This interview is to gather information about an individual who immigrated to the United States. I wanted to discover the reason why this individual immigrated to the U.S. I interviewed Willa Lopez on 10 February 2012 by telephone. She is a Mexican immigrant who is now 78 years old.
She has lived in many places but has settled permanently in Plano, Texas with her oldest daughter and near 4 of her 5 children.
1. Where were you born?
Pueblo Yaqui, Sonora, Mexico
2. Where have you lived since leaving Pueblo Yaqui, Mexico?
I first moved to Ciudad Obregon and then from there I traveled to Los Angeles, CA. I moved to the City of Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico in 1976 with my husband and 3 children. We moved from there in 1978 and headed to Tucson, AZ where the children graduated high school. I followed one of my children who was in the military service to their duty stations from 1994 to 2002. In 2002, I decided to stop traveling all over Europe with my child who was in the service and I moved in with my oldest daughter in Plano, Texas.
3. What year did you move to Los Angeles?
1966
4. Why did you come to the United States?
A cousin who was already in the United States sent me and his sister an invitation to visit. I decided to stay in the U.S. after the visit.
5. Why did you decided to stay in the U.S.?
Los Angeles was so different from my little town in Mexico that I was over whelmed with all the excitement, I decided to stay.
6. What type of job did you get when you arrived in the U.S.?
I was a babysitter/nanny for a family with 3 children, 7,5,3.
7. Could you get this type of work in your country?
Yes, this type of work was available in Mexico. I did not come to the U.S. to work and send money back home. I just got a babysitting/nanny job when I arrived.
8. Did you live anyone behind?
I did. I left my 13 year old daughter and 11 year old son in the care of my mother and father, their grandpa and grandma.
9. What was the process for immigration?
It was very easy. I arrived in Los Angeles with my passport. I had permission from the Government to stay in Los Angeles with my passport. It wasn't until I got married, that I received my Green Card. It only took 6 months to apply and receive my card.
10. What year did you get married?
I got married in 1968 in Los Angeles.
11. Did you send for your other children to join you in Los Angeles?
I did not send for my children. They stayed in Mexico with my parents until they graduated from high school. My daughter came to the U.S. right after turning 18. She graduated from UCLA. My son finished high school and went on to college in Mexico.
12. What types of jobs did you work while in the U.S.?
I did not work in the U.S. because we had decided I would stay with the children as they grew up. I did eventually get a job as a janitor at the University of Arizona after my husband and I decided to get divorced.
13. What is your overall feeling of coming to the U.S. and staying?
I came to the U.S. and just liked it. I didn't come to work because I was distressed in Mexico. I could see the advancements here in the U.S. compared to my little town in Pueblo Yaqui. I would have rather brought my children right away to the U.S. but they wanted to finish high school first so I did leave them to continue living with my parents.
I had a great interview with Willa Lopez. I could hear it in her voice she was very happy with her life.
