did it she did on her own. She worked her butt off and she did the best you could.

21:55 What finally caused her to go through with it? I've never had that conversation with her about what it was my mom and I don't always have deep conversations, but

22:12 I think most of the things that decision she's ever tough decision. She's ever made in her life are because of the children. So I think that

22:25 She saw

22:27 Her two boys and with smell World model in the house.

22:33 That wasn't doing anything and I think that she just finally

22:39 She was doing everything already. I mean, I think she just finally just decided.

22:48 That she was better off on her own been carrying the weight of my dad.

22:53 My dad was his sua starting to act. I mean before I like when I was in the house, I mean he drank and did this emotional stuff, but he started acting really weird ways. And I think I think there was maybe some mental illness that would never

23:17 Diagnosed where he would accuse my mom of a variety of things from selling drugs to having affairs.

23:28 Anyone that knows my mom is pretty impossible for her.

23:35 So so I think she just had it and it was tough because I think my mom also felt a responsibility for my dad where if he doesn't have if he doesn't live with us or is he going to live who's going to take care of him? Because he needed a lot of taken care of. And so I think that's what kept her in the relationship for many years where they

24:03 Where she shouldn't have been in the relationship?

24:08 But

24:10 My dad has passed away since he passed away in 2005.

24:17 And we really didn't have a relationship after.

24:25 My parents got divorced. I tried to see him a few times.

24:29 And the last time

24:33 I saw him. I mean if we met with him at a restaurant my brothers and I and

24:40 He had hurt his shoulder at the time and he said that the worst thing that had ever happened in his life with him hurting his shoulder cuz he couldn't work.

24:51 And

24:53 I really hurt me.

24:58 He had lost.

25:01 His whole family he doesn't live with us anymore. But yet his hurt shoulder was worse than that is so make sense to me. So after that, I never made an effort to talk to him or see him again.

25:20 And now as I get older, I have a better understanding.

25:26 Of what he was dealing with?

25:29 And I have

25:32 I get it a little bit better.

25:37 I understand him better than I did.

25:41 When I was younger.

25:47 So one of the the things to it

25:51 That ass that I always think is amazing like my experience starting College. My dad wasn't really heavily involved in that but but my mom was very involved.

26:09 Helping me pack clothes back home before I came up came up to Chico to go to school take me to Target to buy stuff for my dorm room going to Costco to get things for my dorm room mapping out like everything from like, okay. This is how you do your laundry and all those little things that kind of stereotypical experience starting College in driving me up in taking me to the dorm and dropping me off and the awkward. Goodbye of me not wanting to to have people see me hugging my mom and and and her like wanting to give me a hug and so that's kind of standing at staring at each other awkwardly and I'm just going to that experience which I think a lot of students have similar experiences and then you give kind of shared what your experience was like going to college and I think that's

27:09 Little different than mine.

27:12 Yeah, it was but in a in a way, even though I still live with my parents I was doing a lot of the things.

27:21 That apparent would be doing in general for household because my mom worked and so when my mom worked I mean I know I've told you this before but I was 9 years old.

27:35 When I was 9 years old, I would be home with a

27:40 6 year old and an infant that I was responsible for and so

27:47 I was already doing my laundry. I was already being responsible for my brother's. I was like another parent a lot of times and so for me leaving on my own was actually almost a relief because I only had to take care of myself and I already made my I worked.

28:11 In high school, I start my first job. I got when I was 12 years old and I've been working since then and I would work for my for my stuff. It was an extra income. It was for my clothes for my supplies for for all of that. So I think a lot of for me when I moved out for college

28:32 I rented a U-Haul on my own and packed my stuff and my mom I remember was like sad and I told her I go don't cry. We're going to go like to make this a big deal and it was a big deal for her and I should have allowed her to have that emotion, but I didn't force if I did that now, that'd be different. But at the time I just wasn't mature enough, but I had

29:03 For me to just have to worry about myself was.

29:06 Different than what had grown up with it, and it was actually a relief.

29:11 And I'm kind of figured things out cuz that's child. I was also always translating for my parents. So I was used to

29:21 Filling out forms understanding services and I think those were all skills that help me move out and maneuver the education system on my own without a lot of help and of course, you know, there's always those people you meet that help you and you know, but the cella's and people in financial aid and that explain things about

29:50 So

29:52 Play I think the experience was different, but I don't think that was like oh Adams ready to go. I think it had been a combination of

30:00 I've everything I have experience that prepared me for that which are things that I think my brother's lacked.

30:10 Because I was the oldest and so responsible responsibility was always on me as the oldest and of the children.

30:19 As a as a female as well because my mom, like I said, I did everything and so

30:30 I just assumed that I would do everything and my brothers.

30:38 So my dad who didn't do anything into this day my mom still serves.

30:45 My brother received those food, you know, she served him and she never served me. And so I think it's just a combination of being the oldest and being a woman and I and I think it's something that

31:00 Has infringed upon my my brothers.

31:07 Development or success? I don't know not that it's

31:11 Her fault, but I think it plays a role in it.

31:25 So what I had originally come here to to talk about was the story of of us, and I know I mentioned that we took a class together freshman year and

31:39 I just never envisioned. My life being is great at is as it is and I think a lot of it has to do with you being in my life.

31:58 Yeah.

32:03 Well, thanks and I definitely feel the same.

32:08 Love winter. I don't like showing emotion. So this is going to hurt but

32:15 Yeah, I feel the same way. Basically that.

32:22 I mean our experiences going out there's a lot of similarities but there's also a lot of differences of course and heading for me being the youngest of my family and being

32:34 Kind of always feeling like I was overshadowed by this site. God likes Brothers bed like was just a great brother to have but it always felt like there was no way I could ever.

32:50 Kind of live up to his

32:53 The things that he did in the image that he had he was kind of just physically like big and strong and I was always kind of awkwardly skinny and short didn't really have any growth spurts until I could admit high school. So that was always kind of an awkward kind of situation for me to be in created that and struggling in school like school is never easy for me. And so I never felt like I was going to amount to much never felt like I would like get married and do all the things that that I have done it we've done

33:35 And so

33:38 Yeah, having being at the point in my life now and I always say that like I've been 33 I feel like

33:53 There's tissue right there.

33:56 Teresa.

34:05 So being 33, I feel like I've accomplished more already than I ever thought I would and so.

34:24 And a big part of that is

34:28 Is you

34:37 Everything thank you. Thank you. I mean, I feel the same way especially growing up the way that I did a living out of a car living in trailers are migrant camps in the fact that mean we have not just a house do houses and that our daughter who is five now has two parents who are active in their life.

35:15 A father who's involved

35:18 It's just amazing and every day that I wake up.

35:24 It's just amazing to me that.

35:28 That were so blessed.

35:33 So thank you for coming to the interview and

35:38 Switching it on me and having me talk this this.

35:43 Cold that I have

35:47 Did I hope that it was think about you? Enjoy do it cited?

36:00 It was definitely love at first sight.

36:06 I think your voice was one of the things that I have a cold then I remember the first time.

36:18 I think I saw you was in.

36:23 Heading first time I saw you was.

36:27 I think at the class that we had to go to the Chicano studies class.

36:33 And

36:35 We have mutual friends at the at the time and saw that our paths come across too because of mutual friends and

36:47 And then I think because of that class we got paired in a small group to do a presentation. And so we had to work together to do the presentation and I got to know you through that which I want to mention went really well and I think I carried the group through that presentation.

37:10 Don't share anything about that presentation. I am definitely not comfortable speaking in front of a group and speaking in front of people. And so we divided up the presentation there was three of us in the group and I did my part and probably 30 seconds or less. And you said yours. I think you're talked for a good half hour or more and I was really amazed because

37:45 You the first impression I had of you was that you were pretty reserved and not this like

37:55 Totally outgoing, you know of wants attention kind of person. So the fact that you could talk for so long. I was pretty impressed and you did a great job and I think that's something that always impresses me when I see you speak in front of people you definitely have a talent for it. So I thought that was

38:17 It was very impressive. The class was our freshman year and then we were just kind of mutual friends over that time and just kind of socially would hang out once more with other people and then it was the

38:38 Right before school started I think on our last year in college you came into one of the offices that I was working at and just for passing through and we did our hellos and and I don't know how it started. I think you probably were hitting on me and I'm pretty sure that's a memory.

39:03 And I I think you just a tall. We should we should go out or something or do something and I was like, okay and so I gave you my phone number and I didn't think that you would call or maybe you gave me your phone number. I don't know. Some number was given at some point and I remember calling you later or you called me and was like, okay, I'll come by your place and we'll go out and have a couple drinks and and I remember my roommates at the time. I hadn't really been involved in a relationship for a while. And so my roommates are giving me about timing like are you going on a date and I was like, I don't know. I'm not sure. I don't think so. I don't know and it was that awkwardness of two friends like going out and I think we spent that evening just hanging out and ended up on your porch and I think at some point you got nervous and went inside after we've been talking for a couple hours and

40:03 After that or know this pretty much history. I think we started hanging out after that night a lot more and

40:13 Never stop by Duru every I do remember that night we went out. I didn't realize I was on a date until we were on the porch and then I was like, okay, I better go and then I started thinking what if he tries to kiss me. I was I just on a date I started kind of freaking out and I just like remember running in the house and I don't know if that was probably really awkward but the following day, I think we talked and I didn't have a washer and dryer is that me to go do some laundry at the laundromat near like why I wash and dryer and yeah, I went to my laundry there and

40:57 That was it was hung out every day after that and I think it's it's it's been a lot of fun. And then there was that point I was remembered as today. We had that talk at the park. I'm about where our relationship was going. And I just remember at that point I already knew.

41:15 That this this was it.

41:19 And now

41:21 It was it was a great feeling just to know that I had someone that

41:26 Understood me, and it was easy.

41:30 It was in a struggle.

41:33 I guess that too close. I guess really the most important thing.

41:41 Out of this conversation, I guess for me is that that I realized how thankful. I am that I had that washer and dryer.

41:54 XXX does a really good talk and it's definitely something that I appreciate from you is your humor.

42:04 Sometimes more than others, but I hope

42:15 Appreciates you as much as I do.