Teresa Belous and Dave Nash

00:05 I'm David Allen Nash 54 years old. This is Sunday, December 8th, 2019 in Yuma, Arizona, and I'm here with my mother-in-law Teresa Bellows. Hello, Dave. I'm fittest abello's and 74 years old and sitting Yuma, Arizona December 8th.

00:26 2002 20 20

00:30 And Dave is my son-in-law.

00:34 I wanted to start by going back deep into your history. And it looks like you did you look up some interesting things from even before you were born when I met you. I was beyond my wife told me you were grow up grew up in Mexico. And so later on. I was surprised to find out that your mother was actually born in the United States December 16th.

01:10 1945 I was the daughter of Juana Martinez Salazar and Salvador Moreno has two siblings at the stadio and elpida and yes indeed. My mother was born in Chicago, Illinois.

01:33 In Cook County

01:36 In

01:38 1921

01:41 And my father was born in Mexico City.

01:46 The first 20 years of my life. I lived in Mexico City went to school work there. I sent it to during math tutoring since I was in the seventh grade and I did that until my 10th grade after that.

02:09 I worked as a telephone operator in your hotel.

02:14 Alyssa accounting assistant

02:21 Okay, I'm curious if you were tutoring people in at math and the seventh grade is math something. You were always good at assign me a group of students that has planned for the year.

02:39 And I could not go to the next grade if they did not pass an examination after the summer school.

02:51 So they asked me if I was willing to do that. Then I had a group of students ever seems every every summer. I had seven to nine students the bring it up because your children are all very good at math your your daughter. I think even skipped a grade early on a grade school son is an engineer. Another one who is in the computer world is kind of an innovator there and and then you know our daughter my daughter Amelie with your daughter. Yara is very very good at math right now. And so I just was kind of curious if that's something we're that all K kind of how that you had a past that down Equus inherited to me by my father.

03:45 Who attended three years of engineering school wondering architectural school and one year in the National Academy of Art and he did recently got to go to art school is because he was exceptionally good in math, but had a difficult time withdrawing so he couldn't graduate because of the drawing interesting because now art is another something that your children and grandchildren have in common from my phone or from my father's resting. So what do you remember about life's about the conditions in life when you were very young especially because I am asking is because I think it's probably a very great contrast to what you're bringing your grandchildren going through.

04:40 Eating.

04:43 The contrast the worst at my time Mother's States home.

04:51 I will throw it up by with a lot of hole. I love my father did a lot of homework with us in the evenings.

05:03 We were not well off.

05:07 But we Waters middle class.

05:13 So our jobs without my I we were told that our job was to get good grades when we went to school.

05:23 As we grow older Grew Older at the Konami conditions we came in no harder. So we all worked and contributed to our economic life in at home. You know, we we help our parents with some of the expenses like our books or our clothing.

05:47 But that was that was wonderful because we were a very strong family.

05:55 So you weren't expected to work outside of school then.

06:00 My job, for example, when I was in the seventh grade and end up in the weekends. I did work asset math 2.4 engineer A1 engineer with two children who are having difficulties and the Doctor Who has to talk to daughters that were having difficulties with mask.

06:23 And I did not have an out at the outside job.

06:29 Antilla, Washington

06:33 11th grade then I went to be a I was a telephone operator in the morning in the daytime and I went to evening School kind of games. Do you remember playing as a kid with other kids? What did you guys do for fun?

06:53 Yeah, the game is probably do not exist anymore or the word group games where we hide and go seek in.

07:05 When you run and Touch Somebody.

07:13 With the threat alert

07:17 That's probably the type of games that we played and you wrote a lot looser a particular book there that were author that stands out as somebody that you really enjoyed actually the word a lot of a children's it was called children's Fables.

07:36 And I we will read every evening we weave Revenue Fable in with talks about it's my father's like I said was very involved in that were up green upbringing. So before we went to sleep a book was always available as you know, we went to the library and checked out the book. So it was saved by a variety of books. All right, and so

08:05 Kind of foods. Do you remember eating and enjoying when you were younger everything that my mom cooked Angel she cook like an angel Cooks?

08:18 100%

08:21 The telephoto bit about your siblings

08:27 I was the youngest of the three.

08:31 I want is Southport years older and the other is 5 years older than I am exceptionally wonderful academically.

08:46 It was a very good sisters in very good daughters.

08:51 The three of us got along beautifully we eat that was one of the games that now that you remind me my love to play with new dishes and we had a real Little Grill in my mom's supervise than we used to.

09:12 Cook literally cooked with with our grilling and we played we played house with blitz. That was one of the things but there was like I said, they Excel academically they both became my secretaries.

09:32 Because

09:35 Marquice worked all of their lives until they got married.

09:39 What is there television and or radio in your house? Is that a big part of in the middle of our living room? And on Sundays, especially it was a show or a program have to do with that Criminal.

10:08 Whatever, you know, I know we are my father's my sister's my mom and I put chairs around the radio and it was played and I got two of course since he was a little spooky. I had to be close to my father and when it was something scary, he was hold my hand. We didn't get our first television until probably I'm not around 1963.

10:41 Well by that time you were how old?

10:50 18 years old. We are one of the things that we pass the time and my in my house, we had lots of Records. I need the weekends as we get older in the weekends are we have friends coming over and Records would play them with dance till our hearts content.

11:15 Do you remember the names of any of them or artists that you listen to from the United States to Mexico? Yes, many of them the swingy was. Oh my goodness.

11:33 Don't remember either. You're okay. So let's talk then a little bit about

11:43 Your other the circumstances that led to you coming to the United States, ultimately the let's just talk about that will prolong the August of 1964 its group of Americans went to Mexico City college students from Arizona.

12:07 One of their I befriended the group I was in the drama class and I invited a group to attend my play.

12:19 And

12:21 One of their members became very persistent about being my friend.

12:29 We became friends.

12:33 Angry correspondent for 1 and 1/2 years

12:37 He went back to the United States, of course, and we end up getting married.

12:44 I moved to the United States and became a permanent resident.

12:50 In December of a well. I came to the United States at the end of December of 1965 in February 19th of 1966 area. We got married. I also in January. I became a permanent resident of the United States.

13:10 I'm at that time. My husband Jean Bellows. I was still studying at the University.

13:22 So we live with his parents for one whole year.

13:28 In Phoenix, Arizona

13:30 They were told Russian descendant and

13:36 They still in English was limited. So I was forced to to learn how to speak Russian cat past 5 years in high school in you know, I took lessons in Mexico City High School, but I never really practice it. I never expected in my life to move to the United States even though my mom was born here.

14:09 Our leaving was very reasonable there never thought we would relocate.

14:16 And so anyway, I need to learn how to speak Russian first and picked up some of their culture and the cooking. How does one do simply learn to speak Russian in the United States in the mid-1960s when we had just had Kennedy and the Bay of Pigs and some other things have happened to the animosity between Russians and Americans was fairly high at that point. I'm like my in-laws

14:56 First love the United States for allowing them to take to immigrate to the United States and but at home they can Facebook Russian. They kept they went to Russian church today the friends World Russians.

15:15 And living with them.

15:17 I listened in repeated the words very much attention to what they were passing. For example at the table. Are they greeted each other? How do you say goodbye in little by little I picked up a lot of the language the first year I could very much understand what they were saying, even though I couldn't speak fluently grammatically. Of course. I have never taken the language in Seoul.

15:55 Yeah, that's how it that's how I these that's how I learned interacting with people much outside the home there in other words for you having to assimilate to the United States at the same time. You're assimilating to this Russian household. It was that they were no Hispanics in the neighborhood. I was really the only Hispanic

16:18 The only friend that I have with a little old German lady was very limited to what we found each other being both Outsiders, you know and in so she would come and knock on my window and I would come out and we chatted then and that's that's different that I had now. They the way that I wanted to assimilate to the culture is size. I ask my husband to sign me up for English classes evening classes.

16:58 So three times a week I went to to school for the word teaching English as a second language, and I was probably my closest contact to

17:12 To the American culture

17:16 So what happened then you you lived in the in the Bellows house for a year you said and then what was the next move to Yuma, Arizona?

17:31 My husband had a job as a teacher in the Somerton School.

17:38 And she started there January of 1966.

17:45 So that's when I move to Yuma, Arizona.

17:48 And about six months later. We move to Somerton. So he's job with be closed by our daughter was born in Yuma Arizona. My first daughter Yara Bellows was born in Yuma, Arizona.

18:07 And if we leave in summer time for 9 years.

18:13 After that, we move back to Yuma.

18:18 And so what did you do in Yuma. How did you what was your first impressions of the place? First of all?

18:28 I love the small City.

18:31 Is very quaint and give me the opportunity to to move around and learn how to drive I was taking.

18:46 College classes I would assume to to the college take a class. Well first I will take my daughter to school. Then I will go to the college to take a class or to go back home and back and forth, but it was.

19:06 It was very very nice Yuma I found out was it friendly place from the very beginning? I think I have a couple encounters were.

19:18 People ask me to go back to my country or they thought I was in welfare because my husband was a teacher and a good provider but

19:31 Most of the people were wonderful

19:34 Did you ever end up finding work of your own later? I became an instructional aide for the Somerton School District for the Gadsden School District. What I work for almost 18 years. I also to the in this Summer's at Somerton School District math tutor. I was a math tutor for the summer school sessions.

20:08 Did you like that?

20:10 I loved it.

20:12 I love children.

20:15 And of course my passion being mad and seeing them as Otis was was quite an experience very very positive experience.

20:27 So would you have wanted to or chosen to become a full-time teacher yourself?

20:37 Yes, but I did not have the opportunity economically.

20:45 We thought we couldn't afford.

20:48 For me to go to school you required to make me like a fool University degree, right?

20:57 I'm job.

21:00 But I kept taking like I said, I keep taking classes.

21:05 At the college during my whole

21:09 Live proper. Practically Till I Retire till the year 2000.

21:17 So life in Yuma versus life that you knew in Mexico. Is it an easy transition? Did you find yourself missing certain aspects of life from your childhood here most of my family?

21:39 Culturally both countries are very different.

21:46 We would a very tight family with celebrated on holidays together.

21:57 The foods

22:00 And it needed was not just my immediate family, but all my extended family.

22:07 People would say probably that my parents were overprotective. For example.

22:16 I was 20 years old and my sister would still go with me take me to school and my father would pick me up.

22:24 So

22:26 I was not an independent person and coming here. I've had to survive and become more independent.

22:37 So that was one of the difficulties a language.

22:43 I'm still trying to learn how to speak English and then having to learn how to speak Russian and and survive with a Russian culture as well for me. My in-laws were very fresh. And so yeah, it was it was definitely very very difficult.

23:07 On the way going back to referencing some of the things that you learned about the Russians when you came to the United States, here are some of the dishes that you cook and even now to this day that your children and grandchildren adore you for are some of those Russian dishes. Can you talk a little bit about some of the ones that are your favorites and what you like about them?

23:37 That wonderful person food is delicious.

23:44 Borscht.

23:46 Peter ski

23:48 Haluski

23:54 Let's describe some of those because The Borgias basically at I will how would you describe it? It's a guy would I look at it? Like it's mostly a suit, but it's very filling in Russia. There are hundreds of varieties of Porsche depending on the region that the person lives and the availability of baby animals a divorce that I learn how to make included beef potatoes cabbage carrots parsley Tomatoes beats Lucid very reach you make the bullion and you are those vegetables.

24:42 It is hot borscht.

24:46 Because in Russia, they also have cold boards. Yes.

24:53 So then get her ski, I think he's the most wonderful Discovery day. Did the Russians make its saddle IKEA store in a meeting to little Paris filled with ground beef and deal and onions their deep-fried spongy the smell wonderful. They taste wonderful cakes. And yeah, very handy and the the the children also like the haluski. In fact, I think if there's one thing we've had in our own house, maybe more than any other item this year. It might be that I'll tell us tell us about that.

25:52 With dumplings

25:55 The dumplings are not very similar to American dumplings, but they're just egg flour.

26:08 Salt in water and then you just keep useful with little pieces of the door and and they cook out and puff up and they're very delicious.

26:21 And let's see the colour yetis is a the beef patty, right? That's the night. I sometimes do I sometimes don't remember the names of them myself. It's actually like a very similar to a French croquette.

26:40 It's sad. It's just ground beef with onion eggs. I garlic.

26:47 Parsley and Dill and bread and milk and you make it do with it then make nopales and deep-fried to

27:01 Friday bloated but in the oil what is the name of the one that is like a do kind of reminds me of being Asian might call in a potsticker, but you can fry it and then sometimes two different ways. It's almost like a desert. It's sad also a door.

27:29 Fielding with cheese or potatoes and onions or fruits it is boiled not price and you eat it like you said dinner with sour cream or butter depending on the feeling.

27:50 And if he says sweet feeling you can also add powdered sugar or honey.

27:57 I want you to go through some of your favorite dishes that you brought back from Mexico also and and still like enjoy to this day particularly those which are not common to this particular region because I've heard you say before that the cooking from where you the region of Mexico you grew up in his different from the Mexican style cooking that we typically see here in Yuma.

28:26 The names of the dishes are just like they want to hear but they're prepared differently Lida calabacitas with pork.

28:37 Pork meat

28:45 I can't think of what is albondigas albondigas in the northern part of Mexico is soup.

28:55 Mexico City is a main dish is not a soup.

29:04 I I I I don't I don't really think of the differences now to deal with what we now is known as the American Taco maybe Kenny came from from that maybe we thinking soup and egg.

29:31 The main dish which is not a sopes is just five as ground beef potatoes tomatoes onions and keeping up with your family who remain in Mexico since you lived in need move to the United States his travel been easy of you you see them enough. Do you talk to them enough? They was monetary.

29:58 Long distance was very expensive at the time when I first game.

30:07 And so we would have I was limited to speak to them. Maybe once a month for 3 minutes.

30:18 Our communication was mainly done by letter.

30:23 And that was that was seat. And since my husband was he still going to school?

30:30 Our economic resources were very limited the same at the same time. I became pregnant with our first child. So are they now work when he find a job our priorities words keeping our little family together economically, so no I did not have it an opportunity to go very often.

31:02 Would this make a few trips?

31:07 My car and now again is that I my husband's health is

31:16 Very poor so I cannot leave him and also the the safety in my country.

31:28 Security in my country

31:30 Soap for example if I go, you know, I wouldn't be able to wonder about I usually stay very close to the family premises.

31:44 But mostly right now, my my I've been distant because because of my husband's help. I haven't been there for 10 years.

31:56 If any of them had the opportunity to travel here and see you visit you here for one month.

32:06 And in all that years that I've been having in the United States for almost 54 years, and I only have one visit from my sister and one of my nieces came and I spend a couple weeks with us.

32:23 My nephew's what Heroes do for 2 weeks?

32:31 My parents used to come maybe every three years that would come and visit with me.

32:42 This point I'm going to have since you took some notes ahead of this occasion. I'm going to have you go through a few of them and end and a prompt me on some things that had came to your mind that we haven't covered yet in the time that we have here left.

33:04 I'm the daughter of Juana Maria Salazar.

33:09 She was born March 21st of 1921.

33:16 At in Cook County, Illinois for birthdays the day before your daughter's now.

33:26 She died in April.

33:29 Night at April

33:33 27 of 20 not a 2009

33:38 Now she's the daughter of Miguel.

33:44 Midas Duran

33:47 Which

33:49 In in the in the United States was registered as mic.

33:56 Midas Maris, they made a mistake against in his paperwork is m a r i s is opposed. Lee and how is it supposed to be spelled m a r e s

34:15 And her mother name was Andrea Salazar.

34:22 His name was recorded as Andre.

34:27 Sally Sara

34:32 Which is completely different.

34:36 And never give you any explanation as to why that happened. You know, it probably is very much like in with my family my immediate family. I see once you get the paper you put it in an envelope and you forget it and you don't check it now. I don't know how little my grandfather was in English.

35:04 So if they made a mistake, I don't know if he caught it.

35:09 And and I just went unnoticed for years and years until they try to trace the background that they couldn't anyways because of they they miss their names that were missing spell.

35:24 Not my mama's so I think I I don't know if I missed your name is Juana.

35:32 And they'd register us June Maurice.

35:39 And that was it. I said the birth certificate official copy should in June 1st of that was our copy in June 1971, We acquired her birth certificate and ID registration District number was 160.

35:57 So it was very very very different.

36:02 Not my father's I have my grandparents great. You were my grandparents shirt. Okay, that's

36:12 And her father was in labor labor of their chicaago Burlington & Quincy Railroad.

36:24 The mother was a housewife and both were from the country of Mexico. They were taken as children, maybe five or six years old to the United States.

36:38 Okay hair grandparents. What on the paternal side?

36:43 Asymptomatic and Maria Duran

36:47 On the maternal side Julio Salazar and Karina Flores

36:54 No, I'm the daughter of a Salvador Medina florist.

36:59 Son of Pedro Medina born in Spain and Rosario Flores

37:08 Born in Mexico City

37:13 On the paternal side my grandparents at Antonio Marino.

37:20 Altima sound Tavares on the maternal side Lawrence of Lourdes and the Lourdes Juarez.

37:29 My father was born in June 8th of 1911 and he died January 8th of 1991.

37:44 All right.

37:47 Well, I appreciate you sharing all of this and preserving this history for your descendants and for the other members of the family a lot of the stuff of stuff. I didn't know anything else that you know, reflecting on your your time in your life that you would like to share document what we have this occasion.

38:16 Actually

38:20 I am very satisfied.

38:24 With with what has gone through my life. I have three wonderful children.

38:33 For wonderful grandchildren and I love my lost my children lost.

38:39 I was blessed.

38:43 I was blessed with being part of this country.

38:50 And that's really basically.

38:54 What anybody would have want?

38:58 It's wonderful. Thank you.