3 25 60 https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/5ad549dba295ce8c1022ba040088b756.mp3 e7ed192ea892a25d05b82313946d0a9e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource Ottawa, Canada's capital, is home to a richly diverse community. This reality makes Ottawa great. However, it can also make it difficult for Canadian citizens, residents, and newcomers to know where to start when looking for a community. For the winter 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean class, we endeavoured to inspire our students to explore this diversity through ethnographic interviews. Over thirteen weeks, our students interviewed friends, family, and Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean community members and the surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time, preserving knowledge and promoting their cultures. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Sandra Carranco Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Jaspreet Basi ; Rony Matni Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Rony Matni: [00:00:00] Hi, my name is Rony Matni Jaspreet Basi: and my name is Jaspreet Basi. Rony Matni: And we are student in anthropology at the University of Ottawa, anthropology of Latin America and the Caribbeans. And today we have the pleasure of interviewing Sandra Carranco. Jaspreet Basi: This interview is a part of an ethnographic exploration of Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean communities, where we aim to gain a deeper understanding of cultural heritage, traditions, and the lived experiences of individuals within these communities. Jaspreet Basi: Sandra, thank you for taking the time to share your story with us today. We're excited to learn about your background, your journey to Ottawa, and ways in which you celebrate and preserve your heritage. Let's get started. Rony Matni: So let's start with our first question. Um, so what is your country of origin? Sandra Carranco: I am from LA Pass Bolivia, south America. Jaspreet Basi: Perfect. What brought you [00:01:00] to Ottawa, Sandra? Sandra Carranco: Uh, well in my twenties I immigrated to Mexico. The political situations that my father was involved in politics in the sixties in Bolivia, and then I moved to Mexico and I went to university there. I have a degree in physiotherapy and a PhD degree in physiotherapy for with respiratory problems. Sandra Carranco: Then I work there. And then I got married there in Mexico. I lived there for 12 years. Then, um, we had a great life with my husband in Mexico, but the economical situation for some people that they start to rob people and that happened to us in our house. They robbed us [00:02:00] and it was scary. Then we decided to move and my brother-in-law was, is married with a Canadian woman and he says, oh, I am moving to Canada. Sandra Carranco: Let's go to Canada. Because it's hard to take care of our kids and this economical situation that they takes our money, it's better to move. Then I was, no, I am not moving to Canada. Uh, I have here my work at university, at my, at the office, and I know that if I go to Canada, it will be hard for me because my English is very poor. Sandra Carranco: Then we decided to move back to Bolivia. Then my husband and my two kids, we moved back to Bolivia. We. There for four years, but unfortunately, you know, because of my father Political's view, he was assassinated. Then we said, this is scary, and my brother-in-law was already living here in Ottawa. Then he says, no, come, come to Canada. Sandra Carranco: Then we decided we apply and we had our um. Uh, visa, our resident visa. We apply in, in LA in Bolivia, and we got our residency. Then we came with residency here to Ottawa and we joined my two brothers-in-law because at that time, my two brothers in law were living here and it was great because it. Nice to move to a new country and have family. Sandra Carranco: Then for us was easy. My husband, my husband was able to find a job, but for me it was difficult. Because I knew that it, it will be very difficult to go back to my physio in Bolivia. I was a professor at the university too. I have my own office, but we said it's risky and safe to live there. Then I said, okay, I have a new start and I have, my children were young. Sandra Carranco: They were five and seven years old. Then I said, okay. I will be here learning English, and I start to take English lessons. Then I met, I met in my English lessons with some, uh, Latin women. We get together. It's nice, but I, I had this comfort of having my, my sisters-in-law, my brother's in-law here. It was easy then. Sandra Carranco: Mm. Uh, I start working as a [00:05:00] breakfast lady in the school where my kids, uh, were assisting at Holy Cross. Then I said, no, I have to go back to university back. I love my physio. Then it, it was hard because then I think it was 2002. That all the high tech here in Ottawa was failing and my husband was working in high tech then we were without jobs. Sandra Carranco: It was hard. It was not easy. But then we were resilient and we went. We did what we did. Now I work as an educational assistant for the Ottawa Catholic School Board. I love my job. I am not a physio here, but I use my knowledge and I love to work with, uh, children with disabilities. Then it is a blessing to work with them. Sandra Carranco: Um, my mother and my sister came from Bolivia to live here. Then I had a great support family and when my kids were young, it was great to meet other Mexicans families. And then my brother-in-law and a group of Mexicans, they decided to have, uh. Uh, Spanish school for our kids because we had a lot of kids. Sandra Carranco: [00:07:00]Then the University of Mexico, they have here a building where they teach Spanish and they open the doors for us to teach our kids Spanish and Mexican history. Then we, I joined that group of parents, my kids every Saturday were receiving Spanish lessons and, uh, his history lessons. Then it was great to be part of that community and, um, we love it about that. Sandra Carranco: Then, um, I, uh. With my mother. My mother was a social person, and uh, she was old. I, right now I am 60. Then my mother was in her eighties when she was here, but she loved to have people around her. And we find a group of Bian, the Bian community here, where are we from? And we joined that group. And that group became our big family because I am married with a Mexican [00:08:00] and I live in Mexico for 12 years. Sandra Carranco: But it's different when it's your own culture, your own people. Then, um, we joined the Bian community. We are few people here, and then my mother was always inviting the ladies to her house because she loved to cook and she was most of the time by herself at home and we were working. She had her own place with my sister and then. Sandra Carranco: One of the ladies in our Latin community, uh, told us, oh, why we don't play the Bian game called Paku. And I said, oh, I remember when I was young. Maybe my aunt was the one that was playing a pasanaku . And what is pasanaku , a game from the [00:09:00] Andes. We are from the Andes community. We're from the mountains in Bolivia, but in reality, in Bolivia, everybody plays this game. Sandra Carranco: And it's a game that pasanaku , that indigenous world means passes between us and, um. And I said, oh, I don't know the rules of this game because I left young, not as an adult from Bolivia, and this friend explained me the rules and say, okay, I will organize this group of women. Then I called the women from my community and I said, Hey, I will organize Sandra Carranco: I am organizing this game called Paco. And um, do you want to join? And this game is based on trust because money is involved in this. Then, um, the ladies came to my place and um, we decided, I [00:10:00] think this group was started nine years ago and uh, I think we started with $50 or $30. Then the of. Is really based on trust, but is a social event more than the money. Sandra Carranco: And then every, um, we get together and we draw the names of the people that want to play the game because it's the whole year. It, it's not, uh, one time then it, it is with commitment. And then we draw the names and the person that gets the first name, she hosts a dinner, and then we all bring the money and that person receives the money of the people participating. Sandra Carranco: Then after [00:11:00] dinner, we decide to draw again. Then the next month, then we decide really that. We do a draw and every person is assigned to, um, a month, then we get together once a month and we give our money. But this, it is a win-win situation because we receive our money when we are award, when it's our turn, but instead of the 30 or $50 we receive. Sandra Carranco: 300 we're 10 participating people. It, it's an interesting game, but the most important part is the social because we host the dinner and we try to do bivian things, things that reminds us from our country or things that we usually don't eat every day. And because we are now 14. Women playing this game and we get [00:12:00] together and we are from different parts of Bolivia, then it's interesting to know what they eat in other parts of Bolivia even. Sandra Carranco: We are from the same country. We get together, we, we eat, and we usually invite our kids too. If they want, my kids are old, they will not join. But this group, we have people that is in their thirties and my mom that was in that group, she was in her nineties. The needs a diverse group and Sandra Carranco: we. We created this group because the majority of the women, they don't have families here. Like I was lucky to have my Mexican family, my mother and my sister here, and, but they, all of them, they don't have families here. [00:13:00] Then we became a big great family. We love each other, we respect each other, and we never had problems and. Sandra Carranco: How I get involved because of that, because we like it to, to be involved. And I was always volunteering to, to the, uh, there was, when I arrived, there was already a group of Bian, the bian community, but it was a little bit, um, different because no one. Uh, the problem is that a lot of people lives Bolivia because of political problems in the sixties, and then it was a group a little bit difficult to join because they had their own political views, very strong political views.[00:14:00] Sandra Carranco: And then we were like, are we in that kind of group? Or we want a, a group that everybody, um. Everybody thinks about our heritage. It was a mix and at the end we, my husband got involved and it was interesting because of this political views, the leader of our community, no one not, no one wanted to be a leader of the Bolivia community. Sandra Carranco: Then my husband as a Mexican, he says, oh, I will be, because before we had, uh, the wife of one of our friends, Bivian friends, a Canadian, she was the leader of our community, a Canadian woman. And sometimes we laugh about that because she had her own views, but. [00:15:00] They were Canadian views, views as a Bolivian. Sandra Carranco: Then my husband joined the group and then, um, it was more a Latin group now, and then we decided with this group of friends that we decide we had the paku. We said, we don't need a leader for these things. We want to get together. We wanna dance to eat our food. Then my sister. Um, another woman, Elia Ru Ris and myself, we decided to be the leaders of our group and we decided to will not ask money for the group. Sandra Carranco: And we, we organized two events for our BIAN community. The. Bian Day, that is in August 6th and for Christmas, we organize these two events. One is outdoors [00:16:00] that every, we usually get together at the Vincent massive park, or we go to a park and everybody brings food and we get together, we eat, we dance, and everybody goes back home and we don't judge anyone that is. Sandra Carranco: If you have potatoes to bring to the, to the party or you don't have anything, you are welcome to come. And we created this very strong community. We are like 50 people. But counting our husbands that are not bolivians and we help each other and we have a Facebook group that, um, if people need help from the Bian community, we are there to help. Sandra Carranco: We have a WhatsApp community that people can ask. [00:17:00] And um, on December we have this Christmas party, but. It is a wonderful party because we have a woman, Maria Teresa Boso, that she loves the dances and she teach the kids dances and they perform. For us, but because we are like a family, we join the party. Sandra Carranco: The we, we usually go to a, a community center that they have a stage. Then the kids feel like stars dancing with the Bian costumes and we, we love that. Sandra Carranco: Do you have any questions because I didn't stop. Jaspreet Basi: That's okay. Thank you for sharing such an amazing story. Um, actually, Ronnie had one of the questions that he wanted to ask. Rony Matni: That is right. So first of all, wow, that's a very, very interesting [00:18:00] story. Thank you so much. So you mentioned that you do have family here in Ottawa and Canada in general. Rony Matni: So do you see them frequently or No. Sandra Carranco: Uh, yes. Yes. Mm. We get together, um, once a month for the birthdays. We usually get together for the birthdays and, um, they, but they are my husband's size, the Mexican size. Okay. And the bian side. Unfortunately, my mother and my sister, they passed away in the last five years. Sandra Carranco: Then they were my only bian family here. But not only I am wrong because my cousins that I grow up, we grow up together in Bolivia. They live in Toronto. When I feel homesick, really bullied, I'm homesick. I [00:19:00] grab my car and I go to Toronto, and usually we go four times a year at least to see them. Jaspreet Basi: Wow. That is, that is really cool. Jaspreet Basi: Um, and I know you mentioned that you live obviously in Ottawa through your story, but do you live in a neighborhood or a community that is Latin where people speak either Spanish or sport Portuguese and celebrate various occasions? Sandra Carranco: No I don't live in a. Community. Rony Matni: So next question. Um, so what celebrations are most important to you and are they celebrated in Canada? Sandra Carranco: Yes, the, the, I mentioned you that we have as a community to celebrations [00:20:00] and it's the Bian National Day. That is in August 6th. But, um, our government change in the last, uh, 20 years and they have a new date that it's, I think March 24th, uh, because we, we had, uh, indigenous president and it was good because he included all the communities in our country. Sandra Carranco: But the truth, because we. Came here. We don't celebrate that day. We only celebrate the August 6th. And that reminds us, um, and in Bolivia, they celebrate August 6th too. And remind us all the festivities that we have on that day because it's a very civic. Event, and we [00:21:00] remind us when we were young, where we will go to March with our uniforms and the food that they give us. Sandra Carranco: Mm-hmm. Then we celebrate that and at Christmas to get together because the majority of us, we are Christians, but the truth, our group have different religions. But we celebrate Christmas. Rony Matni: Perfect. Thank you. Jaspreet Basi: What are some values that you hold dear? Um, you hold most dear? As a member of like the Latin and Caribbean community, Sandra Carranco: uh, I think we bring, um. We love to live in community and we live to trust each other and we love to be together.[00:22:00] Rony Matni: Perfect. So I know you said a lot already about this, but what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people here to know about? Sandra Carranco: Um, well I have two children and I love that they both speak Spanish fluently.Because we come from a Spanish speaking and I want them to. Sandra Carranco: Go to Bolivia or Mexico and be able to know how we act in our country that it's different here. Like, um, sometimes they feel shy because in Bolivia when we greet, we give the person a kiss, even if, if you don't know that person. And then I, wow. They are like, no, but that's our culture because we trust people. Sandra Carranco: It is a trusting thing even when you greet. [00:23:00] Then, um, for me that is important that my kids know our roots, how we act or why we have these thinking that it may be different than other people, or why we have these values or why it's important to us to take care of each other, take care of our parents. All those things are very important for me. Jaspreet Basi: Thank you. What do you, what foods do you think remind you of home and is there anywhere in particular that you purchase groceries to prepare traditional meals from specifically? Sandra Carranco: Yes. Now we that the, we, we have a. Very open, uh, market Now that we can find foods that, uh, remind us of our countries. I usually go to [00:24:00] the Latin stores. Sandra Carranco: There are Mexican Latin stores that we can find, and Peru is a big country with, uh, a lot of food, heritage and Bolivia and Peru. One day we were the same country. Then we say we. A lot of the food that we eat in Bolivia, they eat in Peru too. But we have our own food of course, that it's different and, um. Sandra Carranco: Some of them, we can't find it. And we have a special pastry, it's called Nia. It's an empanada filled with, uh, meat, meat and vegetables. And it's, um, cooked in the oven. It's, it is, um. A pastry that eats juicy. It's not a dry feeling then it's hard to make [00:25:00] because the dough has to be very special to hold the juice of the empanada. Sandra Carranco: Then we are, we're fortunate that people likes to cook and we have, uh, excellent, um, person that cooks those for us and we buy from her, from our community. And, uh, another food that we can't find here in Canada. We eat, uh, dried potatoes. It's called Juno, and they are dried in the Titi kaka that it's called. It has a special process and it's, um. It's a different taste. And in Bolivia we have 300 varieties of potatoes then with a lot of potatoes and they are different. [00:26:00] Mm-hmm. Is that question. Rony Matni: Yeah. So you've shared a very beautiful and profound story about your life, your family's experience, and the challenges that you faced along the way that we will be uploading to our website. Rony Matni: So how likely would you and your family members be to use the website you are creating for uploading yours and many other stories, and how would you use it? Sandra Carranco: Mm. I think it's interesting to have this website not only for us. We already are here. Maybe we will not use it a lot, but it will be a good link to say to the young people in our community that to learn what we brought here, what brought us here, and how we share our heritage.  Sandra Carranco: But I don't [00:27:00] know if I will. Yes, I will use it with my community. We will put in our, uh, bian group. Then if someone is interested, it'll use it. Rony Matni: Perfect. So Sandra, we truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences, insights, and perspectives with us today. So your story provided valuable understanding of the Latin American and Caribbean communities here in Ottawa, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to learn from you. Rony Matni: But before we wrap up, is there anything else you'd like to add, perhaps a final thought or message you'd like to share? Sandra Carranco: Um, I would like to share that, um, we are a vibrant community. We have people from different, uh, economical with different, um, views [00:28:00] that we came from our country and, uh, we invite them to go and visit our countries. Sandra Carranco: They have beautiful natural resources. Um, and I would like people to, to don't see Latin American, like a third world. I don't like that because we have so much natural resources. Maybe not manage perfectly, but if people goes to our countries and visit us, it's wonderful. Jaspreet Basi: Oh, once again, thank you for your time and being a part of our project. Jaspreet Basi: We also want to extend our gratitude to our professor, Dr. Lori Weinstein in the University of Ottawa's Anthropology Department for guiding us in this important discussion. And we hope this conversation contributes to a greater understanding and appreciation of the rich [00:29:00] cultures and traditions within Ottawa's, Latin American and communities. Jaspreet Basi: Thank you. Rony Matni: Thank you so much. Sandra Carranco: Your welcome Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Sandra Carranco Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-10 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 29 min 13 s Description An account of the resource Sandra Carranco, a Bolivian immigrant with a PhD in physiotherapy, relocated to Ottawa from Mexico due to political instability in Bolivia. Encouraged by her brother-in-law, she sought safety and economic stability in Canada. Despite initial challenges like language barriers and professional setbacks, Sandra adapted and became an educational assistant. She is deeply committed to preserving Bolivian culture in Ottawa. Sandra co-founded a women’s group that plays Pasanaku and organizes cultural events, including Bolivia’s National Day and a Christmas celebration, emphasizing inclusivity. Sandra uses food as an essential vessel of her cultural heritage, seeks ingredients for traditional dishes, and passes cultural values to her children. Sandra’s story illustrates the resilience of Ottawa’s Latin American communities and her desire to change perceptions of Bolivia and Latin America. Language A language of the resource English https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/15cf9584193ac708541457edfb60cf01.mp3 8d9d494b6216e54a74371a511acd4211 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource Ottawa, Canada's capital, is home to a richly diverse community. This reality makes Ottawa great. However, it can also make it difficult for Canadian citizens, residents, and newcomers to know where to start when looking for a community. For the winter 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean class, we endeavoured to inspire our students to explore this diversity through ethnographic interviews. Over thirteen weeks, our students interviewed friends, family, and Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean community members and the surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time, preserving knowledge and promoting their cultures. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Ivana Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Linda;Iganze Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Linda:  0:00 Hi, my name is Linda, and I am a student at the University of Ottawa in anthropology. I am doing an interview about the experience of Latin American and Caribbean communities in Ottawa. Your thoughts are important and will help us understand culture, migration, community. We just get to start by introducing yourself. Ivana: 0:27 Hi Linda, I'm Ivana. I am a Peruvian that came here to Canada at nine years old. Linda 0:34 I have a list of questions that I'm going to ask you. But you don't have to answer all the questions. Just answer the questions that you are comfortable with. And I would love to start with what brought you here in Ottawa. Ivana:  0:50 So I came to Ottawa because I was planning to study in the University of Ottawa. I studied communications and I decided I finally to stay because I was living in Montreal before. So then I, as I say, like I came here to study and ended up like choosing another career which is event management. So that's what I've been doing up to today. Linda: 1:22 Do you have a family here or do you see them frequently? Ivana: 1:27 Yes, I do have my mom and my dad here in Canada and I do see them frequently. We, me and my mom, we spend a lot of time going on little trips. Every two weekends we decide to go to little to other places like Manotec or maybe Cornwall or then go to Toronto. Sometimes go to Quebec and visit other places in Canada. Linda: 2:07 Thank you. Do you live in Latino neighborhood where people speak Spanish or Portuguese and celebrate various occasions? Ivana 2:18 I feel now I don't live in a Latin community. I surround myself by Latin people. Yes, but mostly they live in Ottawa. I live in Gatineau. So I do see myself with a lot of Latin people to go dancing, have meals together But it's more distant. I used to live, when I was living in Montreal longeuil I was surrounded, all my neighbors were Latinos. And as I just first arrived, those were my support, my first friends. But now it's really hard to get involved with the Latin community.I feel it is not easy as it was. Linda: Are there the celebrations that are most important to you? Ivana: 3:13 I feel. Well, can I say birthdays? Linda: 3:16 Yes, feel free to say what you want. Ivana: 3:19 I feel birthdays are very special because you get to celebrate the person who you love that is here another day with you. So I feel that's the most beautiful celebration you can have. But I do celebrate also as in my culture, I do still celebrate Christmas and New Year's and those are the celebrations that I do still celebrate. Linda: 3:50 So do you have like a specific way that you celebrate New Year, Christmas, based on your culture ? Ivana: Yeah. So Christmas, actually we do. For us, Christmas is like on, on the 24th that we celebrate. So we do, we do wait until midnight of the 24th and then we say Merry Christmas. Yes. And we eat at night.We, we eat at 12 after, after celebrating. Linda: 4:24 Is there any specific meal that you eat? Ivana: 4:27 We do a buffet actually. We try to make a huge like 3 turkey and then we can put like rice and salad and like, we try to gather as much like family as we can and also friends. We try to be in accompanying but by a lot of people that we love, we love to do that, you know. And New Year's for me it's. Well, yeah, in Peru when I go back there, you celebrate with family and friends, but that mostly New Year's is celebrated more with your friends. And over there they used to do this tradition where they put, they put a. Like not a person, but they put with, with clothes, they make it with clothes and they put like a balloon as a face, you know, and then they put like fireworks on it. And then they make it explode. Yeah, you see a bunch, a bunch of fireworks everywhere. But that's something I really miss because here you cannot really do fireworks. I've seen some fireworks though. But yeah, you're not allowed. It's just like in the parliament and that's it. Linda: 5:53 Can you describe a typical day in your community? Ivana: 5:58 Typical day in my community, I think mostly we do like to, when we go out, we just like to say hi to each other. But it's not just, just be polite here as in Canada over there. It's more like, hey, like they knock your door and they ask you for sugar, you know, that kind of stuff that you don't see here. And you can call a friend, just tell them, hey, like I want to hang out with you in like a few minutes I'll be at your house. And then you present yourself to their house and like nobody's gonna tell you, no, I'm busy, or they're just gonna accept you over there. So. Typical day. I think it's the same thing as here, you know. Yeah. In my country, the last time I visited, actually it was in December last year. I saw that Everybody works until 7:00, so that's like minimum. And they usually work until Saturday and like Sunday they rest. It depends. But mostly they work a lot compared to here. Here you have more like Saturday and Sunday and a little bit more free time at night, you know. So, yeah, It's different. Linda: 7:29 What are some values that you hold most dear as, like a member of a Latin community? Ivana: 7:37 So many values. I feel unity, the warmness, everybody. It feels beautiful. Like how you see the people supporting each other and enjoying life and having fun. I feel if we bring this to Canada, this would be amazing.Yeah, that's what I really love about Peru. It's like everybody is welcoming and they're really nice, but not nice. Hi, nice, but, you know, really nice. So, yeah, I. I really miss that. Ivana: 8:21 Every single time I go there, it's like, it's like a party. Even with your family, we do. I remember, like, for dia de la cancion creolla, we tended to just celebrate. It's like for us, it's like instead of like doing Halloween, we do like the day of the Creole song. I don't know, it's not cruel, but Creolia.everybody's dancing. Ivana: 8:48 I don't know how to say it, but anyways, yeah, so we did celebrate that and we put. Everybody's playing an instrument Linda: 8:58 Would you like to share something about yourself or your community that you think is important for people, like, for instance, me to know or other people to know? Ivana: 9:09 I think it's mostly what I said.We Peruvians tend to be very heartwarming and also very hard workers. You can see a lot of Peruvians succeed here because they want to put their best and do their best and always. We're always like supporting of each other. We're never gonna leave you outside the door. We're also.We're always going to be welcoming and we're also going to be really happy. Linda: 9:41 What food do you make that remind you of home and where do you purchase your groceries from? Ivana: 9:51 Okay, well, so this year I said to myself that I would make more perine food, which I'm really proud because it tastes really good. Yeah, so I've been doing aji de gallina, which something I love is with chicken. And it's like I'm using a lot of spices that I brought lately from Peru. Ivana: 10:17 It's because, like, the spices over there and the, like the hot they become, that it has flavor. That's what I like about that. So I like to add like different condiments so it has different tastes. And yeah, so I do that.I do like to cook. I like to cook. And yeah, like, I purchase my groceries in super, say, like Walmart,Loblaws. Ivana: 10:50 Like where. Wherever I find. But like, mostly if I want to Purchase, like, Peruvian food. You cannot find a lot, but you can find, like, some frozen fruits in Latin market. There's one in Gatineau.There's really small also. And it's. They have, like, some good stuff, like lucuma, which is, like, frozen fruits. They do have, like, ginka cola, which is like a pop drink, and they have frijoles and some spices. Ivana: 11:37 And. Yeah, you can cook a really good meal with that. It's not gonna taste the same, obviously, as if you have, like, all the ingredients that you were supposed to have in your country. Ivana: 11:51 Yeah. Back home. But, here, it brings me home just by doing something, you know, Like, I feel good, and I love bringing my people, my friends, like, home and just, like, making them taste like a part of my culture, a part of my country, it makes me happy. Linda: 12:12 Our last question. You know, like, there's a website that has been created, and these stories are going to be uploaded. So my question is, how likely would you or your family be to use the website? Ivana: 12:28 I think it would be a really nice way to represent everybody, and it'll be nice to see that there's more people like us and Latinos, and then we can, like, share our cultures. And I think, yes, we can. We can use it for that. Ivana: 12:50 And actually, there's a lot of, like, groups in. In Facebook where we post about, like, somebody that's making some food and, like, businesses and try to support each other, but there's no, like, special website for that. So I think that'll be a really nice idea if you can implement that to. Inside the website and. Yeah, it would be nice to see. Linda: 13:16 So we are at the end of our interview. Do you have any comment or concerns that you would like to share? Ivana: 13:26 I'm just very happy to have had the chance to do this because I feel having the word to express about my culture is very enriching and I'm grateful for this experience. So thank you so much. Linda: 13:42 Thank you. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Ivana by Linda Iganze Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-16 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3,13 min 43 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Ivana is a self-assured Peruvian woman who has preserved her brilliant heritage after emigrating to Montreal, Canada, at the tender age of nine. She later moved to Ottawa to pursue higher studies before finally settling into a thriving career in event management while continually reaffirming the traditions and cultural practices that constitute her heritage. Ivana now resides in Gatineau but remains intimately connected to her heritage through family gatherings, cherished culinary traditions, and continuous community participation. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/6c065821d5da72f5d7e590a757b77aa3.mp3 9785bf187d7dcca84229d4626e917769 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource Ottawa, Canada's capital, is home to a richly diverse community. This reality makes Ottawa great. However, it can also make it difficult for Canadian citizens, residents, and newcomers to know where to start when looking for a community. For the winter 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean class, we endeavoured to inspire our students to explore this diversity through ethnographic interviews. Over thirteen weeks, our students interviewed friends, family, and Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean community members and the surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time, preserving knowledge and promoting their cultures. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Natalia Proano Gallegos Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Maria Proano Gallegos; Perlene Tshibaj Kawen Karumb; Maya Norgaard Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Maya: Hello to our listeners. Today, we're going to be conducting an interview with Natalia as our interviewee. My name is Maya, and I'm going to be interviewing along with Perlene and Maria. Maya: Natalia is from Ecuador, and we're going to be asking her about her culture and her Ecuadorian identity. This is for the anthropology of Latin America and Caribbean in ANT 3340 at the University of Ottawa. Today is March 13th, 2025. This interview is going to be in English. Maya: And… All right. I think we're good to begin. We're going to be rotating the questions between the three of us. Maya: So, I'll go ahead with the first question. Natalia, what's your country of origin? Natalia: My country of origin is Ecuador. I was born there and I stayed there till I was 12 years old. Then, I moved to Canada. Perlene: So, I will go with the second question. What brought you to Ottawa? Natalia: What brought me to Ottawa was mostly my family, my brother. I was living in Winnipeg, and my brother wanted to study in the uOttawa, so then we thought that we could all move into Ottawa so that we can be closer to my brother and also to my sister. She was also going to study in uOttawa. Maria: What brought you to Canada then more specifically? Natalia: We brought me to Canada was the situation of my country as well as my family financial situation. My brother was 17 at the time, and so he was about to start university, but my family coudn’t afford university, so we thought of kind of Canada because the school is has really good schools and it's and it's free as well as there's more help with studying in university. Maya: Do you have family here and do you see them frequently?  Natalia: I have my whole like nuclear family here, my, my siblings and my parents. And I also have an uncle that he came after us moving in Canada. And, um, I also have another uncle that he came here, but he's in Quebec, so I don't see him frequently as I see my other uncle that he came to Winnipeg with us and then later on to Ottawa. Perlene: Do you live in a Latin community or neighborhoods where people speak Spanish and/or Portuguese and celebrate various occasions? Natalia: I don't live in a neighborhood where there's a lot of Spanish … Spanish people. Although I do have some neighbors that are Latin. And I… I don't have a community as much as like in my in my neighborhood. But I do go to a Spanish church where everybody is a Spanish, so I… I live there more. The community of Latin. Maria: What celebrations are more important to you? Natalia: I'll say Christmas… ‘Cause it's really important to me as, as well with the religious aspect to it. I'm Catholic and it also has a really good memories, especially with my, in my family. We used to do really, like, big parties and we used to stay up till like 3:00 AM and it was, like, the whole day. So it's definitely no, I definitely say, Christmas. Maya: Can you describe a typical day in your community? Natalia: I… I think a typical day. Well, I… I wouldn't sure of that question because I think yes, I have a, have a, background of like Latin America, but at the end of the day it is a normal culture, and like I guess like a typical day for, for me is also a typical day for any Canadian. So… I'll say maybe like. Like, reframe the, like the question, because we are all human and, and we all like do typical day stuff like eating and buying food and then going to school and then working, and taking a shower, so yeah. Perlene: How do you celebrate your heritage? Natalia: I’ll say I celebrate… I’ll celebrate my heritage mostly with other people, like sharing my, my culture and, and like teaching other people my culture as well. And, also especially with like dances, or with history facts, or with food. I think a way of celebrating my my culture is when I, and I cook meals that are from, from my, my culture or when I speak Spanish with other people. I think that's a way that I can celebrate in Canada, my culture. Maria: And Speaking of culture, what would you say are some values that you hold the most dear as a member of the Latin American community? Natalia: I think some values I don't… I don't see my values being related as my, my origins, but I do see my values more related to religion. And it is true that most Latin Americans are Catholics. So, I'll say I can see the link there in like Catholicism, but my values are really… I think, I think I think one of the Latin American values actually is really that I've seen a difference here in Canada is like family. In Latin family from my culture, family is very important and we are very united in family rather than here. I feel like I see more separation, like it's normal to… for kids to eat alone or for parents to not, like, do their thing. But in in Ecuador it was all very like… Very related, very united. And it was like it was like “I” don't have a problem. It's not like my mom's problem, but it's like my problem as well. So yeah, I think that that can be considered as a value. Maya: And what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people to know? Natalia]: I would like to share that… That the way… That the way that you know there's, there's so much there's there is violence in in my country, it's not it's not necessarily for like a cultural thing but it's more because people they don't have accessibility to food or to do work, and so they they're more, like desperate, and then they start like robbing. But the culture itself, it is a very beautiful and very like has good values of like… Love and like respect, but it is hard to, to live all of that in a country where it's so hard to, to afford basic things and to have a normal life like with work and in school. Perlene: So what food do you make that reminds you of home, and where do you purchase your grocery to prepare your traditional meals? Natalia]: One food that I make that reminds me of home is this thing called Majado, is mostly with plantain. And I think like any superstore, have, has plaintain, luckily. And so I always I, I have no problem with finding mostly, my, like, the food. There's also some Latin markets in Gatineau that I've, I've gone to, where like, I can purchase also, like, corn because here the corn is very, like, more sweet. But in my country we have like… Corn that's more salty, I guess. And so, I love that corn. And so I, yeah, I go to Latin stores too to… To have that. Maria: Awesome. Thank you so much. How likely would you now say you or be to use the website we are creating for uploading your stories? And how would you use it? We would like to serve better the community, so any suggestions from you about access, as well as what should be posted, would be greatly appreciated. Natalia: I think you can post… Yeah, I think it's really good to post something related to culture so that people can know more about other cultures. I think we live in Canada and it's a very cultural country where there's a lot of countries, and, and it's, it's very important to to learn each other's history and, and cultures to grow more. Maria: Are you likely to use the website then? Natalia: Yes, I think I'll be likely to use the website to learn more. Maria: Okay, awesome. Maya: Okay, and I think just for our final question here, um, are there any extra, like, comments or concerns that you have? Natalia: No, I think I'm good. But if you guys have any other questions, feel free to ask. Maya: I think earlier you mentioned, okay, so we're actually at 10 minutes, so plenty of time. But, I think earlier you mentioned at the values question that there was, like, dances that you do. Could you talk more about that? Natalia: Yes. In my, in my country is very, is the dance aspect to… It's very related to festivals, and the aspect of festivals is like again very related to religion, to religion. So when there's like, for example, we have the day of La Mama Negra, which means it's the day of, firstly, the Virgin Mary. And so for those festivals, there's a lot of dances, and, the, the different dances they also have different like, like persons, like there's dances where… It's like a man dressed up as like this, like, like the devil. It's called like the Diablo Huma. And it's very colorful, and they do specific dances and they also have, like, a whip. They say whip? Yeah, they have a whip. And so they, they do dances. It's mostly like jumping. And there's also we have also like the we call them like the clowns and they have, they’re like dressed-up like clowns. And they also like, go around and dancing, and people also like dance there. And it's like a whole, like, festival with, like, a bunch of dances are, are happening and also people there are like celebrating and dancing as well. Natalia: And yeah, I think it's, I think music also is, is very related to… To culture. Sure. Maria: And I wanted to ask you more about you, a little bit when you arrived to Canada. What were some of those cultural shocks that you lived through? How was that transition from coming from Latin America to Canada? Natalia: I think, I think there was definitely very like, cultural shocks. I'll say the the most like impactful one for me, was just how people used to socialize in Ecuador. When we say hi, we mostly like give like a hug or like. Kind of like, yeah, it's we're very like close to one another, right. In Canada, people don't leave themselves with hugs or people don't really like, talk too much, with like, strangers, but they make whether, like, if there was a new kid, everybody would come up to the new kid and, like, talk to them and try to include them in, like, any group. And also like in Ecuador, you know my school like nobody was alone. But when I came to Canada, I found out that, the culture was like, more of like an alone culture. People were doing their thing and they were not like talking to others as much like they have their little like group of friends. They will not go to talk to other kids, and it was, it was just very like, more like closed up and more like cold. Natalia: And so that really shocked me because, like I was, I came to my school and I was new and like, nobody came to talk to me. So I like it was just, it was really very shocking because I wasn't used to that. And I also wasn't used to how people… For example, like in Ecuador, it's really easy to make friends that you talk to someone once and then like, that's your friend. And then you, you hang out with that person, right? In Canada, like, you can talk to someone once, like in school, I will talk to someone and then the other day it was like we didn't even know each other. Natalia: So it was all very hard. It was also really hard for, for me, because I… I didn't know, I didn't know English coming here, so I had to learn English and also like, how to behave in, like, this new culture, so that was definitely a hard time for me. Maria: So, in, in these times, would you say that it was kind of key to find people from your same culture. How, where, did you find that support and how do you manage that? Natalia: Yes, I tried that in my school, though I didn't. There weren't many kids that, they weren't Latin. But I did find kids that they were immigrants as well, like me, and they were mostly from African countries. And I found that their culture was very more similar to mine because they were like, more open to talk or they were like, more like they were like, I don't know, more loud like… And yeah, more more. Natalia: It was for me at the time it was, it was much easier to make Africans friends, than, than the other kids cause, I don't know, at the time it was hard now, no. For me it's like it's the same, I can… I know how to… Make friends in all cultures, but at the time I also wanted someone to relate to that, it was… It was, yeah. I definitely had friends that were more like immigrants. Maria: That's very understandable. I can imagine that it's extremely important to find that community to rely on. Where is that community now and how do you find that, kind of like, community, where you fit in, where you can relate to that Latin American culture? Natalia: I have. I've made friends that were Latin and my best friend, she's Colombian. And so I talk to her, I, I found a lot of like support just like she, she understands my culture and then we can go to, like, dances together. And she knows my music and she knows how to dance like in my country. And also like we cook the same food. But I've also found community in other cultures here in in Canada. Natalia: Yeah. Like, like I've said, now that I speak English and I'm I'm like familiar to… To more like the Canadian culture and to other cultures, and I have friends from here that are also, like, very Canadian and I'm experiencing that now that it’s easier for me to socialize and I also have friends, yeah, from all over. Maria: That's wonderful. Thank you, Natalia. Natalia: You're welcome. Maya: All right. Just one more question, just to end us off. You mentioned that Christmas was your favorite holiday. Are there any, like, stark differences between, like, Ecuadorian Christmas in Ecuador versus like Canadian Christmas?  Natalia: Yes, I think, I think it's hard for me to really tell the difference ‘cause, in Christmas, even now that we're in Canada, we still like celebrate in an Ecuadorian way with my family. But I think still like, main, is like in, in Ecuador, we stay… It's a very, very late Christmas rather here. I think people go home and like, go to sleep after Christmas. Natalia: But yeah, in Ecuador is like the whole day, the whole night. It's like we party a lot and we do dances, there's like, a lot of food, especially, like, supper. And even in the morning, like, it starts from the morning and it ends, like, really, really late. Maria: Right. And we're talking about the 24th, right? Just to be specific, you celebrate Christmas on the 24th? 00:17:50 Natalia: Yes, yes, that too. I celebrate Christmas on the 24th from the morning. And then at 12:00PM we, everybody would give a hug because we're, like, now it's like kind of like Christmas, but it was already Christmas in the morning. But we give a hug at 12:00PM and then we stay up, till like the night of the, or like the day, during the night of the 24th. And then the 25th, we're like super tired because like… We partied all night on the 24th. So the 25 you were mostly like in bed. Like, really tired. Like opening gifts. But yeah, it's mostly that the 24th, it's like really big. Maria: And also you, you were mentioning that Latin American countries being mostly Catholic, would you see the difference in the Christmas back in Ecuador being concentrated more in their religious aspects rather than here, where it has been taken out of the religious aspect? Natalia: Yeah, I see it, especially in like, the city in Ecuador. Everything is also decorated with, like, the, how we say, “pesebre”, the Nativity. And there's like, a big like Mountain in Ecuador, El Panecillo, and at the top they used to have really big… Like silhouettes of the Nativity and like, was like, with the Virgin Mary, Jesus. And they're like, they also, the three kings. And it was like really, really big. You could see, like, from really far. And like, like in all the streets, also like, nativities and like little angels and like also the songs related to Christmas in Ecuador there is a very religious aspect to it. I will hear like songs are… It's, it's more like… Like, um, like Christmas. Different Christmas. Natalia: So yeah, I, I definitely saw the change because back home everything was like we will sing songs, they will like, celebrate like the Nativity and here the Christmas it was more like different. Also more, like, stronger like, with Santa Claus and everything. Maria: Well, thank you so much, Natalia, for this wonderful interview. It's been great chatting with you. Natalia: Thank you. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Natalia Proano Gallegos Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-13 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 20 min 4 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Natalia is a nineteen-year-old student originally from Ecuador. She arrived in Canada when she was around twelve years old. Natalia first arrived in Winnipeg and then, later on, moved to Ottawa. Due to growing up in Ecuador, she feels very close to her Latin American culture. During this interview, Natalia will talk to us about the process of coming to Canada and telling us about her culture and identity. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/9d587e2e9cc88c90e81570964eee0410.mp3 872e96fbf7aea11e420b3c3d0344fc5c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource Ottawa, Canada's capital, is home to a richly diverse community. This reality makes Ottawa great. However, it can also make it difficult for Canadian citizens, residents, and newcomers to know where to start when looking for a community. For the winter 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean class, we endeavoured to inspire our students to explore this diversity through ethnographic interviews. Over thirteen weeks, our students interviewed friends, family, and Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean community members and the surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time, preserving knowledge and promoting their cultures. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Gabo P Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Joshua Mascoll-Medeiros Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Interviewer: Hello. I am Joshua Mascoll-Medeiros, a student at the University of Ottawa, and today, we are conducting an interview with the Department of Anthropology and the university to get a deeper understanding of Latin and Caribbean heritage in the City of Ottawa and Gatineau. We are creating a web page using the Omeka tool that shares the stories of members of the Latin Caribbean community here in Ottawa, Gatineau, and to help newcomers and the members of the current community to have resources to find connections and understand the rich, diverse nature of the region. Today, I am with Gabbo. Hi, Gabo, how are you? Interviewee: I'm good. Interviewer: I want to thank you for your participation here for the interview with the university, and I would love to learn more about you today. Okay, of course, the main thing we're going to try and do today is learn about your culture and find out how you found living here in Ottawa and got to know and how, as a member of the Latin community, how has it been easy or difficult for you as well. So, first, let's, let's get started. Gabo, what is your country of origin? Interviewee: So, I was born in Mexico, to be more specific, in Mexico City, I lived there until I was 13 years old, before migrating to Canada. Interviewer: And what brought you to Ottawa itself? Interviewee: So, we ended up moving to Canada because of my dad's work. So, my dad has always worked with the Mexican government, and at the time in 2001 he got offered a position here in the Embassy of Mexico in Ottawa, and we decided to move. Interviewer: Okay, um, do you currently still have family here in Ottawa? Interviewee: No, not anymore. My family that was here was basically my parents with my dad's job. They ended up posting him back in Mexico. So, they moved in 2013 I decided to stay, and I'm here by myself right now. Interviewer: You talked about how your family, some of your family, went back to Mexico as well. Do you see them frequently Interviewee: I actually do. It’s quite nice. My mom and my dad tend to visit basically every year. They come in every summer, and they'll stay here for a few months, spend some time with me and my family. I've also had the chance to have other family members that have visited recently, such as my sister and my brother and some friends as well. Interviewer: Oh, that sounds amazing. Do you live in a Latin community or neighborhood where Spanish is spoken often? Interviewee: It's hard to tell, I would say, yes. I live in the Gatineau side, about 10 minutes away from downtown. I would say, over the years, I've seen a bigger impact of the Atlanta community. When I moved to Canada, I went to high school here on the Gatineau side, and there was a huge Latin community within my high school. We had a lot of Spanish and actually Portuguese people as well. Growing up and not being in that environment anymore, I do often see people speaking Spanish or other languages around, like restaurants or even some of the like businesses that have opened as well. Interviewer: So, are there any kind of celebrations or kind of festivals in the Gatineau region that can reflect Latin American culture for you? Interviewee: So, I think one of the most popular ones that we see on a yearly basis here in Ottawa would be Latin Sparks. That is, like a, like a kind of like an event that's been kept up year to year, where it brings all of Latin people from every other country. So, you'll see Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina and everything like that. And they can tend to celebrate the culture a lot. I was more involved through the Mexican embassy with some of those events, as my dad was really involved. So, for the Me, the Mexican side of things, there is some that happened throughout the year that you know may vary, but you can often find them. Interviewer: And is this something that you participate still to this day, Interviewee: Occasionally, not as much as I used to. Generally, like, the biggest ones that we try to do is we celebrate our Mexican Independence Day in September. So, it is something that sometimes I'll attend to, if I have the opportunity to do so depending on when the event is held. Interviewer: So yeah, that kind of works great for the next question, because you talk about celebrating the Mexican Independence Day. Is there anything else that you do to celebrate your heritage here in Canada? Interviewee: So, I mean, we do the Mexican Independence Day, very well known to us in Mexico, we celebrate the day of the dead instead of Halloween. So that is something that culturally that I try to keep up every year as a parent with small children, I usually have been teaching my kids about it and can explain the differences. So, I would say that it's the second one that I celebrate quite regularly. Interviewer: Okay, now for myself. Of I don't really know much about the day of the dead. It's okay, if you kind of explain a little more about that. Interviewee: Yeah, so, the date of the death is kind of like a tradition that we hold in Mexico. It actually consists of two days, which is November 1 and November the second. It is a way for us to honor the tradition and in the past of our family members or friends or people that are no longer with us and that have passed away for us as part of our tradition. What we'll do is we'll create what we call an ofrenda, which is like an offering or a table where we can put pictures of those relatives or those persons that we want to honor, and we try to put things that they used to love, so whether it was like, you know, a shot of tequila, or like, their favorite dish, and we just kind of like put them overnight and celebrate their lives, like we try to not make it something that's sad, but more of, like a party, or, like, you know, something more festive Interviewer: that's wonderful, I guess we kind of talked about celebrations already, but is there one that is most important to you? Interviewee: I mean, culturally, the day of the dead is a really big one. I think it's also been really popular, you know, though, like, through the media and stuff like that. I feel like globally, it is a little bit more known now. And like I said, for me, the Independence Day is also a huge, huge one. As a Mexican, I think it's probably the biggest kind of holiday or celebration that we have in our country and in other countries. Interviewer: No, fair enough. The one thing I will also say from the next question is growing up in a neighborhood for myself where there were a lot of Latin communities as well as Caribbean communities, I understand that religion is one of the biggest aspects of culture itself. What are some of the values that you hold dear to yourself as a member of the Latin community? Interviewee: Well, I was going to say, I think I can definitely relate to your point growing up. My family and even Mexicans are known for being very, very religious. And basically, they're all Catholic, and they have a huge following. I wouldn't say, in my case, it's probably not as much like, like, I do consider myself like a religious person and whatnot, but if I come to think about it, for example, like my grandparents and my parents, that are people that tend to go to church like every Sunday and such. I do go occasionally, but I'm not there like all the time. Interviewer: Yeah, I understand, um, now again, I know you and I were talking beforehand, the part of food as a part of culture is enormous for myself, coming from a Caribbean background. I know when I grew up seeing my mom and my grandmother cook traditional food was always amazing. The house smelled amazing. It was always fun to be a part of and also learn that itself is there, like, a certain type of food that reminds you of home back in Mexico City? Interviewee: Oh, yes, 100% I think that's probably like my favorite part about my culture. Mexican food has a huge variety, and I feel like there are always so many dishes that remind me of home specifically, like if I were to tell you one of my favorite ones, obviously, like most people associate Mexicans and eating tacos and such. My favorite one, I love posole. It's kind of like a soup that has a lot of condiments and things like that. Very traditional to eat that when we celebrate Independence Day, for example. So, it kind of ties in with our celebrations and whatnot. But there is tons and tons of food that I like, but I would say those are probably like the two most common ones that I can always fall back to as my comfort food. And, you know, I can find any time. Interviewer: Fair enough now being in the Ottawa Gatineau area, do you find that it is easy to access these kinds of ingredients people make the food you talk about? Interviewee: I would say, yes, one of the things that I love about this area is that over the years, there's been more and more access to those resources. So when I originally moved to Canada, I found it was kind of a bit difficult to find some of those ingredients. But over the years, that has changed. You can often find a lot of like the vegetables, or like the peppers or whatever you may need, at local grocery stores or even some independent, like small businesses as well. I do find that there are a lot of Latin and Caribbean stores as well where you can actually go and get those ingredients from back home that are being imported and made accessible to you. There are definitely a few stores that are frequent, often to get those things for whenever my mom or I are cooking at home. So definitely very, very accessible. Interviewer: One of the last things, like one of the main. Things I want to talk about as well, is what would you like the community to know about this interview process? And I've understood that. We’ve worked together, we've played sports together as well in the local sporting community here for newcomers, or for anyone from the Latin community in the Caribbean community, they want to be able to kind of feel that sense of community itself. What do you think it's something important to know itself Interviewee: well. For me, I think, like coming to Canada, it was always a bit of an unknown. You don't know what to expect. What I love about Canada is that people are very embracing of other people's cultures, and, you know, they're always kind of like willing to learn. But you will also find a lot of people that you know have done the same, the same thing, and have immigrated. So I find it's a bit of a mixture of a huge Latin community that's present in Ottawa from all kinds of backgrounds, but at the same time, yes, like having Canadian people embracing it, it's always really nice, because they're always open to trying new things, you know, for you, to teach them and whatnot. So I think that's kind of like my favorite thing about the Latin community and the Canadian community, how they come together. Interviewer: Yeah, it's always great. The one thing I will say is the main reason why we're doing these interviews itself is to kind of make that resource for the Latin and Caribbean communities to understand that there is a lot of culture here. And not only that, but there's a sense, there's a way to create the sense of community in Ottawa itself. And so I think for the University of Ottawa, one of the main things we're trying to do is create this web page with Omeka to ensure that they have access to this. It's something that we do we hold very dear to ourselves, and we hope that this becomes a bigger, wider range of resources. So that kind of grows over the years. And I kind of talked to you about Omeka in this website they were creating. Is this something that you'd find that yourself or you would show to your family or friends? So, they can kind of get a better idea for people who maybe don't necessarily feel that connection right now in the auto Gatineau area? Interviewee: Yeah, I think it's, it's a great idea. Honestly, having those resources, kind of like all centers in one place, can be really helpful for someone that may be looking to come to Canada, or, I even think, through the university, someone that may be an international student. I definitely think it's a great resource. Sometimes, you know when, when you're looking into those big decisions, you have to look everywhere and kind of put the pieces together. So having it all centralized would be phenomenal, and I think it would be a good resource for everyone. Interviewer: Oh, perfect. I think the last thing I really want to talk about here is kind of getting your feedback or suggestions. And what I mean by that is using this resource like we're saying. It's very new. It's the first year that the university Auto has really done something like this, and we kind of want to know, what do you think would make this a more accessible resource for people of Latin and Caribbean descent, in the sense of, how do you think it should be portrayed, or how do you think it should be shared in a way to kind of outreach for the most amount of people itself? Interviewee: I mean, obviously, yes, I just mentioned, I think it's a great resource to have on the website, kind of, it's hard to think about it, but I would say, like shining a spotlight on it, especially for, as I mentioned, things like international students would be, I think would be a great idea for us itself, like it's just a way for us to understand how you as a lab member feel about kind of these kinds of resources itself. We know this is a great interview, and I learned a lot about you, and I hope that your listeners will be able to hear more about that as well and use this as kind of a way to understand that connection there is in Ottawa. Interviewer: I would like to thank you so much. Are there any last things you'd like to say at all? Interviewee: No, thank you for your time. I appreciate you. Know you're taking the time to learn the community. Like I said, the presence is huge, huge here in Ottawa, and I find that sometimes, like, you know, we have all those events, but there's never really a spotlight or something that kind of brings everything together. So, I can emphasize enough how good of an idea this is. Interviewer: Thank you so much. Okay, Gabbo, you have a great day. Thank you. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Gabo P. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-26 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 14 min 00 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Gabo, a Mexican immigrant who arrived in Ottawa at the age of 13, recounts his journey and the vibrant cultural tapestry he has embraced. His father’s employment with the Mexican Embassy facilitated their relocation to Ottawa, where Gabo has grown up immersed in a diverse society. Despite the distance, he maintains a strong connection to his roots by visiting Mexico City regularly and sharing his cultural heritage with his children. Gabo emphasizes the significance of celebrating Mexican Independence Day and the importance of honouring the traditions of the Day of the Dead within his family. He also highlights the traditional foods that continue to evoke a sense of belonging and foster his Mexican identity. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/1cdb995b913154fc5261fb755a6e5022.mp3 01da3fc81daff377b37d704db2dd642b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource Ottawa, Canada's capital, is home to a richly diverse community. This reality makes Ottawa great. However, it can also make it difficult for Canadian citizens, residents, and newcomers to know where to start when looking for a community. For the winter 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean class, we endeavoured to inspire our students to explore this diversity through ethnographic interviews. Over thirteen weeks, our students interviewed friends, family, and Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean community members and the surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time, preserving knowledge and promoting their cultures. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Alice Cordeiro Silva Veras Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Ropa Nyandoro Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On MS Teams Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound ROPA NYANDORO: Hello, my name is Ropa. Thank you for speaking with me today. I'm conducting interviews to learn more about the experiences, traditions and values of the Latin or Caribbean community in Ottawa. Your insights are very important, and I appreciate your participation. Before we begin, I want to confirm that your participation in this interview is entirely voluntary. ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: Yes, that is right. ROPA NYANDORO: OK, you may skip any questions that you feel uncomfortable answering, and your responses may be used to gain a better understanding of and support for the community. Do you consent to participating in this interview? ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: I do. ROPA NYANDORO: OK. ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: And I think it should be talked about more, maybe, so I think it would be nice to give every single country and every single culture the same importance. ROPA NYANDORO: Yeah, yeah, I hear you. Do you have any suggestions on what should be posted or on how we can better serve the community? ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: Like with the interviews. ROPA NYANDORO: Like the one with the website, yeah, on the website. ROPA NYANDORO: But I think you went through it when you were talking about how the website should showcase each culture as unique as it is. ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: Yeah. ROPA NYANDORO: Yeah, I think you've already spoken about it. ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: Yeah. Just like, for example, having a section about different holidays, because when you talk about Brazil, the only holiday that people know is Carnival. We have so many more that are fun and interesting and have a cool history behind them. It would be nice to have these kinds of things in pictures with maybe small explanations. ROPA NYANDORO: Hmm. ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: It would also be nice to get more input from more people from the community, essentially making the website a bigger thing and getting to hear more voices from the community to celebrate these different cultures. ROPA NYANDORO: Hmm. ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: It would be nice to, you know, to like talk about them, like explain the background and stuff like that. ROPA NYANDORO: Yeah. Um, do you have any comments or concerns before we close? ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: No, I don't think so. ROPA NYANDORO: Thank you so much for sharing your story with me. You were thorough. You shared some deep insights and I truly appreciate your time and participation. ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: Thank you so much. It was a pleasure. ROPA NYANDORO: Thank you. Bye. ALICE CORDEIRO SILVA VERAS: Bye. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Alice Cordeiro Silva Veras Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-20 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 19 min 58 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Alice Cordeiro Silva Veras is from Brazil and currently lives in Ottawa. She moved to Canada at the age of 9 with her mother and younger sister. Having been here for over 10 years, she is now a permanent resident. Alice enjoys celebrating her culture and is passionate about sharing its diversity beyond well-known events like Carnival. She also values community voices and recommends that more members contribute to online platforms to celebrate and reflect the richness of Latin American and Caribbean cultures in Ottawa. Her insights reveal a desire for deeper cultural representation and recognition in public community projects. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/4999149e33ea81a26fe015301d3c0458.mp3 b433c915b2154d05a4abaeb5180550ca Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource Ottawa, Canada's capital, is home to a richly diverse community. This reality makes Ottawa great. However, it can also make it difficult for Canadian citizens, residents, and newcomers to know where to start when looking for a community. For the winter 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean class, we endeavoured to inspire our students to explore this diversity through ethnographic interviews. Over thirteen weeks, our students interviewed friends, family, and Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean community members and the surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time, preserving knowledge and promoting their cultures. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Luis Abanto Rojas Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Roxane; Semon; Danielle Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On MS Teams Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound <div data-ogsc="rgb(0, 0, 0)" style="caret-color: #000000; color: #000000 !important; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; text-decoration: none; direction: ltr; font-family: Aptos, Aptos_EmbeddedFont, Aptos_MSFontService, Calibri, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Roxane: Esta bien. Luis: Perfecto. Perfecto. Muchas gracias. Oh, Roxane. Danielle. Ustedes viven en la misma casa. Roxane: Sorry, we don't speak that much Spanish. Danielle: I don't speak that much Spanish. Roxane: I understood house. Luis: I got excited when you say all that. Roxane: Yeah, I took a class first year, that's why. Luis: Oh, okay. No, I was saying you are at the same house. Oh. Danielle: Yeah. Luis: I have the same house. Roxane: Nice. Luis: Okay. So thank you for your invitation. I know it's been kind of tough to get organized, but. Okay. Finally. Okay, here we are. Danielle: Sounds good. Sounds good. Um, so. Hello, professor. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us today. My name is Danielle. Um, and our group will be conducting an ethnographic interview to learn more about the experiences, traditions, and cultural heritage of the Latin Caribbean community in Ottawa. Your insights and personal stories will help us better understand and appreciate the diverse perspectives within the community. This interview will take approximately 20 minutes, so please be mindful of your time. Feel free to share as much or as little as you are comfortable with, and remember that you do not have to answer any questions that make you feel uncomfortable. This is an open and respectful space and your voice is valuable to us. Luis: Thank you very much. Danielle: No problem Roxane. Roxane: I'm Roxane, and for a little introduction, I'm taking this anthropology class as well. It's actually my first anthropology class, but I'm a fourth-year student in conflict studies and human rights in my last semester, so almost done. And I also have a minor in sociology. And just before we start, I'm going to start recording whenever Simone has done her introduction so that we can start. Simone: Hi, my name is Simone and I'm in the same program as Roxane. I'm in human rights and conflict studies. I'm also in my last semester. I'm very excited to be done. This is my intro. This is it is my first anthropology class, and it's very interesting. Like it's very interesting learning about different cultures. And I really appreciate you for being here. Luis: Oh, thank you very much. And again, you're doing a hard work. Uh, very professional. So I'm here to make any contribution you like me to do. Danielle: Thank you. Sounds good. So first question is, what is your country of origin, professor? Luis: Country of origin is Peru. Danielle: Perfect, perfect. What brought you to Ottawa, by any chance? Luis: Oh, to Ottawa particularly. It was a master's degree. So I, I migrate actually, I did a kind of detour. I, I left my country in back in 1985. Maybe your parents were not born at that age. And then I lived, um, six years in France, where I was a refugee. And, um, and so at university, I met a Canadian girl and my girlfriend, and that brought me to Canada, but not to Ottawa. We went to Kitchener, Waterloo, where we lived two years, and I attended, uh, I mean, the continuation of the undergraduate studies at Waterloo. And for the Masters, we decided to come to Ottawa, to U of Ottawa because French. So French was the I think the connection with Ottawa is we didn't have any family here. Luis: Yeah. Danielle: Okay, great. You actually did answer my third question. Do you have family here? And do you see them frequently? And you? I think you said no. Um, so I'm just going to skip to the last question. Do you live in a Latin community or neighborhood where people speak Spanish or Portuguese and celebrate various occasions? Luis: Um, in fact, no, no. And I've been living in, in Ottawa for the past 30 years now, and I found that quite interesting because there is not a Latin American neighborhood. Luis: There are corners like plazas. Luis: I was, um, so impressed, actually, when I came to Canada. How the multicultural visual. If you want to say something, you can see it in the mall plazas, especially in the small mall plazas. So where you can find like a Latino store or African store or Arabic store or a Caribbean. So that combination. Yeah, it was kind of wow. Oh, wow. That's that's good. But in terms of neighborhoods, no, not really or otherwise. Luis: It's not I mean, our population is not big to start. It's not it's not huge. Just Toronto maybe Toronto. Yeah. Yeah. I notice a very old Hispanic neighborhood like the Ecuadorian is very interesting back in the 70s. But here. No. When I came here, the. I lived in Vanier. Vanier for 13, 13 years, actually. Luis: So my closest community in terms of culture was the Portuguese. And together with the Portuguese, there used to be, um, Portuguese language Spanish people who were actually closer to the Portuguese than to the Hispanic. But that was in my closest, maybe in Vanier. But that's all the generations now. I mean, they are gone. They are gone to other neighborhoods. And so. Yeah. So yeah, no, no, I haven't lived in a Hispanic community or neighborhood here. Hopefully there's one that can develop with time. Yes. I'll be I'll be asking a few next questions, and it's starting with your most important celebration from your culture to you. Luis: Mhm. Luis: The most important celebrations. That's a kind of existential question. Luis: As a Peruvian we have an official celebration which is July 28th. Luis: Okay. July 28th. So the Embassy of Peru will organize something for local Peruvians. A kind of picnic, sometimes something at their embassy. But I have to tell you that my biggest celebration has been the festival. The soccer festival organized by a national club, Sporting Peru. Luis: And that's funny for me because you don't expect that from a soccer club. But I think in anthropology it makes sense because I know this is more a male thing, but if I can say that for 30 years, probably 3 or 4 guys, they've been organizing this festival every year. So it's a summer festival and they call the other teams the Mexican Colombians and whoever would like to play soccer. And it goes from a different generation young guys, juniors and also adults and grandpas like me. Luis: And when we talk about a soccer player, that person will come with the family. So I have children and we'll have the food like, um, yeah, an international Latino fair, summer Some affair, and that's been going on for 30 years. And that's when I've seen lots and lots of people at the same time, same place. Fantastic. I think for me, that's probably my biggest community. I would say the soccer teams. Roxane: That sounds very fun and very I feel like festive. Definitely in the summertime. The next question is, could you describe a typical day in your community in whichever context? Luis: Um, well, um, I'm kind of absorbed by my job, but I have the pleasure of working with my language. Luis: So, um, my job is to serve, uh, people here at the Faculty of Arts, and I am in the language training for all students. So I see people every day, like all origins. And while I was only a Spanish teacher, I used to have more contact with the Spanish language countries. I used to send. Luis: Students to Mexico or Chile, Argentina and Spain to organizing groups like going going there. And so my typical will be teaching versus having some administration today and also contacting community institutions like embassies or omgs. Yeah, I mean typically. Roxane: Thank you. And the next question is how do you celebrate your heritage? Luis: Um. Luis: Well, I have to tell that my Hispanic heritage is already quite celebrated by Canadians. That helps a lot. So. And we have different, uh, activities during the year, like, for example, the Latin American Film Festival in May. It's a two-week, two-week festival. And, and where we have, uh, movies from all 20 countries. So every country invites their, their locals and we have new new movies, new new filmmakers this year. Ah, I co-organize it here at the University of Ottawa. That was interesting. But that that that celebration has been there for probably 20 years because the Ottawa Film Festival used to organize it. So that's one of them. Um, 2 or 3 years ago, the saw the Parliament of Canada. Luis: Uh, created this, uh, Hispanic, uh, Hispanic month celebration in October. Luis: And, uh, yeah, that's a Canadian celebration. Not of countries, but I mean Canadian with, uh, Latin American origins roots. So that's a big, a big celebration. October. There are many things going on in October. I think those are the two main celebration communities and the MyHeritage. Roxane: Thank you so much. And the last question for me will be, what are some values that you hold most dear as a member of the Latin community? Oh. Luis: Wow. That's another existential question. Luis: And. Luis: I would say, you know, being born there, educated there. So I migrate already when I was 17. Luis: So I can say that, um. Luis: We are used to, to deal with trouble all the time. And we are okay with that. Okay. I mean. Luis: Probably we have more patience in that case. Luis: We don't panic. Luis: We we have kind of more hope. that maybe. Luis: Um, so you're more resilient to any adversity. And I and I like that. But at the same time as being migrant and combining this migration with Canada, when I match together, I say no. But this country has fantastic things too. Like I feel respected. Luis: I. Luis: I mean, my inclusion is much, much way bigger than my inclusion in Peru. Peru is we have a system of kind of colonial castes. You know, I'm not allowed in certain urban neighborhoods, things like that. A lot of corruption too. So I don't like that. I'm not proud, actually, about those. Luis Abanto Rojas: Chase. Wow, that's another existential question. Luis Abanto Rojas: Eh, I would say, you know, being born there, educated there. Luis Abanto Rojas: So I migrated already when I was 17. Roxane Akakpo: Yeah, the big story is like closest seller market and like the little, yeah, they have a lot of stuff there. Luis Abanto Rojas: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's the place for. Yeah. Semon Jama: OK. Semon Jama: That's good. Semon Jama: The third question goes how likely would you and your family be to use the website we're creating for uploading your stories? Luis Abanto Rojas: This could be something in the sun. Luis Abanto Rojas: Would you repeat the question please? Semon Jama: How likely would you and your family be to use the website we're creating for uploading your stories? Luis Abanto Rojas: Oh. Luis Abanto Rojas: A site you're creating. Luis Abanto Rojas: I haven't checked that site, but I find that fantastic. I mean to have. Luis Abanto Rojas: A non-alternative for those stories to share. Luis Abanto Rojas: I mean to connect people. Luis Abanto Rojas: Oh, no, thank you very much for your work. Semon Jama: No problem. Semon Jama: Thank you very much for sharing your stories. Luis Abanto Rojas: And. Luis Abanto Rojas: Yeah. Semon Jama: And yeah, sorry. Semon Jama: And then it goes. Semon Jama: And how would you use it? Semon Jama: It would be better to serve the community to any suggestions from you about access as well as what should be posted would be greatly appreciated. Luis Abanto Rojas: Yeah, I think so. Luis Abanto Rojas: I think so. Luis Abanto Rojas: I mean the big differences between, you know, the time I came to Canada and now is that you can give a voice to people. Luis Abanto Rojas: I mean the good use of social media, I think, is very, very positive. Luis Abanto Rojas: And then the interesting part is the micro story, you know, the micro story, people's stories, those micro narrations, they in fact give us more information than, you know, the big discourses when we see them testimonials or people of all ages. Luis Abanto Rojas: So we can have a better understanding of this history of migration, so giving the voice today, you know, all the communities, the best you can do. Luis Abanto Rojas: And to have a digital archive of that, you know, together with my, my team, linguistic team in Spanish. That's what we plan to do, to do interviews with people from the community. Luis Abanto Rojas: And our goal is just linguistic, just to hear the narrations, you know, so students can understand. Luis Abanto Rojas: So it's to develop the oral and listening comprehension story, but the content can serve to other areas. Luis Abanto Rojas: Or areas of like sociology and anthropology, yes. So I mean, we are in the same frequency. Luis Abanto Rojas: I think this is a necessary work to do while the communities are still very, very active. Semon Jama: Thank you very much. Semon Jama: And last but not least, do you have any comments or concerns you would like to share with us? Luis Abanto Rojas: Well, I have to congratulate you for this initiative and please come and see me anytime. We are here at. Luis Abanto Rojas: Laurier St. This is Department of Modern Languages. Luis Abanto Rojas: We work with the other linguistic profiles. Luis Abanto Rojas: We are basically international communities and happy to help with other communities too, like the Arabic Community, Chinese, Japanese, and so on. Semon Jama: Thank you so much. Semon Jama: I really appreciate you coming here and sharing your stories, and thank you for giving us your time. Luis Abanto Rojas: Oh, thank you very much. Luis Abanto Rojas: Thank you, Roxanne. Roxane Akakpo: Yeah. Thank you so much. Luis Abanto Rojas: And yeah, and Simon, OK. Roxane Akakpo: Thank you. Roxane Akakpo: Enjoy your day. Luis Abanto Rojas: Thank you. Danielle Muceros: Thank you so much. Luis Abanto Rojas: You too. Thank you. Luis Abanto Rojas: Bye bye. Gracias. Danielle Muceros: Gracias</div> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Luis Abanto Rojas Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-06 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 29 min 08 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Luis Abanto left his home country in 1985 when he was 17 from Peru and lived in France for six years as a refugee. Due to corruption and ongoing conflicts in his country, he moved for a better life. During his time at university, he met a Canadian girlfriend, which eventually led him to move to Kitchener-Waterloo, Canada, where he lived for two years. Motivated by his connection to the French language, Abanto chose to move to Ottawa to pursue his master's degree. His experiences across different countries have shaped his academic and personal journey. He feels like Ottawa is not big when it comes to the Latin population compared to Toronto. When came to Ottawa he lived in Vanier for 13 years. He enjoyed spending time with Portuguese who lived in his neighborhood. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/c8b6176a7082f505fad5274642e81718.mp3 ef95413dbfe0773281065d5f93551ce5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource Ottawa, Canada's capital, is home to a richly diverse community. This reality makes Ottawa great. However, it can also make it difficult for Canadian citizens, residents, and newcomers to know where to start when looking for a community. For the winter 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean class, we endeavoured to inspire our students to explore this diversity through ethnographic interviews. Over thirteen weeks, our students interviewed friends, family, and Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean community members and the surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time, preserving knowledge and promoting their cultures. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Carlos Gnecco Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Yilin Zang, Akweshi Valery Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On Zoom Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Transcrpit  Akweshi Valery Hi, everyone. Welcome. I am called Akweshi Valery, and I'm here with my colleague. Yilin: Hi, I'm Yilin We are gathered here to conduct an insightful interview with Carlos, aiming to understand the experiences of Latin American communities in Ottawa. Allow me to introduce our esteemed interviewer, Carlos. Welcome, Carlos. Thank you. Carlos: Thank you guys for having me.  Thank you. We appreciate you doing this for us. Our first question will be, what's your country of origin?  Carlos: My country of origin is Colombia. It's located in South America, which is a diverse country. I'm from the Caribbean region, which is in the northern part of the country. Akweshi: Thank you so much for that brilliant answer. What brought you to Ottawa?  Carlos: I came to Ottawa for work. I got a job in a company my mom's friend owned, so I just got in. For that reason and then for that reason I just like to hear… I worked there for a year and now I have decided to stay. So it's already been three and a half years of living in Ottawa.  Akweshi: Do you have family here, and do you see them frequently? Carlos: Yeah, so precisely in Ottawa, I don't have any family, but I have family in Canada, down south in Cambridge, Ontario. I have my aunt and my cousins. I do see them every once in a while. But not as freaking as I wanted to. But yeah, there's no family, but still there in Ontario. 00:02:50.618 --> 00:02:55.618 Akweshi: Thank you for the brilliant answer, Carlos. Do you live in a Latin community or neighborhood where people speak Spanish or Portuguese on rare occasions?  Carlos: Since I moved to Ottawa, my mom's friend has been from Santa Marta, the city I am from in Colombia. Since I came to Ottawa, I've been surrounded by Spanish-speaking people and moved from one place to another. Everywhere I move, one or two people usually speak the language, and I sometimes speak with them. We have things in common, even though they're not Colombians per se. They are Latin America, and that is something that ties us together. Talking about different Latin American problems shows us how similar we are in culture and politically speaking. 00:04:24.169 --> 00:04:33.169 Akweshi: I will ask the next question, what celebrations are most important to you, Carlos?  Carlos: Since I've been here in Canada, the new year is one of the most important celebrations. In Colombia, we usually see it as a family occasion, so all the adults and children get together. Usually, we are at grandma's house, so we interact with each other. Some people like that don't live in the city; they just go to the town for that occasion, so New Year's will be a significant celebration. There will be lots of food, lots of dancing, and lots of singing. So yeah, that will be the most important, but in Colombia, there are so many celebrations during the year. So we have variety. That's why that's the most important thing for the family. But there are more different celebrations. Akweshi: Another brilliant answer. Mr. Carlos, thank you so much. And I hope one day I could gain that experience too. I would love to experience that, maybe someday. Thank you again for the brilliant answer. So, how do you describe a typical day in your community?? Carlos: Okay, so yes, thank you for that question. My day would start in the morning. I would just make the coffee in my cafeteria, which I brought from Colombia. I like making arepas and corn flour dough that you can fry, and I enjoy going to school and working in the afternoon. I have friends and colleagues from Latin America. Thanks to technology, I can bridge the distance and keep in touch with my family. Platforms like FaceTime and WhatsApp have become my lifelines, allowing me to share my daily life with my loved ones back home. I enjoy the day by practicing some customs that I have from Colombia. Akweshi: Oh, thank you for the wonderful answer. How do you celebrate your heritage 00:07:46.623 --> 00:08:16.623 Carlos: So, it's pervasive. So I look for new festivals, or like there is the Colombian independence, there are usually Latin American film festivals, and there is the Latin American Heritage Month. I typically try to keep in touch with/  Here's everything going on in Ottawa. Usually, the embassy is in charge of organizing these events. But sometimes, Latin American people organize it, so I try practicing my heritage because it's extraordinary. It's very, very. It keeps me grounded and focused on who I am and where I came from. And how beautiful it is to share it with everybody else in Ottawa.  Akweshi: Excellent answer, Carlos. So, what values do you hold most dear as a Latin or Caribbean community member? Carlos: So, as a Colombian, there is family solidarity. The family is central to Colombian society, and I have strong ties. I also like to keep in touch with all my extended family. We also—well, in my family—respect the elders. This is always most important. I intensely care for older people, usually my grandmother. She says that she created it all. It all began with her. And that's a big thing in the Colombian community: respect for the elders and faith. We practice Catholicism, which influences our daily lives because of how we talk and act. We just have to align with our religious faith. Colombian culture tends to be more socially oriented. It's more of a community rather than an individual. We like how we can contribute to the collective well-being. And yeah, that's something that I have to say about Colombia. Akweshi: Thank you for your amazing answer. What would you like to share about yourself or the community that you think is important for people to know? Carlos: As I mentioned in the last question, that is very important to the family. I like to keep that heritage and value going because that keeps me motivated. I want to share my day-to-day life with my family, including my siblings, nephew, grandmother, uncle, and extended family. I also really keep a good relationship with my cousins. We all grew up in the same atmosphere, the same And… Yeah, so I would say that living here, it is essential to know that keeping their more… The more collective, socially focused, the better than the individual, so that's how I like it. Akweshi: Carlos, thank you so much. So, first, I want to ask you: Do you make that remand at home? Where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals? Carlos: All right. Thanks for that question. I like to make my food. I want to cook for myself, and I have so many recipes that my Abuela has passed on to me. I like sancocho, a lovely soup with so much Protein, meat, and vegetables—suitable for a freezing day here. I also want to eat empanadas, which are made of Corn flour. The dough is filled with either chicken or beef and then fried. As I mentioned, you just fry or pan fry, and some of this stuff is hard to find here in the local grocery store. However, there are some Latin American, African, and Asian stores. Akweshi: Okay. What food do you make that reminds you of home, and where do you purchase your groceries to prepare your traditional meals Carlos: All right. As mentioned, I like to make my food at home. 00:00:22.603 --> 00:00:49.603 I like to get everything from grocery stores and small Latin American stores. I want to make sancocho, a soup filled with vegetables and protein. It's suitable for a freezing day because it's warm and warms you up. I also like to make empanadas. They're usually more complicated because you must fill them out. It can be done with beef or chicken. It's also good to do it on a free day when you can talk with friends or family. As I mentioned, I also like arepas, which are circular dough you pan or fry. However, some ingredients are hard to find in a regular grocery store. So I go to the Latin American market or a couple of stores in the Ottawa-Gatineau region and find some Asian ingredients. There are excellent African supermarkets here in Ottawa. For specifics, I usually go to those Latin American markets, but for everything else, I use a regular grocery store here in Canada. 00:02:13.903 --> 00:02:16.903 Akweshi: Okay, thank you for the amazing answer. I would like to ask this question:How likely would you and your family be to use the website we are creating to upload your stories? And how will you use it? We would like to save the community better, so any suggestions from you about assets, as well as should be posted would be greatly appreciated. Carlos: All right. Thanks for that question. It's good because I am a student as well. I recommend the website. I just want to see myself in other interviews and how similar we are culturally. Because there will be only Colombians, I'm sure there will be people from Mexico, Central America, and the rest of South America. I recommend this website to my family. That way, they will not know how people act or interact here. My apologies for the inconvenience in Ottawa. I would encourage the community to see how connected we are and how we are connected And it'll be important for them to know how the community gets together. Through different experiences. What I mean by that is just a good opportunity. For people to know. How was everybody's different experience coming here to Ottawa? Akweshi: Well, thank you. For the wonderful answer, Carlos. Thank you for the two. Do you have any other comments or concerns? Carlos:  I am happy with all the information I have to share, and it's an excellent opportunity.  Would you like to share it? Carlos: As I mentioned before, to people from the Latin American community as well as those who are not from the Latin American community, because that way we see our different perspectives and maybe how we relate as immigrants to this city more specifically. And yeah, I appreciate it.  Akweshi: Well, Carlos, thank you so much for sharing this with us. We appreciate your contribution, and we hope to learn, in the future, about some cultures of Latin America. Thank you for being here with us. Thank you.  Appreciate your time. Carlos: Thank you, guys. Thank you for having me, and I hope it all goes well. Akweshi and Yilin: Thank you. Thank you.  Carlos: Thank you. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Carlos Gnecco Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-21 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3 12 min 32 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource Carlos Gnecco is a Colombian student studying International Development at the University of Ottawa. Inspired by Colombia's challenges, he developed a passion for social equity and sustainable development at an early age. After completing high school in Columbia, he set out to expand his understanding of global development issues through international education. Carlos is studying international development and globalization at the University of Ottawa through a multidisciplinary approach. His coursework encompasses sustainability, economic policy, and social justice, enabling him to analyze global issues critically. His active participation in student groups, advocating for marginalized populations and drawing attention to international problems, is a testament to his commitment. He has been involved in projects that promote environmental and community sustainability, demonstrating his commitment to creating positive change. Carlos aims to leverage his experiences and education to drive policy change and make a meaningful impact in Colombia and beyond, emphasizing the importance of global cooperation. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/41542f5d8518536058cf12b7859b5483.mp3 4ede4c5aead7a3968e9f164b18851ec3 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource Ottawa, Canada's capital, is home to a richly diverse community. This reality makes Ottawa great. However, it can also make it difficult for Canadian citizens, residents, and newcomers to know where to start when looking for a community. For the winter 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean class, we endeavoured to inspire our students to explore this diversity through ethnographic interviews. Over thirteen weeks, our students interviewed friends, family, and Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean community members and the surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time, preserving knowledge and promoting their cultures. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Alberto Camacho-Mallaganes Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Camille Paillat; Sophie Renaud Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On Zoom Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound 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! Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Mr. Alberto Camacho-Magallanes Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-18 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 13 min 42 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource 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. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/918ab05d88fa0bd9bd2ba4524de11db3.mp3 96953fb1679c4efeb0f03cd66d7f98d9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource Ottawa, Canada's capital, is home to a richly diverse community. This reality makes Ottawa great. However, it can also make it difficult for Canadian citizens, residents, and newcomers to know where to start when looking for a community. For the winter 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean class, we endeavoured to inspire our students to explore this diversity through ethnographic interviews. Over thirteen weeks, our students interviewed friends, family, and Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean community members and the surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time, preserving knowledge and promoting their cultures. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Taryn Ayton Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Adrian Machado Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data On Zoom Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Adrian: 0:00 In recording progress, okay, I think the recording has very so we can get started on I just sent you over the questions so that way there was no surprises. So thank you for doing the that ethics form, which I have, I need to also sign myself. But anyways, um, so let's firstly, do you want to know a bit about the project to kind of just start? So basically, this project is for my anthropological studies in the Caribbean and Latin America. Basically what we're doing is that we're interviewing people in Canada that are from those continents. And basically we're going to take their stories and put them all into one website so that way people can view it, experience, learn, and it's overall, going to be this incredible, beautiful thing. So I have a partner. He's he has actually done another interview. So this is my interview with you. And yeah, we're gonna get started with the general introduction. So here we have, like, what part of the Caribbean are you from? What brought you, you and your family to Canada, and how much family do you have here living in Canada with you? From the Caribbean? Taryn 1:27 Feel free to introduce Speakers 2 1:29 Okay, so my family's from Jamaica, and majority of our family is now either in Canada or the United States, mostly being in Canada. My mom has eight siblings, and I believe three of which are still in Jamaica. But the rest are here. Actually, the rest are Unknown Speakers 2:01 sorry. Let me do quick now, three in Jamaica, Speakers 2 2:07 or here, one in America. Speakers 1 2:10 And this kind of diving a bit deeper. Where in Canada would you say most of your mom's siblings are located in throughout Ontario, throughout Ontario, and I can seem closer to Toronto. Yes, yeah. So for this project as well, we were looking for people from Ottawa, but I wanted to particularly tackle the GTA area, because I feel like there's a huge Caribbean culture there as well, and I think that's very lovely. And for the one that is in the US, where are they from? Where are they located right now, in the US? Speakers 2 2:51 I don't think he's there legally, so I don't know. Unknown Speakers 2:57 Well, you know, it's the experience. Speakers 1 3:01 Who knows, but totally cool. I'm so best aware about that. So let's get into the community and heritage part. Um, so do you live in an area where a large Crimean community, what language, slash vernaculars are spoken, and do you speak or understand any of them? Unknown Speakers 3:19 Okay, so Speakers 2 3:22 being from Richmond Hill, no, but being slightly north of Toronto, yes, if you understand what I mean, I do. I do because, like living in Richmond Hill, the the Caribbean culture is absolutely zero, but driving just like 15 minutes south into Toronto, it's huge, right? And I do not at least Jamaica's dialects patois, which is English. It's just broken English. I don't speak it, but I completely understand it. And it's honestly, so funny, because it's something I grew up with, and it's something I've always, like, understood before. Whenever my mom is speaking Pato in front of me, and my friends are around, and they don't get it, I'm like, but she's speaking English. No Speakers 1 4:15 exactly. I feel that actually, when I'm looking up and like, reformatting the questions I put in the notes here, Pat was because I was like, obviously, but I think that's really cool. Like, what are kind of some of the words that like stick out to you a lot? Or what are some very common sayings? Um, Speakers 2 4:35 common sayings. My mom doesn't use common sayings because she doesn't. I feel like a lot of parents have their go to sayings. My mom doesn't do that. She has a go to look for every situation. Unknown Speakers 4:53 I love that. Honestly, Speakers 2 4:56 it's actually really funny, because the other night, I'm like, Hey Mom, I'm going out and. She's, like, Unknown Speakers 5:04 iconic, iconic, um, not. Speakers 1 5:09 And I think that's like, really, really cool that we're looking at podcasts in different vernaculars. Um, anyways, what are some notable celebrations when? Which ones are the most important to you? Okay, Speakers 2 5:23 so I did look at that question and I'm like, Hmm, nothing really differs, because Jamaica is a very like Christian country, right? So typically, everything we celebrate here is celebrated there in the aspect of faith, but they do have carnival, which we would look at as Caribana or Toronto Caribbean carnival. But a lot of people don't realize they're completely different times during the year. So Carnival in the islands is typically right before Lent. Oh, so a carnival time just actually passed, and carnival there is completely different to what we do here. Like, Unknown Speakers 6:16 have you ever seen like a holy celebration? Speakers 1 6:18 I've no holy celebration. I have definitely seen, like, a couple videos of, like, the parades and whatnot, and like, the kind of pageant aspect of it, okay, yeah, Unknown Speakers 6:28 they do that too. But Speakers 2 6:32 with Holi, it's an Indian celebration. It's a lot of colors, and they're, like, bright colors and like, pinks and stuff they do that during Carnival, like balloons. It's like paint filled balloons. And so it's like a mixture of holy and Caribbean carnival as we see it here, like kind of mashed into one. It's actually really cool. Speakers 1 6:57 And that's like a very huge part of the Caribbean as well, because there's so many different types of people that are coming together. There's so many cultures that are being represented, if you will. And I think your point about like Christian holidays, I am curious, in comparison to kind of prison holidays here in Canada, what are some, I guess, unique aspects that, to me, kind of brings to those cultures, any particular foods or traditions that might differ or unique. So Speakers 2 7:29 for Easter, I know, like here during Easter, we're not supposed to do the whole meat thing, but there during Easter they typically just, it's just fish and then spice, bun and cheese. Okay, that is food for Easter. That's it. Nothing more, nothing less. Speakers 1 7:48 I think one thing that my family does is, of course, garlic pork for Christmas. I'm not sure if you do that as well. I think that's a Guyanese thing, right? But no super cool. And I think the different types of foods is, honestly, the food is incredible. Like, that's really, yeah, the food is incredible, incredible. So, um, there's kind of two questions here. Um, how do you celebrate your heritage and what values do you hold most dear to you that come from your community? And those might be kind of odd questions. So yeah, do you have an answer for that? The insight, um, Speakers 2 8:29 sorry, could you repeat the first one? Unknown Speakers 8:33 The first one, how do you celebrate your heritage? Unknown Speakers 8:37 Honestly, I don't Speakers 2 8:41 in the aspect that being Jamaican is just like a celebration in itself. Because, like, I feel like when you're Jamaican, everyone knows you're Jamaican. I've quite literally been told you look, Jamaican. Speakers 1 9:01 Would it what does that mean? Exactly? Bucha, Unknown Speakers 9:05 who knows, but Speakers 2 9:09 as the most like known Caribbean island, like, when people hear you're from the Caribbean, they go, Oh, Jamaica, Unknown Speakers 9:19 right. So I don't Speakers 2 9:21 really celebrate being Jamaican, because I feel like it's a celebration in itself. It's like Speakers 1 9:30 every day almost. It's like a huge part of who you are. And I think that's a very interesting perspective. It's it's different. And I not different actually. I think it's unique, and I love it honestly, so kind of moving on to that second question, what are some values that you hold that come from that place? Unknown Speakers 9:51 Okay, well, my mom Unknown Speakers 9:53 always instilled in me family Unknown Speakers 9:58 and I. I have Unknown Speakers 10:01 a huge family. Speakers 2 10:04 So I have five brothers, sorry, four brothers on my mom's side, and then my dad has 12 kids. Unknown Speakers 10:12 Huge family, huge Speakers 2 10:14 family. Um, so I've always been taught to be there when I can be but like also not to exert myself for the good of others, but I like to always try to be there, at least for my siblings. Speakers 1 10:32 That's incredible, because there's so many of them, little army, little army, Unknown Speakers 10:40 my dad could have two basketball teams. Speakers 1 10:44 Honestly, I think that's very incredible. Are Muslim and tall? Speakers 2 10:48 Oh yeah, oh yeah, not a single short one. Unknown Speakers 10:53 Genes are strong. Unknown Speakers 10:56 I mean, other than the seven year old, Speakers 1 10:59 makes sense. But we'll give it a couple years, we'll give it a couple of years. Um, no, and I think that's super cool. I think actually the aspect of family is, I mean, that's really huge in the carina as well. I think as a stem from that as well as, um, respecting elders is a very huge part of that. How are you can do you feel connected to that part? Is I value your bold um, Speakers 2 11:22 so I feel like respecting your elders is very instilled in Caribbean children. However, in this day and age, I feel like we've come to a point where we've learned to stand up for ourselves. Because it's one thing to respect your elders, and it's another to completely sit there and accept being annihilated, which 90% of the time is exactly what's being done to you. Speakers 1 11:54 I see it's very, very interesting. So looking at the next question here, would you like to share? Sorry, what would you like to share about yourself or your community that you think is important for people to know? Speakers 2 12:12 Nothing specifically about myself, but not every Caribbean is Jamaican. Unknown Speakers 12:18 No. Speak on it, speak on it. Speakers 2 12:21 And I feel like that's something so so many people get so offended. Because, like, when people are like, Oh, my God, you're Caribbean, you must be Jamaican, it's like, no, there are so many countries in the Caribbean, and like other other Caribbean countries, just feel so looked over Unknown Speakers 12:44 because of Jamaican. Speakers 2 12:45 And as a Jamaican, I'm sorry, but we are the center of attention. I understand that. But there are others. Speakers 1 12:54 There are other you want to give Friday. You want to give praise. Exactly, interesting, very interesting. I love that. And I think we touched on this question kind of beforehand. But what foods remind you of your home, and where do you purchase your groceries to prepare any traditional meals if you cook Unknown Speakers 13:21 so? Danforth food market, Unknown Speakers 13:24 Danforth food market Speakers 2 13:27 and things that remind me of Jamaica, per se, ackee and salfish. I love a good ackee and selfish, which, honestly, I didn't realize until I spent the summer there when I was 10. But that is a breakfast food, okay? Because I, yeah, I always grew up eating it for dinner, because that's when my mom would make it. But it's a breakfast food. Breakfast Speakers 1 13:54 food, and sorry, the ackee and saw fish describe the meal a bit more. So  Unknown Speakers 14:01 ad is Jamaica's national fruit, Speakers 2 14:05 but it needs to be cooked, because if it is not cooked, it can be poisonous. Oh, yeah. And then the salt fish is, I think it's cod fish, but salted. Okay. So then you have to boil off, like majority of the salt, otherwise, like it, like it's inedible because of the Unknown Speakers 14:27 amount of salt, Unknown Speakers 14:30 high sodium, high sodium, yep, Speakers 1 14:34 sounds like it, um, out of curiosity, like, Are there any particular like, desserts or any kind of spots that you can find in Toronto or Ontario that really like hit home for you. Unknown Speakers 14:49 No, I can't say so, because Unknown Speakers 14:53 I've never really been one for Jamaican desserts. Speakers 2 14:58 Honestly, most it's like. Black cake and then pudding. And it's not like, yeah, it's not like a westernized pudding. It's like a it's like a cake, per se. But Unknown Speakers 15:12 I do love black cake, Unknown Speakers 15:13 but I make Speakers 2 15:14 my own. So absolutely I don't have any recommendations on that aspect, and I have tried to make in restaurants. However, couldn't recommend any of them either, because I can't say anything is better than my mom's cookie. Speakers 1 15:34 I think, I think a parent's cooking, a grandmother's cooking, even it will surprise any restaurant really, exactly up until the grandmas decide to open up their own truly, um, but no, I think that's like, very interesting. Black cake is also really good. I I've had some myself, um, I would grab it by the slice and eat it, um, and I don't think my parents knew, but we don't tell anyways, so kind of moving on to the last section here. Apologies, we're looking at the project questions. So I told you a bit earlier about the website, and I just want to ask you, since this interview is part of a larger project to tell the stories of Latin American and Caribbean Canadians using a website that displays this information. Does this sound like a concept that you would be interested in, or communities in Canada would be interested Speakers 2 16:35 in? I would definitely be interested in it, because I feel that there are a lot of Unknown Speakers 16:42 first gen Speakers 2 16:44 Canadian children that feel neither here nor there in the aspect of you're too Caribbean for the Canadian kids, or you're too Canadian for the Caribbean kids, and just someone that falls in the middle. I feel like it could be very intriguing for like, finding more people like you that can relate to you, whereas you've just been living in a state of Unknown Speakers 17:14 purgatory, in a way, Speakers 1 17:19 absolutely, I think that education, it would bring a lot of education, and would really help to bring a huge asset of history. I'm not sure if we've talked about it as of now, but Toronto, especially Caribbean people, have contributed an immense amount of culture, and even, like the Toronto man accent, a lot of that is just a Caribbean accent. And I think that would be a huge part actually, you know what? Like? Let's speak on it. Um, you've obviously been to Toronto. You're in the GTA, um, how have you seen Caribbean people like influence the culture? Speakers 2 17:58 So, um, I would say that they are a huge influence. However, they are definitely disappointed in the Toronto man action, because 90% of them feel like they're just being mocked. First off, secondly, none. None of those Toronto mans actually sound like that. Speakers 1 18:17 Yeah, no, the one thing on the Speakers 2 18:21 internet, yeah, it's awful. It's so bad. It's It is, yeah, and they're making, they're making a mockery, and they don't care. And I find it so funny and entertaining, but I understand how people are offended by it. Speakers 1 18:40 Yeah, it's something to it's, yeah, it's, I'm not sure, to laugh uncomfortably or to laugh at them, like, what are we doing? It's, you know, what? Lock it up. Truly, I think the most shocking part is when I hear a trauma and accent come from someone in Ottawa. Oh, no, yeah. Um, you know, especially when they are a young child who grew up in, like, suburban Ottawa, it's like, what are we doing? Why? Um, but that's, that's a whole separate conversation. Um, going back to the website for a moment, how would you use this website? Um, I think we kind of already touched on that. But what are some ideas that you personally would contribute to the projects? Unknown Speakers 19:28 I feel like adding, Speakers 2 19:32 like, not a dating app aspect, but like a find a friend aspect, you know, to be able to see, like, if this person's nearby, maybe, like, make a friend. Speakers 1 19:44 Networking, exactly, networking, connecting communities. I think that would actually be really cool. So you want, like, from this website, not only for a place to be educated, but also to connect people a variety. Of cultures sound about right? Yeah, and we can shed light on other Peruvian countries as well. Right? Absolutely, absolutely. And do you have any final comments, questions or concerns that you would like to ask about the project or at all speak your mind, truly? No, we're all good. Okay, well, I think with that, thank you so much for being a part of my interview today. This has been an incredible experience, and I hope that maybe when we get the final project all finished up and done, you'll be able to see it for yourselves. I think with that, we can end things off. Have a good day. Right turn. Thank you so much. Okay, no problem, bye, bye, bye. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Taryn Ayton Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Conversation with Taryn Ayton Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 20 mins 46 s Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource This interview with Taryn Ayton by Adrian Machado is a part of a project for anthropological studies in the Caribbean and Latin America. Taryn is a 21-year-old Jamaican Canadian university student living in the GTA area (Richmond Hill). She is a long-time friend of the interviewer and provides a unique perspective on Carribean identity. The interview covers various aspects of her heritage and identity, such as celebrations, traditional foods, and values. Taryn hopes that her contribution to this project will enrich Canadians’ knowledge of Caribbean stories and bring members of the Latin/ Caribbean community together. https://omeka.uottawa.ca/anthroharvest/files/original/3d03963a77ac982d565f26f28ffe90a5.mp3 3d55ec414d123c457ce709cbaad9f0ed Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Latin American stories from Ottawa Description An account of the resource Ottawa, Canada's capital, is home to a richly diverse community. This reality makes Ottawa great. However, it can also make it difficult for Canadian citizens, residents, and newcomers to know where to start when looking for a community. For the winter 2025 Latin America and the Caribbean class, we endeavoured to inspire our students to explore this diversity through ethnographic interviews. Over thirteen weeks, our students interviewed friends, family, and Ottawa's Latin American and Caribbean community members and the surrounding areas. Our ultimate goal is to create an archive of stories that the Latin community can access at any time, preserving knowledge and promoting their cultures. We invite you to browse the stories collected by our students, listen to the audio recording, and read transcripts and biographies of those interviewed. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Emmanuelle Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Sophia Soutyrine Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data In person Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound SOPHIA: Bonjour, je suis ici avec mon amie qui a accepté à faire cette interview qui porte sur les Latino-Américains à Ottawa, et je vais rentrer dans les questions. Tu veux te présenter ? EMMANUELLE: Donc oui, bonjour, mon nom c'est Emmanuel, je suis moitié Nicaragua, moitié Canada, ma mère vient du Nicaragua et mon père vient du Canada, mais je suis née ici au Canada. SOPHIA: Mhm, donc ton pays d'origine, c'est… EMMANUELLE: Le Canada. SOPHIA: Qu'est-ce qui t'a amené à Ottawa ? EMMANUELLE: En fait, ce qui m'a amenée à Ottawa – moi, je suis née à Gatineau, mais ce qui m' amenait à Ottawa c'est vraiment l'étude. Les études, donc du coup j'ai fait mon secondaire, spécialisation d'art plastique à Ottawa ici proche à De La Salle et là maintenant je fais d'autres études à U-Ottawa en développement international ce qui m’avait beaucoup intéressé. Donc les études. SOPHIA: Est-ce que tu as de la famille ici et est-ce que tu les vois souvent ? EMMANUELLE: Du Nicaragua ? SOPHIA: Oui EMMANUELLE: Donc, j'ai la famille du côté de mon papa, mais pas du côté de ma mère. J'ai aucun familier ici. Ils sont tous au Nicaragua, mais je vais quelquefois au Nicaragua au moins, je vais aller une fois par année, un mois. SOPHIA: Mhm, tu restes comme un mois? EMMANUELLE: Oui, c'est ça pour les visiter. SOPHIA: Et puis, est-ce que tu vis dans une communauté ou un quartier latino-américain ici où tu parles l'espagnol? Où l'on parle espagnol beaucoup? EMMANUELLE: Oui, donc avec ma famille, parce que je vis avec ma maman, c'est elle qui vient du Nicaragua, donc oui, on parle l’espagnol assez couramment à la maison, mais à l'extérieur de la maison, je pourrais dire à mon université non, mais j'ai beaucoup d'amis qui parlent espagnols ou des compagnons d'école. Voilà, c'est ça. Donc avec eux, je parle l'espagnol et puis avec ma mère à la maison quelques fois. SOPHIA: Quelles sont les célébrations les plus importantes pour toi? EMMANUELLE: Donc les célébrations, je pourrais dire Noël. C'est une célébration assez générale. Je pourrais dire, au Canada comme au Nicaragua, ces célébrations vraiment, mais j'adore. C’est comme ici, les célébrations au Canada, c'est plus tranquille de mon avis, de ce que j'ai vu. Quand au Nicaragua, ils font des grosses fêtes, ils font beaucoup de nourriture, ils invitent la famille de... un peu partout. Tu comprends? Quand t'a ici, c'est les familles qui sont plus proches. C'est ça que j'ai remarqué. En tout cas, c'est des grosses affaires, des grosses fêtes. SOPHIA: Est-ce que tu célèbres Noël avec, comme tu rassembles la famille? EMMANUELLE: Oui, oui. SOPHIA: C'est donc une grande fête. EMMANUELLE: C’est une grande fête, Oui, c'est une grande, grande célébration. SOPHIA: Est-ce que tu peux me décrire une journée typique dans ta communauté? EMMANUELLE: Donc oui, une journée typique dans ma communauté, normal, je me réveille et puis je fais ma journée avec mes amis, mais c'est pas vraiment différent au Nicaragua, c'est assez similaire. C'est deux communautés qui sont assez similaires. Oui. Mais sauf qu'ici, j'ai remarqué que les gens sont un peu plus froids avec les autres que dans un pays d’Amérique Latine. Un pays d'Amérique Latine je trouve que les gens sont plus, comment te dire, sont plus, entraident, ils entraident les autres, tu comprends, sont plus là pour les autres. Quand t'as ici, c'est plus chacun pour soi. C'est ça que j'ai remarqué. SOPHIA: Est-ce que tu trouves, quand tu es dans un groupe avec d'autres latino-américains, avec tes amis, ils sont plus chaleureux que si tu es avec des Canadiens, on va dire? EMMANUELLE: Oui, parce qu'ils sont très, t'sais, ils jugent pas autant. Je trouve que les Canadiens, ils se sont plus portés à juger ou à plus porter à chacun pour soi. Quant aux latinos, eux, ils vont dire « ah t'as besoin d'aide, viens, je vais t'aider à faire ci ou à faire ça » ou « viens, on va sortir, appelle ton ami, tout le monde en y va, tout l'monde ensemble ». Quant à ici, genre, tu peux pas, tu vas pas dire « oh viens, j'ai une amie de l'ami de l'amie », on va tous sortir ensemble, non. C'est plus, j’ai remarqué, c'est une assez grande différence. SOPHIA: Comment est-ce que tu célèbres ton héritage ? EMMANUELLE: Donc ben moi, je célèbre mon héritage en participant à des fêtes, des événements culturels, genre des fêtes et des festivals à Ottawa, genre à Lansdowne. Précisément, ils font souvent des événements latinos de plusieurs cultures aussi. De plus, comment aussi je célèbre, je pourrais dire en cuisinant des plats traditionnels avec ma mère comme le “Nacatamal” et surtout partager des histoires avec mes copines d'Amérique latine, des trucs arrivés, des places que je préfère, des photos. Voilà. SOPHIA:Et puis il y a beaucoup de, de festivals, c'est vrai. EMMANUELLE: Oui, oui. SOPHIA: Quelles sont les valeurs qui te sont les plus chères en tant que membre de la communauté latino-américaine? EMMANUELLE: Donc pour moi, c'est vraiment la famille, et puis tu pourrais demander à n'importe quel Latino, ils vont dire la famille c'est le plus important. Et puis aussi l'entraide. Exemple, on va toujours être là, présent pour entraider les autres, comme j'avais dit plutôt les Canadiens, je trouve que, comme je viens des 2 cultures, je me suis rendu compte que quand je suis avec des Latinos, je suis sûre que si j'ai besoin d'aide demain matin ils vont être, ils vont venir m'aider ils vont m'assister. Quant aux Canadiens, je me suis dit, bon, c’est, c'est différent, je vois une différence. Donc oui, définitivement, j'dirais la famille et l'entraide. SOPHIA: Qu'est-ce que tu aimerais partager sur toi-même ou de ta communauté? Et qu'est-ce que tu juges qui est plus important que les gens sachent de ta communauté, ta culture? EMMANUELLE: Okay, bin moi je dirais que j'aimerais plus que les gens voient la diversité, comme que la diversité culturelle, c'est une richesse. Et aussi être issu d'un mélange comme le Nicaragua et le Canada, bin ça m'a appris aussi à apprécier toutes les cultures, à être fière de ce métissage. SOPHIA: Um, ok, quel plat est-ce que tu cuisines qui te rappelles de ton pays d'origine? EMMANUELLE: Donc moi, au Nicaragua eux, ce qu'ils mangent c'est vraiment des “frijoles”, frijoles c’est like beans. SOPHIA: Les haricots. EMMANUELLE: Les haricots, les haricots noirs avec, aussi eux ils mangent avec du fromage, des plantains frits. Donc moi le matin je pourrais dire je donne un exemple, je mélange les 2, donc du coup des fois je sais pas, je mets des œufs comme ils font, je mets des haricots noirs, du riz, des plantains et je rajoute du bacon. Donc du coup tu as les 2, j'ai les 2, j’ai Canada et Nicaragua dedans et c'est vraiment le mélange. Des fois, c'est vraiment intéressant. SOPHIA: Oui. Est-ce que tu fais tes courses, ou, où est-ce que tu fais tes courses pour préparer les repas traditionnels? Est-ce qu’il y a des endroits. EMMANUELLE: Oui il y a des endroits oui, y’en a plusieurs à Ottawa, um, y a la Fiesta Latina, y a, y a aussi, d'autres y’en a d'autres, mais ils sont plus à Ottawa, y’en a pas à Gatineau. À Gatineau y’en a pas, mais à Ottawa, il y en avait certain que j'ai trouvé intéressant. Y’a pas autant de produits nicaraguayens, mais de produit salvadorien soit assez similaire à ceux de Nicaragua. Donc des fois il y a même des restaurants salvadoriens au latino, que je peux trouver de la nourriture que des fois on mange où on achète de de la place donc. SOPHIA: Donc tu trouves qu’il y pas trop de produits de ton pays spécifiquement EMMANUELLE:Non, non, non, non. SOPHIA: Mais ils sont similaires. EMMANUELLE: Plus Mexique, Colombie. Mais oui, ils sont assez similaires SOPHIA: Dans quelle mesure est-ce que tu, Ok donc tu sais le, cette interview va être mise sur un site web avec d'autres interviews avec d'autres gens de l'Amérique Latine. Um, Dans quelle mesure est-ce que tu es susceptible à utiliser le site web que nous avons créé? EMMANUELLE: C'est intéressant que tu me dis ça parce que, um, j'aimerais ça voir d'autres personnes comme moi, qui est moitié latino moitié canadiens. Parce que tu sais ici au Canada je vois beaucoup de latinos mais y a pas beaucoup de moitiés latinos canadiens autant, tu comprends, oui ils sont au Canada mais ils sont 100% latinos. Donc je trouve ça intéressant de pouvoir, je sais pas, pouvoir consulter le site web, pour écouter certains reportages de d'autres personnes, tu sais qui, qui est là, qui s'identifient comme moi, Moitié canadien, moitié latino, même nicaraguayen. Ça serait super intéressant si je pourrais trouver un reportage qui parle de ça, et m'identifier dans ces reportages. SOPHIA: Oui, puis voir les similarités. EMMANUELLE: Voila. SOPHIA: Est-ce que tu as d'autres commentaires que tu veux apporter ou des préoccupations? EMMANUELLE: Non, c'est c'est très intéressant ce que vous faites. Continuer comme à faire des reportages, c'est, c'est intéressant. J'aime bien SOPHIA: Merci, Emmanuelle. EMMANUELLE: Merci à toi. Bonne journée SOPHIA: Bye. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Conversation with Emmanuelle Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 2025-03-13 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource MP3, 8 min 51 s Language A language of the resource French Description An account of the resource I interviewed Emmanuelle, a close friend of mine since high school. She is half Nicaraguan and half Canadian, born in Canada and currently living in Gatineau. Emmanuelle comes to Ottawa for her studies and attends the University of Ottawa. Although she grew up in Canada, she stays closely connected to her Latin American roots through her family, Nicaraguan food, cultural festivals, and visits to Nicaragua. She also has many friends from across Latin America, where she recognizes shared values and experiences. Emmanuelle embraces a blend of both cultures in her daily life, balancing Canadian experiences with her Nicaraguan heritage.