Interview: Lucy Camacho
I
Interviewer: Christy Obando
Interviewee: Lucy Camacho
Interviewer: What part of Puerto Rico are you from?
Interviewee: I am from Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico.
Interviewer: How old were you when you left Puerto Rico?
Interviewee: I was 24 years old, and I moved here with my husband and our three children. We still go home to visit family at least two times a year.
Interviewer: Can you tell me what the schools are like in Puerto Rico?
Interviewee: Puerto Rico is part of the United States, so the school system is set up the same way. The children start kindergarten when they are five years old, and they graduate in the 12th grade. The only thing that is different is that kids learn English and Spanish in Puerto Rico. That is why all Puerto Ricans know English when we come here; you know how some Mexicans or Cubans don’t speak English when they come here? Puerto Ricans learn English the same as we learn Spanish. But, like I said Puerto Rico is part of the U.S., so it wouldn’t make sense for us not to know English.
Interviewer: That makes sense, I don’t know why I didn’t think about that. So, what are the primary religions in Puerto Rico? Are there several different religions practiced, like there are here?
Interviewee: No. The only religion is Catolica; everyone is Catholic. You know, there might be a few people who don’t practice religion, but I have never known of any other kinds of churches, and I have never known any Puerto Ricans who were any other religion besides Catholic.
Interviewer: What holidays are observed in Puerto Rico, and are they celebrated in the same way they are here?
Interviewee: Well, all of the American and Christian holidays; Christmas, New Year’s, Easter, the 4th of July, Thanks Giving, Memorial Day, and Veteran’s Day. They are mostly the same except Puerto Ricans, we are loud; we play loud music and we dance, and we always have a lot of food.
Interviewer: Tell me about the food.
Interviewee: Well, for example, for Noche Buena, (Christmas Eve) we always make a roast pig; and for Thanksgiving we have pernil or le chon asado, which is a roast pork. For every holiday and almost every meal, we have rice, different kinds of rice. For holidays, usually arroz con gandules, which is yellow rice with sausage, bacon, pork, and onions. Mofongo, is mashed plantains with sofrito, shrimp and pork. Alcapurrias, grated plantains with meat and cheese in the middle; you make it in a ball and fry it.
Interviewer: What about dessert?
Interviewee: No, we don’t have a lot dessert; after you eat all of that food, you don’t want dessert.
Interviewer: Can you tell about Puerto Rican traditions?
Interviewee: There are the usual holiday traditions that are the same as here; on the 4th of July we do fireworks, we decorate for Christmas, we have big Thanksgiving dinners. One thing that is different is the Quinciera; it’s like a sweet 16 party, but we do it when the girl is fifteen. And it is huge; it is like a wedding. There is a lot of food, music, dancing, and the girls where really beautiful gowns. And it lasts all day.
Interviewer: What about boys; do they have any kind of big birthday celebration?
Interviewee: No, like here, the boys don’t have sweet 16 parties.
Interviewer: Speaking of parties, what kind of music is popular in Puerto Rico?
Interviewee: It is pretty much the same music as here; you know rock n roll or rap; Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, but also you know the same music on the radio here; Justin Timberlake, Beyoncé, or Christina Aguilera. But my favorite is salsa and merengue.
Interviewer: What kinds of things do people do for fun in Puerto Rico; you like sports or hobbies?
Interviewee: Baseball, tennis, volleyball, basketball, and dominoes. You know how the schools here have football? In Puerto Rico, they play tennis in the schools.
Interviewer: Do you think the family roles are the same? I mean in the sense that men and women are equal, and share the parental responsibilities and household chores.
Interviewee: Oh yes, the men do the house cleaning and help with the kids, too. It just depends on who has more time, or who gets home first, and stuff like that. I would never put up with a man who does not clean the house!!!
Interviewer: Describe to me, what a typical day is like for someone who lives in Puerto Rico.
Interviewee: It is the same as here; in the morning you go to work; the kids go to school, and you come home in the evening, clean the house, have dinner, and the kids do homework and go to bed.