SIGRIST:

Good afternoon. This is Paul Sigrist for the National Park Service. Today is September 30 th , 1995. I'm in Flemington, New Jersey with Melchor Castro. Mr. Castro came from Peru in 1927 when he was 19 years old and he was detained at Ellis Island for two or three nights. We're not sure. Present also is Tom, a big gray cat who's going to join us, and also, Mrs. Castro is in the room and daughter, Maria. And there's a — a Pekinese puppy by the name of John, who you may —

CASTRO:

Joe.

SIGRIST:

Joe — excuse me — that you may hear rustling in the background. Mr. Castro, can we begin by you giving me your birth date?

CASTRO:

January 6, 1908.

SIGRIST:

And were you born in Peru?

CASTRO:

In Peru, yeah.

SIGRIST:

What was the name of the town that you were born in?

CASTRO:

Arequepa.

SIGRIST:

Can you spell that?

CASTRO:

[chuckles] A-R-E —

WOMAN:

Wrong.

CASTRO:

Yes.

WOMAN:

Uh-hmm.

CASTRO:

Q-U-E-P-A.

SIGRIST:

Say it one more time for me.

CASTRO:

Arequepa.

SIGRIST:

Arequepa. We're going to pause just [tape off/on] — resume again. Can you tell me whereabouts in Peru that town is?

CASTRO:

Well, it's south of Lima. It is the second big city of Peru.

SIGRIST:

The second —

CASTRO:

The second largest city in Peru.

SIGRIST:

Tell me what you remember about that city as a child. What things stick out in your mind?

CASTRO:

Well, well, the first thing that comes to my mind is the cathedral.

SIGRIST:

Can you describe it for me?

CASTRO:

Well, it's — it's square. In one side is the cathedral and in — there's doors around with — the be — the best business were there, conducted in that second. And in the park we had a — we called it a [unclear]. Used by the band, either the army or civilians come and they play there for two, three hours once a week. And the — the church itself is a beautiful one.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember the name of the cathedral?

CASTRO:

No. No, I don't remember. [chuckles]

SIGRIST:

Why was it particularly beautiful? What — what sticks out in your mind?

CASTRO:

Because it was made by the Spaniards, was made by the Spaniards. See, when they conquer Peru, we have in — in that town we have about seven or eight churches but the biggest one was the cathedral, the most important one.

SIGRIST:

Is there another building in that town that sticks out in your mind from your childhood?

CASTRO:

From the childhood?

SIGRIST:

Yeah.

CASTRO:

Well, okay. What can I — what — what — what building can I tell you? The only — the only one I keep — keep it in my mind is the churches.

SIGRIST:

The cathedral. That was the —

CASTRO:

Well, well, and then they have other ones, like a — the Mer — the Mercedes [PH] Church, which was [unclear] went to. Then they have Santa Domingo, was the — run by the nuns. Then we have San Francisco, is not too far away from the — from the cathedral. They all were in that section there. And those, the ones I remember. And the most important city that we have was — the name was — let's see if I remember — Commercial — is Commercial Street. That was —

SIGRIST:

Commercial Street.

CASTRO:

Yeah, that was the biggest street there. It came right to the square where the got [unclear].

SIGRIST:

Is that where a lot of the building — the businesses were?

CASTRO:

Businesses and [unclear], everything. And the — but that is the — was a lot of — mostly business.

SIGRIST:

Did your family live inside the city?

CASTRO:

No, no, no.

SIGRIST:

No.

CASTRO:

We live around.

SIGRIST:

Uh-huh. Can you describe for me the house that you lived in as a child?

CASTRO:

We lived most — almost in — in the ou — outskirts of the city, which is — was sort of like a farm. But we had a small house. My father — we had a couple of cows. I used to take care of the — because I was the second — not — not a [unclear] oldest one in the family. But when my — my bigger brother went away, I took care of the cows and —

SIGRIST:

Can you describe the building itself? What was it made out of? The house?

CASTRO:

The — the house was built out of — [unclear] — a doorway, which is made clay. And the ceiling was that thin. See, we had a — how many rooms we had in our house? It was four or five rooms that we had.

SIGRIST:

All one floor?

CASTRO:

Yes, one floor. Uh-hmm.

SIGRIST:

Did it have windows?

CASTRO:

No windows, just doors. [chuckles]

SIGRIST:

What kind of a floor did the house have?

CASTRO:

Brick.

SIGRIST:

How did you heat the house?

CASTRO:

No heat.

SIGRIST:

Why was there no heat?

CASTRO:

[chuckles] Because there's no [unclear]. The on — the only thing that we had the kitchen where we — we stay most of the time, and in it was the stove. And we — we — once we go to bed, we just cover up.

SIGRIST:

Is it cold in that part of Peru?

CASTRO:

No. In that part, it's cold but not that cold. Not like here.

SIGRIST:

I see.

CASTRO:

There never is snow in that city. Never. I never saw snow in that city. We see snow in the Bal — far away, where is the — the Balkins [PH]. There, we see there. There's [unclear] in the town. We never saw snow in the —

SIGRIST:

So snow in the mountains but not down where you were.

CASTRO:

Not in the — not in the city.

SIGRIST:

How did you light the house?

CASTRO:

Candles.

SIGRIST:

Where did you get the candles?

CASTRO:

We make it.

SIGRIST:

How do you make a candle?

CASTRO:

I don't know. [chuckles] My mother and my sister. I don't know how she made it.

SIGRIST:

That was work that women did.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Uh-huh. Where did your water come from?

CASTRO:

In a corner, we had a water — a — a — a faucet, like. And in there they too — we took the water in pans.

SIGRIST:

Did you have a bathroom in this house? No.

CASTRO:

You don't have the sanitation.

SIGRIST:

You mentioned that you had cows; your father had cows. Were there any other animals that you had?

CASTRO:

Yeah, we have a horse, which he — my father used a horse and a mule because my father used to go to make [unclear] with the Indians, used to take a trip once a month or ev — every two months or three months. He would stay there for a couple of months and then comes back again.

SIGRIST:

What was your father's name?

CASTRO:

Lorenzo.

SIGRIST:

Lorenzo. And tell me about this work with the Indians. What kinds of things —

CASTRO:

Oh, that I don't know. He made — he — he went there to make a trade. He took some things from — from Arequepa [unclear] with the Indians and then you'd get something from there. You get blankets. We have a — you — you saw that, [unclear], and he sells it then in — in the city. That's how he — that's how he makes his money.

SIGRIST:

Can you tell me something about your father's family background?

CASTRO:

I don't remember not even one of — the only one that I remember is a sister of my mother. The rest, I don't remember. I don't think I ever met them. I think they were dead when I —

SIGRIST:

Any relatives on — on either side, except for this sister.

CASTRO:

Except [unclear], my — my mother's sister.

SIGRIST:

What — what nationality was your father?

CASTRO:

Peruvian.

SIGRIST:

He was born in Peru.

CASTRO:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

Uh-huh.

CASTRO:

And my mother too.

SIGRIST:

T — tell me what your father's personality was like.

CASTRO:

Oh, he was very rough. We had to be like this or else he whip the hell out of you. [chuckles]

SIGRIST:

So he was a very strict man.

CASTRO:

Yeah, he was. He was not a — n — not a mean man but he wanted to do things right or — or else. If you don't do right, well, I — see, I went to get the cows [unclear], let's say. I don't get back in time, he's going to give me — spank me. Or he, you know, things that we do, something wrong, he was with everybody — were the same.

SIGRIST:

Can you describe what he looked like, in words?

CASTRO:

What? He was a tall man. He was about my size, a little heavier than me, darker complexion than mine. Mostly, more Indian than my — than me.

SIGRIST:

Did he have Indian blood in him?

CASTRO:

Oh, yes. I have [unclear] Indians too. My mother has the blood [unclear]. I don't have as much as my mother. I — my mother — my mother was much whiter than me. See?

SIGRIST:

So some of it is Indian blood and what is — what is the other? What is your other makeup?

CASTRO:

Espanol.

SIGRIST:

Spanish. Uh-huh. How did your father like to spend his leisure time? What did he like to do for himself, for his own enjoyment?

CASTRO:

I couldn't remember this.

SIGRIST:

[chuckles] It's a long time ago.

CASTRO:

Oh, no. They — they played cards. They played cards. Yeah, I remember [chuckles] they used to play cards. They'd get together for — just for the — for the fun. See, because we have a drink over there; they used to have. They call it chicha [PH], made of corn. And they, four or five guys, they played cards and they drink. They — they pass the ni — that's what — that's the only thing that I saw him doing.

SIGRIST:

And the name of the drink was chicha?

CASTRO:

Right.

SIGRIST:

Chicha.

CASTRO:

Chicha.

SIGRIST:

And it's made out of corn.

CASTRO:

Out of corn.

SIGRIST:

How do they make it? Do you know?

CASTRO:

Yeah, I remember that. The — they got the corn, dark corn. They — we don't have that here. They put 'em in a — a — in a bas — they make a box, cover up and put water. They keep it in there for three or four day — I think it's a week or so. Anyway, the — the corn comes up soft. Right? Then they take it out of there. They dry it in the sun. They dry it. Once it's dried, they chop it, like we do here the flour. The same way and then they boil it. And that juice is — they put — they ferment it for a couple of days, for three or four days and then which you drink.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember the first time you ever tasted this drink?

CASTRO:

Oh. [laughs] I — I don't remember that. No. I don't remember that at all. I — I — I must have been, oh, maybe 13, 14 years old. Maybe young — was younger. I don't know.

SIGRIST:

What was your mother's name?

CASTRO:

Victoria.

SIGRIST:

And what was her maiden name before she was married?

CASTRO:

Castro, the same name.

SIGRIST:

Castro, the same. Yes.

CASTRO:

I don't know if they were f — relatives. That — that, I don't know. I don't know if it was a relation but they had the same name.

SIGRIST:

And tell me about your mother's personality.

CASTRO:

Oh, she was a wonderful lady. She can do anything for you, anything and everything for you. She was very wonderful.

SIGRIST:

Do you have a story about how she helped you when you were a child do something?

CASTRO:

N — I remember one thing. I had — I was only — I wasn't — [speaking foreign language].

WOMAN:

[sentence unclear].

CASTRO:

But — no, but [speaking foreign language].

WOMAN:

[sentence unclear].

CASTRO:

No, it's [speaking foreign language].

WOMAN:

[unclear].

CASTRO:

Anyway, I had a fever for I don't know how many days and I lied — I was laying down on the floor. And she would come and pick me up and beg me and b — at that time, I was — I remember that because I was maybe eight years old. That's the most I remember of her.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember things that she had to do around the house? What were her responsibilities in the house?

CASTRO:

Cook, clean the — the — the [unclear].

SIGRIST:

Wh — what did she cook? What do people eat in this part of Peru?

CASTRO:

Ah, al — almost the same that we eat here. The only thing is that we don't have — we have rice. We have beans.

WOMAN:

Potatoes.

CASTRO:

We had corn. We have potatoes. We had meat. We had chickens. And the — you — you raised that in the — in the house. You don't — you don't buy those things. We buy pigs. We raise one. It was big, you kill it and you eat it.

SIGRIST:

Whose job was it to kill the pig?

CASTRO:

My father.

SIGRIST:

Do you know how he did that?

CASTRO:

With a knife.

SIGRIST:

And what did he do with the knife? Where did he stab the pig?

CASTRO:

In — by the chest. I guess he — he gets them through the heart [unclear].

SIGRIST:

And then what did they do with the body?

CASTRO:

They clean it with hot water and a knife. They take all the hair out. They wash it. They open up. They take all the guts out. They eat some of the guts. They make some — some things with the blood and — and the guts. And in — then the meat, we make a dry meat and chicharon [PH], we call it. We — they fry the skin of the pork, put it in a big can and they fry the — and it comes very crispy, very good.

SIGRIST:

And that is called what?

CASTRO:

Chicharon.

SIGRIST:

Chicharon. Hmm. Tell me how your mother washed the clothes.

CASTRO:

In a barrel. They call — they call it battiere [PH]. It's — it's a big — it's not — not a square pail. And in that, they wash.

SIGRIST:

Did you have any brothers and sisters?

CASTRO:

Yes, I have a brother, who is the oldest one with the family. And then I have a — six, no, five sisters.

SIGRIST:

Can you name everybody?

CASTRO:

Maria, Angosia [PH], Agelita [PH], Maximilliana [PH] and Kathelina [PH].

SIGRIST:

I'll have to call you for spellings [laughter] later. What was your brother's name?

CASTRO:

Gabino [PH].

SIGRIST:

We're going to pause just for a second. [tape off/on] Resume now. The only relative you remembered was an — an aunt? Your — your mother's sister.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Why do you remember her?

CASTRO:

Because it's the only one that I — we have.

SIGRIST:

But I mean —

CASTRO:

And she was a neigh — neighbor, neigh — we was living next — next door.

SIGRIST:

I was wondering if there was something that stuck out in your mind about her that —

CASTRO:

No, no, no. We were living ne — next door. And how many kids they — they have? [sentence unclear].

WOMAN:

[unclear].

CASTRO:

No, about seven or eight kids, whatever.

SIGRIST:

What were your chores around the house? What — what were your responsibilities as you were growing up on the farm?

CASTRO:

As — as I was growing up? The — to get the cows to the field, bring them back and do the chores. If you had to cut the — the grass, because we had pigs in the house. We — and there had to be some food for them. We have a — we have a — I'll — and this country we have too alfalfa, [unclear] alfalfa. That's why we go off over there. We'd chop it and bring it home for them.

SIGRIST:

Did you say you had pigs in the house? In the house where you lived?

CASTRO:

Yeah. Well, it's a separate —

SIGRIST:

Oh, they had their own.

CASTRO:

Their own place. [laughter]

SIGRIST:

I just wanted to make sure they weren't wandering around —

CASTRO:

No, no, no.

SIGRIST:

Wh — what were the cows used for?

CASTRO:

To milk, the milk.

SIGRIST:

Were they ever slaughtered?

CASTRO:

Hmm. On — once in a while we kill one. Not all the time but once in a while we kill one. But we don't get — we don't let 'em get too old to kill it.

SIGRIST:

[clears throat] Let's talk about your religious life. What religion were you?

CASTRO:

I grew up a Catholic.

SIGRIST:

And you've already mentioned the cathedral that was in the city. How did you practice your religion at home?

CASTRO:

At home? I was a [several words unclear]. So I — at home I didn't practice any service at all. I — as long as I had — my mother used to wake me up and takes me to church, to — for the mass. Otherwise, I would never go.

SIGRIST:

Why were you against the religion?

CASTRO:

You want me to tell you? [chuckles]

SIGRIST:

Yes, please.

WOMAN:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

If you want to.

CASTRO:

[chuckles] Well, the first year that I had my confession the priest asked me a personal question with regard to girls. And that stuck in my mind. I said, "My priest is going to ask me what I do, if I did it or not." And I wasn't — from that day, the priest don't have to tell me what I — what — why I do or where — you know what I mean. That [unclear] —

SIGRIST:

Who was the most religious person in your family?

CASTRO:

My mom.

SIGRIST:

And were there ways at home that she — what did she do at home that — that was an expression of her religion? What — what things did she do at home?

CASTRO:

Well, for one thing, before we start eating, she — [unclear] —

SIGRIST:

She'd cross herself.

CASTRO:

Right.

SIGRIST:

Gesturing to cross herself.

CASTRO:

And then at night she prays with — with the sisters, with my sisters. I — I never prayed with her.

SIGRIST:

Did you celebrate any of the religious holidays?

CASTRO:

Oh, yes.

SIGRIST:

How — how did you celebrate Christmas in Peru at this time?

CASTRO:

At Christmas in Peru we celebrated the following. We don't get presents in Christmas. But we have a mass at 12 o'clock. Well, before we — th — we go to mass, they prepare a dinner. And in — in that table, you have everything. I mean everything. They — they cook beans. They cook — a lot of food, salads. We go to mass. We come back and then we eat and then they start dancing and jumping and celebrating, drinkings that my father with a — got drunk — or no, never drunk but they — they drinks.

SIGRIST:

But that was part of the celebration —

CASTRO:

The celebration.

SIGRIST:

— was drinking.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Was it the chicha that they would drink?

CASTRO:

Yeah, and — and they have — we have a drink we call pisco. They sell them here.

SIGRIST:

Pisco?

CASTRO:

Pisco.

SIGRIST:

P-I-S-C-O? Pisco. And that was also part of the celebration?

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Uh-huh. What —

CASTRO:

And we had beer. Beer — beer. I don't think I ever touched — tasted beer there.

SIGRIST:

Were most of the people that your parents associated with — were they farmers also? Did they have farms?

CASTRO:

Yeah — no, mostly. Mostly, yeah.

SIGRIST:

Of course, your father really isn't a farmer.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

I mean, he has another sideline —

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

— um, [unclear]. Wh — any other holidays that stick out in your mind?

CASTRO:

Well, on the 6 th of January had a big celebration that we call — that — that — that [unclear]. That's when we got the presents. We got [unclear] —

SIGRIST:

[unclear] meaning the three kings.

CASTRO:

The three kings, right.

WOMAN:

[sentence unclear].

CASTRO:

Like we have here in Christmas, we have there in January the 6 th .

SIGRIST:

And what was special about that celebration?

CASTRO:

The — the presents. Everybody suspected something.

SIGRIST:

Yes, and — and what would you get as a present?

CASTRO:

[chuckles] I — I don't remember. I don't remember one single present that I — that I got.

SIGRIST:

Only that it was exciting —

CASTRO:

Yeah. What — yeah.

SIGRIST:

— because you got the presents.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

That's interesting. Tell me about schooling. Did you go to school in Peru?

CASTRO:

Yes, I went to school.

SIGRIST:

D — could your parents read and write?

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

So they were not educated?

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

No. Where was the school that you went to?

CASTRO:

Oh, I say maybe 15 minutes from the house, from where I lived, maybe 20 minutes.

SIGRIST:

How old were you when you began school?

CASTRO:

I must have been seven or eight years old.

SIGRIST:

And what kinds of things were you taught in school at that time?

CASTRO:

First of all, to read and to write. And when — after that, I — I start a — arithmetic, geography, history. These — no signs. At that time, we didn't have no signs.

SIGRIST:

This leads me to ask you. What language did you speak at home?

CASTRO:

Spanish.

SIGRIST:

And what language do you speak at school?

CASTRO:

Spanish.

SIGRIST:

Did they teach any other languages?

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

Everything was Spanish?

CASTRO:

Uh-huh.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember a specific teacher at that time that's fr — from your time at school?

CASTRO:

I remember the — very vague. I don't remember the names though. But it was the father, the son — two of them. They were teachers there. And then another son came so they got two sons and a te — and — and a father. The same as —

SIGRIST:

So it was a family situation that taught you.

CASTRO:

Right.

SIGRIST:

Can you describe the school building for me?

CASTRO:

The school building was a big room, a big room. And then we have the [several words unclear].

WOMAN:

[sentence unclear].

CASTRO:

No.

WOMAN:

[sentence unclear].

CASTRO:

No. See, I kind of remember going — what the name of that — the seats where we sit.

SIGRIST:

The bench or benches?

CASTRO:

The ben — not a bench. Was a bench for one person and then you sit in there and you have your little table [unclear].

SIGRIST:

Like a little desk, you mean?

CASTRO:

Like a little desk.

WOMAN:

[sentence unclear].

CASTRO:

Yeah, it had one line in here. Three lines because it was big. Three lines.

WOMAN:

[sentence unclear].

SIGRIST:

And what time did you go to school in the morning?

CASTRO:

Oh, we'd go at eight o'clock. Eight o'clock. Then we go home 12 o'clock, and back one o'clock and four o'clock.

SIGRIST:

So you went home and ate lunch.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Well, what time was the first meal of the day?

CASTRO:

Oh, it was around 12 o'clock, 11 o'clock. It was never a set time to eat [unclear].

SIGRIST:

So did you eat school before you — did you eat food before you went to school?

CASTRO:

Oh, we had a glass of milk and a piece of bread.

SIGRIST:

And then when you came home from school at — at what we would call lunchtime, noontime —

WOMAN:

[sentence unclear].

SIGRIST:

— wh — what — tell me about that meal, what —

CASTRO:

And that's a heavy meal, a heavy meal in there.

SIGRIST:

And h — what do you call that in Spanish?

CASTRO:

[sighs]

SIGRIST:

The noontime meal?

CASTRO:

Halmuso [PH]. Halmuso.

SIGRIST:

Thank you. And then when — when was the next time you would eat?

CASTRO:

Oh, w — at around four o — five-thirty, four o'clock, six o'clock, maybe. And — and that's very light, maybe a — something that was left from lunch.

SIGRIST:

Tell me what you did for your leisure time activities.

CASTRO:

Play soccer. We used to make a — our own ball and go and play soccer.

SIGRIST:

Can you describe for me how you made a ball?

CASTRO:

Well, we get a cardboard and we — we take a — a piece, like a [unclear]. And then we cut the leather and then we saw, put together. See, so many pieces to make them all round. We saw it and that's it. And then you — you buy the inside part of it. And you [unclear] because they are rubber. And you roll it up and we play the ball.

SIGRIST:

Whom did you play against?

CASTRO:

Against — against other — other kids.

SIGRIST:

So it was — it was an informal way of —

CASTRO:

Right.

SIGRIST:

— playing. Did you wear a uniform when you played?

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

No? What — what did you wear? What — what — what kind of clothes did people wear at that time?

CASTRO:

At that time? Pants, short pants.

SIGRIST:

Yeah, short, like above your knee?

CASTRO:

Right. And shirt and a coat.

SIGRIST:

Where did you get your clothes?

CASTRO:

Mommy made.

SIGRIST:

Your mother made your clothes. Do — does anything about that stick out in your mind about your mother making clothes? Do you remember, perhaps, a — in a situation where she made you a specific piece of clothing that you particularly liked or —

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

When you played soccer, was that part of the school too? Did you —

CASTRO:

Oh, yeah. It was part of the school. That's how we learned to play, because it — it was part of the school. We used to do some exercises and then play r — played soccer f — soccer. We called football over there but no soccer. Football. We play that and other games too because not everybody in the schools playing the same game. Was a different game that we play.

SIGRIST:

Did girls ever play —

CASTRO:

No, we —

SIGRIST:

— football with you?

CASTRO:

Was only men. No girls in — in my school.

SIGRIST:

Oh, no — no girls even in the school?

CASTRO:

No. Was only for men.

SIGRIST:

Was that the situation for all schools at that time?

CASTRO:

I think.

SIGRIST:

So women were not being educated.

CASTRO:

No, no. They were educated but they had separate school.

SIGRIST:

Their own schools. I see.

CASTRO:

They — they don't go in the same building, not even in the same section. They have their school there.

SIGRIST:

So your sisters went somewhere else to school.

CASTRO:

Yeah, right.

SIGRIST:

I see. When — when you were a young man growing up, how old were you when you got out of school? When you finished school?

CASTRO:

Fif — I don't remember. It was have been 16, 17.

SIGRIST:

What did you do between that time and the time you left to come to America?

CASTRO:

[chuckles] Mostly, I — in the house, helping at home. My big brother left the house in — he wasn't that — 25 or 26. He went to Chile and stayed there for — I — I don't remember exactly how long. He came back. He stay a couple of months in the house and he went back to Lima. Then — then I — when he went back to Lima, I think I say, "I got to get out of here too." So I talked to my father and my mother and talking and talking. Finally, they — he'd say, "All right. You can go." So I went to Lima. I met my brother. And we lived together there until I got my — my papers for — for [unclear].

SIGRIST:

Why did you want to come to America? And once you got to Lima, why weren't you satisfied with Lima?

CASTRO:

Well, I tell you, I don't know whether it was in my mind, or I hear something or I read something in magazines, the greatest, America. We don't call the — we call the Yankees. All right? And I said, "Why not? Why not? I — my brother went to Chile. I could too, United States." And my father said, "Where are you go" —

SIGRIST:

Did you know anyone who was in the United States?

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

Had you ever seen anyone who had been in the United States —

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

— and then come back to South America?

CASTRO:

No, no.

SIGRIST:

No. So it was just out of magazine pictures —

CASTRO:

Right.

SIGRIST:

— that you got this idea.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

How did your parents feel about — about you going to the United States? Of course, going to Lima is one thing but going to — to the United States is different.

CASTRO:

Well, the same way that they felt when my — what he — my brother left for — to Chile. They said because another country.

SIGRIST:

Why did your brother go on to Chile?

CASTRO:

I — I guess he wanted to looking for fortune. He was looking for something. [chuckles] Like I came here. I came here for [unclear] reason.

SIGRIST:

What —

CASTRO:

With it, to get bigger, do things different than my country.

SIGRIST:

Wh — when you decided to go to the United States, did you go back to your mother and father before you left?

CASTRO:

No, no.

SIGRIST:

You left from Lima.

CASTRO:

Yeah. I left from Lima.

SIGRIST:

What did you take with you to come to the United States? What did you pack to take with you?

CASTRO:

It's so hard to remember. The only that I had, a suitcase, which is — was r — all so rotten. What — what I had there, I don't know.

SIGRIST:

Was there an object that you took —

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

— that was a remembrance?

CASTRO:

No, no.

SIGRIST:

No, nothing.

CASTRO:

Nothing to remember Peru. That's how much I love it. [END OF TAPE 1, SIDE A] [BEGIN TAPE 1, SIDE B]

SIGRIST:

When — when did you say goodbye to your parents?

CASTRO:

Well, I told them when I was going to leave. I — I sent them a letter. Said, "I'm leaving such and such a day."

SIGRIST:

But they didn't actually see you —

CASTRO:

No, no.

SIGRIST:

You just —

CASTRO:

No, they — they never — the last time I said when I left home.

SIGRIST:

That was the last time.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

When you went to Lima was —

CASTRO:

Yeah, Lima.

SIGRIST:

— was when you said to them —

CASTRO:

I stay in Lima. Let's see. I went [unclear] '26 because I stay in Lima four or five months while I fix all the paper. It was not easy to get a — the passport, the Peruvian passport.

SIGRIST:

That was going to be my next question, actually. What did you have to go through to get the papers and to get ready to —

CASTRO:

Well, first of all, I went — we call it [unclear] — a — a police department. And in there I say — I — I apply for a passport. And they ask me why I want to come to United States and all the questions there. And finally, they fill out the paper. They took a picture of me with a — and — and the passport, piece of paper. Then they told me that you had to go now to the American consulate to get a visa. So I went to the American consulate. That was not the same day, was a different day. I — when I got there, I — I don't know if it was the consul or somebody working in that office. He called me up and he asked me why I want to come to the United States, so I told him. And he says, "Well, you — you know how to write and read." I said, "I think so." So he gave me a book and he told me to read. So I read it [unclear]. Then he start filling out the paper, the — [unclear] don't remember if he gave me a paper or not. I don't remember that. But he says, "All right. You — you can go."

SIGRIST:

He just wanted to prove that — that you could read it.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Right. Did you have to undergo any kind of medical responsibilities before you left?

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Before you left?

CASTRO:

Before I left. And not only that, when I got here I went through again. They —

SIGRIST:

What did they do in Lima? What kind of examination did you have to —

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

— undergo in Lima?

CASTRO:

Well, work [unclear]. I mean, there's really a lot to give you. He want to make the money. He — he — he checks my chest and my lungs and that's it. I don't remember anything else. [chuckles]

SIGRIST:

Where did you — did — did your brother go with you to get to the ship? Where did you have to go to get to the ship?

CASTRO:

Ah, the — the — the name of the town is Callao.

SIGRIST:

Can you spell that, please?

CASTRO:

C-A-L-L-O. Oh, C-A-L-L-A-O.

SIGRIST:

And how far away is that from Lima?

CASTRO:

Oh, some — maybe n — not even 30 minutes.

SIGRIST:

Oh, so it's very close.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Did anyone travel with you —

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

— to Callao?

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

No.

CASTRO:

My brother was working so he says, "You go." So he went to work.

SIGRIST:

So you went by yourself.

CASTRO:

Yeah, you went by m — well, you see, at that time, we have a — a trolley car and we have the horses, now, to go to — to Callao. So I took a — a trolley car.

SIGRIST:

How long did you stay in Callao before you could actually get on the ship?

CASTRO:

Oh, no. Not long. I got there and — and I — I hired a — a boat because the — the ship stays far away from the — from — and they charged me — I don't remember how much. It — all alone and then a little boat, they took me there.

SIGRIST:

So — so in a little boat, they take you out to the big boat, which is anchored outside.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

What was the name of the ship?

CASTRO:

Aconcagua.

SIGRIST:

Can you spell that, please?

CASTRO:

C — Chile — Chile and Company. [sentence unclear].

WOMAN:

[unclear].

SIGRIST:

Well, actually — well, I — I think I have it here. If I — if I spell it, Mrs. Castro, you tell me if this is correct. A-C-O-N —

CASTRO:

That's right.

SIGRIST:

— C-A-G-U-A.

CASTRO:

A — Aconcagua. Right. That's right.

SIGRIST:

It's a lot different than, like, the Hamburg American line. [chuckles]

CASTRO:

It's — it's —

SIGRIST:

The ships I'm used to, the Aquitania. [chuckles]

CASTRO:

It's — it's a Chilean boat anyway.

SIGRIST:

Uh-huh. Can you describe for — was this the first time you'd ever been on a ship?

CASTRO:

No, because when I came to Lima I came in on another boat.

SIGRIST:

Oh, I see. So you went from your town to Lima by ship.

CASTRO:

By ship, yeah.

SIGRIST:

Was this — which — which boat was bigger? The one you were about to get on or the one that you had come down to Lima on?

CASTRO:

Oh, I'd say about the same. I think it was the — not the same boat but I think it was a Chilean boat also.

SIGRIST:

I see. And they were roughly the same size.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Where did you sleep on the ship?

CASTRO:

In a cabin.

SIGRIST:

Can you —

CASTRO:

There was two — there was two or four beds? I know was one on top of the other. I don't — I don't remember exactly what it was, two or four beds in each cabin.

SIGRIST:

And where in the ship was the cabin? Do you remember?

CASTRO:

I know is no [chuckles] [unclear] middle. I remember that.

SIGRIST:

Who else was in the cabin with you? Do you — were there other people in the cabin with you?

CASTRO:

Yeah, there were other people but they — they — I don't know whether they came from Chile because the — the boat [unclear] stop anywhere's else. He left Callao. We came in [unclear]. We stop in Cologne [PH], was Panama, on the other side of the canal and then U — U.S.

SIGRIST:

So the ship goes up South America, through the canal.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Through the Panama Canal and then right to New York. It didn't stop anywhere?

CASTRO:

Nowheres.

SIGRIST:

Tell me what sticks out in your mind about being on the ship and — and that trip.

CASTRO:

This — [unclear]. On that trip, we play games in there. I don't know. I don't even remember what kind of games we played.

SIGRIST:

What was there to do on the ship during the day?

CASTRO:

Read, eat, and you sleep.

SIGRIST:

Where did they feed you?

CASTRO:

A big hall. If you want — not a table for — for two or three. It was a big table there and we eat in the —

SIGRIST:

Do you remember what they fed you?

CASTRO:

Hmm-uh.

SIGRIST:

No? Do you remember being up on the deck of the ship?

CASTRO:

Oh, yeah. There — we'd go there everyday, really.

SIGRIST:

What would you see from the deck of the ship?

CASTRO:

Water here, water there, water there, water — that's it.

SIGRIST:

Did you see any animals?

CASTRO:

Oh, yeah. We see a lot of birds. [chuckles]

SIGRIST:

How long did the ship take from Callao to New York?

CASTRO:

Seventeen days.

SIGRIST:

That's a long time.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Did you get seasick?

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

No? Did anyone get seasick?

CASTRO:

[chuckles] I guess somebody did but I never did get sick.

SIGRIST:

What time of the year were you traveling?

CASTRO:

May. I left Lima the 17 th of May, which was — over there, it's beginning of the winter.

SIGRIST:

That's right. It's in the season —

CASTRO:

And I got here the 4 of June.

SIGRIST:

And was there a storm along the way in the ship?

CASTRO:

No. No, it was — [unclear] no storm. A little time was a little rough but no, no big waves. No.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember there being safety drills on the ship?

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

[unclear]

CASTRO:

We didn't have that.

SIGRIST:

No. So it was a calm, relatively uneventful trip.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Yeah. Do you remember seeing the Statue of Liberty when you came?

CASTRO:

Oh, yes.

SIGRIST:

Did you know what that was?

CASTRO:

No, found out later. When I was in the Ellis Island I found out that it was that.

SIGRIST:

Tell me how you ended up at Ellis Island.

CASTRO:

Well, when we got in Brooklyn, I don't remem — it — I — it was early in the morning or middle day. I don't remember the time.

SIGRIST:

The ship docked in Brooklyn.

CASTRO:

Yes. And you know where it docked? You know Atlantic Avenue? I remember that [unclear]. I never forget it. Next to it. We stay there and then, well, they — they say it's time to leave. So we start coming out. They put a bunch of them to — to the ferry and we took off to Ellis Island.

SIGRIST:

And what happened when you — when the ferry docked at Ellis Island? What happened?

CASTRO:

Somebody say, "You're coming this way." We — they took us to a room and in there they say that you — and all — all in English. I didn't understand anything. I just follow what they [unclear]. [chuckles] I guess they say that you had to go here. We went there. And it was a big dinner — dining table. We eat there. I guess it was lunch. They — they took us upstairs and they says, "This is the bathroom. This is where you're going to sleep and this is where you're going to do exercise. And then you go to this other — other" — it was a tour. So we — we went back. We took a shower and the next morn — oh, we went to eat [unclear] supper. The next morning we had to go back and stay in a big room there. The big room. I — I — [unclear] the — the biggest room that they have there. And everybody there — the food — the room is full. And in there are called names; that I never forget. And those names that they call, they were — they was going to — to leave Ellis Island to go home or whatever they were going to go. My name wasn't called the first day, so the next day the same thing, [unclear]. Finally, my name came. My name came. I — and I — I took off. When they tell me to take — to go, I went. I came to — I took a ferry because the ferry's going back and forth to Ellis Island. I came ba — I got in [unclear] ferry and I got b — and another — a — a guy in — in the boat [unclear] and he — he told me, you know, all the directions, how to get there. He write 'em because I was a brother of him living in their house. So I — I came and I went and I took the subway [unclear]. Going, going, going. The [unclear] — when I got to 110 th Street where he told me to get off. I got off from there. I found a street, 112. I look for 112 because they told me — I seen numbers so [unclear] no numbers. And he told me exactly how to get there. So I get there. I went to their house and I was lucky that a lady was in the house. And they rent me a room there and I stay there.

SIGRIST:

Let me just back up a little bit to Ellis Island. You s — where did you sleep on Ellis Island? Do you remember what it looked like? Where it was that you slept?

CASTRO:

It's like a hospital room, a lot of beds. No one bed, no two beds, a lot of — I — I don't remember how many beds but it was beds on each side in the second floor.

SIGRIST:

And — and what kind of people were in there with you?

CASTRO:

From all over. Is not — you cannot describe one person because they were from Europe, mostly from Europe.

SIGRIST:

Men and women?

CASTRO:

No, no. Just men in there. No women. If you want women, they were — must be cast away because I saw the — in the big room. But they were separate from us.

SIGRIST:

Did you see anything at Ellis Island that you had never seen before? Something that was totally new to you?

CASTRO:

Well, everything that was there is new.

SIGRIST:

Right.

CASTRO:

Because I — [unclear] — first of all, we don't see such a big rooms in — in my country. And the way they build, you know, w — we don't see that over there.

SIGRIST:

The cathedral was probably the biggest building —

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

— you were in.

CASTRO:

The cathedral was big. The whole — takes the whole block. But outside of that —

SIGRIST:

You said they fed you in — in the dining room, did you say?

CASTRO:

No, no, no, no.

SIGRIST:

Did I say that?

CASTRO:

That — you — you go [chuckles] —

SIGRIST:

[chuckles]

CASTRO:

You go to the kitchen. They give you a tray and you move and they put — and then you go to the — to the table and eat it.

SIGRIST:

Put the food on, like a cafeteria kind of thing.

CASTRO:

Exactly.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember the food being different than what you were accustomed to or —

CASTRO:

Of course, of course, was different.

SIGRIST:

Did you have to undergo any medical exams?

CASTRO:

Yes, they — they really give me exam there. [chuckles] They took everything from me, naked, and they — they went all over me.

SIGRIST:

The shower — had you taken a shower before in your life?

CASTRO:

No. Oh, wait. Yeah, we took showers. Yes. B — but with a h — with a hose. No — no shower like here.

SIGRIST:

Okay.

CASTRO:

We go into the river and we jump in the river.

SIGRIST:

Uh-huh. When you went to this woman's house, was she Peruvian?

CASTRO:

No.

SIGRIST:

What was she?

CASTRO:

Chile.

SIGRIST:

She was from Chile.

CASTRO:

Yeah, that — the lady and the husband were Ch — Chile.

SIGRIST:

And how did they accept you into the house?

CASTRO:

Well, when I — I — I told them — show the paper that I got from — from their brother. I guess he'd call [unclear]. They got in touch with her. And they received me just like I was some — something of their family.

SIGRIST:

They rented you a room, you said?

CASTRO:

Yes.

SIGRIST:

How long was it before you got your first job?

CASTRO:

Oh, maybe couple of weeks.

SIGRIST:

What did you do during those couple of weeks before you got work?

CASTRO:

Looking — looking for — for a job, asking the man there to show me. He — he took me to Sixth Avenue on 42 nd Street. And he walked from 42 nd Street towards 50. And in both sides of the avenue were employment offices. And the second floor; everyone was in the second floor. The first — the first floor was a store. You go up there and you ask for a job. He say, "What can you do?" [chuckles] I didn't speak English. So finally, I got a job as a dishwasher. Yeah, I — I don't remember how much — he charged me b — because it was for one day, maybe 50 cents. I — I don't remember what he charged me. I went there — I — I washed dishes. I ate lunch. I — and then I went home. I come back the next day to the same place and finally, I got a job steady there as a dishwasher. I — I worked 12 hours.

SIGRIST:

How long did you stay at that job?

CASTRO:

Oh, maybe not even a month.

SIGRIST:

How did tre — how did — how did people that you worked with — how did they treat you?

CASTRO:

That I don't speak English — most of them were in the — the same boat. But they — and Spanish, I didn't meet anyone. Italians and other races but no — no Spanish. So we stay there. We — because at that time was no — no working here. I'm talking about '28, '29, '30.

SIGRIST:

That's right.

CASTRO:

No work. So you take what — what you can get.

SIGRIST:

What were some of the other jobs that you got during that time?

CASTRO:

Mostly — mostly, dishwasher and busboy, waiter. I work as a waiter.

SIGRIST:

Tell me how you learned English.

CASTRO:

I went to night school.

SIGRIST:

Can you describe what that was like for you?

CASTRO:

I couldn't understand at all what they were say. So I got — I got disgusted because I cou — I couldn't understand anything. I — and I left the — the night school.

SIGRIST:

Do you remember some of the first words you learned in English?

CASTRO:

Ham and eggs.

SIGRIST:

Did you —

CASTRO:

Ham and eggs for breakfast, ham and eggs for lunch, ham and eggs for supper.

SIGRIST:

It's appropriate for working in a restaurant, I guess. [laughter] Was there a large South American population in New York at that time?

CASTRO:

No. If it was, I didn't met them until later, maybe have two — I say about two years later because I th — I play soccer and here was a Spanish paper. I read the Spanish paper and they announced the — the games. So I used to go to the park [unclear] on Sundays. And I met some guys there and I play with them. And then things just start coming up.

SIGRIST:

So — so by reading the paper, you really sort of made your connection to — to the rest of the South American — what were some of the other countries that these people were from?

CASTRO:

Well, I had — I met people from Chile, from Argentina, from Paraguay, from Bolivia, from Spain. We — we play soccer. I play soccer with them.

SIGRIST:

How long did you live with the woman from Chile?

CASTRO:

Oh, several — couple of years.

SIGRIST:

Oh, so you lived there quite a long time.

CASTRO:

Yeah, because was cheap. The rent was cheap. I don't know. M — no, I don't think it was $2 a week that I pay.

SIGRIST:

Did — did she speak English?

CASTRO:

[chuckles] I never heard. I don't think they did. I don't think they did.

SIGRIST:

I'd like you to tell me how you met Mrs. Castro but I'd like you to do it all in Spanish, the two of you speaking Spanish to each other, telling about how you met each other.

CASTRO:

Why? Don't you want to know when I went to Europe and I joined the Army? Why don't you ask me about that?

SIGRIST:

Oh, well, all right. We can do that first. [laughter]

CASTRO:

That's more impor — that's important that I met her.

SIGRIST:

Well, it — it's important and I also want to get the Spanish on tape. All right, you've got three minutes to tell me about going to — to Europe.

CASTRO:

All right.

SIGRIST:

And in the Army.

CASTRO:

In the Army.

SIGRIST:

What year is this?

CASTRO:

1942, I went in the Army. In '43, they sent me to overseas.

SIGRIST:

Were you an American citizen?

CASTRO:

No. I became an American citizen when I was in the Army. B — but before that, I went to volunteer — I went to volunteer for the Army. And they — they didn't take me because I wasn't a citizen. So I had to wait. But they — they — what — what they call that? I forgot already. Oh, you have to register for the armed service.

SIGRIST:

Uh-hmm, the draft.

CASTRO:

The draft. I was r — registered for the draft and they told me — the [unclear] says, "[unclear]. Go in there." So I had to [unclear] my papers. They put me in, I think it was 4 — classification 4 or something. High number. But before it — they say, "You come. We want you." And we — they sent us to Camp Upton in Long Island. And there we sleep one night and they gave us the clothing. The next day, we took a train and I don't know how long it took us to get to Chicago. In Chicago, we stayed, I think it was maybe a week. Then we took another train south. We went to Mississippi. Camp Shelby, Mississippi. I took my basic training there. And from there, we were training to go to the Pacific. But somehow — we had two divisions in there in that camp. Somehow, the order was changed and they sent us to Europe.

SIGRIST:

And where in Europe did they send you to?

CASTRO:

France.

SIGRIST:

And how long did you stay in France?

CASTRO:

In France, not even a week because they put us right away to the front. And fight — we went fighting there, France, Bel — [unclear], Germany. [several words unclear] the war was over.

SIGRIST:

So you were there right until 1945. Did — did you miss — and actually, we're going back now, back to the early 1927, 1928, '29 — did you miss Peru at all?

CASTRO:

People from my country?

SIGRIST:

Did — did you miss your family and —

CASTRO:

Oh, oh. I tell you one thing. I miss my parents but my parents die in — in '30 — '31 or '32 right — right next to each other. And from that day, I lost everything. I didn't care for anybody in my family. I had one sister that I used to write to, Maria. And when we got marry — when we got our son I called her up, and I sent them a letter saying that I have a son. She [unclear] — she didn't answer me, the letter. So I said, "Forget it. You don't want my son. I don't want you."

SIGRIST:

Did your parents ever want to come to America? Did your parents ever want to come to America?

CASTRO:

No, I don't think so. Because we never talk about it.

SIGRIST:

But were you writing to them when you were here?

CASTRO:

Oh, yeah. When I — once I was here, I was — I used to send the money once in a while to them. Yeah. I remember the bank that I got — I put my little money that I made in Diamond [PH] Saving Bank on Sixth Avenue. I used to go there, take a check and send it to [unclear]. Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Well, I'd very much like to get you two speaking Spanish to each other on tape, if you could just, I don't know, talk about the garden if you want. You — you don't have to talk about meeting each other if you don't want to. But I would like to get a couple of minutes. And Mrs. Castro, when you speak, speak full voice. I know it's hard. [chuckles]

MRS. CASTRO:

[sentence unclear].

SIGRIST:

Talk a little bit — how did you meet Mrs. Castro in Espanol?

MRS. CASTRO:

[sentence unclear].

CASTRO:

I was — [speaking Spanish] in New York City.

MRS. CASTRO:

[sentence unclear].

CASTRO:

[speaking Spanish].

MRS. CASTRO:

[speaking Spanish]. CASTRO. Yeah. [speaking Spanish].

MRS. CASTRO:

[speaking Spanish].

CASTRO:

[speaking Spanish].

MRS. CASTRO:

[speaking Spanish].

CASTRO:

[speaking Spanish].

MRS. CASTRO:

[speaking Spanish]. [laughs]

SIGRIST:

Of course, I don't know what you're saying. [laughs]

MRS. CASTRO:

[speaking Spanish].

SIGRIST:

[laughs]

MRS. CASTRO:

You know, my — my dessert. My prepared dessert was a — a jelly —

CASTRO:

With milk.

MRS. CASTRO:

— with milk.

MARIA:

Jello.

MRS. CASTRO:

Jello with milk.

SIGRIST:

Uh-huh. [laughter]

MRS. CASTRO:

I'm sorry.

SIGRIST:

No, no. It's wonderful because you were acting like I did understand. [laughter] And —

MRS. CASTRO:

[unclear] Espanol. She speaks Spanish.

SIGRIST:

Yes, Maria speaks Spanish.

MRS. CASTRO:

Maria. [chuckles]

SIGRIST:

What year were you married?

CASTRO:

In '40 — '47, no?

MRS. CASTRO:

'47.

SIGRIST:

And you told me before that you had flown in from the Dominican Republic.

MRS. CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Just so we get that on tape. Mr. Castro, when you became a citizen — when you fought in the Army and you became a citizen, how did that make you feel?

CASTRO:

Oh, great. Great!

SIGRIST:

Did you have to go through a ceremony to do that? Or how did they do it when you went into the Army?

CASTRO:

Oh, let's see. The court was full of soldiers, all soldiers. No civilians. And they took — I think it was that c — ceremonies there.

SIGRIST:

So they did, even though — even though you did it through the Army, they at least —

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

They gave you a ceremony.

CASTRO:

We went to a courthouse in — that name of the town is Harrisburg, Mississippi. There's a bunch of that — I'm telling you, the court was full. No — no — no civilians there. I don't know how many soldiers were —

SIGRIST:

Lots of immigrant soldier — you know, people who —

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

Interesting.

CASTRO:

Oh, in my company, were one from Yugoslavia, one from — what — where is the other one — that I can remember. Yugoslavia. Oh, Hungary.

SIGRIST:

Hungary. Oh.

CASTRO:

Yeah.

SIGRIST:

When you think about your nationality, when you think about yourself and what your nationality is, how do you think of yourself?

CASTRO:

Listen. Listen. This is with the bottom of my heart. [unclear]. This is my country. All right?

WOMAN:

It's the best country in the whole wide world.

SIGRIST:

How do you think your life would have been different if you had stayed in Peru?

CASTRO:

You never know. One thing, the politic is so dirty there. The — probably, I would have been killed in there. Because we always had the terror there. Always. Now, you couldn't say one word against the government because, pik! They send you to an island and you disappear. Never see you again. So I — how can I say what would have been my future there?

SIGRIST:

The one thing we forgot to mention are children.

MARIA:

Ah-ha.

CASTRO:

Had —

MRS. CASTRO:

We got three.

SIGRIST:

Yes. Can you name them?

MRS. CASTRO:

Yeah, three — three. Melchor [PH].

SIGRIST:

Mercol?

CASTRO:

The same. The — my name.

SIGRIST:

Oh, uh-huh.

MRS. CASTRO:

[unclear].

SIGRIST:

Uh-huh, Melchor.

MRS. CASTRO:

Laura [PH].

CASTRO:

Laura [PH].

MRS. CASTRO:

Laura and Maria.

SIGRIST:

And Maria. And Maria's been here [unclear].

MRS. CASTRO:

And we [unclear]. And my sister died and we have got another — a girl from her. She was about two, three years old.

SIGRIST:

And what was her name?

MRS. CASTRO:

Jacqueline.

SIGRIST:

Jacqueline. Mr. Castro, thank you very much.

CASTRO:

You're welcome too.

SIGRIST:

This is a good place to end and this has been a most interesting inter —

MRS. CASTRO:

You don't want to know what my kid do? [laughter] You no want to know my kid doing? [laughter]

SIGRIST:

Well, all right. What is — what are your kids doing? Quickly. You've got 50 seconds.

MRS. CASTRO:

Oh, no, no. That's too long.

CASTRO:

My son is a judge.

SIGRIST:

A judge.

CASTRO:

My daughter is a technician in computers.

MRS. CASTRO:

Laura.

CASTRO:

Laura is a —

MRS. CASTRO:

Teacher.

CASTRO:

— teacher. But the — the two of them were studying for [unclear] but they — they don't practice.

MRS. CASTRO:

[unclear].

SIGRIST:

Are you proud of your children?

MRS. CASTRO:

Yes, very.

CASTRO:

Very.

MRS. CASTRO:

Very proud.

SIGRIST:

All right. We're going to — we're going to end the interview now. This is Paul Sigrist signing off with Melchor?

CASTRO:

Melchor.

SIGRIST:

Melchor Castro on September 30 th , 1995, late Saturday afternoon with his daughter, Maria, and Mrs. Castro and various other family — furry family members in attendance.

MRS. CASTRO:

And doggy — doggy —

CASTRO:

Okay.

SIGRIST:

Thank you very much.

CASTRO:

You're welcome, I'm sure. [END OF INTERVIEW]