Conversation with Rafael

Title

Conversation with Rafael

Description

Rafael is a Mexican male in his mid-20s who engineers software apps with a team and enjoys playing video games casually in his free time. He has been enjoying a quiet life since moving to Ottawa.

Date

2025-03-24

Format

MP3, 8 min 41s

Language

English

Interviewer

Laurien Wang

Interviewee

Rafael Rodriguez

Transcription

Interviewer: What brought you to
Ottawa?
Rafael: I came here because maybe around when I was 13, which was around eight years ago, my dad had a job opportunity and we just all moved here.
Interviewer: Okay, what's your country of origin?
Rafael: I am originally from Mexico.
Interviewer: Where in Mexico?
Rafael: From Monterrey, which is the border in the United States. I was there until I was 13.
Interviewer: Oh, wow. Do you have family here and do you see them frequently?
Rafael: I have an uncle that I see infrequently maybe once or twice a month mostly because he comes visit my mom but aside from that I don't have any other family. They all still live in Mexico.
Interviewer: Do you live in a Latin community or neighborhood where people speak Spanish and Portuguese and do you celebrate various occasions?
Rafael: I don't live in Latin community. I would, if I see anybody that's maybe speaking Spanish, I would gravitate towards that person, but don't necessarily live in that kind of community. It's not something that we were looking for, especially when we moved. But in terms of celebrations, we still celebrate every single holiday that we would celebrate back in Mexico, especially every, I guess, We were raised pretty religious. I'm not personally religious, but every single holiday that comes with Catholicism, I celebrate that with my family. yeah, that's pretty much it.
Interviewer: Okay. Is there a reason why you don't live in a Latin community or neighborhood?
Rafael: not really a reason, it's just not something that we were looking for. Or we were looking out for, guess, to settle in.
Interviewer: Do you wish you moved into a more lasting community or it doesn't really matter to you?
Rafael: I think it could be nice, but you know personally it's more about the living situation than community. I know it's very different for a lot of people, but for me personally it's more about the situation where you're at, not the community.
Interviewer: Okay, that makes sense. What celebrations are the most important to you?
Rafael: It's kind of a simple answer, but I would say birthdays. Just having to celebrate the birthdays of my family, just being able to hang out with them, especially since I'm in college now and I'm not living with them. So I only get to go home once, maybe once or twice every other month.
Interviewer: Okay, cool. Uh, can you describe a typical day in your community? Well, I know you said you didn't have one, so I don't know if that applies. Yeah, yeah, I would say that wouldn't apply. Is there any other community that you engage in? Sorry? Is there like another community you engage in?
Rafael: Not really, no. I'm pretty introverted, personally. That makes sense.
Interviewer: How do you celebrate your heritage?
Rafael: I guess, you know, I don't really celebrate it. just, I make a point to never forget, I would say. Just to know that there's a lot of things that I loved back in Mexico and I still love them now. I'm still trying to keep up with them, even though it's a little bit harder, but you as long as I make the effort, I still have that connection.
Interviewer: Oh, wow. Well, that's really heartwarming to hear actually. What values do you hold the most dear to in relation to the Latin American community or values you still hold on to?
Rafael: Honestly, in my opinion, the Latin community or I guess the community that I grew up in, which is was very religious. I went to a Catholic school. Even though I'm not religious, I do appreciate and I do like all the values.
Rafael: that he even steal on me. And I think that's one of the most important parts that I would really care about, I guess. I really miss.
Interviewer: Oh really? What kind of values?
Rafael: Well, you know, just everything about family, just being able to just... I know I say I'm not very community driven, but it's mostly just everyone outside of my family I don't really care too much about. It's just more about my family. Even distant relatives, you know, I want to make sure I have that connection despite being introverted. That's pretty good. Kind of ironic. Well, family and community should always be first.
Interviewer: in my opinion. But speaking of that, what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people to know about? Important to know?
Rafael: I would say if you go to Mexico, you would be surprised at how inviting they are about the kind of person that you can be, especially if you're a foreigner.
Rafael: Monterey especially, know, it's it's one of the major cities and starting to become a you know tourist heavy and I really think that people can can go there and learn a lot about our culture and take something from it
Interviewer: Yeah, honestly, I feel like the best way to experience other cultures really is through First-hand experience and interacting with the environment itself So yeah, that's such a beautiful culture, honestly. I would love to visit Mexico sometime and experience that culture myself because that sounds very heartwarming for anybody who is within that community and outside the community. What foods do you make that remind you of home and where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals?
Rafael: The food store reminds me most of home. You know, most people would say tacos, but I honestly would say soups. You know, the kind of soups that we have, would say are honestly the closest tie to my home, like the people that grew up in, like Caddo de Res and all that kind of thing. Like tamales. We have a...
Rafael: like my grandma's secret recipe of the coffee that she used to make, which is made with cinnamon. And it was, you know, it was amazing. But personally, you know, I'm not that very skilled in cooking and I never took up the offers to learn some of the secret recipes. So in terms of shopping, I just go to HEV, you know, it's probably one of the better options to get some. Classic Mexican products.
Interviewer: Wow. Well, it sounds delicious. I'll make sure to hit up that store so I can get some authentic food and tastes. How likely would you and your family be to use the website we are creating for uploading your stories? And how would you use it?
Rafael: I would say this doesn't apply to me because purely that I don't really post anything online, especially about my family.
Interviewer: Do you have any other comments or concerns?
Rafael: No, I have no concerns at all.
Interviewer: Are you sure? Yeah, absolutely. Okay, lovely. Thank you for joining me for my interview.
Rafael: Of course, thank you for the opportunity to share my story. No problem.

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