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| Leslie Torcella is going to experience the difference of two different places. |
Leslie Torcella is full Filipino. She has a daughter that is half American and half Filipino. She is my mom. This is the story of my mom moving to America. She was twenty-eight years old when she decided to move from a small rural island in the Philippines called Iloilo to the big, fast pace, busy, crowded New York City. The reason behind her decision for moving was her best friend Nina had just moved there and she asked my mom to join her. They always talked about moving to the States and that was my moms dream ever since she was small. As my mother is sitting in the car with her cousin and aunt driving to the airport nervous feelings fill her stomach. This was her first time traveling outside of the country and she had to do it alone. She boarded China Airlines and the next stop is New York City. This marked the beginning of her journey to America.
So I hear that you moved from the Philippines to America…obviously.
Obviously. (laughing)
What city or town were you from?
I was born in Santa Barbara, Iloilo.
How did you come to make this decision to move?
A friend of mine who I used to work with at Bank of California, Nina went to New York and got a job at United Nations and so when she got to New York she wanted me to follow her. So I did.
Why did you decide to follow her?
We were close friends and it was always my dream to go to the states. We were co-workers at work for a long time
So you came with her?
Yes I stayed with her while I was in New York and I worked there for a while…
Did you get homesick?
No…(laughing)
(laughing) You didn’t?
No… a little bit.
Was it easy to find a job?
No. I actually had to look for one for quite a while. I know people back home said moving here would get you the easy life but…there is a lot of work required to achieve that.
What was your life like back in the Philippines?
Easy, relaxed, stress free and just fun.
What did you do?
I went to school and worked after I graduated. I always hung out with cousins and friends after work.
What kind… of shopping was there?
All kinds of shopping just like here.
Is it the same or different?
It’s just a little different. The malls here have more luxury stores. We don’t have that in the Philippines.
Oh that’s cool…so when you came to America did you know what it was gonna be like?
Uh…yeah a little bit…
You already had an idea of what it was like?
Yeah…from movies I saw in the Philippines with my mom. She loved taking us out to watch them. Whatever movies are showing here also show in the Philippines but it just comes in much later but they show it.
Mhm … so what’s the difference between New York and your hometown?
Oh my hometown is really small…it’s not really rural but it’s just a town a small town…
Just a small town girl (singing)
(laughing ) Yeah we don’t have big tall buildings … even our city is not that ya know big compared to New York. They don’t have tall tall buildings so it’s like an old city they don’t have big malls.
What did you think when you were in New York?
It’s uh… packed with people it’s like…it’s like uhmm ants crawling out from the buildings at when ... when it’s 5 o’clock everybody’s in a hurry to go home yeah and then we didn’t have subways in the Philippines they had them in New York it’s always packed at rush hours like in the morning and then in the afternoon…
What were your first experiences with the subways like?
Crowded and dirty and hot.
Were you scared?
No…not really.
Did you travel alone along the streets and underground of New York?
I was with my friend so…
Oh so you were always with someone?
Uhm... I rode the train by myself cause ya know I live in Queens …so ya know…
If you could go back in time would you have stayed in the Philippines instead of moving here?
No not really…no.
You are happy with your choice?
Yeah because I was able to go see places I went to New York…I lived in New York. Then I lived up in Union Bay oh, not Union Bay … Union City across from San Francisco and then ya know I traveled quite a bit right…
You brought back lots of snow globes.
(laughing)
For your awesome daughter.
Yup.
What’s her name?
Cassie
(laughing)
Tell me about your family back home.
I come from a big family and we have lots of extended ya know family members cousins, aunts, and uncles and almost all of them lived in the Philippines.
So it wasn’t hard for you to leave all that?
Yeah it was hard but we also have lots of family here…. Right? …Like relatives in L.A and San Francisco and Florida
Were you the first one to move here out of your family?
No…my younger sister Marie.
The wild child (laughing)
Did you have to do chores back in the Philippines?
Yeah we do have chores but not as much as the chores here…cause we always have helpers.
You have maids?
Yeah.
Did you treat your maids like friends?
Yeah they were like family members. They lived with us for years. I still remember my maid her name was Robing. I saw her when I came back home for a visit.
If you had a maid here now you wouldn’t treat them like family would you?
Well yeah they don’t… the maids here don’t live with you they just come in and clean your house and then they leave.
Oh when you came back did you realize how much you missed your home?
Yeah… yeah but I'm glad I made the choice to move here.
Has anyone else decided to come to America?
My youngest sister is coming…your auntie Christine. She’s my youngest sister…she’s married has three children, two boys and a girl. She’s gonna come with Ella and Paolo. Paolo is sixteen and Ella is nine… I think.
Did you convince her to come try it out over here?
She’s not 100% crazy to come her. She’s a little scared because now she has to change her life and ya know she has to leave a lot of people behind
Kinda like you did?
Yeah.
But do you think it’s different for her now or harder?
It’s gonna be harder because her oldest son is gonna stay behind and finish med school, Sean.
What about you?
What did you think when you went to the Philippines?
I thought it was dirty. (laughing) But that was only in Manila because that’s like a big city with lots of things going on so there’s a lot of smoke there.
Yeah smog.
But then when I went to Iloilo…Boracay it was nicer but then in Iloilo it was gross because there were lizards everywhere on the ceilings…
Yeah.
How was it without lizards in your home when you came here?
It’s just part of the whole thing…the lizards. It’s just a part of the Philippines. Yeah there all over except in the big cities
Did you ever play with the lizards?
No...thats yuck (laughing)
Are there any amusement parks in the Philippines?
We had an aquarium in Manila
No mom like roller coasters?
Just like the ones at the fair grounds.
What did you do as a child?
Go to the farm during summertime and we play and we go to the… we would explore… go on the rice paddies…go walk to another place ...another little town and help my grandma she …she’ll have coco tree yah and you make it into chocolate and she’ll harvest is and she’ll make it into coco powder and we help her do that in summer
That’s so cool. Well thank you for your time.
Oh you are welcome.
Okay bye.
Bye.
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