Language_Eagle Pass_NC_06052024

Hi, this is Nathalia Chavarria. Today is June 5 2024. And I'm here in [COMMUNITY NAME] for an interview with one of our community members. Before we begin, I'd like to get a verbal consent for the form that we went over. Could you please say I consent to being interviewed and audio recorded for this study

I consent for this interview.

Okay, to get started, can you tell me about how you came to live in this community?

Pardon?

To get started? Can you tell me about how you came to live in this community?

I was born here.

You're born here, like, 

[COMMUNITY NAME], Texas.

Okay. Can you tell you a bit more about this community? How will you describe it to someone who doesn't live here?

It's very unique in the sense that uh you almost feel like you're in another country. 

Okay, what do you think about the border? 

Uh I live here, like maybe a half a mile from the river um. I'm very proud to live here. Yet at the same time, of course, there are quite a few problems with people cutting through my, my fence and my farm and my animals getting out, which is very disturbing. But other than that, I'm very happy because I do get to get to go to Mexico and do some shopping every two or three weeks. And um it's very pleasing. 

All right, in your time living here how has the community changed?  

Oh, my goodness [CLEARS THROAT]. I'm kind of old. So I remember, you know, the um city limits [CLEARS THROAT] being um [LAUGHS] so to speak just right on top of the hill. And now it goes clear out pass the hill and pass another hill. [GIGGLES] And, and uh, I mean, it goes out um just three or four miles out further then then then um where it was when I was a kid. And it's rather interesting that just a block away from my house uh. I lived outside of the city limits then um was the city dump uh. And um, as a matter of fact, right now, a school is built on that [COMMUNITY ELEMENTRY NAME] 

Oh.

is built on that um landfill [CLEARS THROAT]. So you know, I've I've seen many things change. The airport used to be two blocks away. Now it's 12 miles out, they used to be right where the mall is right now. I mean, not the mall, the [COMMUNITY GROCERY STORE] and [STUTTER] the stuff on the east side of um [STREET NAME] street. That basically speaking uh, it has been uh rather exciting to see the growth. 

Interesting, okay, where are the strengths of this community? 

What was that?

The strengths of this community? 

[CLEARS THROAT] Basically speaking, I would say that uh we have a very good school district um I feel that uh many doctors have literally come out of [COMMUNITY NAME] that many rather well known professionals and um so that speaks very highly for our educational system here in [COMMUNITY NAME]. And uh I have been very proud of of all of our graduates the way they continue they go on to college and and um trying to uh get a profession that uh could be a life sustaining uh job.

Interesting, okay, and as we have strengths we have weaknesses, where are the weaknesses in this community? 

I would say the biggest weakness is um uh our corrupt politicians. We've had uh about seven different ones thrown in jail for up to even 10 years for their corrupt activity. But um besides that [CLEARS THROAT] I'm very proud of [STUTTER] the fact that [SIGH] I served for eight years on the school board and um I feel like that that um we did quite a bit that was very productive for our community [CLEARS THROAT] several bonds and things like that that will that went through and and um the last one that that I remember that was a uh [STUTTER] big deal for [COMMUNITY TOWN NAME]was the um SAC. 

Okay. Can you elaborate more why was that an issue?

Pardon?  

Why was that like a big thing and on [COMMUNITY TOWN NAME]? 

What was that?

What was it a big thing in [COMMUNITY TOWN NAME] like the SAC?

Well, the the fact that um [CLEARS THROAT] it the bond went through so that we could have um the um football field and um [STUTTER] all of that activities [PHONE RINGS] stuff out there. [INTERVIEW STOP COMMUNITY MEMBER RECEIVED AN IMPORTANT PHONE CALL]

Alright, so…

Basically speaking, it was um it was a uh [STUTTER] very big deal as far as um [STUTTER] you know trying to push it through. And it [STUTTER] went through. And I, if I remember correctly it was something, I don't know is uh many million dollar uh activity uh um for the activities Student Activity Center, which we call SAC.

Okay I see, yeah, I've been there a couple of times, it's pretty big. Um can you tell about the roles and relationships you have in this community?

The what?

 The roles and relationships you have in this community?

The what?

The roles? And the relationships?

The roles?

Yeah, like your roles and relationships in this community. The role?

Where is that?

Over here, about the roles and relationships you have in this community. [LONG PAUSE, Participant READS THE PAPER]

Roles and relationships. What I understand about that is [CLEARS THROAT] maybe I shouldn't say it, but [SIGH]

[SMALL LAUGH]

People putting in their relatives, their real close friends, into certain positions. Other people being strike as stricken out of being able to have a job because they're given it to a friend. That has been very common here. As a matter of fact, I will say this, my son in law was not given a job. And other people were given jobs, just I mean, he was highly qualified. But as they say um, things got better for him. Anyhow. He got a lot more money elsewhere

That's great.

So it was a blessing in disguise. 

That's great. I'm happy to hear that. What do you do for work?

Well, now I'm retired. But um what I did when I was um working, basically speaking, I was in charge of the music department in a small Bible College here in[ COMMUNITY TOWNS NAME] that my father started in 1945. And um I was born uh. That first school year, I was born in 46. And so basically speaking [CLEARS THROAT] uh , it was um just really, very, very exciting. Very good.

Did you study anything? Did you went to school?

Yes um. From high school, I went to uh Bible college, and I got my degree there. Then I went to [CITY IN MEXICO] and uh lived there for three years. And um uh enjoyed it thoroughly back then I wouldn't enjoy it, now. It's too big. But um basically speaking um uh I came back to [COMMUNITY TOWN NAME] in '73. And so I've been here ever since.

Interesting.How do you think your connections in this community influence your work?

[ASKING IF PHONE WAS STILL RECORDING IN SPANISH]

Si.

How do what?

How do you think your connections and this community influenced your work?

Connections? 

Yes. [LONG PAUSE]

Like, like what, how do you understand that,

Like back then when you were like in,

Cual es? [ASKING WHAT QUESTION IT IS ON THE PAPER]

Es esta [POINTS AT PAPER, LONG PAUSE]

Basically speaking, I would say that, anytime you do your job, you are going to be influential in some way or other with other people. And um, of course, you're always hoping that your influence is positive on their lives. But um basically um lot of times you are able to progress because of uh friends that you have known uh help you through your um daily walk of what you're trying to accomplish. 

Okay, now that we've talked more about your work, can you tell me about how you got into this role? You already mentioned how you're  into the work?

Yeah, here basically speaking like I said, I was in [CITY IN MEXICO] [CLEARS THROAT]. And uh the, the man who was in charge of the music department was basically kind of trying to retire and get out and, and go do something that he had always dreamed of doing. So he stopped by and invited me to come back to my hometown [COMMUNITY TOWN NAME] And that was in '73. And so uh like I say, I've been here ever since um. And uh that's the way I, I got this particular job it was through um uh a man that worked with my father, but, but um my father had nothing to do with bringing me back.

Okay. All right. How long have you been working there?  

I worked are close to 30 years.

Oh Wow. Okay. And you were teaching how to play instruments?

Uh, a little bit, not not much.

Okay.

But um mostly I was involved um with choirs, men's choirs, men's,uh ladies choirs, mixed choirs. I was also involved in teaching um music theory. Plus um, I did do quite a bit of voice training.

Okay, how was like a normal workday for you? How did it look like?

Well [CLEARS THROAT] , of course, as long as it was the class, there was a schedule I had to follow. But basically, where um [CLEARS THROAT]  a very large portion of my job was been dean of students, married students and single students, boys and girls, uh I was always in uh, in the middle of whatever. Like, you could say problems, some of them would have with each other. In other words, not to say fighting. But of course, you know, their, their differences of opinion. And so therefore, sometimes there are conflicts, but basically speaking, it was very good, because I was able to, you know, help all of them solve their problems.

Okay.

And it was even uh having to do with them [CLEARS THROAT]  their health issues also.

Oh wow, okay. What does it mean to be um in your job in the community?

What was that?

[LONG PAUSE POINTING AT THE QUESTION IN THEIR PAPER] Like a music teacher in your community, how was that?

Really um, my job [SIGHS] didn't really [SIGHS] uh have much relationship with the community, other than where we [STUTTERS], I was with uh  choirs, many, many, many times, like in uhat Christmas time, we would go to the mall and sing, we would go to the old people's homes and then sing, and and basically speaking, you know, try to [STUTTERS] help people get a little bit of a uh little bit of joy and also uh a little bit of uh a little touch with what is basically uh at that particular time will Christian uh Christian Christmas music, the basically,

Okay, all right. What aspects of your job bring you the most joy or satisfaction? What aspects of your job brought you the most joy or satisfaction?

[CLEARS THROAT] Well, basically,[STUTTER] basically speaking, where I dealt a lot with with people, [MIC GOT HIT] it was such a satisfaction to be able to see that you you help them uh triumph in life. And the main thing I would say, is the satisfaction to see them uh go back to their hometown, or go to a uh various different uh places in the world um. To you know, basically, like all of our students would, would come from places like um Spain, Portugal, um not Portugal, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Central America, several, you know, from, like South America, and even Mexico, the Dominican Republic. Uh and now like several of the Spanish speaking people that the school has, have come from Africa, there's a Spanish speaking there in I think it's called Giana [GHANA?], or I can't remember but it's on the the west coast of of Africa. And and it's uh an area there that they do speak Spanish, that's what they speak. 

Oh wow, it's very interesting. Okay, we're gonna move forward with the research questions from PI. And we're going to talk about the resident or your experience as a resident in this community.

Okay.

The first set of questions, I'll read a statment to you, and when I'd like you to indicate the extent of your agreement with each one. I'll have you give [PAUSE] I'll have you give your answer on a scale of one to four? Okay, I'm gonna ask you several questions.

Okay.

And one being you completely disagree, two you somewhat disagree, three is somewhat agree, and four is to completely agree, okay.

Okay.

Okay I'll let you to comment on any of the statement please feel free to okay, if you want me to stop at any point, let me know too. 

Okay.

Alright, so the first the phrase is I consider myself to be an American. Will you say that you [PAGE TURNING] completely agree, somwhat disagree?

Completely.

You completely agree? [Participant NODS IN RESPONSE] Okay, using the same scale, how will you rate the following statement? I consider myself to be a Texan. 

Oh, absolutely four.

Four, okie dokie. Which of the following three statements do you agree with the most strongly? I'm American first and Texan. Second, I'm a Texan first and American second, or being Texan American are equally important to me. 

[LONG PAUSE] No number one, I am an American above being a Texas.

Texan. Okay. The next phase is to be true Texan you must know how to speak English. What will you write this one using the same scale we started with?

One.

One? Okay, how about to be true Texan you must know how to speak Spanish?

Absolutely one. 

Okay. The next phrase is in my community, you can do everything you want and get everything you need, even when you don't speak English.

One.

Okay. Finally, in my community, life has been pretty stable over the last 40 years, things haven't changed much. 

Uh, three.

Three, okay. Now, I'd like to hear from you about the community itself. What are some of the things that have changed in this community during the last few decades?

I would say mainly growth uh. And um part of that has been because of the casino. The casino has brought in many, many, many hotels. And um like when I was here, there was maybe one or two and they were real, very, very small. And uh now it's almost you stop and think how can it be possible that there would be so many hotels and be filled? You know, it just it just incredible uh. And also the fact that that uh about 20 or so years ago, uh a huge mall came in and then across the uh street from the the mall uh a very large, like soft shopping center came in. And so it has been very, very huge and growing. 

Okay, overall, is this a good community to live in? 

Oh, yes.

Yeah? Why would that be?

I would say the the diversity of uh um even the races that are here we have Chinese uh, Filipinos uh, Africans uh, African Americans uh, we have um um just, you know, quite a few different races. But yet at the same time, [COMMUNITY TOWN NAME]has been known to be a very, very friendly community. 

Okay. What was or is the best part about being a kid or a young person in this community? 

[CLEARS THROAT]I think that the main thing that I um especially received was being able to be fully bilingual. And I'm so proud to be uh a even though I'm an Anglo uh uh , I have been very proud to say that my first language was Spanish. And uh yet at the same time, I'm going to brag, but it's true. I speak better Spanish than many, many Mexicans. I mean, it's incredible, though, a lot of times they will even ask me, Are you Mexican? And I will say yes. [LAUGH] 

[GIGGLES] Yes. Um, do you feel traditional way of life in this community is going away? The traditional way of life? 

In a way, I would say, yes, the traditional way of life has been um depleting, uh going away. And yet at the same time, I try to accept the fact that all the time there is change. And I do not want change to really [MIC GOT HIT] bother me. Although I will have to say that there are quite a few things that have been changing, that are very difficult to accept. And I'm going to say one of them [CHAIR SOUND]. I'm not going to state that about um gays and lesbians, but the one that does bother me quite a bit, is it is becoming very, very standard now, for a young boy and young girl to start living together before they get married. That that does bother me. It bothers me because I think that that uh you are cheapening yourself. You are really um um in in a possible way of your spouse, your, your friend all of a sudden saying "I'm not married, so I'm going someplace else." And generally speaking, this is my opinion, the one that gets hurt the most is the girl. And and so even when I was teaching Sunday school, I would tell them and tell them and tell them. And it seems rather strange that almost all of the kids that were in my Sunday school class today are living together. 

Interesting. Okay? What's your favorite sports team?

Pardon?

What's your favorite sport team? 

[LAUGHS] I am not a sportsman.  

Oh.

As a person of sports very much at all.

Okay.

 I do enjoy um seeing certain games uh. Sometimes I I have even watched golf. And I don't really know nothing about golf. [LAUGH] And and then some people say, How can you sit there and and watch the? I don't know, you know, it's just I guess,[LAUGHS] I guess I just, it's rather impressive that someone can hit a ball and make it fall in a hole[ LAUGHS]. Two blocks away.

[LAUGHS] Yeah.

[LAUGHS] But anyhow, no, I, I do enjoy uh. You know, some, but I'm just not really into into sports. I've, I've always considered myself a person that enjoys working more than than playing. And um that has been something in my life that that, that if I'm not working, people say, "Huh, you need to quit and then the rest?" Well, to me, that's, that's my sport. 

It, has it been like that all your life?

Pardon?

Has it been like that all your life?

I would say yes. But you know, as a kid, when my father would put me to work sometimes I would think he was trying to have a slave. [LAUGHS] 

[LAUGHS] yeah I see.

But that's just children, of course.

Yeah, of course, talking about that. Do you have any shores when you grew up? As you were young?  

Did I have what? 

any chores?

Chores?

Yes.

yes. And I think that that was very, very uh fruitful. For me. I always had rabbits, chickens or something that I had to take care of. And the one thing that I learned from my parents, and even my grandparents, is, you know, like, when you go out to do the chores, remember, your animals enjoy fresh water, just like you enjoy clean water yourself. And um one day, I remember my grandfather chewing me out because I didn't really rinse the water container for the chickens. And he said, "Well, how would you like to be drinking water, you know, in something like this". And, and as I've been doing the chores, I've noticed that every time I go out to give them like fresh water, maybe even they already had water. But once you take them fresh water, they, they start drinking right, right away. 

Oh wow.

Cows, sheep, chickens, they all uh they enjoy, you know? So basically speaking, when you have a chore to be doing every day, it's very important. And then I'll go one step further. With this hot weather. If you don't gather the eggs daily, they almost fry out [LAUGHS] 

Yeah [LAUGHS] 

in the barn.[LAUGHS] 

Yeah,this is weather horrible. What was the worst chore? 

Worst chore?  

Yeah, the only thing like "I can't like I'm tired of this." Like, when you were growing up.

I, I guess I was the type of person that you know, you just did what you had to do. And uh [STUTTER] I really wasn't really a gripe or I'd just go ahead and do it. I don't really remember anything being special that I just did not like, 

I see. So you really enjoy doing the chores.

Yeah, mhm.

Taking care of the animals.  

Yeah.

 All right. Some people think that it's hard for boys and girls to be friends. What do you think?  

What was that?  

Some people think that it's hard for boys and girls to be friends? What do you think of that? 

[LONG PAUSE] I've never thought that's hard. 

Oh.

[PAGES TURNING] I think that um basically speaking, it's almost a natural instinct for girls to like to visit with boys and even boys to like to visit with girls. So I've never considered that being something hard at all.  

Alright, Okay. Can you ever tell a story about another person thinking the other person was not near you, but then turned around and saw the person was standing right next to you? 

In a way, Yes. Because uh I've actually heard people speaking about the gringo and so forth, so on thinking that I don't know Spanish. And then it's rather interesting for me to uh turn around and say,"Que decias?"

[LAUGH] That's very, is it very common? 

Uh not necessary. No, [STUTTER] because basically speaking, I've not really necessarily been an eavesdropper, someone that's always listening to what other people are saying. So basically speaking, no, I don't I don't think that's really been a big problem. 

Okay, had ever happened to you that you were talking about someone and that person was right next to you, or

[CLEARS THROAT]

behind you. 

Uh maybe once or twice, you know uh,I I think it's kind of uh natural that something coincidentally would happen like that. But  um basically, if I ever had have anything to say about somebody else uh, I, I would, generally speaking, I guess, you know, not necessarily, I, I would necessarily make sure that that um I was where no one was around other than the person that I was talking to.  

Yeah okay. All right. But think of the 1990s as the golden decade of pop music. Do you agree? 

Of what now?

[Points at the question on the paper] This one.

[LONG PAUSE] That that question is rather hard for me to answer because I don't read let's listen the 90s. See, I got married in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. So that would be when I had already been married about 20 years. So my oldest child would be close to 20, 21, 22 um. I don't really remember much about music like that. Being pop. 

Okay.

Being pop. I really don't. I, I just can't answer. 

All right. Well, if that's the case, then what's like your favorite like decade of music. 

I really like classical music. I, I do kind of like the Luis Miguel type of music, you know, the the popular uh singers songs. But um I, I do remember that there were certain eras of of different groups of people that would sing that, that I really liked. But mainly mainly, it was back like in the 60s and the early 70s.  

Okay, okay.

But I would say really? No, I would say mostly in the 60s. 

Okay.

When I was like in high school.[LAUGHS] 

Yeah. Okay. Yeah, that makes sense. Okay. Well, thank you so much for the answers. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. If you have the time, I just have one last request for you before we conclude our interview. One of the overreaching research questions through the home to Texas program is about linguistic changes in Texas. As part of this project, and linguistic researchers asking the interview participants read a brief passage, which should only take a couple of minutes. It's a short made up story about a life in Texas that was created in the 1980s. And since then, linguistic samples of people's, no, excuse me, linguist researchers have recorded a few 100 Texans reading it. They only use this recordings as samples of people's standard way of speaking as they try to track how speech and text has varies and changes over time. Will you be willing to read a brief passage aloud?

I will try, I was never a good reader. But uh, if I can kind of look over first and,

Okay, yes.

Uh maybe then I would be able to read it.

Sounds great, here you go [SHOWS HIM THE PASSAGE IN HIS COPY OF ANSWERS]

[LONG PAUSE] And uh basically the thing I read what's here 

Yeah aloud yeah, please. 

[CLEARS THROAT] I've lived in Texas all my life. I was born in Titus County. And when I was five, we moved to a farm near White House, which is south east of Tyler. I lived growing up in the country. When my chores were done. I'd ride my horses, pine trees, or hide down the creek, hike down the creek to fish or swim. One time we tried to rope a limb on a cypress tree and would swing out wide over the uh, swimming hole and drop into the water. I'd pretend to be Tarzan swinging on a vine. And in the spring, I'd fly kites and on the summer nights I'd catch fireflies, but we called them lightning bugs. Once in a while we'd have fights with corn cobs or pine cones. And the winner would build a fire in the fireplace and pop popcorn and roast peanuts and popcorn. I mean pecans. I guess I was a live wire. When I was 19 I went to work in Dallas at a fire uh, Firestone Tire store. I didn't like city life. And for a long time, I'd go home every chance I got. Mama would always cook my favorite food, fried okra, hoping John... hoping or hoppin john, hoping I guess, John's rice and black eyed peas and pecan pie. We had lots of good times. But going home is not the same now. After daddy died, Mama sold the farm and moved to Tyler. I'd rather be living on a farm right now instead of here in the city, but my wife and kids don't understand me. When I gripe about city life and talk about moving to the country, my oldest child says "Daddy, it's crazy. I just die if I had to live on a farm." I almost cried. When my first time, she said for the first time, she said that. I know Texas is changing. But I tried to make sure we don't lose touch with our roots, when we may live in a city, while we may live in a city, I want my child and my kids to have a good feeling of the land, have a sense of place and have time for being Texans. I've, if they lose, if they lose our ties to the land, the price of progress is too high.

Thank you so much for the interview and for reading the passage.

Bueno. You are welcome. No problem at all.