“I always liked to work, since I was little I learned to work.”

This+picture+was+taken+in+my+house+in+my+living+room.

Felipa Chavez

This picture was taken in my house in my living room.

Interview audio

Julian Ulario is now 49 years old and was born in Guatemala. He remembers that he had a great childhood. He used to go to work in the morning with his brother and dad. He learned a lot of things since he was a boy. He learned to work from such a young age.

Although he went to school he did not learn a lot of things he still is able to do the most important things. To me he is a great parent. He supported his parents and helped him on what he could. He always was respectful to his parents and never disobeyed them.

He is a hard worker. In conclusion he is a big person and a inspiration to me.

 

Transcript:

 

Frank Ulario: My name is Frank Ulario and I am 13 years old. Today I am going to interview my dad.
Julian Ulario: My name is Idelfonso Julian Ulario.
Me: I want you to tell me a memory or story that made you happy.
JU: I would start by telling you about my seven years and up because before the seven years I do not remember what happened, but what I remember. I would tell you because maybe my childhood wasn’t like your’s because in the past in our village, um… toys did not exist or like the technology today. It is really advanced, but in my childhood we never had that although in a poorly way I was always happy with my parents and was able to something with them when i was small. What I remember was that every time before going to school my mother would wake us up every time early so we would sweep the porch or they would take us to work before going to school. And after school the same thing would happen again. They would take us to work with our father to cultivate the soil. and after that our time to do our work from the school was at eight o’clock at night and that’s how it was all the time. And in the time I grew I was in 6th grade and that I started to help my dad more in work.
Me: One question I have for you is how did you feel that they sent you to all of that and also that your work was more important.
JU: Yeah the only thing is that at that time …um the respect towards your parents was first because they are the ones who gave us to eat and are the ones that bought our clothes so at being disobedient we didn’t feel good. But my work from school was important because of that we learned what the teacher was saying. But even though they didn’t let us do our homework during the day time we would always be able to complete it we would always do it at night even though that happened we were always happy.
Me: Mhm.
JU: Anything else you wanted to know. For example u could ask.
Me: I know that you have a brother. Did they only do that to one of you or to all of you
JU: My older brother was also educated the same way. The only thing is that he woke up by himself, worked by himself and every time they sent me with him we would fight. So practically we could never work together because we would always argue or he would always hit me and for that reason they didn’t let us work together each other I there own place. But he was a good brother.Then after them comes me then another sister so in total we are five siblings that are alive. So regarding what my childhood was like. It was like that, I was the one in total that helped mostly my dad. At work , it never hurt me to work. I always liked to work , in fact  since I was little I learned to work. Thank god for today because to this day I always like to work. So that’s what I can tell you, but if you want to ask me any other questions.
Me:  Like about your childhood and you worked during the day and you also worked in the morning, so how did you complete the work that they left in from the school?
JU: Because in or villages they don’t leave us the same work that they leave you guys here. Here we are in a country with a lot of prosperity and that probably is in first place in power because a lot of people hope to be in this country for the same reason because they give everybody the right study’s, but over there they leave us for example what’s math they leave us only one page of homework. We could finish it in 10-15 minutes. So it was like that or sometimes they didn’t even leave us homework cause we would finish it at school but even though they didn’t the same homework that they leave you guys. So that’s why I think the preparation for people over there in our country is really poor in comparison to the study that they give here. I think the age that you have right now me at that age I never had the same experience that you have today at your age so to say it was poor in our childhoods but we were happy. We learned something that maybe wasn’t exactly what is the same way you talk here, but we did learn something’s like how to read and write. Maybe not as good as you but we did learn. In grade 6 I remember that in Guatemala there was a protest of teachers. So we started our classes in the month of February we had 2 months of school so from there the protest started until the month of September and they only gave us the diploma so to say in what I passed my tests was there and to say that I passed is wrong cause they just passed everybody for free. To all the students because we didn’t have classes for almost 7 months so that was all that I remembered from my childhood. And when I got to my teen years I remembered that I dedicated myself on working more instead of going to school to building and sewing. Always, I would help my dad and I would go with him to go look for his work in the capital of Guatemala and I remember that whatever I won I would give to my dad.  Always I did but I am not telling you to do the same and that’s how it was and once again if you have other questions more then ask me.
Me: So in total everything that happened to you when you were little affected you in your life today as in that it affected you life as an adult and that helped you be a good worker and you learned to do your homework. I know that you learned a little to read and everything  but in total all of what you learned over there affected you today?
JU: Maybe affect isn’t the right word to use so like I would tell u like that it helped me because through all of that it has helped me because when I got to this country I went to school which is the school for adults but I could tell you all of what they did with me and maybe when I was little I didn’t understand but now that I am already big and now that I have you I recognized that it was the best that they did with me because they showed me how to work and that is what I work from and that how i sustain my family. It has always been fun for me to work and that is what helped me a lot because I don’t need someone to tell me to work or do that because I have always like to do that so those are my answers of the questions that you have asked me. I hope that what I say will help you in anything cause that’s what my childhood and practically all of the family was raised like that but maybe I started to educate you in that way maybe for you it would be tough because at this age you still don’t understand. Maybe even though you tell me you understand there will always be something new you will need to learn so I want you to know that so if you learn something new today then that means you will learn something new tomorrow so that I won’t tell you that at the age that I have I know everything because there are a lot of things that I still need to learn and so those are my answers for you.
Me: Okay those are all the questions I have for you and that you for making time for me to interview you I learned a lot of things that I did not know about you childhood and I thank you again for allowing me to interview you. 
JU; Okay my son that’s all.
Me: That will be all for my interview and as I said to my dad, I learned a lot of things and that when I grow up I will be like him who is a hard worker and supports his family. Thank you for listening to this interview and that will be all.