Oral History Interview Guide SOC 290 Courtney Fugate

General Questions: What is your name? Naara Lopez How long have you been in America? 33 years Do you consider yourself in any way an American? I am in American, Guatemala is part of America. If so, in what ways? Tell me about them. The United State took possession of the name American. All countries of the continent are Americans and therefore there are many cultures. My culture unfortunately is lost by the influence of Americanism. In what ways do you not feel like a typical American? If you are asking me if I feel part of the United States culture, I would said that no, I dont feel at any point like a typical American Do you feel segregated from the general, native population in any way? yes If so, in what ways? Tell me about them. I am a human as anybody else.

Migration: What is your country of origin? Guatemala What did you do there before you came to America? I was a secretary What were the driving forces behind your immigration to America? The civil war of Guatemala How long have you been here? 33 years Do you have any children? 2 If so, did you have them before or after you came to America? One is from Guatemala and the other from here. Tell me about your journey to America? How did you pay for it? With money Were there any specific people who helped you achieve your goal of immigrating to America? Not all people who comes to this country is illegal, I come with a visa and flew by plane. We had the financial stability to do so. Did you have any relatives, friends, contacts, etc. in America before arriving here? My sister was married to a USA citizen. She moved in 1979 Did they influence your decision to come? No Were there any organizations/institutions like churches, social groups, etc. that helped you or hindered you in your immigration to America? No Did you immigrate to America with the idea of staying permanently? Yes What influenced that decision? The war in my country When is the last time you visited your home country? 1991

Do you miss anything about it? The people and my culture

Integration: When you arrived in America what did you do for work? Cleaning houses How long did it take you to get a job when you immigrated here? About 3 weeks Do you feel being a foreigner helped or hindered your attaining of a job? Very much Do you feel you were ever treated differently on the job? Of course Did you speak English when you immigrated to America? Not very much How do you think that influenced your ability to support yourself economically? Is was really hard. Were there any American work norms that you had to learn to integrate into the American work-force? Yes , all of them Did you ever experience any racial prejudice after you arrived in America? Both on the job and off. I only work for someone else for 3 weeks, It was a factory. Discrimination was a part of their daily lives. That was the main reason I decided to work for myself. Besides, my family always had their own business and never worked for somebody else. But, the worst experience I have had was in North Carolina. I am a Real Estate broker and working as a licensed real estate professional, agents from the same industry-- people who know they should not legally discriminatediscriminated against me. If so, tell me about it. How did it make you feel? Are there any specific instances you can recall? Were you hopeful that these situations would stop eventually or did you feel you would be forever segregated? Discrimination is part of this system, is in congress, the white house and my next door neighbored. Do you still feel segregated? I dont allow anyone to make me feel segregated. depends on me to set myself free from discrimination. If so, how? Tell me about it. Did you feel different from the general/native population when you arrived here? I immigrated to California which was Mexico so the differences in culture are not so separate. But, I know I was different. Do you still feel different? No way!! Fuck them Do you think that is a good thing or bad thing? Tell me about your opinions on that. It is a great think because what makes as different from each other is ignorance, and I am not ignorant. Do you think being a little different from the majority is a good thing? Is beautiful, makes you unique. When you arrived in America were you interested in politics? All the time Did you register to vote? Unfortunately, yes

Did you understand the political system in any way? yes What did you think of it? Is a bunch of shit as any other place in America, the continent How does it compare to your home countries political system? The same, this country is as corrupted as all Latin America. Are you interested in American politics now? How about politics in your home country? I am a USA citizen, I am again all corruption and discrimination and if I can do something to change, I will be part of the process.

Membership: Do you feel you have successfully integrated? I have If so, how long do you think it took you to feel at home here? 2 years What systems and institutions do you think helped you integrate? They can be social, religious, educational, anything. Tell me about it. You can have all the resources available, but if you as a person dont want to be part of the community, it wouldnt happen. What are your ties to your home country? My whole family lives in USA. I have no immediately family left in Guatemala. Do you feel you go back as often as youd like? Not really Is it easy to go back? Very easy What are the trips like back home? I havent been in Guatemala since 1991. But they are always beautiful If so, what is that like? Tell me about it. Do you plan to stay permanently in America or return to your home country eventually? This is home Where do you consider your home to be? This is home