Interview

1. When and where were you born?

March 14 1921 in Cuyapo, Philippines
2. What was your favorite thing to do as a child?
Spending time with my dad at the market because it was our bonding
moment
3. How did living a poor life shape the parson you are today?
It has made me a very strong woman and it had taught me a lot. I
know whats its like to have nothing and have a lot. Although life was
very hard the love and care of my parents showed me to be a kind person
and to spread it around. Although my husband died at a young age the
life continued on and I worked hard to provide and care for my five
children and now that Im old they are taking care of me like I took care of
them. If you spread love you get love back
4. What was your dream job when you grew up?
Ive always wanted to be a stay at home mom but since my husband
died, I had to work to provide for my children. I wanted to have a big
family and to live in a nice house and take care of my children.
5. What is your earliest childhood memory?
I remember playing outside with my siblings and friends. We would be
running around and playing tag.
6. What did you sell at the market with your father?
We sold meat and fish that we either got from the ocean or the animals
we had in our yard.
7. What was the hardest time of your life?
The hardest time of my life was when WWII was happening and my
family was very scared because the Japanese were terrorizing the
town. My father didnt make a lot of money so we barely had any food
to eat for a while.
8. How did WWII affect you?
It affected my life and my familys life a lot. Sometimes we wouldnt
have food to put on the table and we would either stay at home the
whole day because we were scared to go out. I hated war because it

causes nothing but trouble and since we were very poor it made life
even harder for us.
9. Did you have any pets growing up?
No but we had a cow that my dad use to let me ride around.
10.

What is your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement is never giving up on my family and now I

live in the United States with them and they are taking care of me
11.
be?

If you could change one thing from your childhood what would it

I wouldnt change anything because God gave me the life I had.

Wherever he guided me he provided also and this gave me the
strength to push further when times were tough.
12.

Do you regret not finishing high school?

Yes and no. I had to help my father at the market so I had to do what I
needed to do, but If I did finish high school it wouldve have open
opportunities for me like getting a real job in the city of Manila.
13.

Who are your heroes?

My heroes are my parents because they raised me to be the person I

am today and helped me no matter how hard times were. They saved
me from living the life of a beggar or worst death. They never stopped
loving me and that was really important to me. I looked up to them
every day because of how hard they work to provide for me and one
another.
14.

Who was your first love?

My first love was your grandfather. He came to me one day and started
talking to me. We became friends and soon we started hanging out
with each other a lot. We grew up together and we were close. One day
he proposed his love for me and proposed to get married with me. That
was one of the happiest moments of my life.
15.

What was your favorite thing about your husband?

He was very kind and loving. He always put me first and never hurt me
in anyway. Even when times were tough he always managed to make
me smile and laugh along with our kids.
16.

What was it like living in a small one room house?

It was like any normal home. It was all we could afford so I didnt not
complain. I had a roof over my head and I was grateful for that.
17.

Did you celebrate your birthdays?

No, we didnt have a lot of money so we just had a day out as a family
to celebrate it. My dad would spend what little we had to buy me
candy that I really liked.
18.
How did you manage to raise 5 kids by yourself after your
husband died?
My oldest son helped me out in the house and his brothers and sister
helped me out with making money and providing food on the table. We
worked as a team making it easier on each of our lives.
19.

Did you play any sports?

No, our school never had sports except when we had P.E. it was one of
my favorite subjects because it was fun and it was one of the few ways
I got my exercise.
20.

Do you like living in the Philippines or the United States more?

I like living in the United States more because most of my family is

here but I also love spending a lot of time in the Philippines. Whenever
I get the chance I go there to spend some time with the people I grew
up with.