Conversation with Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes

Title

Conversation with Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes

Description

Alberto Camacho-Mallaganes was born in Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico which is a city located approximately three hours northwest of Mexico City. At the age of three, the interviewee moved to California but frequently traveled back and forth between Mexico and the United States. Later the interviewee relocated to Ottawa for a PhD after receiving to participate in a research lab that was aligning with their academic interest.

Date

2025-03-18

Format

MP3, 13 min 42 s

Language

English

Interviewer

Camille Paillat; Sophie Renaud

Interviewee

Alberto Camacho-Mallaganes

Transcription

Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: Hello! Camille: Hello!
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: How is it going?
Camille: It’s good, thank you. Hello again, my name is Camille, and this is Sophie. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today.
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes
Camile: Nice to meet you. Of course, no problem. Camille: We appreciate your participation in this interview. So, we only have 15 minutes, and this Zoom is being recorded. Is it okay with you?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: Yes, that is totally fine.
Camile: Alright, thank you. We are now going to start with the questions.
Sophie: The first question we have is: Could you kindly share your country of origin? And what do you like the most about your country, such as the cities, environment, people, etc.?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: Yeah, so, mine is a little more complicated, I guess. I was born in Mexico, so that would be my country of origin. I moved to California when I was three years old, but I sort of went back and forth between California and Mexico. But as far as my experience with Mexico, I mean, the people are very welcoming and friendly. It is definitely, I don't know... a much slower type of people, I would say.
Sophie: Also, what city are you from in Mexico?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: I am from Morelia, Michoacán, which is like, if you know where Mexico City is, about three hours northwest of Mexico City. Sophie: Next question, for moving to Ottawa: What made you move here? And what are those specific reasons?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: I moved to Ottawa because of a PhD. I got the opportunity to join a lab that was doing work that I was very interested in. So, I made the move to Ottawa! Sophie: Is it at uOttawa, Carleton, or another college?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: uOttawa, yes. Sophie: Do you have any family members residing in Ottawa, and how do you maintain connections with them if so?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: I don’t have any family members in Ottawa. All my family is back in California or Mexico. Sophie: For the fourth question: Which cultural celebration is the most significant for you, and how do you participate in it? This can either be in Ottawa, in California, or Mexico.
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: I would say, as far as Mexican holidays, that I still follow them since I moved to Canada. It would be El Día de los Muertos, which is supposed to be a week to a month where you remember people in your family that have passed away. Sophie: In what month is that holiday?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: It is in October, but I always forget. I will have to double-check. Don’t call me out on it, but I think it’s the end of October or the beginning of November. I think that’s when it falls. Sophie: So next question is about your heritage. How do you usually celebrate your cultural heritage? How do you honor it to this day?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: That’s a tough question... I mean, I guess whenever I have the opportunity, I tell people where I’m from. I don’t know if I do anything specific to honor my heritage other than sort of telling people where I’m from, how I grew up, and maybe sharing food.
Sophie: What is your favorite food if I can ask?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: It kind of depends... I would say that my favorite is what we call mole, which is like a Mexican curry. That’s the best way to describe it.
Sophie: Alright, thank you!
Camille: Alright, from what you shared so far, is there anything important that you believe people should know and understand about your culture or community?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: You know what, I think and feel like there is a lot of stereotypes associated with Mexicans. There are certain holidays that are associated with Mexico, such as Cinco de Mayo and stuff like that, but it isn’t really a thing. We don’t all sip tequila and eat tacos all day long. Although we love tequila! Tacos are a huge part of our culture, but the cuisine is like extremely diverse, and there is stuff outside of tequila and tacos too that are associated with culture. There is a rich history there!
Camille: And, also, what values do you hold most dearly? Are there any specific traditions, beliefs or practices that are especially meaningful to you?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: Since my mom passed away, I would say the Dia del Muerto is the big one, where it is like when you lose a loved one, after a couple of years you kind of start to forget. It becomes less present in your life that this person is gone. It almost builds a little alter to them, such as you put up their pictures, you buy their favorite snacks, make their favorite foods, or like if they have a specific type of trinket and you put it up next to the picture. It makes you remember a lot of the things that you care for about this person.
Camille: To go back to the food, can you share three of your favorite traditional dishes?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: I would say, like mole is probably my favorite one. I know I just said that there is more to the cuisine that tacos, but I love tacos, and to be specific, I love el pastor tacos. They are call it “Mexican shawarma”, and it is basically cooked in the exact same way that shawarma is. But instead of it being chicken and beef, it is pork. So, it’s pork base and it is marinated in a chili paste sauce. It is super tasty. For my third one, it is called a torta, which is a Mexican street sandwich. Camille: If you prepare them, where do you usually go find the ingredients, if you know?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: It’s a struggle to find ingredients here. I mean there is a few little Latin markets. But often times, if you want to make a mole, you have to go to three or four different little Latin markets because they each carry one or two things that you need to make it. It is kind of rough... But, I will say though that I have seen salsa verde. Also, when I moved here five years ago, tomatillos which is a type of green tomato were impossible to find. Now, Loblaws, Metro, and Whole food carry them. So, it is like hey!.. There must be enough Mexicans that they start to carry this specific product.
Camille: We are currently working on a website to help share this community's stories. The name of this website is Omeka. It is an open-source attachment system designed to create digital archives. And, how likely are you to engage with it? Do you have any suggestions for how we can make it more accessible and engaging? Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: I’ve never heard of the website, so I can’t say that I have engaged with it. So I would say that maybe making people more aware of the website would be my biggest suggestion. If people know about it, they are more likely to engage with it.
Camille: Before we wrap up the interview, is there anything else you would like to share, or any thoughts or suggestions? Or even personal stories?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: Not on the top of my head that I can think of. If you guys have any more questions or would like to know more, I know you said you only had 15 minutes, you have 5 minutes if you wanna ask more questions, I am open to share whatever you want to know.
Camille: Sophie, do you have any questions?
Sophie: I was wondering if your family came to Ottawa?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: My family came to visit me I would say it was like 6 months after I moved here. Other than that, they have not come up to Canada because of the whole pandemic thing, and then after it been like “well I should be done with my PhD soon, come when I finish my PhD”.
Sophie: And how did they find it here? Just wondering how you and your family like Ottawa?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: I actually really like Ottawa; I was really surprised. You know, I feel like when I was moving here, I knew it was the capital of Canada, and then I had seen the video of the guy that pulled a raccoon in a McDonald's. That was the two things that I knew about Ottawa, and I was like “yeah alright”. But then I got here, and I don’t know ... it is a really nice city: it has a nice balance of big city stuff, and I like how easy it is to get on the bike path and Gatineau Park. It is something that I really appreciate.
Sophie: Now, my last question for you: Are you planning to stay in Ottawa for longer?
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: That is to be determined. For my PhD, I work in cancer research and my goal is to move in biotech or work in the private sector. Ottawa doesn't have a lot of industries for that. I was potentially thinking to apply to the federal government to work in research labs but there are hiring freezes. Ottawa might not be where I end up, but I like it here, and if I end up staying, I would be very happy with that.
Sophie: Alright, thank you! I think this is all for us. Camille, do you have any questions?
Camille: No, that was all the questions I had.
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: I feel like you were shocked about the raccoon.
Camille: YES! Everyone has heard of it.
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: Yes, it was a funny moment that was caught on video. You should feel proud of being a native from Ottawa for that video and that’s what you’re known for. It gives you guys an edge.
Camille: Thank you so much for your time and hearing your experiences.
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: Of course!
Camille: Your contribution is very important to us.
Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes: Happy to assist!
Camille: Thank you so much and have a great night!

Original Format

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